How to defeat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Messmer the Impaler is easily one of the most spectacular boss fights in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. While in terms of difficulty it still falls short of some of the end-game bosses from the base game and the final boss of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion itself, he still offers a rather challenging battle—one that can cause trouble for some players.

The biggest issue most players will face in Messmer the Impaler's boss fight is his delayed combos and also the ferocity of his attacks, which leaves very little wiggle room for mistakes or healing. Additionally, in his second phase, Messmer basically relies on AOE (Area Of Effect) attacks that can easily catch you off-guard.

Thankfully, there's a weapon and a build surrounding it that you can use to trivialize the boss fight against Messmer. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to easily defeat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

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Build to use for the Messmer the Impaler boss fight in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

Being one of the Demi-gods, Messmer the Impaler is highly resistant to most elemental affinities apart from Lightning, Bleed, and surprisingly enough, Flame. While you can technically go into this boss fight with any build you like, I highly recommend a Bleed build if you want an easier way to defeat Messmer in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree.

Bloodfiend's Blood Arm is currently the best Arcane weapon in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

The build that I went for was surrounding what is essentially the best Strength-Arcane weapon in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, with 200+ Blood loss build-up - Bloodfiend's Blood Arm. You can get this weapon pretty early by simply farming the Bloodfiends near the Belurat Castle or Castle Front area.

Here's a breakdown of the build:

Weapons:

• Bloodfiend's Blood Arm +25

Talismans:

• Erdtree's Favor +2
• Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman
• Outer God's Heirloom
• Two-Handed Sword Talisman

Armor:

• Veteran's set (Any armor set with good defensive attributes and medium encumbrance)

I fought Messmer the Impaler with a Level 200 character, but as long as you're somewhere within the Level 160 to 180 range, you should be fine. Do make sure to have your Vigor stat at 60, to tank a few of Messmer's attacks, especially in the second phase. Here's a breakdown of the stats for this build:

• Vigor: 60
• Mind: 20
• Endurance: 40
• Strength: 54
• Dexterity: 12
• Intelligence: 9
• Faith: 14
• Arcane: 70

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Tips to easily defeat Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

With the abovementioned build, your primary goal will be to deal damage to Messmer mostly via charged heavy attacks. Fortunately, charging a heavy using a Bloodfiend's Arm doesn't take too long and can also be chained into a light attack for bonus damage. The main focus would be to deal as much Bleed damage to Messmer as possible.

The Bloodfiend's Blood Arm makes quick work of Messmer in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree (Image via FromSoftware)

With the aforementioned build configuration, the Bloodfiend's Blood Arm gets a Blood loss build-up boost to 221, which essentially means that you're bound to deal massive Bleed damage with every charged heavy attack. And given Messmer's weakness towards Bleed, it deals bonus damage to the boss.

However, even with this build, you still need to focus on dodging Messmer's attacks, which can be really tricky. Here are some tips that should help you against Messmer the Impaler in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree:

• Upon entering through the boss fog, you'll always be greeted by Messmer's Orb, which has a moderate AOE range and can be easily dodged as long as you don't panic roll. Time your dodge away from Messmer just before the Orb is about to hit the ground and you should be fine.
• The next few attacks from Messmer are a variation of the Messmer's Assault, coupled with Flame Serpent, and also regular thrust attacks.
• Let Messmer finish all his combos before you jump in with a charged heavy attacks of your own. With just two charged attacks, you should be able to bring Messmer's health below 75%. Another regular attack combo or a charged heavy should make the boss transition to his second phase.
• Do note that most of Messmer's attacks are forward-rushing, with some covering the small area around him. As such, to dodge his attacks, you want to roll outwards, away from the boss, not into him.
• Once Messmer transitions to his second phase, you need to be very careful of his AOE attacks. The second phase always starts with an empowered version of Messmer's Orb, which is then immediately followed by a spear slash combo.
• Dodge it the same way you dodge the Messmer's Orb in the first phase, but instead of immediately retaliating, do a delayed dodge roll to get out of Messmer's thrust attacks.
• While Messmer is much more aggressive in the second phase, his defenses are significantly lower, making it easier to deal damage to the boss with Bleed.
• Your strategy in the second phase remains almost identical to that of the first phase, albeit with slight changes. Instead of sticking close to Messmer, keep an eye out on his transformations and dodge away, preferably by unlocking the camera to move away as far as possible from his Abyssal Serpent transformation attacks.
• I highly recommend using the Opaline Hardtear to negate as much physical and Flame damage as possible. You can also use the Opaline Bubbletear, but that only helps negate a single fatal attack.

Messmer the Impaler's second phase can be a bit of trouble if you don't dodge his Abyssal Serpent attacks in time (Image via FromSoftware)

Once you do defeat Messmer, you'll be rewarded with his Remembrance. This can be exchanged to craft the Messmer's Orb and the Spear of the Impaler, which is easily one of the most powerful boss weapons in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. You also get Messmer's Flame upon defeating Messmer, which is needed to progress the main story.

While the battle against Messmer the Impaler isn't as tough as Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss, Promised Consort Radahn, it's still a very memorable boss fight that can be pretty challenging if you don't know the proper dodge and attack timings.