
Messmer the Impaler
Location | |
Scadu AltusRegion | |
Shadow KeepDungeon | |
Drops | |
Messmer's Kindling | |
Remembrance of the Impaler | |
Description | |
Mother, wouldst thou truly Lordship sanction, in one so bereft of light | |
Notes | |
Health: 38,981 HP.
Defense: 124.
Stance: 120
Parryable: Yes, but 3 parries are required per stance break
Is vulnerable to a critical hit after being stance broken or parried
Damage: Standard, Slash, Strike, Pierce, Fire
Drops 400,000, Remembrance of the Impaler, Messmer's Kindling
Negations (or Absorptions).
Standard: 20
Slash: 0
Strike: 20
Pierce: 20
Magic: 20
Fire: 40
Lightning: 20
Holy (Phase 1): 40
Holy (Phase 2): 0
The negation numbers are the of your damage that gets blocked.
For example, if a negation is 60, 40 of that damage by that type will go through and 60 will be negated.
Bigger number less damage.
A negation of 100 means no damage goes through, and a negation of -100 mean the enemy takes 2x damage from that source.
0 means damage goes pretty much as is.
Resistances
Poison: 435 / 533 / 823 / 1280
Scarlet Rot: 435 / 533 / 823 / 1280
Hemorrhage: 435 / 533 / 823 / 1280
Frostbite: 316 / 358 / 456 / 746 / 1203
Sleep: Immune
Madness: Immune
The resistance numbers are the buildup amount to trigger it.
For example, if a resistance is 100 you must deal 100 points of the given buildup to trigger it.
Note that these go down over time, and increase each time the effect procs.
The values after the / s indicate the increased resistances after each successive proc.
NG and Beyond.
NG
NG
NG 2
NG 3
NG 4
NG 5
NG 6
NG 7
HP
38,981
41,094
45,204
47,258
49,313
53,423
55,477
57,532
DLC HP
46,802
51,482
53,822
56,162
60,842
63,183
65,523
Defense
124
126
129
132
138
145
151
164
Runes
400,000
800,000
880,000
900,000
960,000
980,000
1,000,000
1,020,000
Resistances
Poison
435 / 533 / 823 / 1280
474 / 572 / 862 / 1319
481 / 579 / 869 / 1326
488 / 586 / 876 / 1333
496 / 594 / 884 / 1341
503 / 601 / 891 / 1348
510 / 608 / 898 / 1355
517 / 615 / 905 / 1362
Scarlet Rot
435 / 533 / 823 / 1280
474 / 572 / 862 / 1319
481 / 579 / 869 / 1326
488 / 586 / 876 / 1333
496 / 594 / 884 / 1341
503 / 601 / 891 / 1348
510 / 608 / 898 / 1355
517 / 615 / 905 / 1362
Hemorrhage
435 / 533 / 823 / 1280
474 / 572 / 862 / 1319
481 / 579 / 869 / 1326
488 / 586 / 876 / 1333
496 / 594 / 884 / 1341
503 / 601 / 891 / 1348
510 / 608 / 898 / 1355
517 / 615 / 905 / 1362
Frostbite
316 / 358 / 456 / 746 / 1203
345 / 387 / 485 / 775 / 1232
350 / 392 / 490 / 780 / 1237
355 / 397 / 495 / 785 / 1242
360 / 402 / 500 / 790 / 1247
366 / 408 / 506 / 796 / 1253
371 / 413 / 511 / 801 / 1258
376 / 418 / 516 / 806 / 1263
Sleep
Immune
Madness
Immune
Messmer the Impaler Boss Guide
Messmer the Impaler Boss Video Guide.
Shadow of the Erdtree Bosses Ranked
Messmer the Impaler Fight Strategy
The Best Tips for Messmer the Impaler:
Recommended summons: Mimic Tear
Recommended armaments: Staff of the Guilty, Bloodfiend's Arm, Great Stars, Reduvia, Rivers of Blood, Heater Shield, Fingerprint Stone Shield (Fire affinity)
Recommended ashes of war: Lion's Claw, Giant Hunt, Cragblade, Golden Vow
Any skill, that lowers Tarnished position is good to both attack and avoid damage (Messmer mostly go for spear in forward, not down).
Recommended spells: Flame Protect Me, Impenetrable Thorns, Golden Vow, Swarm of Flies, Borealis's Mist
Recommended talismans: Flamedrake Talisman 3, Great-Jar's Arsenal, Lord of Blood's Exultation
Other items: Albinauric Set, Briar Set, Greenspill Crystal Tear, Stonebarb Cracked Tear
Melee Users
Phase 1
Messmer, the Impaler, looks down over you as a towering humanoid boss with long limbs and a massive spear, accompanied by a red snake coiled around his body.
His attacks are imbued with fire damage, making him a formidable opponent who relies heavily on his spear's reach and agility.
To proceed in this boss fight, readiness for his swift movements is important.
As a melee character, your strategy should begin by evading the fireball he summons upon leaping into battle.
Pay attention while he's in mid-air and watch out for the white smoke that will appear around him.
As soon as you see the white smoke, get ready to dodge to avoid the impact of his landing.
Sometimes, the area around him will explode as soon as he lands, so you need to do a second roll going forward, and then get a free hit while he's recovering.
For the most part, you will want to stay close to him because of the long reach of his spear and flame spells.
When you're fighting Messmer at a close range, you will have more chance of retaliating and chipping away at his health while he recovers.
Engaging Messmer patiently is the best strategy to effectively take him down.
When he finishes a string of attacks, focus on breaking his poise by pulling off heavy attacks for a chance to deal significant damage.
Due to Messmer's speed, you need to approach him with the right mix of patience and aggressiveness.
This boss can quickly transition between offense and defense by quickly disengaging with a leap after he finishes a move.
Be aware that Messmer counters swiftly after sustaining damage, too.
His speed and precision in combat are his biggest asset, requiring observation of his movements to avoid being overwhelmed.
One of the basic moves that Messmer makes is the Flaming Spear Lunge, this is when you see him leap into the air as he thrusts his weapon and then crash on the ground with his spear engulfed in flames.
This movement is dodgeable and will take some time to get used to but you can do this by rolling forward as he thrusts his weapon, waiting for the delay as he prepares to crash, and then rolling forward again to stay close to him.
This allows you to attack him while he's recovering.
Next up is Messmer's Flaming Assault, which is a 3-string attack where he combines this move with his flame spells.
While the spear is engulfed in flames, he will cast spells with his flaming right hand and he will do the following attacks:
When he swings his right arm, he will use a fire spell that affects the immediate area in front of him
Quick Thrust with the spear, followed by a quick jump to reposition himself and another spear thrust
Flame Spell where he twists in place to swing his spear and creates a flame surrounding him
To dodge this move, you need to learn when he will do this by paying attention to his arm.
If you see him cross it over and it's engulfed in flames, he will do this attack.
To dodge, roll to the right if you're too close, otherwise, rolling backward is safe enough.
You need to dodge as soon as he swings his arm engulfed in flames.
For the second part, roll forward as soon as he thrusts with his spear, wait for the delay as he jumps to reposition himself, then dodge as soon as he lands on his new spot.
Finally, for the last step, you can dodge this either going to the right, backward, or forward.
It is recommended to roll forward so you can get close to him and get a free attack while he's recovering.
Messmer's powerful Fire Grab attack will kill most players instantly.
It is important to dodge this attack to avoid an instant death.
When Messmer's hand begins glowing, that is the sign he is about to grab you.
Once he begins to descend his arm to grab you, roll either to the sides or forward.
This will leave an opening to hit him.
If you can break his stance, remember to go in front of him and just lightly press R1 (once) to do a light attack.
This will do a critical hit and can deal a lot more damage than any attacks.
The next basic attack combo is a 4-String attack where he throws out a flame spell in close range, followed by 2 quick thrust, and a dash flame 360. To dodge this move, you will roll backward to dodge the flame spell, then wait out a bit, and roll toward him for the quick thrust, wait for the delay here, and roll toward him again for the second quick thrust, and then, roll forward towards him for the 360. This is the recommended move so you can get some free hits while he recovers.
There's a variation of this move where he adds a Flame swipe and a backward 360 at the end.
To dodge these additional moves, you would want to roll backward for the flame spell, hold out a bit, then roll forward again for the 360 Flame spell.
This will also allow you to get some hits on him.
Finally, one more move that is worth mentioning is the Messmer's Assault which consists of multiple string attacks and usually ends with an explosion at the end.
The move will begin with Messmer jumping up with an Airborne Sweep 360, followed by a quick spear swing, an upward thrust to launch himself upwards and end the move with a plunge to create an explosion.
This move will create spears exploding from the ground.
To dodge this move, you will do the following per string of attack:
Roll to your right back
Roll towards him to be point blank or back to mitigate damage
Roll towards him
Again, roll towards than him and punish/heal, since recovery is long
There's also a variation of this move called Airborne Sweeps Combo, which is more manageable to dodge.
As the battle goes on and Messmer's health reaches the halfway mark, the fight stops.
The fight pauses and a cutscene shows Messmer kneeling and performing a ritualistic act, removing one of his own eyes and shattering it, causing the area to glow red.
This indicates the beginning of Phase 2.
Phase 2
Base Serpent Messmer steps up once you've depleted Messmer the Impaler's health to 50 .
His health remains at 50 at the start of the fight.
In this new phase, Base Serpent Messmer not only retains his old form's original attacks but also introduces a set of new, more lethal attacks with the help of the Abyssal Serpent revealed after he gouged out his golden eye.
The battle begins with the Serpent Explosive Bite which is where he turns into a big serpent with Scarlet Rot crawling on its skin.
The Serpent bites down on the ground and as the fang hits, the ground beneath it will explode.
Then, Messmer will revert to his humanoid form.
While in this state, he executes his attacks with increased speed compared to his previous form, making him a more powerful boss.
Among the fresh additions to his move set is a serpent transformation that rises up to the ground to throw a fireball.
However, one of his most powerful attacks is the Fire Grab.
This technique has his right hand engulfed in flames.
He'll unleash a torrent of fire from his grasp while impaling his spear to you with flames, almost guaranteeing instant death.
Proceeding in this battle requires a slow approach to Base Serpent Messmer's abilities and vulnerabilities.
Capitalize on the small opening right after he uses Serpent Fireball to unleash a ton of heavy strikes, increasing your damage output.
When engaging his humanoid form, maintain an aggressive approach but be ready to switch to defensive the moment he transforms into his serpent form.
His serpent attacks pack a punch, requiring you to dodge and counter.
To emphasize this, he can also summon the Serpent at will, while he retains his humanoid form.
He will stand in place, and raise his right arm to beckon the Serpent.
The Serpent will strike fast with a bite and then vanishes right after.
Messmer is ready to disengage as soon as the serpent vanishes.
You can roll forward as the Serpent prepares for a bite so you can get closer to Messmer.
There's also the variation of the Triple Serpent Bite where he fully transforms into a Serpent to execute 3 successive Serpent Bite attacks.
During this attack, you can dodge it by rolling forward as the serpent strikes.
The Serpent's head will linger after the third strike, giving an opening for you to attack, then, as Messmer reverts to his humanoid form, you can strike him again for the second time as he materializes.
One thing to note when Messmer transforms into the Serpent is when he creates a large pool of red liquid on the ground.
If you can't see Messmer in the middle, this means that he will attack you with a single Serpent Bite, where you can hit him twice (similar to the ending of the Triple Serpent Bite).
However, when he casts the large pool, and you can see him in the center, there will be 3 Serpent heads floating near him and will do 3 strikes.
The first one will strike fast to slam its fangs on the ground in an attempt to bite you, followed by a delayed attack from the second which deals 2 attacks, then, the third one is almost simultaneous with Messmer's attack.
Messmer will follow up with a Flaming Spear Lunge attack, where he flies up, pauses mid-air, and slams his spear onto the ground to create an explosive area around him.
When dealing with this version, the first thing you will do is to run away from him.
Run to your right to create a distance between you and them.
Then, roll forward as the first snake bites down, then roll twice to your right with the second snake attack, and finally, roll as Messmer lands on the ground with his Flaming Spear Lunge.
This gives you enough space to roll away from the explosion from his spear.
However, he usually continues this move with spears erupting from the ground.
Make sure to roll towards him as the ground beneath him explodes.
When you are within attacking range, you can land an attack while he recovers.
Above all, remain alert when you notice Base Serpent Messmer's right hand glowing with flames it's a sign of his powerful Fire Grab.
React by backing away and rolling back, giving you a high chance to evade this lethal attack.
Magic and Ranged Users
Consider bringing heavy fire-resistant equipment for this fight.
Upon entering the arena, roll twice to avoid Messmer's initial attack, and the aftershock.
Opportunities for ranged attacks will be minimal without summoning spirit ashes.
Given an opportunity, dragon incantations such as Borealis's Mist and Ekzykes's Decay are rather damaging, as Messmer is weak to frost and susceptible to rot.
Bear in mind that Messmer's phase two transformation cleanses his rot status.
One of the safest ways to kill Messmer from a distance is with repeated casts of Impenetrable Thorns enhanced by Beloved Stardust.
In addition, Greatshield Soldier ashes will hold the boss's attention for a decent amount of time, providing an opening to cast Thorns.
For players that prefer DPS summons (Tiche), equipping Glovewort Crystal Tear will end the fight a lot quicker.
Messmer the Impaler Attacks & Counters
Attack
Description
Counter
Parryable
Phase 1
Spear Thrust
In close range, Messmer quickly thrusts his spear toward you combined with another string of attacks that include a flame spell.
It's quite hard to tell if he's about to thrust his spear, so the best way to counter this is to back up from time to time when attacking Messmer in close range.
Double Spear Swing
Messmer swings his spear to the right and left towards you.
You can counter this attack by rolling backward each time he sweeps with his weapon.
You need to dodge exactly at the same time he swings his weapon.
Flaming Spear Thrust
After doing the Double Spear Swing, Messmer follows up with a Flaming Spear Thrust where he pulls back his right arm and flames will engulf the spear.
After a quick hold, he will thrust his spear upwards.
Pay attention to the delay where Messmer holds his left arm while flames engulf his spear.
Then, dodge forward just as he thrusts his spear toward you.
Flaming Spear Lunge
Similar to the Flaming Spear Thrust, but instead of thrusting up, he will leap into the air as he thrusts his weapon and then crash on the ground with his spear engulfed in flames.
Roll forward as he thrusts his weapon, wait for the delay as he prepares to crash, and then roll forward again to stay close to him.
This allows you to attack him while he's recovering.
Make sure that you keep track of him by following his movements while he's in mid-air so you can see the exact moment that he's going to crash.
Leaping Fire Spear Throw
At mid-range, Messmer will leap high in the air and throw his spear very fast.
Once he leaps through the air, pay close attention to his left arm and roll to either right or left once you see him about to throw.
Flaming Assault
This is a string of flame attacks combined with flame spells.
While the spear is engulfed in flames, he will cast spells with his flaming right hand and he will do the following attacks:
When he swings his right arm, he will use a fire spell that affects the immediate area in front of him
Quick Thrust with the spear, followed by a quick jump to reposition himself and another spear thrust
Flame Spell where he twists in place to swing his spear and creates a flame surrounding him
When he's finished with the first 3, he can follow up with the first and third move, especially if you're close to him when he finishes the first string of attacks.
The first attack can be identified when his right arm is crossed over to the right and flames will light up and cover it.
This is how this string of attacks usually starts.
Do the following to dodge these:
Roll to the right if you're too close, otherwise, rolling backward is safe enough.
You need to dodge as soon as he swings his arm engulfed in flames.
Roll forward as soon as he thrusts with his spear, wait for the delay as he jumps to reposition himself, then dodge as soon as he lands on his new spot.
You can dodge this either going to the right, backward, or forward.
It is recommended to roll forward so you can get close to him and get a free attack while he's recovering.
Airborne Sweeps Combo
Multihit combo consisting of few attacks
Spinning 360 Airborne Sweeps
Quick Spear Swing
Upward Thrust to jump
Falling Spear Attack to plunge
Roll to your right back
Roll towards him to be point blank or back to mitigate damage
Roll towards him
Roll towards him again right before he plunges himself into the ground
Messmer's Assault
Multihit combo consisting of few attacks
Spinning 360 Airborne Sweeps
Quick Spear Swing
Jump towards the target right back side
Performs a flurry of at least 8 spear thrusts
Attack from above
Explosion with multiple spears coming from the ground
Roll to your right back
Roll towards him to be point blank or back to mitigate damage
Roll towards him
Again, roll towards than him and punish/heal, since recovery is long
Fire Grab
Messmer's hand will glow, then he will attempt to grab your character, engulfing them in flame and impaling them if he succeeds.
This attack will most likely kill or severely injure your character at any level of vigor.
When Messmer begins to descend his arm to grab you, roll towards him and avoid rolling/running away from him
No
Messmer's Orb
Messmer leaps into the air and summons a fireball in his hand and charges toward you.
This is an easy attack to predict.
Once Messmer jumps in the air and summons a fireball, wait for him to thrust forward then roll to either left or right.
No
Phase 2
Leaping Fire Ball
Messmer leaps into the air and summons a fireball in his hand and charges toward you.
This is an easy attack to predict.
Once Messmer jumps in the air and summons a fireball, wait for him to thrust forward then roll to either left or right.
Spear Thrust
In close range, Messmer quickly thrusts his spear toward you while you're attacking
It's quite hard to tell if he's about to thrust his spear, so the best way to counter this is to back up from time to time when attacking Messmer in close range.
Double Spear Swing
In close range, Messmer swings is spear to the right and left towards you.
You can easily counter this attack by rolling to the left and right before each swing.
Leaping Fire Spear Throw
At mid-range, Messmer will leap high in the air and throw is spear very fast.
Once he leaps through the air, pay close attention to his left arm and roll to either right or left once you see him about to throw.
Spear Fire Barrage
At any random moment, Messmer will fly around your character while swinging his spear and suddenly stop in front of you to release a flurry of flaming spear attacks, ending with a spear slam to the ground.
Once you see Messmer stop near you, immediately roll to the right twice and once he leaps to the air for the Spear slam, immediately roll back or roll to either right or left.
Serpent Fireball
Base Serpent Messmer transforms into a big red serpent and slams a big fireball towards you.
Repeatedly roll to either right or left to evade this attack.
Triple Serpent Bite
Quickly transforms into a serpent to bite you three times ending with a bite slam to the ground.
Another version is you can see him in the center of the pool of red liquid while three Serpent heads are visible.
The Serpent heads will strike successively and after the third strike, Messmer will follow up with a Flaming Spear Lunge attack, where he flies up, pauses mid-air, and slams his spear onto the ground to create an explosive area around him.
Can be dodged by rolling to either right or left when you see the mouth of the serpent open.
The second version of this can be dodged by rolling backward, or away from the impact.
When dealing with the second version, the first thing you will do is to run away from him.
Run to your right to create a distance between you and them.
Then, roll forward as the first snake bites down, then roll twice to your right with the second snake attack, and finally, roll as Messmer lands on the ground with his Flaming Spear Lunge.
Fire Grab
His right hand starts to glow red with flames and he suddenly grabs you when you're near.
He will then proceed to release a huge flame from the hand he grabbed you with and will impale you with his spear on the left, which also releases a big flame.
Taking the Fire grab will most likely guarantee death for you.
Upon seeing his right hand glowing bright and engulfed with flames, immediately roll back to evade this attack.
Messmer the Impaler Notes & Other Trivia
Voice Actor: Jack Barton
A 46 cm figure of Messmer the Impaler comes in the Collector's Edition of Shadow of the Erdtree.
His right eye appears to be Marika's Scarseal or Marika's Soreseal, an eye-shaped talisman engraved with an Elden Rune which is said to be the seal of Queen Marika.
The engraved seals represent the lifelong duty of those chosen by the gods, and the solemn duty weighs upon the one beholden, not unlike a gnawing curse from which there is no deliverance.
Before you take on this fight, you want to consider summoning Hornsent to progress his questline.
If you fail to do so, he will feel the burden of being a failure because he couldn't exact vengeance for his people.
His summon is a good call, since it deals damage Messmer is neutral to, does not count towards summons (therefore does not affect healthbar), plus he can inflict Blood loss
During 2nd phase, Snake and Messmer does share 1 healthbar, but does not share one hurtbox.
Therefore, player can mulitply damage by hitting them at the same time.
This goes for Status Effects as well.
Dialogue
Introduction:
Mongrel intruder.
Thou'rt Tarnished, it seemeth.
Mother, wouldst thou truly Lordship sanction,
in one so bereft of light
Yet.
my purpose standeth unchanged.
Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death.
In the embrace of Messmer's flame.
During Fight:
Defeating player in first phase:
Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death.
In the embrace of Messmer's flame.
Entering second phase:
Gah.
hah.
I will not suffer.
A lord devoid of light.
O mother, forgive me.
Grah
A-Argh.
Gah.
Phew.
Soon, Tarnished.
Wilt thou be taken in the jaws.
Of the abyssal serpent, shorn of light.
Defeating player in second phase:
O lightless creature
Embrace thine oblivion, as shall I.
After Fight:
Mother.
Marika.
A curse.
upon thee. |