Those stripped of the Grace of Gold shall all meet death. In the embrace of Messmer's flame.

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 the player's 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 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 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. Fire Serpent Messmer launches a flame orb with a serpentine coil towards you. Evade when the flame orb is fully launched in the air and starts to head towards you or use Carian Retaliation to dismiss the orb. 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 A Multi-hit 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 Grab Messmer's right hand glows with fire before rushing forward to snatch his target. If it lands, the target will be lit on fire, impaled by his spear, and then ignited again. The wind-up for this attack is deceptively long. When Messmer begins to descend his arm to grab you, roll towards him and avoid rolling/running away from him. Messmer's Orb Messmer leaps into the air, creating a fireball in his hand, before soaring towards his target's position, exploding after a slight delay. In Phase 2, Messmer transforms into a serpent to attack, summoning a fireball in his jaws and slamming it down to create an explosion. This is an easy attack to predict. Once Messmer jumps in the air, wait for him to rush forward then roll. Be wary of the follow-up explosion. Phase 2 Retreating Swing At the end of his combos, he will perform a flip, swinging his spear and leaping backwards. Don't get greedy. Watch carefully at the end of his combos then roll forward and attack. Spinning Thrust Messmer flips to the side, crouches down, then suddenly rushes forward towards his target while spinning. He may also perform this attack at the end of his combos. Be wary of this attack while healing. As soon as he flips, prepare to dodge to the side. Serpent Strike Messmer melts into dark liquid, transforming into a large serpent to bite his target once before reverting back. Another version is where Messmer lifts his right hand, calling forth a serpent from a dark void on his left side to lunge forward. Can be dodged by rolling to either right or left when you see the mouth of the serpent open. Serpent Ambush Messmer melts into a dark liquid and sinks into the floor. A pool then appears below his target. The serpent erupts out of it, twists around and lunges again, before reverting back. Watch below you and dodge, but careful not to forget about the follow-up lunge. Base Serpent's Fury Dark liquid pools around Messmer and he releases a burst of red energy, calling forth six serpents to strike in front of him. Two of them lunge forward, while a third slams downward. The last three strike consecutively as Messmer leaps forward and slams his spear down, causing spears to erupt from the ground after a delay. Another version of his attack involves the same process as above, though he may perform Messmer's Orb near the end of his attack. Keep your distance. 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 and again to avoid the follow-up. Messmer the Impaler Notes & Other Trivia Voice Actor: Jack Barton According to Messmer's Kindling, his younger sister who bore a vision of fire is implied to Melina. A 46 cm figure of Messmer the Impaler comes in the Collector's Edition of Shadow of the Erdtree. His right eye appears similar to the Marika's Scarseal talisman. 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, The serpent and Messmer does share a single healthbar, but does not share one hurtbox. Therefore, player can essentially double their damage by hitting them at the same time. This goes for Status Effects as well. Messmer is the only boss in to fight left-handed, which can make him more difficult to block and parry; Messmer tends to strike his foes on the right side of their bodies, while the Tarnished hold shields in their left hands. 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.