Last updated: 13 August 2026

How to Beat Messmer the Impaler in Shadow of the Erdtree

Messmer the Impaler is a required main boss of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC — you cannot finish the expansion without getting past him. He fights with a fire-wreathed spear in phase one, then fuses with the Abyssal Serpent for a faster, more lethal second phase. This guide covers where to find him, how to survive both phases, his elemental weaknesses, and what you get for winning.

01Where to Find Messmer

Messmer is located at the top of the Shadow Keep, one of the Land of Shadow's major legacy dungeons. He's a required story boss — you need to get past him to keep progressing the DLC's main path, unlike some of the DLC's optional side bosses.

• Location: Shadow Keep, Land of Shadow (Shadow of the Erdtree DLC)
• Boss type: Required main boss — not optional
• Recommended approach: A well-upgraded Mimic Tear (+10 with the DLC's Somber Smithing Stones) is one of the strongest summons for this fight, since it can survive well into phase two and split Messmer's attention

02Phase 1 — Spear and Fire Attacks

In phase one Messmer fights with a long spear, mixing fast pokes with sweeping fire-infused swings. Most of his damage in this phase comes from fire, so tracking your Fire resistance matters from the start.

• Spear thrust combo: Quick, close-range stabs, often thrown out mid-combo to punish players trying to trade hits — don't try to out-trade him at melee range without an opening.
• Sweeping/poke combo: Longer-reaching spear swings that cover more ground than they look like they should; give the attack extra space when rolling rather than rolling in place.
• Ground slam — spear field: Messmer drives his spear into the ground, causing a cluster of spears to erupt from the floor around the impact point. Move away from the initial thrust rather than standing your ground.
• Grab attack: His hand glows before he reaches out to grab you — a slow but very high-damage attack that can kill outright if you're caught. It's punishable by rolling toward him (through the grab) rather than away, since backing off keeps you in its forward reach.

Fire resistance consumables (Fireproof Dried Liver, or a Flamedrake Talisman) noticeably soften phase one's damage output, since almost every attack in this half of the fight carries a fire component.

03Phase 2 — Base Serpent Messmer

At roughly half health, Messmer merges with the Abyssal Serpent and becomes faster and more aggressive, adding several new attacks on top of his phase-one spear moveset.

• Serpent emergence: A serpent shoots toward you from the ground or from Messmer's position and he emerges from beneath it — get clear of the serpent's path rather than standing still to read the attack.
• Serpent bite / fireball: The Abyssal Serpent itself can rear up and either bite or spit a fireball at range. It shares a health pool with Messmer, so landing hits on the serpent's body also damages the boss.
• Faster spear follow-ups: His phase-one combos gain extra hits and less recovery time, so the same two-to-three-hit punish window from phase one becomes riskier — trim your own combos down in phase two.
• Grab attack persists: The one-shot-capable grab is still present and just as dangerous in phase two — keep respecting it.

Heavy attacks and anything that builds stance pressure quickly are effective here — staggering Messmer into a critical hit is one of the fastest ways to close out phase two before his faster combos add up.

04Weaknesses and Best Approach

Messmer strongly resists Fire damage, which rules out fire-based builds as an efficient option against him despite his own fire-heavy moveset. His Lightning resistance is only minor by comparison, so it's not worth avoiding on its own the way Fire is.

• Bleed: A confirmed weakness — Hemorrhage procs cut through his large health pool efficiently across both phases.
• Scarlet Rot: Also a confirmed weakness, useful if you're already running a rot-focused build from earlier DLC fights.
• Frostbite: Confirmed weakness as well; frost lowers his damage negation on proc, which pairs well with a follow-up bleed or heavy-hit build.
• Avoid: Fire damage — it's strongly resisted and will underperform compared to physical, bleed, rot, or frost options.
• Stance/posture: He's also vulnerable to heavy, stance-damaging weapons — a couple of staggers and critical hits can end the fight faster than a pure damage race.

05Rewards for Defeating Messmer

Beating Messmer the Impaler grants 400,000 Runes — a substantial sum at the level most players reach him — along with two guaranteed items and a choice reward.

• Messmer's Kindling: A guaranteed drop from the fight itself.
• Remembrance of the Impaler: Take this to Enia at Roundtable Hold to exchange it for either the Spear of the Impaler (a unique fire-infused spear) or Messmer's Orb (an incantation) — you choose one per Remembrance, and it can be duplicated at a Walking Mausoleum if you want both.

Defeating Messmer also clears the path forward through the Land of Shadow's main story route, so it's a required stop rather than an optional detour.