Find and beat Shadow of the Erdtree’s poster boy in no time with these handy tips.
If you’ve kept an eye on any of the Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, then you will have seen Messmer the Impaler. The new demigod boss is the Son of Queen Marika and a former warlord, and is one of the biggest boss fights in the new DLC.
With the Elden Ring expansion not out that long, many people are already claiming the encounter with Messmer to be one of the toughest in the game. Considering FromSoftware’s history of raising the difficulty even more when it comes to DLC, this isn’t too surprising but will still need a lot of preparation for anyone looking to challenge the evil-doer.
To do this, you’ll need to head to the Shadow Keep and then hone in on specific tactics to beat the boss for good.
We’ve broken down the exact location of Messmer as well as essential tips so you can leave victorious.
Elden Ring Messmer location: Where to find the boss
Messmer the Impaler can be found in the Shadow Keep, a legacy dungeon that houses the bosses’ minions. The dungeon is positioned in the centre of the Scadu Atlus region with Messmer found at the very top of the building.
A Site of Grace known as the Dark Chamber Entrance will let you save before attempting to beat Messmer in battle. The Legacy Dungeon is filled with Black Knights, Messmer Soldiers, Giant Crabs and Bats, Vulgar Milltia, Fire Knights and more so take care when journeying throughout. It’s best to up your resistance to fire damage to stand a chance.
How to beat Messmer in Elden Ring
FromSoftware has gone all out for Messmer the Impacer, with incredibly strong attacks and a variety of combos that will keep you on your toes throughout.
The first phase will see Messmer leap into the air, attack with his spear and shoot orbs of fire your way. Dodging at the precise time once the orb lights up will help with timing. Try to whittle away his damage during these valuable few seconds after an attack has taken place.
Ironically, it’s recommended to dodge into Messmer to avoid many of the boss’s ranged attacks and flame moves. If you’ve faced Messmer Knights on the way to Messmer himself, you will notice some of his moves are similar so that should help somewhat.
Don’t use fire damage, as it is completely ineffective, and try to up your fire resistance to reduce damage taken. From what we can tell so far, Messmer is weak to Bleed, Scarlet Rot and Frostbite. These take a while to set in so try and use those moves early so they set in and take effect as soon as possible.
Once half of Messmer’s health has been depleted, another cutscene will ensue where he pulls out his eye and transforms into half-man, half-serpent. This initiates the second phase where dashing more regularly is required to survive with Messmer changing into a huge snake every other attack.
What makes this phase slightly easier is that the snake and Messmer share the same health meter, so landing a blow on each will inflict damage. Again, keep an eye on the orb to dodge at the precise moment and try to hit Messmer once the attack has ended.
The two big moves to be aware of here see the snake enter a portal before suddenly snatching at you, while the other has a snake pit materialising underneath Messmer before a wave of fire crashes down. Both of these are relatively straightforward to avoid, with a portal materialising ahead of time for the former and Messmer starting to float for the latter.
If the snake and demigod are near one another, there is a chance to hurt both at the same time, too. Don’t forget that summoning is available both from online players and from the NPC Hornsent, with the latter’s summoning sign positioned at the right of the entrance (as long as you didn’t kill him earlier).
Follow this strategy and Messmer will be defeated in no time.
Elden Ring is available across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
Read more on Elden Ring:
- Elden Ring review – our final verdict
- Elden Ring multiplayer – how does it work?
- Elden Ring PC requirements – minimum & recommended specs
- Elden Ring classes – what’s the best starter?
- Elden Ring demo – network test recap
- Elden Ring bosses – top tips on facing them
- Elden Ring difficulty – how hard is it?
- Elden Ring length – how many hours do you need?
- Elden Ring trophies & achievements – the full list to unlock
- Elden Ring weapons – best early weapons
- Elden Ring keepsake – which starter gift to pick
- Elden Ring server status – error message explained
- Elden Ring map – everything you need to know
- Elden Ring runes – how to get rich quick
- Elden Ring smithing stones – where to find them
- Elden Ring staff – the best staffs in the game
- Elden Ring armour – where to find the best armour
- Elden Ring Ashes of War – how to get the best upgrades
- Elden Ring Ranni quest – how to find it and finish it
Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.