Best Boss Battles: Messmer the Impaler

When the first trailer for ‘Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘ was released, the hype train shot out of the station immediately. Standing at the front of that excitement, spear in hand, serpent coiled around his shoulders, stood Messmer the Impaler. From Software put him front and center of all the marketing, collector’s edition statue and everything.

The message was clear. This guy was going to be one of the DLC’s main events. Everyone grew excited, believing him to be a foe potentially on par with the Blade of Miquella herself. He was set to be the greatest challenge we would face in the new adventure to come.

We were wrong, but that’s a topic for another time.

But who is Messmer? Why is he here? Where did he get his vicious title? Most importantly: why are we killing him?

Long ago, before the rise of the Golden Order, future queen Marika lived in a tiny shaman village. But these mysterious, seemingly peaceful people were met with a grim fate. The Hornsent subjected them to horrors beyond imagining, leaving her beautiful village devoid of life.

After her rise to godhood, Marika decided it was time for revenge, so she sent her son Messmer to wage a holy war against the Hornsent. It was a brutal massacre, leaving the land scarred and it’s people as literal shadows of their former selves. But Marika could not claim responsibility for these actions. Thus, she sealed the land away, leaving it in Messmer’s care. She abandoned her son, never to return.

This is especially tragic because, from all we can gather, Messmer was a respectable and honorable man. Radahn looked up to him as a big brother. Renalla the Twin Moon Knight gave up her family back in Raya Lucaria to remain by his side. He seemed to truly love his mother and his siblings.

Why, then, are we killing him? That’s simple enough. Only Messmer’s flame can burn the shadows concealing Miquella’s divine domain. If we, the Tarnished, are to ascend to the kindly god’s throne, we must first overcome the Impaler. So we ascend through his Shadow Keep to do exactly that.

Not that he’s going to make it easy.

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.

Like many of the DLC bosses, Messmer doesn’t waste any time. As soon as you’ve passed through the fog wall, he’ll leap up into the air and charge at you, a ball of crimson flames building in one hand. Once he lands, said ball will explode. Luckily, he does this every time without fail, so you’ll learn to dodge it pretty quickly. Once you do, you’ll have ample time to heal, punish, or summon.

The rest of his moves aren’t so easy to follow. Messmer moves with a mixture of slow, heavy attacks and rapid stabs. One of his deadliest combinations combine both, with the demigod swooping around you, swinging and thrusting with a flame-imbued spear before thrusting into the ground, creating a circle of spears that erupt from the ground and impale you.

He’s also got a grab attack. If he gets his hand on you, he’ll follow Malenia’s lead, throwing you up into the air to stab you, then blow you up for good measure. This instant kill got me more times than I’d like to admit; the long wind-up throws me off every single time!

Survive this onslaught long enough, and you will bring Messmer to his knees. But he’s far from done. Reaching into his face, he gouges out his eye, a magic seal created by Marika. In so doing, he unleashes the bottomless darkness within, becoming the Abyssal Serpent.

I will not suffer… A lord devoid of light.

O mother, forgive me.

Soon, Tarnished. Wilt thou be taken in the jaws… Of the abyssal servant, shorn of light.

Transforming into a massive serpent, Messmer unleashes another massive explosion. From here, phase two is largely the same as the first. Only now, the demigod moves much faster, all but teleporting around the field. More importantly, he takes the serpent form multiple times, sweeping out with screen-consuming strikes. His onslaught is as relentless as it is blinding.

Cool as this phase is, I’m not all that in love with it. Namely because of the janky hit boxes. Not to mention that Messmer warps around so often and so quickly that I had to spend more time re-applying the lock-on than I did actually fighting the boss. These issues are largely technical, and they don’t ruin the fight for me.

Survive long enough, and the serpent shall fall. With his dying breath, Messmer curses Marika, finally realizing at last the depths of his mother’s betrayal. Thus is the path cleared, allowing you access to Miquella’s domain.

Where an infinitely more brutal boss fight awaits. But again: that’s a conversation for another day.

Your rewards for victory don’t stop at progress. Returning to the Round Table Hold, you can claim Messmer’s armor from the finger crone if you feel like robbing his wardrobe. With his Remembrance, you have the choice of his spear, or the Faith spell Messmer’s Flame, the fiery explosion he started the fight with.

Practical? Not really. Cool? Absolutely!

Of all the DLC bosses, Messmer stands head and shoulders as the best. Difficult and fair, with some of the best lore in the game, it’s a highlight of the experience I won’t soon forget.

And I didn’t even need to schedule a therapy session afterwards. Unlike the next boss we’re gonna talk about.