Messmer Soldier's Spear
Messmer Soldier's Spear is a rare Shadow of the Erdtree polearm dropped by Messmer soldiers who carry it. It offers long thrusting reach, charged multi-hit potential, guarded attack utility, and full ordinary affinity and Ash customization.
Key Takeaways
Messmer Soldier's Spear is a Shadow of the Erdtree great spear built around long-reaching thrusts and a changeable weapon skill.
DLC great spear with a farming route
It is available only in Shadow of the Erdtree and is obtained as a drop from Messmer Soldiers, rather than as a guaranteed boss or quest reward.
Long-reach thrusting weapon
Its great-spear moveset favors spacing and sustained forward pressure, giving it a practical reach advantage over shorter spear-class weapons.
Charge Forth is not mandatory
The weapon has Charge Forth as its default skill, but its standard reinforcement path allows the skill and affinity to be changed through the Ash of War system.
Flexible for physical or status setups
Because it is customizable rather than locked to a single affinity, it can be adapted to different attribute and status-focused builds instead of requiring one fixed archetype.
Its commitment is its main drawback
Great-spear attacks offer reach but require deliberate spacing and timing; the weapon is less forgiving when an enemy closes inside its preferred range or interrupts a committed thrust.
A customizable alternative within its class
Compared with fixed-skill great spears, Messmer Soldier's Spear trades a distinctive locked-in identity for broader Ash of War and affinity flexibility, making upgrade choices central to its role.
Overview
Messmer Soldier's Spear is a standard Great Spear from Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, associated with the soldiers who serve Messmer. It offers a conventional, customizable Great Spear option rather than a remembrance weapon with a fixed signature attack.
Messmer Soldier's Spear belongs to the Great Spear class, placing it among Elden Ring's heavier thrusting weapons rather than the lighter Spear class. Its combat role is built around deliberate forward attacks, reach, and the ability to maintain defensive options while attacking. That makes it relevant to characters who want a polearm with more commitment than a basic spear but do not need a highly specialized legendary weapon.
The weapon's identity comes from its connection to Messmer's military forces and its flame-themed design, not from a unique boss reward or a story-exclusive transformation. It is encountered in the Shadow of the Erdtree content and is obtained from the soldiers who wield it. This gives it a place as a DLC roster weapon that can become available during normal exploration and enemy encounters, rather than as a reward tied only to defeating a major named boss.
Unlike fixed-skill unique weapons, Messmer Soldier's Spear uses the ordinary weapon-customization framework. Its Ash of War and affinity options can therefore be considered alongside a character's attribute spread and preferred damage setup. The weapon is consequently more flexible than its visual association with Messmer's forces might suggest, although its Great Spear moveset still determines the spacing and attack commitment that define its use.
For comparison purposes, the important distinction is its class and customization rather than a single headline damage value. Players choosing it are selecting a DLC Great Spear that supports thrust-focused play and can be adapted through Elden Ring's standard reinforcement and affinity systems. It is most relevant to builds already comfortable with measured polearm attacks, shield-supported pressure, or deliberate spacing; lighter spears remain the more natural alternative for faster, less committed handling.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategorySpears
- Damage TypePierce/Fire
- Primary ScalingStr D / Dex D
- Weight5.5
- SkillMessmer Soldier's Spear Skill
- Str Req12
- Dex Req13
- How to ObtainDropped by Messmer Soldiers, Shadow of the Erdtree
- DLCShadow of the Erdtree
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar spears
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messmer Soldier's Spear | 12 | 13 | 5.5 | Str D / Dex D |
| Death Ritual Spear | 12 | 14 | 5.5 | Fai D |
| Short Spear | 11 | 8 | 5 | Str D |
| Partisan | 12 | 13 | 6 | Str D / Dex D |
| Monk's Spear | 11 | 13 | 5 | Fai D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree access and a route to Gravesite Plain and Castle Ensis are required.
- This is a farmable enemy drop; no specific quest, boss completion, vendor purchase, one-per-playthrough limit, or NG+ requirement applies.
- 01In the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, travel through Gravesite Plain to Castle Ensis and search the Messmer Soldier groups around the Castle Front Site of Grace. Defeat these enemies and check their drops for Messmer Soldier's Spear.
- 02The spear is an enemy drop rather than a quest, boss, or vendor reward. The drop is not guaranteed from an individual soldier, so repeat the nearby Castle Ensis encounters and rest at the Site of Grace to reset them. Messmer Soldiers elsewhere in the DLC can also provide the same drop.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree access
This weapon is DLC-exclusive and is not available in the base-game areas or base-game progression. It is not a vendor-priced weapon.
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree DLC required
Mechanics and Handling
Messmer Soldier's Spear uses the Great Spear moveset: its attacks are deliberate forward thrusts that reward facing the target and controlling distance rather than sweeping around the player. The weapon's long haft gives it useful linear reach, but its narrow attack angles make lateral spacing and target alignment important. As with other Great Spears, attacks can maintain pressure from behind a shield, provided the player has the stamina and guard setup to support that approach.
Thrusting Chain and Commitment
The light attack sequence is built around repeated piercing strikes. Individual hits are relatively focused, so the spear is most dependable against a target directly in front of the user; enemies circling outside the thrust line can force a reposition before the next attack. Heavy and charged attacks use the same forward-oriented identity with greater commitment, making them better suited to punishing a predictable recovery than to reacting at close range. Jumping and running attacks preserve the weapon's thrusting role and can close a gap before the opponent has time to reset.
Charge
Messmer Soldier's Spear comes with Charge as its default weapon skill. The skill drives the wielder forward with the spear presented ahead, turning the weapon's reach into a committed approach or punish tool. It can be followed by an additional attack input: the normal follow-up continues the assault with further thrusts, while the strong follow-up ends the sequence with a heavier downward finish. Charge is most effective when the initial line is clear; using it into a sidestep, obstruction, or missed spacing leaves the user committed.
Guarding and Spacing
The spear's thrusting profile works naturally with a shield-oriented style because the user can keep the shield raised while attacking. This does not remove stamina costs or make every exchange safe: blocked hits still consume stamina, and the weapon's attacks remain easiest to avoid when an enemy reaches the user's flank. Its practical handling therefore sits between a pure damage weapon and a defensive tool—its value comes from combining reach, controlled forward pressure, and guarded attacks rather than from a special passive or status effect.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Long spear reach lets it threaten enemies from outside many shorter melee weapons' effective range, making spacing and single-target punishment more manageable.
- Its spear moveset supports attacking while keeping a shield raised, giving defensive builds a way to maintain pressure without fully exposing themselves.
- Charge Forth adds a forward-driving option for closing distance or punishing an enemy after a recovery window.
Weaknesses
- Its thrust-focused attacks cover a relatively narrow line, so groups that surround the player can be harder to manage than with weapons that have broad sweeps.
- Charge Forth commits the user to forward movement; using it against an active enemy or near a ledge can create an unfavorable position.
- The weapon's reach and defensive compatibility do not remove the usual spear tradeoff: it favors deliberate spacing and frontal pressure over flexible crowd control or wide-area damage.
Best uses
- PvE encounters against single targets or small groups where reach allows the user to punish safely between enemy attacks.
- Shield-and-spear play that prioritizes steady frontal pressure, guarded thrusts, and controlled stamina management.
- A straightforward spacing weapon for players who prefer committed linear attacks and a forward-engagement skill over sweeping or highly mobile movesets.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Skill and flexibility | Build considerations | Choose it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lance | More suitable for a customizable Ash of War setup; supports a broad range of affinities | A practical alternative for Strength-focused or general physical builds | You want a flexible great spear with adaptable skill and affinity choices | — |
| Treespear | Uses its fixed Sacred Order skill rather than a freely chosen Ash of War | Better suited to characters investing in Faith alongside physical attributes | You specifically want holy damage and a Faith-oriented great spear | — |
| Partisan | Infusable and compatible with changeable Ashes of War | Works well for builds that prefer spear mobility and lower commitment than a great spear | You value a broader spear moveset over the Messmer Soldier's Spear's great-spear reach and weight | — |
Lore and Design
The Messmer Soldier's Spear is identified with the soldiers who serve Messmer in Shadow of the Erdtree. Its significance is therefore primarily factional rather than personal: it represents the standard equipment of Messmer's military forces and connects the weapon to the soldiers encountered in the Realm of Shadow. The spear's flame-like ornament reinforces its visual association with Messmer's forces, but the available item lore does not establish a separate history, named owner, or canonical relationship to Messmer beyond that service. No documented developer commentary or official design statement is established here, so resemblance to real-world spear forms should not be treated as evidence of inspiration.
Trivia
- Messmer Soldier's Spear belongs to the equipment associated with Messmer's rank-and-file soldiers; its matching defensive counterpart is the Messmer Soldier's Shield. The naming distinguishes the weapon from arms personally wielded by Messmer and identifies it with his military forces instead.
- Although introduced with Shadow of the Erdtree, the weapon is a conventional spear rather than a named legendary or remembrance armament. Its presentation therefore connects it to the DLC's soldier equipment rather than to a unique heirloom.