Spear of the Impaler
Spear of the Impaler is Messmer’s remembrance great spear, exchanged after his defeat in Shadow Keep. It combines physical and fire damage, reusable thrown strong attacks, and the fixed multi-stage Messmer’s Assault skill for acrobatic area pressure.
Key Takeaways
Spear of the Impaler is a Shadow of the Erdtree great spear tied directly to Messmer the Impaler. It combines conventional thrusting attacks with fire-themed weapon actions, including a distinctive heavy attack that throws a flaming spear. Its fixed design makes it a specialized choice rather than a freely customizable great spear.
Messmer’s signature great spear
This is a unique great spear associated with Messmer the Impaler, dealing physical and fire damage and using a fixed weapon skill rather than a freely chosen Ash of War.
The heavy attack adds ranged pressure
Its heavy attack can launch a flaming spear, giving the weapon a ranged option that helps punish movement or create space without changing to another weapon.
It is a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon
Spear of the Impaler requires the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and becomes available through the remembrance reward route after defeating Messmer the Impaler.
Its main commitment is build specialization
The weapon favors characters able to meet its Dexterity- and Faith-oriented requirements, so it is less suitable for a purely Strength-focused build that cannot support those attributes.
Fixed identity, fixed upgrade path
Because it is a unique remembrance weapon, its skill and affinity are not freely interchangeable like those of an infusible great spear. Its progression uses the special reinforcement path for unique weapons.
Choose it for reach and utility, not maximum customization
Compared with a customizable great spear, Spear of the Impaler offers a more distinctive fire-and-projectile moveset but gives up the ability to select an Ash of War and affinity to match a specific damage or status plan.
Overview
Spear of the Impaler is a unique Great Spear from Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, built around Messmer’s flame-wreathed impaling style and a weapon skill that turns a committed thrust into a chained, ranged finisher.
Spear of the Impaler is the remembrance weapon associated with Messmer the Impaler, one of Shadow of the Erdtree’s central bosses. It is a unique Great Spear rather than a standard weapon variant, so its identity is tied to a fixed moveset and its exclusive skill. That places it among the DLC’s named boss-reward weapons, with access arriving only after the relevant remembrance becomes available.
Its defining feature is the relationship between close-range spear work and fire. The ordinary weapon attacks retain the reach and forward commitment expected from a Great Spear, while the weapon skill adds a distinctly more theatrical sequence: follow-up inputs extend the attack into spinning movements and a flaming throw. The result is a weapon that can pressure an enemy at melee distance without being limited to a single straight thrust.
Unlike an infusible Great Spear, Spear of the Impaler is not a blank platform for Ashes of War experimentation. Its value instead comes from the complete package supplied by the weapon: a fixed skill, physical-and-fire damage profile, and a moveset shaped around Messmer’s signature attacks. This makes it a more specialized choice than a customizable Great Spear, particularly for players who want a remembrance weapon with an explicit fire-based identity.
The weapon belongs to the Shadow of the Erdtree equipment pool and should be evaluated within the DLC’s progression rather than treated as an early base-game pickup. It is most relevant to characters prepared to meet the requirements of a unique Great Spear and to use a deliberate, committed style that rewards spacing and timing. Players seeking interchangeable affinities or a conventional spear with broader setup flexibility have more adaptable alternatives; players seeking Messmer’s distinctive attack language get that identity directly here.
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.
- CategoryGreat Spears
- Damage TypePierce/Blood
- Primary ScalingStr D / Dex D
- Weight10
- SkillImpale
- Str Req18
- Dex Req14
- How to ObtainDropped by Impaler's Catch enemies
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar great spears
| Weapon | Str Req | Dex Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spear of the Impaler | 18 | 14 | 10 | Str D / Dex D |
| Mohgwyn's Sacred Spear | 18 | 15 | 10 | Arc C |
| Bloodfiend's Sacred Spear | 18 | 15 | 10 | Fai D / Arc D |
| Siluria's Tree | 16 | 13 | 9.5 | Arc D |
| Poleblade of the Bud | 16 | 13 | 9.5 | Arc 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 is required; the weapon is not obtainable in the base game alone.
- Messmer the Impaler must be defeated in Shadow Keep before the Remembrance of the Impaler can be exchanged.
- The direct route provides one exchange from the remembrance earned in that playthrough. Additional copies depend on the separate remembrance-duplication system and its available limits; they are not part of the guaranteed first acquisition.
- 01Enter the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and defeat Messmer the Impaler in Shadow Keep, the major legacy dungeon in Scadu Altus. The boss defeat awards the Remembrance of the Impaler automatically; this is a guaranteed remembrance reward rather than an enemy drop with a variable rate.
- 02Take the Remembrance of the Impaler to Enia, the Finger Reader in Roundtable Hold, and exchange it for the Spear of the Impaler through the remembrance-reward menu. The exchange is guaranteed when the remembrance is available, but choosing the spear consumes that remembrance instead of granting Messmer's other remembrance reward.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree access and the Remembrance of the Impaler obtained from defeating Messmer the Impaler
The remembrance can be exchanged for the Spear of the Impaler at the Roundtable Hold. It competes with the remembrance's other reward, so one remembrance does not provide both rewards.
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree required
The weapon is DLC content and has no base-game acquisition route.
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree access and Messmer the Impaler defeated in that cycle
No separate difficulty or proficiency gate is established for its availability; the DLC and remembrance conditions still apply.
Mechanics and Handling
Spear of the Impaler uses the Great Spear moveset, but its handling is not limited to conventional thrusts. Its normal attacks provide the long, forward-focused spacing expected from the class, while its distinctive strong attack gives the weapon a ranged option that can punish movement or reach targets outside ordinary melee distance. That flexibility comes with the commitment typical of a heavy spear: missed attacks and poorly timed follow-ups leave the wielder exposed rather than allowing rapid recovery into another strike.
The charged strong attack throws the spear
Spear of the Impaler’s strong attack is its most unusual basic action. Instead of remaining a purely close-range thrust, the attack throws a flaming spear toward the target; charging the attack changes its timing and projectile behaviour, making it more deliberate than a normal poke. The impact produces a fiery burst, so the attack can catch enemies that are moving away or punish an opening before the wielder closes distance again. It is still an attack that requires prediction: the throw is not a substitute for unrestricted ranged combat, and using it at the wrong time gives up the weapon’s immediate melee pressure.
Messmer’s Assault rewards a committed opening
The weapon’s unique skill, Messmer’s Assault, drives the wielder forward through a spinning attack. The forward movement helps bridge distance and can carry the attack into enemies that would be difficult to reach with a stationary thrust, but the animation is committed and should be started from a real opening rather than used indiscriminately in front of an active opponent. The skill also has a follow-up input that turns the sequence into a plunging spear attack. This makes the skill more than a single dash: the first part can begin the engagement, while the follow-up extends the punish when the target remains vulnerable.
Spacing, damage type, and defensive limits
The weapon combines physical spear attacks with innate fire damage, so its damage profile is not purely physical even when the attack is a conventional thrust. It does not rely on an innate bleed or poison buildup to create pressure; its identity instead comes from reach, fire, the thrown strong attack, and Messmer’s Assault. The long reach is most valuable when the wielder maintains a measured distance and uses forward attacks to control an approach, rather than treating the weapon like a fast sidearm.
Spear of the Impaler does not provide a built-in parry action. Defensive play therefore depends on the equipped shield, its current skill, or ordinary evasive movement rather than on a weapon-specific defensive mechanic. A shield can make the weapon’s forward pokes safer where the situation allows, but the thrown strong attack and skill both ask the player to lower that defensive posture and commit to an attack animation. The result is a weapon that handles best through spacing and timed aggression: keep the target at the end of the spear, use the projectile when distance opens, and reserve the skill’s follow-up for a confirmed stagger or other vulnerable state.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its great-spear moveset provides strong forward pressure while preserving the class’s ability to attack from outside many shorter melee weapons’ preferred range.
- The weapon’s heavy attack can throw the spear, giving it an unusual ranged option for a melee weapon. This helps punish enemies that disengage or creates an opening before committing to close combat.
- Messmer’s Assault is a fixed multi-stage weapon skill that combines forward movement with repeated spear attacks, giving the weapon burst potential when its full sequence connects.
- Its innate fire damage and blood-loss buildup give attacks additional damage and status pressure, provided the target is vulnerable to those effects.
Weaknesses
- The fixed skill and Somber reinforcement path prevent Ash of War and affinity customization, so it cannot be retuned to another damage type or status plan.
- Its split physical-and-fire damage is affected by two defensive types rather than one; enemies with strong fire resistance can reduce part of its offensive output.
- The weapon’s distinctive thrown heavy attack and multi-stage skill require commitment. Missing or being interrupted can leave the wielder exposed, especially against fast enemies or bosses with brief punish windows.
- As a great spear, it demands more equipment and attribute investment than lighter spear options, which can restrict armor, talisman, or secondary-weapon choices for an otherwise tightly allocated build.
Best uses
- Use it for aggressive PvE play when you want a great spear’s reach combined with a repeatable ranged heavy attack, rather than carrying a separate projectile weapon.
- It suits fire-and-bleed-oriented builds that can capitalize on enemies susceptible to either innate status pressure or fire damage, while retaining physical spear attacks for general encounters.
- Messmer’s Assault is most useful against large or committed targets that can remain in its attack sequence; against highly mobile foes, shorter pokes and the thrown heavy attack are safer ways to maintain pressure.
- Choose it over a customizable great spear when its distinctive skill and ranged heavy attack matter more than access to alternative Ashes of War or affinities.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and damage profile | Skill or customization | Build role | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spear of the Impaler | Messmer's Assault; fixed unique skill and affinity | Aggressive fire-oriented great-spear attacks with a distinctive skill sequence | Less flexible than infusible greatspears; requires commitment to its fixed setup | — |
| Lance | Ash of War and affinity can be changed | Flexible Strength or quality great spear for tailoring damage and skill choice | Lacks the Spear of the Impaler's innate fire profile and signature skill | — |
| Vyke's War Spear | Frenzyflame Thrust; fixed unique skill | Fire-and-Madness pressure, especially for characters built around Madness-related effects | Its Madness-focused identity is less broadly useful than the Spear of the Impaler's general fire-oriented role | — |
| Siluria's Tree | Siluria's Woe; fixed unique skill | Faith-oriented great-spear option with a dedicated ranged skill component | Serves a holy/Faith role rather than the Spear of the Impaler's fire-focused role | — |
Used In
- Messmer the ImpalerMessmer wields the Spear of the Impaler during his boss encounter in Shadow of the Erdtree; defeating him awards the Remembrance of the Impaler.
- Remembrance of the ImpalerThe remembrance exchanged for the Spear of the Impaler. It is obtained after defeating Messmer the Impaler and can be presented to Finger Reader Enia.
- Finger Reader EniaEnia at the Roundtable Hold exchanges the Remembrance of the Impaler for the Spear of the Impaler.
- Roundtable HoldThe location where Finger Reader Enia performs the remembrance exchange for the weapon.
Lore and Design
The Spear of the Impaler is the greatspear associated with Messmer the Impaler, the central ruler and military figure of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Its item lore identifies it as Messmer’s weapon and connects it to the flame he wields, making the spear a direct extension of his character rather than an ordinary armament from the Realm of Shadow.
The weapon’s blade bears imagery of a winged serpent. That symbol is significant within Messmer’s presentation and links the spear’s visual design to the serpentine imagery surrounding him, while the flame motif reflects his distinctive power. The weapon therefore reinforces two parts of Messmer’s identity at once: the feared impaler represented by the greatspear and the condemned, flame-bearing figure revealed through the expansion’s story. The broader meaning of the serpent imagery should not be expanded into an independent lore relationship beyond what the item’s presentation and Messmer’s story establish.
Trivia
- The Spear of the Impaler is named for Messmer’s epithet rather than for a separate personal weapon name. Its design and item text tie the weapon directly to Messmer’s impaling imagery and the flame associated with him.
- Unlike most great spears, the Spear of the Impaler can be hurled as part of its weapon-specific heavy-attack behavior. The thrown spear is a gameplay distinction rather than a separate ammunition item or consumable resource.