Summary
SomeElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeplayers are super impressed with the Spear of the Impaler, not least because of its absurd range. And while that’s not the only benefit offered by this newly introducedElden Ringweapon, Spear of the Impaler still comes with some notable drawbacks that have already dissuaded some players from using it for long.
Minor Shadow of the Erdtree gameplay spoilers (the method of obtaining the Spear of the Impaler) ahead.
Released on June 21, the critically acclaimed expansion for FromSoftware’s 2022 soulslike expanded the base game with over 100 weapons. And whileElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeeven introduced some new weapon typeswith those additions, plenty of its armaments also expanded the RPG’s existing classes of weaponry. Great Spears are one such category that nearly doubled in size following the DLC’s debut, having received four more weapons.
Shadow of the Erdtree’s Spear of the Impaler Is Devastating Both From Up Close and Far Away
This wave of arrivals is spearheaded by theSpear of the Impaler, which can be obtained by defeatingMessmer the Impaler. Plenty of players have been singing its praises since getting their hands on it, not least because of its absolutely absurd range. Aside from allowing the Tarnished to keep enemies at a decent melee distance by virtue of being a spear, thisnewElden RingDLC weaponalso has a unique charged heavy attack that sees the character throw it like an Olympic athlete. Even if their ridiculously long throw misses the enemy, the attack still has a chance of doing something because the spear explodes in flames upon landing, dealing additional area-of-effect damage.
YouTuber Boomstick Gaming recently demonstrated some of these capabilities in a TikTok video that saw them dispatch a variety of enemies from great distances using nothing but the Spear of the Impaler’s charged heavy attack. At the same time, many other social media users have praised the weapon for its versatility and sheer DPS qualities, noting how even its regular heavy attacks can deal in the ballpark of 3,000 damage toElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s tanky enemies. Its Ash of War, Messmer’s Assault, has also impressed many a fan, largely because it offers quite a bit of destructive power for a relatively low cost of 15 FP.
Spear of the Impaler Might Be Too Slow To Be Considered Overpowered
Despite these qualities, the weapon also has a few notable drawbacks that already appear to have dissuaded some players from using it. Aside from its big reliance on Fire-type damage that some enemies resist, it’s also fairly slow, much like every other Great Spear in the game. Given how most ofElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree’s bossesmove at incredible speeds, using any slow weapon in the vein of the Spear of the Impaler is extremely difficult to do, requiring players to essentially learn their entire movesets before they can reliably punish their attacks without getting hit.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
WHERE TO PLAY
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
