Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has been in our hands for little over two weeks, but speedrunners have been quick to get to work figuring out how to blast through the expansion as fast as possible. We're already seeing some super impressive work, with a recent run from the Summer Games Done Quick charity event going from the entrance of the Realm of Shadow to destroying Messmer the Impaler in just over 26 minutes.
While Messmer isn't the final boss of the DLC, he's still a significant way through the expansion, and sits at the end of an enormous dungeon. You're more than likely going to have fought a handful of bosses by the time you find him, and while none of the expansion's fights are particularly easy, his is definitely up there with the hardest. This meant nothing to speedrunner Blanxz, though, who tore through the Realm of Shadow faster than you can say 'Scadutree Fragment' to show the fiery foe who's boss.
While Blanxz starts the run with the disclaimer that "this is not going to be a perfect run because the DLC is fresh off release," there's no denying that he does a solid job. While beelining towards Messmer's hangout spot, the Shadow Keep, he makes sure to grab a few Scadutree Fragments – one of the DLC-exclusive upgrade materials – to boost his character's strength, ensuring he can deal more damage and take less from incoming attacks. Otherwise, it's a case of charging through dungeons like Belurat Tower Settlement and Castle Ensis to take down the Dancing Lion and Rellana, Twin Moon Knight quickly, before heading to the Golden Hippopotamus and then Messmer to finish off the run.
Blanxz ended the run with a time of 26:06.5, and considering that by his own admission it wasn't a "perfect" run, it's mind-blowing to imagine just how quick speedrunners might eventually get with the expansion. Again, this isn't a complete run of the entire DLC, so you can expect that it'd have taken a fair bit longer to go all the way through to the final boss, but to have worked out such a fast route to Messmer this quickly is amazing.
Messmer has been giving a lot of players trouble since the DLC launched – I'm sure many have spent far more than 26 minutes just trying to beat him, never mind blasting through the map and defeating him in that time. However, community legend and Malenia's greatest enemy, Let Me Solo Her, is once again lending a hand to those who need a bit of help, this time with a new identity, 'Let Me Solo Him.' Be sure to keep an eye out for his summoning sign if you need some assistance.
You can check out our guide to the Shadow of the Erdtree main bosses in order to help you get through the DLC's main story quickly.
