This guide will show you what the Fire Knight series looks like, what stats everything provides, and how to get it all in Elden Ring’s DLC Shadow of the Erdtree!
The Fire Knight series is the most extensive collection of items unified around a specific theme in Shadow of the Erdtree, consisting of a whopping 25 items!
Fire Knights wield Messmer’s Flame and imbue their weapons with it. They’re his most elite guard and answer directly to him.
Table of Contents:
- All Fire Knight and Messmer’s Flame Items List
- Visual Overview
- Fire Knight Series All Item Descriptions, Stats, and Locations
- How and Where to Farm Fire Knights
All Fire Knight and Messmer’s Flame Items List
The Fire Knight Series consists of the following items.
| Icon | Name | Item Type |
|---|---|---|
 | Fire Knight Helm | Armor |
 | Fire Knight Armor | Armor |
 | Fire Knight Gauntlets | Armor |
 | Fire Knight Greaves | Armor |
 | Winged Serpent Helm | Armor |
 | Salza’s Hood | Armor |
 | Death Mask Helm | Armor |
 | Messmer’s Helm | Armor |
 | Fire Knight Greatsword | Armament |
 | Fire Knight Shortsword | Armament |
 | Queelign’s Greatsword | Armament |
 | Spear of the Impaler | Armament |
 | Serpent Flail | Armament |
 | Fire Knight Seal | Armament |
 | Serpent Crest Shield | Armament |
 | Flame Spear | Ash of War |
 | Flame Skewer | Ash of War |
 | Messmer’s Orb | Incantation |
 | Rain of Fire | Incantation |
 | Fire Serpent | Incantation |
 | Crusade Insignia | Talisman |
 | Fire Knight Hilde | Spirit Ashes |
 | Fire Knight Queelign | Spirit Ashes |
 | Fire Knight’s Cookbook [1] | Cookbook |
| Fire Knight’s Cookbook [2] | Cookbook |
Visual Overview
The Fire Knight Series in Elden Ring is available exclusively in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. There is a core set with all 4 pieces (helm, chest, gauntlets and greaves), but there are several other helmets and weapons you can equip as well. The unaltered version features the regular Fire Knight Helm, Greatsword, and Shortsword.
You can alter the chest piece only to remove the red cape, making you to look even spindlier. The altered version is also what Fire Knight Queelign wears/weeps in. Unfortunately, the helmets are not designed to work with the altered version.
You can’t remove the fabric elements on the hoods or lower robes either. The only helmet that looks halfway decent with the altered version is Messmer’s Helm, and there aren’t any alternative pants that look better. They all look really weird in the crotch area.
In addition, as you can see in the preview below. The collars and neck parts are only designed to rest on the cape, not the lower chest armor. The metal colors are also slightly different for some ridiculous reason.
The altered preview features (part of) Queelign’s Greatsword and the Fire Knight’s Seal, which glows yellow in your hand.
Fire Knight Series All Item Descriptions, Stats, and Locations
Since there are so many Fire Knight items, we’ll be looking at them broken down by item type.
Fire Knight Bonus Effects List and Comparison
All of the Fire Knight head pieces and a few other items boost your effectiveness in unique ways. Here’s a list of all the effects.
| Icon | Item | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Winged Serpent Helm | +10% Fire Knight Skill Damage |
| Messmer’s Helm | +3% Messmer’s Flame Incantation Damage +8% Fire Knight Skill Damage |
| Salza’s Hood | +2 Intelligence +500 Ego* |
| Death Mask Helm | -12% FP Cost to Summon Spirit Ashes |
| Fire Knight Helm | +2% HP +5% Stamina + 4% Equip Load |
| Fire Knight Armor | +5% Messmer’s Flame Incantation Damage |
| Fire Knight Seal | +15% Messmer’s Flame Incantation Damage |
Fire Knight Armor Set
The Fire Knight armor set has a combined weight of 22.1 with the base helm, and the other head pieces don’t differ that significantly. Despite having such a lanky appearance, the Fire Knight set is part of the 4th heaviest weight class in the game alongside all of the other Knight and Warrior armors, so it’s pretty impractical to have a Light Equip Load with this set.
The chest piece boosts the damage dealt by the 3 Messmer’s Flame Incantations by 5%. Each helmet also provides a different benefit. The Fire Knight Helm boosts your max HP by 2%, your Stamina by 5%, and max Equip Load by (4%), so it’s basically Baby’s First Erdtree’s Favor Talisman.
Click on an image below to see it enlarged.
Individual pieces of the Fire Knight armor set have a chance to drop from Fire Knights. The only location to farm Fire Knight gear is at Specimen Storage within the Shadow Keep. See the dedicated section at the end of the guide for more detailed information on farming Fire Knights.
Winged Serpent Helm
The Winged Serpent Helm boosts the damage dealt by Fire Knight Skills (Ashes of War) by 10%, including Flame Skewer, Flame Spear, Messmer’s Assault, and Flare, O Serpent.
You receive the Winged Serpent Helm for defeating Kood, Captain of the Fire Knights, who guards the Dark Chamber near the top of Specimen Storage at the Shadow Keep.
Salza’s Hood
Salza’s Hood grants +2 Intelligence. No, it does not do anything for Fire Knight Equipment. I think it is intended for a fashionable Magma Build, though it’s a pretty direct downgrade from the Queen’s Crescent Crown.
It would make so much more sense if Salza’s Hood also boosted the damage dealt by Messmer’s Flame Incantations by 5% so that you have a foil to the Winged Serpent Helm and Messmer’s Helm.
You receive Salsa’s Hood after defeating Fire Knight Sage Salza guarding the gate to Rauh Ruins at the end of the bridge from the Shadow Keep.
Death Mask Helm
The Death Mask Helm is the lightest of the Fire Knight head pieces. It reduces the FP cost of summoning Spirit Ashes by 15%.
You receive the Death Mask Helm after defeating a specific Fire Knight wearing the helm named Wego. He’s in front of the Marika statue in the Church District at the Shadow Keep summoning a bunch of fire zombies to blow up at you.
Messmer’s Helm
Messmer’s Helm is part of Messmer’s Armor Set, so technically not truly part of the Fire Knight set, but its effects are relevant so I’m mentioning it here. Messmer’s Helm boosts the damage dealt by Messmer’s Flame Incantations by 3% and Fire Knight Skills by 8%.
You can purchase Messmer’s Helm for 12,000 Runes from Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold after defeating Messmer the Impaler in his Dark Chamber at the Shadow Keep.
Fire Knight Armaments
You have an arsenal of Fire Knight Armaments to choose from, more than you can equip at the same time.
Fire Knight’s Greatsword
The Fire Knight’s Greatsword is actually a Colossal Sword. You are meant to change its Affinity to Fire or Flame Art so that it deals more damage. I’ve added the Ash of War: Flame Skewer so that you can see its stats as intended.
The Fire Knight’s Shortsword has a chance to drop from Fire Knights who wield them. The only location to farm Fire Knight gear is at Specimen Storage within the Shadow Keep.
Most of the ones who use Greatswords are located on the upper levels accessible via the Church District. See the dedicated section at the end of the guide for more detailed information on farming Fire Knights.
Fire Knight’s Shortsword
The Fire Knight Shortsword is a Dagger, though it’s pretty long. You are meant to change its Affinity to Fire or Flame Art so that it deals more damage. I’ve added the Ash of War: Flame Spear so that you can see its stats as intended.
The Fire Knight’s Shortsword has a chance to drop from Fire Knights who wield them. The only location to farm Fire Knight gear is at Specimen Storage within the Shadow Keep.
Most of the ones who use Shortswords are located on the lower levels. See the dedicated section at the end of the guide for more detailed information on farming Fire Knights.
Queelign’s Greatsword
Queelign’s Greatsword is a Heavy Thrusting Sword that’s sort of a hybrid of the weapon classes. He uses the Ash of War: Flame Skewer with it, and he drops the Prayer Room Key you need to reach him at the same time as getting that.
You receive Fire Knight Queelign’s Ashes if you deny him the Grace of Marika by giving him an Iris of Occultation. He has locked himself in the Prayer Room at the main cathedral in the Church District.
Spear of the Impaler
The Spear of the Impaler is a Smithscript Great Spear. Its Unique Skill: Messmer’s Assault replicate’s said boss’ main combo and is one of the longest attack sequences that you can use in the game.
You can purchase the Spear of the Impaler from Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold in exchange for the Remembrance of the Impaler.
Serpent’s Flail
Serpent’s Flail scales with Faith in addition to Strength and Dexterity and features a Unique Skill that causes your next attack that strikes the ground to trigger an explosion. In effect, it lets you pre-charge your strong attack, which as lame as it sounds.
The more interesting aspect of the Unique Skill is its name, Flare, O Serpent, which helps to blend Messmer’s Flame with that of the Fire Giants.
You can loot the Serpent’s Flail from a chest protected by an entire battalion wielding flamethrowers inside the Fog Rift Fort next to Castle Ensis.
Fire Knight Seal
The Fire Knight’s Seal boosts the damage dealt by all 3 of the Messmer’s Flame Incantations by 15%.
You can loot the Fire Knight’s Seal from a corpse behind the base of Marika’s statue in the Church District after draining the water.
Serpent Crest Shield
The Serpent Crest Shield is a sturdy Medium Shield on the heavier side that offers 100% Physical and superior Fire Guarded Damage Negation. The latter comes at the expense of worse mitigation for other types of non-Physical damage.
The Serpent Crest Shield is your reward for finding the location depicted in the “Incursion” Painting on the Gravesite Plain. Check out our Shadow of the Erdtree Paintings Guide for more details.
Fire Knight Ashes of War
There are 2 Fire Knight Ashes of War, Flame Spear and Flame Skewer. However, the Unique Skills: Spear of the Impaler and Flare, O Serpent also count as Fire Knight Skills for the purposes of buffs.
Ash of War: Flame Spear
Flame Spear is the more universally applicable Ash of War. It turns any Piercing weapon into a spear by firing a chargeable beam of Messmer’s Flame out from the blade.
Flame Spear costs 19 FP and ignites the blade with Messmer’s Flame for 40s, adding 95 Fire damage to each attack.
You receive Ash of War: Flame Spear for defeating Kood, Captain of the Fire Knights, who guards the Dark Chamber near the top of Specimen Storage.
Ash of War: Flame Skewer
Despite its similar-sounding name, Flame Skewer is fairly different from Flame Spear. It can’t be applied to as many weapons, only the bigger Piercing ones, and is focused on dealing damage at close range. The first strike is an uppercut of sorts while the second sends out a slightly longer-range vertical flame fan.
Flame Skewer costs 18 â–¶ 8 FP also ignites the weapon with Messmer’s Flame for 15s, adding 95 Fire damage to each swing.
You can loot Ash of War: Flame Skewer and the Prayer Room Key from Fire Knight Queelign after fending off his invasion at the Church of the Crusade on the western cliff of Scadu Altus. You may need to defeat him at Belurat in order for him to spawn at the Church of the Crusade.
Messmer’s Flame Incantations
There are a whopping 3 Messmer’s Flame Incantations, fewer than any other “Religion” in Elden Ring. Can you believe FromSoftware bothered to give them a unique Seal?
Messmer’s Orb
Messmer’s Orb causes you to leap into the air and float on the Messmer Flame Orb that forms in your hand, then come crashing down on your opponent. It’s the same attack that Messmer and his Base Snake use as their openers in the boss fight.
The damage dealt and costs are similar to Giantsflame Take Thee and Flame of the Fell God, but it’s buffed by a different Seal, and you’ll evade attacks that require you to jump, like the flame stomps from the Furnace Golems. It seems to deal more posture damage as well.
You can purchase Messmer’s Orb from Finger Reader Enia at the Roundtable Hold in exchange for the Remembrance of the Impaler.
Rain of Fire
Rain of Fire is an Incantation that causes Messmer’s Flame to rain down from the sky over your target. It doesn’t deal nearly as much damage as something like Founding Rain of Stars, even after the 1.13 buff, but because the AoE is centered on your target, not you, it is far easier to use.
You receive Rain of Fire after defeating Fire Knight Sage Salza guarding the gate to Rauh Ruins. His Rain of Fire is still a whole lot better than yours.
Fire Serpent
Fire Serpent is a cheap and speedy little fire comet that homes on its target. All of those traits are unique capabilities within the realm of Pyromancy in Elden Ring. It also has a delay before pursuing its target, which makes it harder to dodge in PvP.
You can loot the Fire Serpent Incantation from a corpse on one of the backroom upper levels at the Specimen Storehouse, accessible only from the Church District.
Talismans
There is a single Talisman associated with the Fire Knights, though it has more to do with Messmer and his lot’s crusade of Belurat than Pyromancy.
Crusade Insignia
The Crusade Insignia boosts your damage dealt by 15% for 20s after defeating an enemy. Like the Exultation talismans, its duration gets refreshed if you trigger it while the effect is already active and it stacks with other trigger effects.
You receive the Crusade Insignia Talisman for defeating Fire Knight Queelign after he invades you in the memorial garden at Belurat, Tower Settlement.
Spirit Ashes
You can obtain 2 Fire Knight Spirit Ashes, Hilde and Queelign. Both require Ghost Gloveworts to upgrade.
Fire Knight Hilde
Fire Knight Hilde is your Spirit Ash for a standard Fire Knight. She costs 116 FP to summon and has access to Incantations of Messmer’s Flame that you don’t.
You can loot the Fire Knight Hilde Ashes from a precariously placed corpse near the Fire Knight up in the rafters of the Specimen Storehouse backrooms accessible only from the Church District. In order to reach it, you must jump onto the closer elevator as it comes up.
Fire Knight Queelign
Fire Knight Queelign is the Spirit Ash of the NPC invader you defeat twice, at Belurat and at the Church of the Crusade. You cannot receive Fire Knight Queelign’s Spirit Ashes and Greatsword in the same playthrough. He costs 123 FP to summon.
You receive Fire Knight Queelign’s Ashes if you choose to give the wimpering baby an Iris of Grace. He has locked himself in the Prayer Room at the main cathedral in the Church District.
Cookbooks
There are 2 Fire Knight Cookbooks. They teach you how to craft Fire Coils and (Drawstring) Messmerfire Grease.
Fire Knight’s Cookbook [1]
The Fire Knight’s Cookbook [1] contains the recipe to craft (Drawstring) Messmerfire Grease. The regular version adds 120 Fire damage to the weapon for 60s. while the Drawstring version ads 135 Fire damage for 25s.
You can loot the Fire Knight’s Cookbook [1] from a corpse at the war camp northwest of Moorth Ruins on Scadu Altus. It’s in a big tent near the Marika Statue.
Fire Knight’s Cookbook [2]
The Fire Knight’s Cookbook [2] contains the recipe to craft Fire Coils, a consumable item that scales with Faith (S) that releases 3 of Messmer’s Embers at your target.
You can loot the Fire Knight’s Cookbook [2] from a corpse inside one of the tents at the war camp out in front of Castle Ensis. It’s near the Black Knight on the western side of the main road.
How to Farm Fire Knights in the Shadow Realm
You can only get the regular Fire Knight armor pieces, Fire Knight's Greatsword, and Fire Knight's Shortsword by farming. The rest of the items come from specific locations.
Check out the end of our main Shadow of the Erdtree Armor Sets and Associated Weapons Catalog for tips on how to farm optimally in general.
Instructions
The only place you'll find Fire Knights is at the Shadow Keep. There are a few in the Church District, but the majority of them are guarding Specimen Storage, so that's the best place to farm.
The ones wielding Greatswords aren't nearly as common as the ones wielding Shortswords. That said, both weapons pair well together, so I recommend trying to get at least one of each. You'll get done quicker if you start with the Fire Knight's Greatswords.
I think it's best to start from higher Sites of Grace and drop down since there isn't that much distance between them, comparable to the run back from a Site of Grace.
Fire Knight's Greatsword Farming Spot
If you're after a Fire Knight's Greatsword, I recommend starting from the Storehouse, Loft Site of Grace and drop down one level to the library below the little elevator.
You will encounter 4 Fire Knights on the way down, including the only 2 who wield Fire Knight's Greatswords.
- Shortsword at the top of the stairs.
- Greatsword enjoyer that you can backstab or knock off and loot at the bottom.
- Slide down the ladder to Daggers in the blue armory. The Shadow Men are troublesome.
- Take the big lift down to Shadow Keep proper for the other Greatsword wielder.
Remember to send the lift back up before engaging the 4th Fire Knight and take the opportunity to heal up and stuff while riding down. When you've beaten them, warp back up to Specimen Storehouse, Loft, if needed.
Fire Knight's Shortsword and Armor Farming
Once you've gotten your Fire Knight's Greatsword, or if you don't care about getting that weapon, you'll begin the cultivation process for general Fire Knight Farming at Specimen Storage, Seventh Floor.
Please note that this is quite the gauntlet, you'll encounter NINE Fire Knights along the way, so make sure to chug some long-lasting Physick at the start.
- The first one patrols the stairs. Look out for a Shadow Militiaman too.
- Go down the stairs one level to the room with the desks.
- Go down the next set of stairs and look for the one patrolling the rest of the floor.
- Go outside near the end of the last one's route, but take the stairs down that you see in this picture afterwards.
You can also rest at the 4th Floor Site of Grace if needed. Keep going down outside past the fire boats. - By the Secret Rite Scroll, you'll see one supervising the others in the distance. Drop down from here, but do the next one first.
- This one is guarded by a bunch of Jawas behind where you dropped down. Do this one, then the "supervisor".
- Head to the west wing after taking down the supervisor.
- Drop down to the floor below and fight the one in Harry Potter's bedroom.
- The last one is on the first floor to the right as you're looking into the middle of Specimen Storage. There's a Jawa duo too.
Conveniently, the path takes you from the Site of Grace where you run into Freyja and her struggles with literacy, right past the Secret Rite Scroll that you need to give to Sir Ansbach and ends just a few steps away from him.
We have a complete catalog of all Armor Sets and associated weapons in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. You will find high-quality images of the front and back of every armor set and its altered version (if one is available in-game) as well as all associated weapons, seals, shields and other gear and items that belong to the same set.
At the end of each set, you will also find a link to a more in-depth guide about it, including even more images from more angles, lore descriptions, stats comparison, and tips on when, how, and why to use each item.
