Bayle the Dread is an extremely powerful boss in Elden Ring‘S Shadow of Erdtree DLC, and defeating it is a crucial part of Igon’s questline. The boss hits like a bat and moves surprisingly fast, making the dragon easily one of the tougher bosses in FromSoftware’s entire game.
Us Elden Ring The DLC guide not only includes how to beat Bayle the Dread in Shadow of the Erdtreebut will also reveal the boss’s weaknesses and how to prepare for the encounter.
Bayle the Dread location in Elden Ring DLC
Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
Bayle the Dread is at the very end of the Jagged Peak section of Shadow of the Erdtree. Starting at the very bottom of the entire region, you must make your way up the mountainside via narrow paths, jumping on Torrent to ride those massive gusts of wind all the way to the top of the mountain.
Right outside the boss’s lair on the Jagged Peak Summit you’ll find a place of grace and a summoning pool, so you can easily die repeatedly.
Bayle the Dread’s Weaknesses and How to Prepare
Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
So Bayle the Dread is a dragon Frost is your friend against this gigantic enemy. To be honest, that’s never entirely a guarantee when facing a dragon Elden Ringbut Frost works great against this big guy, and he does Scarlet Rot – a weapon that builds up with the fewest hits possible will be very important for this fight.
For spell users: Ranni’s dark moonthat deals frost damage works quite well against Bayle the Dread. Comet Azur is also a very solid option, and if you’re a Faith-based player, then Black flame And Black blade are two decent options that allow you to stay quite far away from the boss.
Additionally, Bayle the Dread is classified as a field boss, so you can use Spirit Summons against the enemy. Unfortunately, there is no story-oriented NPC summon available for this fight, as you would have found against other bosses like Rellana and Twin Moon Knight, for example.
Weapons of colossal qualityor those that hit really hard will work well against Bayle the Dread, as the boss can have his balance broken. Thunderbolt from an ancient dragon works surprisingly well against Bayle the Dread – a pleasant surprise considering the boss deals both fire- and lightning-based damage.
How to defeat Bayle the Dread in the Elden Ring DLC
Bayle the Dread is a fast boss, which might come as a surprise given his size. One very important thing to note is that the camera for this fight can get confused very easily; Because Bayle the Dread is so large, you can easily get stuck under part of the boss itself while your character is hidden from view. If you are a melee user, I recommend holding the boss’s head and staying close to him – this will make it easier to dodge his attacks.
Bayle the Dread boss fight phase 1
In general, you should try to dodge Through Bayle attacks the Dread, instead of retreating from or around them. This means that when you come out of a dodge roll, assuming you dodged the attack, you can lay into the dragon’s head with a melee weapon. This is the best method to stagger Bayle the Dread.
Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
If you stay away from Bayle the Dread during this first phase, the boss will blow a line of lighting-infused fire towards you. This is most common when you first enter the arena, and when you see it, roll or dash to the left or right of the boss itself.
Another common attack is when Bayle the Dread deals lightning damage to his wing and then slams into the ground in front of you. With this attack, make sure you roll through the attack at the very last moment, just before the wing hits the ground. (This is a very good rule of thumb for Bayle the Dread’s attacks in general, for what it’s worth.)
Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
The boss can also chain together two ground sweeps with his wings, without adding an element to them. Again, dodge and roll through this, but roll towards the wing you’re attacking. For example, if Bayle the Dread uses his left wing to hit you, roll in the right direction.
Bayle the Dread boss fight phase 2
Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
At around half health, phase two of Bayle the Dread’s battle begins. To start, the boss charges a huge attack, so you have to sprint away from there while avoiding the pools of fire on the ground. After this, Bayle the Dread will take to the air and fly around the arena, repeatedly sending fiery balls of lightning at you. If you’re quick enough, you can position yourself under the edge of the arena to block the bolts yourself.
Other aerial attacks come about when Bayle the Dread rises into the air and shoots first horizontal and then vertical fire. I highly recommend sprinting sideways, not rolling, to avoid these attacks.
Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon
In another attack, Bayle the Dread screams continuously, causing a bolt of lightning to cross the ground near your position. Here too you need to sprint away, preferably to the side, so that you keep the boss relatively close, to avoid this.
In one massive attack, Bayle can focus the Dread energy and release it onto the ground all around him. During this period you’ll need to sprint back from the boss, but if you’re smart you can jump when the attack hits, then use Aspect of the Crucible: Wings to keep yourself off the ground and hit back.
Once Bayle the Dread is defeated, you will receive 490,000 Runes for your efforts and the Heart of Bayle item. But the best price? You can continue Igon’s quest.
For more Elden Ring DLC bosses, check out our guides on all Remembrance bosses and learn how to duplicate Remembrance bosses. Do you need to start up? We have location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.