Facing Bayle the Dread in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is a trial by fire-and lightning. This optional yet formidable dragon boss, perched atop the Jagged Peak Summit, is notorious for his aggressive attack patterns and devastating elemental assaults. To conquer this ancient foe, you’ll need sharp strategy, powerful anti-dragon weapons like the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, and the crucial aid of Igon, whose summoning can turn the tide of battle. Prepare for a grueling fight where every hit counts, especially targeting Bayle’s elusive head, and master your timing to survive the relentless fury of one of the DLC’s toughest challenges.
Our Elden Ring DLC guide covers not only how to beat Bayle the Dread in Shadow of the Erdtree, but will also reveal the boss’ weaknesses, and how to prepare for the encounter.
Bayle the Dread location in Elden Ring DLC
Bayle the Dread is an optional Legend Boss located at the summit of Jagged Peak in the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. To reach him, players must traverse through the Dragon’s Pit, navigate past hostile dragons including the Jagged Peak Drake and Ancient Dragon Sennesax, and ascend the Jagged Peak using spiritsprings and careful platforming. The closest Site of Grace is Jagged Peak Summit, right before the boss arena. Defeating the dragons along the way unlocks the ability to summon Igon during the Bayle the Dread fight, which can significantly aid players in this challenging battle.
Bayle the Dread is located at the very end of the Jagged Peak section of Shadow of the Erdtree. Starting at the very bottom of the entire region, you need to work your way up the mountainside using narrow pathways, jumping on Torrent to ride those huge gusts of wind all the way up to the top of the mountain.
You’ll find a site of grace and a summoning pool right outside the boss’ lair at the Jagged Peak Summit, so you can die repeatedly with ease.
Bayle the Dread weaknesses and how to prepare
Bayle the Dread’s main weaknesses lie in his head and his left leg stump, which take increased damage-about 2x and +50% respectively-compared to the rest of his body. He is particularly vulnerable to raw physical and piercing damage, making weapons like spears, halberds, and the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana highly effective. While Bayle is largely resistant or immune to most status effects such as bleed, poison, and frostbite, bleed can still be useful if you consistently apply it over time. To prepare for the fight, prioritize equipping talismans that boost fire and lightning resistance, such as the Flamedrake and Boltdrake Talismans, and use armor with high fire resistance since Bayle deals strong elemental damage. Summoning mobile Spirit Ashes like Mimic Tear or Black Knife Tiche can help manage his aggression, and keeping distance to use throwing weapons or ranged attacks targeting his head can also be advantageous. Overall, focusing on piercing and raw physical damage, maintaining mobility to avoid his powerful attacks, and using anti-dragon gear will give you the best chance to overcome Bayle the Dread.
Bayle the Dread is a dragon, so Frost is your friend against this gigantic foe. In all fairness, that’s never quite a guarantee whenever you’re facing a dragon in Elden Ring, but Frost works a treat against this big guy, as does Scarlet Rot – a weapon that builds up either with as few hits as possible is going to be really important for this fight.
For spell users, Ranni’s Dark Moon, which deals Frost damage, works pretty well against Bayle the Dread. Comet Azur is also a really 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 pretty far away from the boss.
Additionally, Bayle the Dread is classed as a field-type boss, so you can use Spirit Summons against the foe. There is also an NPC summon you can recruit to help you – Igon. In fact, we highly recommend you progress Igon’s questline in order to get the most out of this encounter and the story surrounding the boss.
Colossal-grade weapons, or those that hits very hard, will work well against Bayle the Dread, since the boss can have its poise broken. Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike works surprisingly well against Bayle the Dread – a pleasant surprise, given that the boss deals both Fire and Lightning-based damage.
How to beat Bayle the Dread in Elden Ring DLC
Bayle the Dread is one of the toughest optional bosses in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, found at the summit of Jagged Peak. To beat him, prepare by boosting your fire and lightning resistances, and equip anti-dragon weapons like the Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana or Dragon Communion Grease. Summoning Igon, an NPC with anti-dragon harpoons, is highly recommended as he can distract Bayle without increasing the boss’s health. During the fight, stay light on your feet with high equip load for better dodging, and aim to attack Bayle’s head and left leg, which take extra damage. Avoid getting cornered and try to stay in front of Bayle’s head to anticipate his attacks. Use long weapons or heavy-hitting thrusts to consistently land hits, and be ready to dodge his lightning breath and bite attacks, especially his devastating jumping lightning charge. Patience and careful positioning under Bayle can help you chip away at his health through a lengthy and challenging battle.
Bayle the Dread is a quick boss, which may come as a surprise given its size. One really important thing to note is that the camera for this fight can very easily go haywire; since Bayle the Dread is so big, you can easily get stuck underneath part of the boss itself with your character blocked from view. If you’re a melee user, I’d recommend locking onto the boss’ head and sticking near him – this makes it easier to dodge his attacks.
Bayle the Dread boss fight phase 1
You should generally be trying to dodge through Bayle the Dread’s attacks, rather than back from or around them. This means when you come up from a dodge roll, presuming you’ve dodged the attack, you can lay into the dragon’s head with a melee weapon – this is the best method of staggering Bayle the Dread.
If you stay away from Bayle the Dread throughout this first phase, the boss will breathe a line of lighting-infused fire towards you. This is most common when you first enter the arena, and if you do see it, either roll or sprint to the left or right of the boss itself.
Another common attack is when Bayle the Dread infuses its wing with lightning damage, and then strikes the ground in front of you. For this attack, you need to make sure you’re dodge-rolling through the attack at the very last second, right before the wing hits the ground. (This is a really good rule of thumb with Bayle the Dread’s attacks in general, for what it’s worth.)
The boss can also chain together two swipes with its wings along the ground, without infusing them with an element. Again, dodge-roll through these, but roll in the direction of the wing that’s attacking you. For example, if Bayle the Dread uses its left wing to strike you, roll in the right direction.
Bayle the Dread boss fight phase 2
At roughly half health, phase two of Bayle the Dread’s fight will start. For starters, the boss charges up a huge area-of-effect attack, so you need to sprint away from that, while also avoiding the pools of fire on the ground. After this, Bayle the Dread will take off into the sky and fly around the arena, sending repeated balls of fiery lightning towards you. If you’re quick enough, you can position yourself under the outskirts of the arena to actually block out the bolts themselves.
Other aerial attacks come about when Bayle the Dread rises into the air, and sprays fire horizontally, then vertically. I’d heavily recommend sprinting, not rolling, sideways to get out of the way of these attacks.
Another attack sees Bayle the Dread continuously scream, during which a line of lightning strikes pepper the ground near your position. Again, you need to sprint away, preferably to the side so you’re keeping the boss fairly near, to avoid this.
One gigantic attack sees Bayle the Dread channel together energy and unleash it on the ground all around him. During this, you need to sprint back from the boss, but if you’re clever, you can jump when the attack hits, and then use Aspect of the Crucible: Wings to keep yourself off the ground and strike back.
Once Bayle the Dread is defeated, you’ll gain 490,000 Runes for your trouble, and the Heart of Bayle item. But the best prize? You can continue Igon’s quest.
What secret strategies can help me finally defeat Bayle the Dread
Secret Strategies to Defeat Bayle the Dread in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
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Summon Igon: This NPC summon is crucial, especially on your first attempt. Igon has a large health pool, carries anti-dragon harpoons that deal massive damage to Bayle, and is summoned inside the arena so Bayle’s health does not increase. To summon him, exhaust his dialogue outside the Jagged Peak Drake boss and find his summon sign just inside the arena entrance.
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Use Anti-Dragon Weapons: The Dragon-Hunter’s Great Katana, dropped by the Ancient Dragon-Man boss in Dragon’s Pit, is the best weapon for this fight. It deals extra damage to dragons and synergizes well with Dragonwound Grease to maximize damage output. Heavy weapons and those that cause bleed or frostbite can also be effective.
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Target Bayle’s Head: Bayle’s head is the only part you can reliably lock onto and hitting it deals extra damage. Stick to his side to find openings. Avoid getting underneath him as the camera and attacks become difficult to manage there.
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Movement and Dodging: Keep moving constantly to avoid Bayle’s attacks. Roll to the side or backwards to dodge his claw sweeps, lunging stabs, and lightning bites. When he roars and summons lightning strikes, dodge roll repeatedly or sprint to evade. Running through his fire breath is safer than dodging.
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Recommended Talismans and Spells: Equip talismans like Godfrey Icon (enhances charged attacks), Ritual Sword Talisman (boosts attack at full health), and those that reduce fire and lightning damage. Spells such as Ekzykes’s Decay, Loretta’s Mastery, and Black Flame can help whittle down his health from a distance.
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Phase Awareness: Bayle’s second phase begins around 60% health, where his attack patterns intensify. Use powerful spells with longer wind-ups like Comet Azur during his large AoE attacks to maximize damage safely.
Combining these strategies-summoning Igon, wielding anti-dragon weapons, targeting the head, mastering dodging, and optimizing gear-will significantly improve your chances of finally defeating Bayle the Dread.
How can I exploit Bayle’s head or leg for extra damage
To exploit Bayle the Dread’s head and leg for extra damage, focus primarily on his head, which takes double damage compared to other parts and is the only part you can reliably lock onto. Position yourself on the side of Bayle’s head to find openings for attacks, especially after dodging his claw or grab attacks, as these moments leave his head vulnerable. When Bayle roars and prepares a lightning grab attack, dodge to the side to avoid it, then immediately punish his head while he recovers.
If hitting the head is not possible during some attacks, target his broken leg or stump. While the stump takes reduced damage, attacking it reduces Bayle’s stance faster, making him vulnerable to staggering. For example, during his lunging claw stab, roll forward or under to reach his leg for heavy damage.
Key tips include:
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Stay near Bayle’s head but avoid getting underneath him due to camera and attack difficulty.
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After Bayle’s fire-electric breath or grab attacks, there is a brief window to land hits on his head or wing.
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Use charged heavy attacks or weapon buffs when striking the head or leg to maximize damage.
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When Bayle uses his lightning claw attack, roll forward to strike the leg stump for significant damage and stance break potential.
By carefully timing your dodges and positioning to hit Bayle’s head and leg, you can exploit his weak points for extra damage and stagger opportunities, making the fight more manageable.
