Shadow of the Erdtree: How to defeat Bayle the Dread? Elden Ring guide, walkthrough
Bayle the Dread is one of the main, but also optional bosses in the Shadow of the Erdtree add-on for the Elden Ring game. On this page of the guide we have described how to fight him and what rewards you will receive for defeating him.
Last update: 10 July 2024
Bayle the Dread is the most powerful optional boss in the expansion Shadow of the Erdtree. You will face him on the Jagged Peak Summit, a location accessed by a linear path that begins in the dragon's lair, a cave located south of Castle Ensis. Before facing the boss, go to the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion, south of the lake located right by the Dragon's Pit exit, and complete the dialogue with the Dragon Communion Priestess. The path to Bayle leads through several mini-bosses located around the Jagged Peak. On this page of the guide, you'll learn how to prepare for the fight with Bayle, how to fight him and what rewards you will receive for defeating him.
Rewards for defeating
For defeating the boss, you will receive 490,000 runes and the Heart of Bayle. It works the same way as other items received for defeating other main bosses - the only difference is that they cannot be exchanged by Enia at the Roundtable Hold. Instead, it can be done by the aforementioned Grand Altar of Dragon Communion. You can get:
- Bayle's Flame Lightning - incantation, deals a blow with a huge claw, fire and electricity damage.
- Bayle's Tyranny - incantation, creates a huge wave of fire.
How to prepare for the fight with Bayle?
Bayle is the most difficult optional boss in the DLC and is comparable to the final boss. Therefore, you should make sure to prepare yourself beforehand. Stock up on:
- Scadutree Blessing at least level 15 - each level of Scadutree Blessing increases the damage you deal and reduces the damage you take. The higher it is, the better - the maximum blessing level is 20, and before the fight with Bayle it should be at least at level 15. You can increase your blessing level by collecting Scadutree Fragments. We also recommend defeating the boss Commander Gaius near the Shadow Keep - it'll earn you as many as five fragments.
- Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana - this powerful weapon is designed to fight dragons. Its dedicated special attack, the Dragonwound Slash, deals enormous damage to dragons and will make the fight against both Bayle and the smaller dragons guarding his lair much easier. If you intend to fight Bayle, you will already have this weapon in your possession - it is dropped by the Ancient Dragon Man, whom you will face at the end of the Dragon's Pit, the only passage to the Jagged Peak.
- The Spear of the Impaler - if you don't want to use a katana, this weapon also works exceptionally well against Bayle. Its strong attack is a spear throw, which will allow you to damage Bayle even from a distance and easily hit his weak point. The Spear of the Impaler is one of the rewards you can get in exchange for the Remembrance of the Impaler, which you receive after defeating Messmer the Impaler.
- Igon - Igon is an NPC you'll encounter twice on your way to the Jagged Peak - once near the entrance to the Dragon's Pit and once after defeating the two dragons at the side of the mountain. Completing the dialogue with Igon during both encounters will allow you to summon him during combat, which may make the fight a bit easier. Be careful - unlike other helpful NPCs, you will find Igon's summon sign right after entering the arena, after the fight has started. If you're not careful, Bayle can hurt you while you're trying to summon him.
Bayle in a nutshell
- Bayle has three weak points - his head, a torn wing and the stump from his severed leg. The head and wing take full damage, the stump takes reduced damage, but attacking it reduces the boss's stance faster, leaving it vulnerable to staggering.
- The biggest threat is the camera - if necessary, unlock the camera and sprint away from him, dodging if you hear an electrifying sound.
- Blocking won't help much in this fight - Bayle is a huge boss whose melee attacks will often pierce through your shield. Focus on dodging.
- The fire-electric breath attack has three variants - straight ahead (sprint to the side, then turn back when the dragon starts breathing), from side to side (dodge through the fire) and from above (sprint away from the boss).
- You can recognize the grab attack by the electricity in Bayle's mouth - dodge to the side when he jumps towards you and you will have plenty of time to deal damage.
- When Bayle jumps to the other end of the arena, be ready for a breath attack straight ahead if he is looking at you (sprint to the side) or a tail attack if his back is turned away from you (dodge over the tail).
- When Bayle jumps up, dodge to the side just before he lands to avoid being crushed. In the second phase, after Bayle lands, run away from him to avoid the pillars of fire.
- Be on the lookout for a blow with an electrified torn wing - the boss will be vulnerable to attack after it. In the second phase, the blow will also trigger lightning strikes, which you will have to avoid. A blow from above may be followed by a second one, and a lunging blow may be followed by a bite.
- After the roar, sprint to avoid the lightning strikes.
- The second phase begins when the boss has approximately 66% health left. Run away from him to avoid the pillars of fire, sprint diagonally in the opposite direction while aiming the camera at the boss to avoid the fireballs, then dodge towards the boss to avoid being hit into the ground.
- The huge fire laser attack consists of two parts. The horizontal laser will not hit you - dodge with a delay to avoid the explosion afterwards. To avoid the vertical laser, dodge towards the laser, then dodge to the side with a delay before the explosion.
- When the boss electrifies his entire body, he prepares a charged wing strike from above. Dodge it, wait for the ground beneath you to move, then jump to avoid the explosion.
How to fight Bayle?
Fighting Bayle is a matter of practice. The boss has many attacks that are difficult to avoid, but they are easy to recognize by their unique animations - try to learn his attack animations and the right moments to dodge. Most of the boss's body suffers marginal damage, but he has three weak points - his head, his mangled right wing and the stump of his severed left leg. The head and wing take full damage, so you should attack them most often. The stump takes less damage, but attacking it faster reduces the boss's stance, which will eventually expose it to a critical hit. When attacking the stump you are usually safe until Bayle is breathing fire downwards. If you're supported by allies during the fight, you can keep attacking the stump while Bayle is occupied with someone else.
The biggest problem in this fight will probably be the camera. Bayle is huge, so if he pushes you against the wall or you get under him, your visibility will be negligible. If you find yourself in this situation, unlock the camera and try to move away from him. If you hear an electrifying sound, start dodging to avoid the attack.
The boss's size also means that shields won't be of much use here - most of the boss's attacks pierce through the block due to their large hitboxes or the elemental damage they deal. It will be more efficient to master dodges - they will also allow you to be close to the boss's head more often and deal damage to it.
As befits a dragon, one of Bayle's attacks is a fire-electric breath. This attack has three variants - a forward one (sprint to the side, then turn back when the fire starts coming towards you), side to side (you have to dodge through the flames) and from above (Bayle uses it when you are close - run away from him quickly). Some bite and wing combos can also sometimes result in him breathing out from above, so be ready for that. If you get in front of the side of Bayle's head while he is breathing out fire, you will have a moment to deal damage.
The grab attack is Bayle's most predictable attack - you will recognize it when the dragon leans back and electricity starts coming out of its mouth. After a while, he will jump towards you and try to grab you - dodge to the side. After this attack, you have a moment to freely attack the head.
Occasionally Bayle will jump to the other end of the arena - keep the camera locked on him. If he is facing you, he intends to breathe fire straight ahead. If his back is turned, he will immediately try to hit you with his tail - dodge over his tail just before it hits. The jump backwards is also an attack - Bayle can slightly rise up and try to bite you by jumping towards you.
During both phases of the fight, Bayle can also fly into the air and slam into the ground in an attempt to crush you. You must dodge to the side just before he lands the hit. In the second phase, the impact will also trigger several delayed fire columns around the boss - unlock the camera and move away to avoid the fire.
Stay on the lookout for wing attacks too - Bayle can lift it and electrify it, then hit the ground with it from above. Dodge just before the blow - both the head and the wing remain on the ground for quite a long time, which will allow you to land several safe hits. In the second phase, this attack may be repeated twice, and a few seconds after it a lightning will strike - dodge to the right and you should get out of its way. Bayle also has access to a similar attack, in which he raises his wing, but a bit lower than the last time - right after hitting you, he will try to bite you. After that, he may breathe out fire.
Occasionally, Bayle will begin to roar, summoning lightning strikes. Sprinting should be enough to avoid them - if you are close to Bayle, you can land one blow on his head.
The second phase of the fight begins when Bayle drops to approximately 66% health. It is similar to the first one, apart from the aforementioned modified attacks and a few new dangerous moves. The second phase always begins with a specific combination - Bayle roars, summoning pillars of fire around him. He then takes to the sky and starts circling the arena, shooting fireballs at you - lock the camera on him and sprint diagonally in the opposite direction of Bayle. The dragon will try to crush you upon landing - dodge towards him. You have to be very precise, so be ready to take damage.
The huge laser attack is also dangerous - Bayle rises into the air and fires the laser twice, once horizontally, then vertically. The horizontal laser will never hit you if you keep your distance - dodge with a delay before the explosion left by the laser. You will see a vertical laser coming your way - dodge towards the laser, then dodge again with a delay to avoid the explosion.
Bayle's last new attack is a charged blow with the massacred wing - electricity will cover his entire body now, not just the wing. You can avoid the blow as usual, then wait until the ground beneath you shakes. Once it does, jump up to avoid the explosion.