Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is fillled with plenty of tough boss fights but few to none are as challenging as Bayle the Dread, a dragon boss found in Jagged Peak. Ruthless, powerful and intimidating, Bayle is arguably one of the hardest bosses in the game, second only to the final boss of the DLC. Here’s how to beat the dragon as well as the best strategies we recommend using to emerge victorious.
Make sure you also check out our other Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree guides including to how beat Messmer The Impaler, how to beat Rellana, Twin Moon Knight, how to acquire the Sauron-inspired Night set and how to get the awesome Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana early in the game. Also check up our guide on how to beat Romina, Saint of the Bud.
How to Beat Bayle the Dread in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Prep Work
You’ll have to do quite a bit of preparation before you think of challenging Bayle the Dread. It’s highly recommended that your Scadutree Blessing be at least +15 before attempting the fight, as Bayle’s attack hit very hard – many are even capable of insta-killing you if you aren’t careful. You’ll want as much health and damage output as possible since Bayle’s health bar is formidably large. We recommend making these preparations:
- Flamedrake Talisman +3: Bayle uses a combination of fire and lightning damage so negating some of that fire damage is crucial, which is why the Flamedrake Talisman +3 comes in handy as it negates 20% of fire damage.
- Boltdrake Talisman +3: Equally, the Boltdrake Talisman +3 negates lightning damage by 20%. Some of Bayle’s attacks combine fire and lightning with devastating power, so any damage mitigation is welcomed.
- Weaknesses: Bayle is weak to both frost and Scarlet Rot, though we’ve found Scarlet Rot to be the most effective. Going into this battle with a good frostbite or Scarlet Rot build will only benefit you, though any hard-hitting build should work as long as you aren’t planning on running fire or lightning against him.
- Crimson Seed Talisman: This Talisman is good enough on its own but it’s absolutely going to come in handy in this fight as it boost HP regeneration from your healing flasks. Since Bayle’s attacks can easily do upwards of 60-70% damage to your overall health bar, make sure you have this equipped for more health regain.
How to Defeat Bayle
Bayle the Dread can be found in a crater at the Jagged Peak Summit and might be more of an endgame challenge, considering the difficulty of this boss. We at least recommend fighting a good majority of bosses first and finding enough Scadutree fragments before you take on the dragon. Here are some strategies we’ve cooked up about how to avoid Bayle’s attacks and what to expect so you’re prepared:
- Fatal Attacks: Bayle primarily uses fire and lightning to attack but be wary of his close-ranged attacks too (which are appropriately named “Fatal” attacks). If your vigor isn’t up to scratch – we reckon at least 60-70 – you might be eating a lot of one-shot hits from his tail swipes, claw stomps or ground slams. Thankfully they’re easy to dodge by either rolling into them or rolling to the side.
- Avoid Using Lock-On: A majority of our runs on this boss failed because the camera became erratic when using lock-on, so try to avoid using it as much as possible. For spell casters, only use lock-on for spells that require it. Otherwise, we highly recommend not locking onto Bayle since the camera will actively work against you, especially since he can quickly drop on top of you.
- Energy Explosion: Bayle’s signature move creates an energy explosion from beneath the ground, generating molten marks around him. Once he finishes charging up, the marks will explode and inflict massive damage. Get out of range of the explosion as quickly as possible. You have a few vital seconds to do so.
- Dive Bomb: After the energy explosion, Bayle will fly into the air and circle the arena, flinging flame projectiles at you. These can be dodged but you then need to be careful of his dive bomb as he comes crashing to the ground. Since the range of this dive is so massive, the best course of action is to dodge into Bayle right before he lands. If you have Bloodhound’s Step, you can flash step right through the dive bomb.
- Frostbite: Bayle has an absurdly large health pool and possibly the largest for any dragon enemy in the game. As a result, your attacks might seem like they’re not doing enough damage. With a frost weapon, Ash of War or build, you can proc frostbite that chips away at his health and deals a modest chunk of damage once inflicted.
- Scarlet Aeonia: More effectively, having Scarlet Rot on your side works wonders. Specifically, if you have Scarlet Aeonia and manage to find decent openings (there aren’t much), you can use this incantation about 5-6 times successfully before it completely annihilates his health bar and deals a considerable amount of damage. Be warned since missing this attack can result in leaving you vulnerable for a few seconds.
- Black Knife Tiche: For this fight, you need a Spirit Ash that’s quick and capable of hastily moving in on Bayle when he changes positions around the arena. A Mimic Tear might not be your best option if it takes forever to run to Bayle so we recommend Black Knife Tiche, even if it’s to simply draw Bayle’s aggression while you use the opportunity to deal damage.
- Summon Igon: You might encounter the NPC Igon a bit early into Shadow of the Erdtree but his quest is tied to Bayle. You can summon Igon in the fight but his summon sign is inside the arena for some reason. Having Igon on your side during this fight makes things a bit less stressful. Just a bit.
Bayle the Dread is a visually fantastic fight that ranks highly as one of the best in the entire game, though the challenge he provides is almost unmatched too. We recommend taking him on once you’ve accumulated enough Scadutree fragments and are certain you can take big hits. Remain calm and study the dragon’s moveset and you’ll come out victorious after a truly epic battle.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is now available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
