Bayle, the Dread is a legend boss in Elden Ring and is a part of the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. It is an optional boss which can be found on the Summit of Jagged Peak.
Once a fierce dragon and the mortal enemy of the Dragonlord Placidusax, Bayle is a mortal enemy of ancient dragons. Considered the most powerful dragon in Elden and probably any FromSoftware game, Bayle has a ferocious personality to match its lore.
In this guide, we will tell you how to find Bayle, the Dread, in Elden Ring and how you can beat it easily by following our step-by-step guide.
Bayle, the Dread Location in Elden Ring
Bayle, the Dread is a DLC-specific boss in Elden Ring who can be found at the top of Jagged Peak. This area is to the southeast of Castle Ensis and can be reached by going through a secret area of Dragon’s Pit.
To reach Dragon’s Pit, go southeast of the Castle Front site of grace and travel downstream until you come upon its entrance. Go all the way down to find the Ancient Dragon Man boss. Kill him to collect the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana.
Leave the area to reach the Grand Cathedral of Dragon Communion. This area will lead you to Jagged Peak’s summit. From the first site of grace, all you need to do is travel south and follow the path.
You will come across various Drakes on your journey, and it won’t be an easy one. Keep traveling until you reach the Ancient Dragon Sennessax. Defeat this boss to collect the Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone and the Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
Go northeast until you come across a jagged path. Turn southwest and use the spiritspring jumps with the help of Torrent to reach the entrance of Bayle, the Dread’s arena. Rest at the Jagged Peak Summit site of grace and be prepared for a beating of a lifetime.
Bayle, the Dread Stats and Weaknesses
Bayle, the Dread, has 41,612 HP, and he is immune to all sorts of elemental attacks. The only thing that works against him is Pierce.
Bayle has 125 defense and 120 stance. You can’t parry any of its attacks, but you can land a critical hit on its head upon stance break. Baye’s weak point is the stump near its broken leg. Hitting this point will do 50% more damage to the boss.
Best Stats for Bayle, the Dread in Elden Ring
As Bayle is the strongest dragon-type fight in any FromSoftware game, we recommend that you attempt him last or before the final boss of the DLC (who is even worse). Your character level should be at least 200 with 15 Scadutree Blessings level.
For a weapon, use Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana with a Strength/Dexterity build. Talismans like Godfrey’s Icon and Shard of Alexander increase the attack power of your weapon skill.
As this build is a two-handed one, you must rely on dodging instead of blocking. Summon Igor from his sign inside the arena by using his Festering Finger. In the meantime, also summon Mimic Tear to make this fight even easier.
Once you are all set, the only thing left is to learn Bayle’s attacks and how you can dodge them. For this, read below about his various phases.
Phase 1 – A Timid Dragon
Phase 1 of the fight with Bayle is actually very timid as compared to what is about to come your way. In this phase, Bayle uses a variety of Physical and Flame Lightning attacks. These attacks look very imposing and powerful, but most of them can be dodged.
You will also get a chance to land some hits once you dodge an attack from Bayle, the Dread. The one attack with the chance of maximum punishment is the grab attack. Bayle’s head glows around, and he lunges to bite the players.
One successful, it will smash the players three times on the ground. Dodge forward to avoid this attack and land at least two hits on Bayle’s Head. The next attack is a bit easier as Bayle lunges into the air and covers its body with Flame Lightning.
It comes crashing down at the player’s location with a blast. Dodge twice and land a couple of hits on Bayle’s injured leg while it recovers.
Bayle also uses some lightning beam attacks, both from the ground and the air. Look at the face as the Lightning will go from left to right of the arena. Run forward in this case. When Bayle throws lightning from above, run backwards as the whole area beneath will be engulfed in flames.
Bayle also summons lightning strikes at the player’s precise location. As soon as Bayle raises its claw and it starts glowing, start running in circles. Dodge at the exact time when the lightning strikes the ground.
Another version of this attack is when Bayle roars and summons columns of lightning strikes. They don’t track players and can easily be avoided.
Bayle also does a lot of physical attacks on the players. The most common one is the claw lunge. There are two modified versions of this attack. In one, Bayle swings its wings left and right, and lunges at the player with its claws.
In the second variant, Bayle summons a Flame Lightning bolt while lunging and smashes it into the ground. It ends with an explosion and needs to be dodged twice.
Bayle, the Dread also does a Tail swipe attack where it goes past the player and suddenly swing its tail to turn around. This is the fastest physical attack with a little room for error.
Phase 2 – All Out War
The second phase of Bayle, the Dread, is as scary as it is deadly. Bayle starts with a magic attack called Bayle’s Tyranny. During this attack, the father of wyverns channels energy and summons dark signs on the ground.
These signs, and Bayle’s body, explode, causing massive damage to the players on contact. At this point, Bayle sprouts wings and signals the start of the second phase.
Bayle will go airborne after amassing enough energy and start flying around the border of the arena. This is your clue to start using the weapon art of Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana. Hold the R2/RT button to charge the attack and hit Bayle from afar.
Beware, as Bayle will start throwing flaming projectiles at your location. As soon as Bayle completes the half circle, it will come crashing down at your location. This attack is your best chance to dodge and deal damage.
The next attack is even scarier. Bayle will hover in mid-air and fly across the arena with a wide spread of flame lightning. Bayle will wait a few seconds and make a second pass with a concentrated beam of flame lightning, which creates massive explosions in its wake.
This attack is very difficult to dodge and we recommend staying as far away as possible Don’t attempt to attack at this point.
The final attack is called Bayle’s Flame Lightning. Bayle will raise its claw in the air and start gathering energy. Wings will appear on its back, and Bayle will slam its hand down on the ground with a massive explosion.
Stay as far away as possible at this point. Various cracks in the ground will appear which will also explode causing massive damage to the players.
These are all the attacks of Bayle, the Dread, and how you can avoid them in both phases. Once you get a basic understanding of its attacks, you can kill Bayle by dodging its attacks and dealing damage in between.
Trust Igor, as he will play an important part in taking down Bayle, the Dread.
Bayle, the Dread Drops and Rewards
Upon defeat, Bayle, the Dread, drops 490,000 Runes and Heart of Bayle. It is the only legend boss who doesn’t drop any remembrance.
You can use Heart of Bayle at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion to either purchase Bayle’s Flame Lightning or Bayle’s Tyranny incantations.
