Elden Ring: Bayle the Dread Location and Guide

Bayle the Dread is an optional Boss in Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC. This dragon enemy is the final boss of the Jagged Peak region.

See our full Bayle the Dread Boss Guide below:

Bayle the Dread Boss Fight Strategy Guide

Bayle the Dread is very similar to the other dragon bosses from Elden Ring, sporting a ton of health, big sweeping attacks, and a mix of fire and lightning magic. His attacks are slow but deal massive damage, so make sure you shore up your defenses.

Upon entering the boss arena, Bayle has a few different attacks he will use from far range. First is a simple fire breath, directly at you. The flames have a wonky hitbox don't try and skirt them too closely, instead run perpendicular to the flame immediately.

The other is a wide flame that he spews from left to right. This one you can simply dodge roll through, run toward the wave of flames, and then roll through it just before it reaches you. If you manage to get close enough there is a small opening to attack afterwards.

Bayle also has a few gap-closing attacks he can use. One is a jumping slam, Bayle will leap high into the air, pausing momentarily before coming crashing down on top of you. There isn't a good tell for when he is about to drop, so just wait until the moment you see him descending, then roll back backward. Rolling backward is preferred because we want to end up close to his head so we can attack.

Another gap-closing attack is his bite/grab. Bayle's will crouch down, mouth open and fizzling with electricity. A moment later, he will lunge toward you with a quick bite. Again we want to roll backward, then attack his head directly after he misses.

His final leap attack is a simple jab, which Bayle telegraphs by rearing his wing backward. He then leaps across the arena and smashes it into the ground. This is another where you simply want to dodge roll backward so you can attack his head as he recovers.

Once Bayle is within melee range he has a few different bites and slams he will alternate between. The most common is his lightning slam, where he raises his "claw" skyward, charging it with electricity, before slamming it down on top of you. Dodge as he swings his claw downward, then you have an opening to attack his head.

When Bayle stands up tall and roars into the sky he is about to execute his four-hit combo. This consists of a single punch from the left claw, followed by two quick sweeps with his right, then ending with the lightning slam detailed above. You want to watch his claws closely and dodge the second swing at the last possible moment so you can avoid both at once. Then simply dodge the lightning slam as usual before attacking.

If Bayle rears his head back with no electricity coming from his mouth he is about to do a two-bite combo. He moves forward with each bite, so make sure you roll back in time with the movements of his head to avoid the bites.

One of Bayle's trickier attacks is his tail sweep. He will jump over your head, landing a short distance away facing away from you. Then, he will do a 180 to face you again, whipping you with his tail as it comes around. You need to notice the jump and react quickly so as not to be caught off guard. Roll through the tail and you should end up close to Bayle's head and primed for a counterattack.

Bayle has one more breath attack he will use when you are in front of or beneath him. For this one he simply spews fire directly down onto the ground, dealing damage to the area beneath him. For this one, simply run backward away from the flames, they don't reach too far. If you have a ranged attack (such as the Dragonwound Slash) you can hit while he's still breathing fire. Otherwise, wait for the flames to dissipate then run back in with a jump attack.

Another spell in his repertoire is his honed bolts. Bayle will lean down and roar, causing a small AoE that deals damage and knocks you back. After the roar, lightning will start striking down on top of you, about a dozen bolts in total. You can avoid these by running or rolling. The problem is, Bayle will continue to attack you as you are escaping the bolts so make sure you keep an eye on him to dodge whatever he follows up with.

With all of these attacks on Bayle's head, there is a chance you will get a stagger before the start of phase two. Bayle has a very long stagger animation, so long that you can probably fit in one if not two charge attacks before you activate the critical hit. Make the most of the moment, because the fight is about to get much harder!

 At about 60% health, Bayle will lean down and the music will cut out. Bayle will charge himself up, before releasing a massive blast in the area around him that deals huge damage. If you are in full health and are feeling bold, you can keep hitting him while he charges this blast up. Just be ready to quickly stand up and heal. This is also an opportune time to buff up or drink your WondrousPhysick.

After the blast, Bayle flies into the air and circles around the arena while shooting fireballs at you. All you need to do is run away from the path of the fireballs (which you can see coming down toward you from the sky) all while keeping an eye on Bayle. After he circles the arena once he will turn toward you and dive toward the ground. The dodge timing is a little weird for this attack, he hits the ground first, then slides toward you. You want to dodge about a second after the landing, just before the dragon runs you over. In this case, you want to roll through the dragon, so you end up in front of his face. After the dodge you have a few seconds to hit Bayle's face for free, just make sure you aren't standing on top of any of the magma bursts that form after the attack.

In phase two Bayle's attacks are mostly the same, but some of them have new properties. Many of his normal attacks now have lightning properties, and these attacks now have a follow-up attack where bolts of lightning shoot out from the spot of impact. Make sure you watch the ground to see where the lightning is going to strike, and dodge far to the left or right of the slams to get out of range.

In addition, his lightning slam, which was a single hit in phase one, is now multiple hits and can chain into other combos. Keep a close eye on his movements before you attack, make sure he isn't rearing back up for another swing!

Bayle also has an all-new, more powerful version of the lightning slam. In this version Bayle points his "claw" upward for much longer than usual, and his wings appear. When you see this, run away immediately. After he slams his claw into the ground there is a massive explosion around him, so you want to be well out of range.

If you are feeling risk, you can watch the ground closely and dodge through the explosion. There are three moments: the slam into the ground, the quake, and then the explosion, each one about equal time apart.

The jumping slam attack from phase one now also causes magma bursts to fire out of the ground, make sure you are not standing on the red spots before you choose to attack.

Bayle's final new attack is a flying fire breath. He flies off into the air, then flies from left to right breathing a stream of flames onto the ground. You need to watch the wave of flames as it spreads across the ground, then dodge and roll through it. He then swings around and flies over you, breathing flames in a straight line on top of you. For this one, you need to wait until the flames approach, then roll left or right three times to escape the multiple waves of flames.

If the fight goes on long enough Bayle can also use the blast and flying fireball attacks from the start of phase two again, so be ready to back off if you see him charging up. With the help of your Katana and Igon, you should be able to take this guy down.

Bayle the Dread Rewards

Defeating Bayle the Dread gets you the Heart of Bayle of Elden Ring items and 490,000 Elden Ring runes. You will need to visit the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion to exchange it for Bayle's incantations.