Bayle the Terrible is easily one of, if not Thethe hardest boss in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. He’s optional – which is a warning sign if you’re familiar with FromSoftware games – and the first time you hear of him is from a man with no legs who screams his name over and over again in a relentless desire for vengeance.
As far as dragon bosses go, Bayle is brutal: he may be missing arms and a leg after years (centuries?) of fighting, but he’s still a nimble dragon that can breathe thunderstorms and set his arena on fire if you go up against him. You should plan on a long fight, especially if you call in other players for help (which increases his overall HP).
Bayle is located in the Jagged Peak region and you will need to fight through a few other dragon bosses before reaching his realm at the top. Once you reach the Jagged Peak Summit mercy site, you will be able to see his arena right in front of you. Just make sure you have started Igon’s quest before fighting him.
Bayle drops around 490,000 runes and the Heart of Bayle, which you can take to the Great Altar of the Dragon Communion and exchange for either Bayle’s Flamebolt spell or Bayle’s Tyranny, a spell that creates an area effect of fire and lightning around you.
How to prepare for Bayle the Dread
- The goal is to reach about level 15 of the Scadutree Blessing: Bayle is the Malenia of the DLC; you want to be as strong as possible before fighting him.
- Don’t ignore the Dragon Hunter’s Great Katana: If you found Bayle, you probably completed the Dragon’s Pit dungeon in the southeastern part of Gravesite Plain and obtained the large katana with “anti-dragon effect”. It is definitely worth upgrading specifically for the fight against Bayle. Alternatively: weapons that can cause frostbite are always good for the 20% damage increase you get after using them.
- Wizards should bring the strongest spells they have: Meteorite of Astel or Lightning Strike from the Ancient Dragons deal heavy damage to Bayle and can stagger him pretty quickly, which is crucial if you want to shorten his brutal second phase. Impenetrable thorns—found near a specific tree boss—is another good spell.
- Prioritize elemental defense: Bayle hits hard with fire and lightning. Consider equipping the Dragoncrest Greatshield and Pearldrake talismans from the base game, and perhaps an Opaline Hardtear or the Opaline Bubbletear in your Flask of Wondrous Physick.
- Switch all your bottles to healing: Bayle is such a long fight that you’re almost guaranteed to take multiple hits along the way, so you’ll want to invest in healing vials only. Your armor and talismans can be used to offset any FP issues. Sorcery and summoning users can use a few vials for FP, but you should still be prepared for a lot of healing.
- Summon Igon at the beginning of the battle and your spirit Ash in the second phase: Igon can hold Bayle’s attention long enough for you to deal a lot of damage before the poor old warrior dies. Save your Spirit Ash for when Bayle enters his second phase with about two-thirds of his total HP.
Tips for fighting Bayle the Terror
- First, target Bayle’s head and then attack the tail area: Bayle starts off relatively slow compared to his second phase, so you can focus on hitting his head. However, once you’re in the second phase, fire and lightning AOEs will swarm the arena and it’s better to just stay close to him and attack the area around his missing leg and tail.
- Try to stagger Bayle as he enters his second phase: Charged attacks and jumping attacks can stagger Bayle, allowing you to critically attack his glowing eye around the time he enters his second phase (two-thirds health). This is a crucial time to lower his HP so you don’t have to survive his chaotic second phase for as long.
- Avoid the beam attack by taking it off target with target lock: When Bayle takes to the sky to fire his giant beam, take your target off him and run the other way. Locking on will only slow you down.
- Watch for Bayle’s three-hit sweep attack: When he tries to bite you from the side during the second part of this combo, immediately step in front of him to avoid the third attack, where he breathes fire in a horizontal line behind him.
- Dodge Bayle’s Lightning Bolt before he lands: When Bayle jumps into the air to fire a lightning bolt, you must dodge it while it is still in the air. Don’t try to time it just as it lands or you will get hit.
