Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree – How to Defeat Bayle the Dread

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is filled to the brim with powerful enemies, but very few can compete with Bayle the Dread, one of the most fearsome dragons created by FromSoftware. Taking down this enemy is rather difficult, but you can make your life easier in several different ways.

Bayle the Dread is fought at the summit of the Jagged Peak, which can be reached easily by climbing the mountain. The location is pretty linear, so simply following the main path will allow you to reach the summit. However, you will have to fight two bosses, the Jagged Peak Drake and the Ancient Dragon Senessax, on the way, so be prepared for some intense fights. Also, make sure to speak with Igon at Pillar Path Waypoint, read Igon's message at the Dragon Pit Terminus, visit the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion to speak with the Dragon Priestess to be able to summon Igon during the Bayle fight and receive his gear when the Dread has been defeated.

Related Story Shadow of the Erdtree Balance Gets Tweaked with Update 1.12.2

Preparation is extremely important to have an easier time against Bayle the Dread in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. For starters, the boss is meant to be some sort of ultimate challenge, and so its difficulty is on par with that of the boss of Enir-Ilim. For this reason, it's best to attempt to take down the dragon after improving the Scadutree Blessing as much as possible and level up Vigor to at least 60, as the dragon hits extremely hard and can one-shot you with some of its attacks. To increase your survivability, equip Boltdrake and Flamedrake Talismans to increase Fire and Lighting damage reduction. If your build allows you to use it, the Ancient Dragon Hunter's Great Katana is an excellent weapon to use, thanks to its Weapon Skill, Dragonwound Slash, which unleashes a powerful ranged attack with its charged version that can be easily directed at the dragon's head by simply locking onto it. If you have no means of hitting the dragon's head consistently, you