Elden Ring Bayle explained: Why is this Dragon so strong?

It goes without saying that the new Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is absolutely loaded with challenging new enemies, but boss encounters, in particular, can be a nightmare in some cases. Enter Bayle the Dread - a particularly nasty dragon-type creature that will absolutely, positively pile-drive your character into the dirt. No two ways about it, even if no other boss manages to beat you down over and over again, Bayle will. It's that kind of encounter.

Down below, we've not only assembled as many tips and tricks on dealing with Bayle in Shadow of the Erdtree but also discovered some key lore as to why this boss is so powerful. And what was it, exactly, that tore out its wings in previous combat. Here's what we know!

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Bayle the Dread Lore: What is the story?

Believe it or not, Bayle used to be good buddies with none other than the (formerly) three-headed Placidusax. Something happened between the two in the past, however, which led to a huge fight in which Bayle managed to tear out one of Placidusax' heads. Yup - this was the thing that caused that.

Placidusax wasn't going to let Bayle off easy, mind: Bayle the Dread is missing chunks of flesh all over, he's been burnt to an absolute crisp, had both of his wings and one of his legs torn out. Both dragons, then, have taken immense amounts of damage by the time the player character rolls up. And still they're some of the most challenging encounters in Elden Ring, bar none.

How to beat Bayle in Shadow of the Erdtree?

Bayle the Dread is found at the Jagged Peak, and upon entering his boss arena you will be met by his ugly mug uncomfortably close to the arena gateway. This immediately sets you up for a troublesome initial evasion, as Bayle will almost instantly begin to attack by biting or stomping in your general direction. Bayle mostly deals Lightning and Fire damage, though the aforementioned physical moves aren't anything to scoff at, either.

Despite his size, Bayle is also incredibly agile and fast, and you won't have much chance to heal up no matter what you do or how well you read his moves. Here are a few key tips we recommend following to make the fight at least somewhat manageable:

• Be mindful of Bayle's delayed physical attacks: it's extremely easy to dodge before the attack actually happens, which can lead to massive damage with no chance of healing
• Roll to the side whenever Bayle pulls back to prepare a lightning bite: this is a one-shot kill
• Keep dashing and rolling when Bayle leaps up in the air: the attack is easy to avoid, but will deal massive damage if it lands
• Make sure that you get in as much damage during Bayle's 50(ish)% phase transition as possible
• In phase 2 of the Bayle fight, make sure that you keep moving whenever the boss begins to spawn in fireballs from above; also, make sure that you have enough stamina for a final dodge when Bayle attemps to land on top of you
• When Bayle is hovering above you to breathe down a wall of fire, dodge through the fire and then off to the side when Bayle sends out a lightning beam at you

That's about all the advice we have for you, for the time being. Don't be too discouraged if Bayle keeps getting the better of you, though: this is probably the single most difficult dragon fight we've ever seen in a FromSoft game. That's... quite the tall order, isn't it?

Get a copy of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC right here at 2Game!