Dragons are a regular occurrence in From Software games, but few are as powerful as this optional boss in Steep Valley Peak.
You may have killed all of the story bosses in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC , but have you killed the secret ones as well? Some are in plain sight, while others require thoroughly exploring every corner of the Shadow Realm. One of the hardest to find (and most difficult to get through) is Bayle the Dread . His name says it all – want to know where he is and how to kill him?
Dragon Pit Cave
The first thing to do is to explore this small dungeon, which you can access from the start if you know how to get there. It is a small cave with a couple of tunnels and several skeletal enemies in which there is no final boss. When you reach the bottom of the cave you will see a huge drop in a dead end area; you must jump without fear. In the following video you have the location of the dungeon and the path to follow .
Ancient Dragon Senessax
When you reach the foot of the Steep Valley, you’ll see a hostile dragon in the distance. It’s up to you whether to kill it or continue through the huge stone arch behind it . Whatever you do, after a long linear path you’ll reach an open area where two dragons are fighting. Again, you can intervene or keep running.
Shortly after, in a cave after climbing a hill with rolling rocks, the Ancient Dragon Senessax awaits you, a relatively difficult boss that you can optionally kill. Whether you decide to do so or not, your goal is to go up the tunnel at the bottom left. This is the path to Bayle the Dread. In this video you can see the entire path to follow from the beginning of the area .
Strategy to kill Bayle the Fearsome
- We recommend facing him once you’ve completed most of the DLC, as he’s one of the most difficult bosses in Shadow of the Erdtree.
- It is vulnerable to both bleeding and freezing.
- Make sure you are well protected against fire, either with armor or talismans, since their most powerful attacks are of that element.
- Bayle’s physical attacks can be blocked or dodged. After doing so, it is the perfect time for you to attack.
- Their head is the most sensitive part of their body, so it is advisable to try to position yourself under their chest to hit it and cause more damage.
- When you are too far away from him, he will spit flames from his mouth, like any other dragon.
- Once you’ve taken enough of his life, the fight will move into a more difficult second phase, where Bayle will start to roll and throw fireballs at you. It’s best to avoid them by running to the side without stopping.
- He will also finish some of his combos with a jump that will set a good part of the ground on fire. If you can’t avoid the flames, our advice is to block with the shield, so he will only hurt you once and it won’t be too much (heal yourself as soon as you can).
- Otherwise, you have to be patient and not attack like crazy, because no matter how much you think you have it under control, Bayle’s fire attacks are very dangerous.