Bayle The Dread Has Set A New Bar For Dragon Boss Fights In FromSoftware History

In 2012, I bought the expansion pack for Dark Souls, the DLC called Artorias of the Abyss. I remember playing the game and stumbling upon the Black Dragon Kalameet in the Royal Woods. At first, I was terrified of this large giant dragon that could pummel you into the ground quickly; however, after dying countless times, I learned the pattern fairly early and killed the boss.

From that moment on, I was hooked on Dragon Boss fights by Fromsoftware. Personally, Midir is my favorite dragon in the whole franchise up until the point Bayle came into the picture. I have many hours of trying to beat Bayle and then trying to do a hitless run. I can confidently state that Bayle leaves behind Midir and Placidusax, or any Dragon boss fight for that matter. Let’s talk about it in detail.

The Lore Behind The Fell Dragon

Bayle is said to be the leader of the Drakes. The drakes are lesser dragons that have only two wings attached to their arms. They are considered evil and are relatively way weaker than the ancient dragons. Bayle once served Dragon Lord Placidusax. Yes, the same Placidusax we fight in the base game, which has five heads, but 3 of them are chopped off.

Any clue who chopped them off? Yes, you guessed it right. It was Bayle. Bayle betrayed the dragon lord and fought him to a stalemate. This results in the tearing off of three heads and one tail of Placidusax, with Bayle escaping to the Jagged Peak in the Realm of Shadows. Bayle resides there in the crater of the mountain, and we get to fight him in a grandeur battle.

Igon’s Curse To The Dreadful Drake

Igon is an NPC that you encounter on Jagged Peak. If you initiate and do his questline, it is revealed that Igon is a drake hunter, and he lost both his arms and legs to Bayle. Igon tasks us with killing Bayle The Dread.

When you fight Bayle, you can summon Igon to one of the most outstanding entries of a character in any video game with some fantastic voice lines. This adds so much depth and layers to the boss fight. Now, let us talk about the perfect fight itself.

A Perfect Amalgamation Of Mechanics And Spectacle

If you have played Dark Souls 3, then you already know that Darkeater Midir is the most challenging boss in the whole game. Midir has a very large moveset, which can be deadly at almost any moment. This keeps the player on their toes while fighting him.

Midir has perfect mechanics, as it is really challenging yet rewarding once you learn the pattern. Midir, however, lacks spectacle. By that, I mean that Midir is not very flashy, and the fight may seem dull to some players. Now, in the base game Elden Ring, you get to fight the Dragon Lord Placidusax, who is another great Dragon boss in the series.

Thoughts on a DLC boss
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Placidusax is a boss fight that is a beautiful spectacle. He is the epitome of breathtaking attacks and flashy moves. However, Placidusax feels a bit immobile and clunky. He is the exact opposite of Midir, a beautiful boss fight with less emphasis on the gameplay itself.

Now, let’s talk about Bayle. Bayle is the perfect blend of amazing game mechanics and breathtaking spectacle. Bayle has deadly moves like Midir and moves around like Placidusax. The arena is a volcano pit, eroding and almost erupting. The music makes you feel powerful and gives the player the motivation to fight him again and again.

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inEldenring

Bayle pays homage to Midir by having his laser attacks, but these attacks are further amplified by the ground exploding and the leader of Drake landing and crashing on you after the laser. Reference to Placidusax is also given as Bayle makes a very similar lightning attack where he strikes a thunderbolt in the ground, destroying the arena.

My Experience In A Nutshell

Having spent more than 300 hours in Elden Ring, I can confidently state that Bayle is the best dragon boss fight ever by Fromsoftware as it checks all the boxes. It is the hardest by far, the most beautiful by far, and has the best lore by far. Having died by Bayle has made me realize that I was the issue. Bayle The Dread is the new meta for upcoming FromSoftware games to beat, and it seems very hard to top it. In Igon’s words, Curse You Bayle.