Elden Ring: Dragon Communion Priestess questline walkthrough

Looking for a rundown of the Dragon Communion Priestess quest in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree? The Dragon Communion Priestess is one of many new NPCs to arrive with Shadow Of The Erdtree and is one of the only remaining worshippers of Dragonlord Placidusax.

Located beside the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion within the Jagged Peak region, her questline is heavily interlinked with fellow NPC Igon and the main boss of the region, Bayle The Dread. For a full rundown of the Dragon Communion Priestess questline in Elden Ring, see below.

Dragon Communion Priestess questline steps

Below we have outlined the key Dragon Communion Priestess quest steps for you to follow. Luckily, this questline is one of the few that won't be locked upon progressing through the main storyline.

1. (Optional) Speak to Igon outside of the Dragon's Pit (opposite the Pillar Path Waypoint Site Of Grace).
2. Go through the Dragon's Pit dungeon (southeast of the Castle Front in the Gravesite Plain) and defeat the boss within.
3. Exit the dungeon into the Jagged Peak region.
4. (Optional) Defeat the Jagged Peak Drake.
5. Travel along the main road south, to discover the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion.
6. Speak to the Dragon Communion Priestess.
7. (Optional) Choose to 'devour Draconic Essence' for a consumable buff to damage negation.
8. (Optional) Speak with her again to get additional lore about Bayle.
9. (Optional) Wait until nightfall and give her Thiollier's Concoction. Note: this will change your quest rewards. See our quest rewards section for more information.
10. Return to the main Jagged Peak road and take it south.
11. (Optional) Defeat the two battling Drakes.
12. (Optional) Speak to Igon afterwards and take his Furled Finger.
13. Make your way up to the very top of the Jagged Peak (this involves taking many Spiritsprings and navigating your way southeast).
14. (Optional) Defeat Ancient Dragon Senessax.
15. Reach the Jagged Peak Mountainside Site Of Grace.
16. Defeat Bayle The Dread.
17. (Optional) Summon Igon to help in the fight.
18. Return to the Priestess for your quest rewards.
19. (Optional) Return to where you last saw Igon on the mountainside for more rewards.

Whilst those are the key steps to this questline, below we have gone into further depth for each section.

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How to find the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion

As mentioned above, this questline technically starts once you discover the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion. You'll have likely seen this altar many times in your playthrough before visiting it as it is located beside the corpse of a huge dead dragon. It also guards entrance to the secret Charo's Hidden Grave region, otherwise inaccessible via the Cerulean Coast.

The Grand Altar of Dragon Communion is located within the Jagged Peak region, only accessible by travelling through the Dragon's Pit dungeon in the Gravesite Plain. Above is a map showing the exact route to take to get to the dungeon and the altar beyond.

Once inside, it is a pretty straightforward dungeon that requires you to beat the Ancient Dragon-Man boss to progress. The Ancient Dragon-Man is weak against Physical and Lightning damage and strong against Fire and Holy. Upon defeat, he drops 130,000 Runes and the Dragon-Hunter's Great Katana.

The altar is a simple trip south along the main road in the Jagged Peak. Here, you can receive Dragon Communion Incantations in return for Dragon Hearts. This is also where you'll first meet the Dragon Communion Priestess, a follower of the Dragonlord Placidusax.

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Dragon Communion Priestess dialogue options

After speaking to the Dragon Communion Priestess, she will offer you the chance to 'devour Draconic Essence'. There is no downside to doing so, you'll be given the Ancient Dragon's Blessing in return (this offers a bonus to all damage negation for 70 seconds).

She will inform you that the boss of the region, Bayle The Dread, needs to die. If you rest at a Site Of Grace and wait until nightfall, you also have the option to approach the Priestess and give her Thiollier's Concoction (if you have progressed Thiollier's questline enough to have it). Doing so will drastically change your quest rewards so we recommend checking out the quest rewards section on this page first.

If you give her the concoction, wait two in-game days to speak to her again. Otherwise, make your way up the Jagged Peak Summit to continue the quest.

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How to reach the Jagged Peak Summit

To get to Bayle The Dread, you'll need to make your way up to the very top of the Jagged Peak. As you can imagine, this means you'll be doing a lot of climbing and travelling up Spiritsprings. Here is the exact map route to follow:

1. From the main valley where the Jagged Peak Drake spawns, take the road north.
2. Follow the path around the cliffside and take the Spiritspring up.
3. Travel across the large bridge and rest at the Foot Of The Jagged Peak Site Of Grace.
4. Continue forward and upwards to where two Drakes are battling.
5. Let them whittle each other down, then kill the victor.
6. Travel east towards Igon's laughter. Speak to him and take his Furled Finger.
7. Take the Spiritspring behind him up the mountainside.
8. Take two successive Spiritsprings and continue through the cave southeast.
9. Here, there will be a large clearing and an optional boss fight against Ancient Dragon Senessax.
10. Travel up the long incline north of this boss arena to the Jagged Peak Mountainside Site Of Grace.
11. Continue southwest and upwards, taking another Spiritspring as you go.
12. Keep your direction southwest and take two more Spiritsprings.
13. Rest at the Jagged Peak Summit Site Of Grace.
14. Face Bayle The Dread, you can summon Igon to assist if needed.

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Where to get the Rock Heart

On your journey through the Jagged Peak there are a few additional valuable items you can pick up on the way. One such item, the Rock Heart can transform the Tarnished into a dragon form and will also boost Dragon Communion Incantations by 20% for 60 seconds. This is a reusable item but requires the Tarnished to be unarmored to work.

From the Foot of the Jagged Peak Site Of Grace, follow these steps to get the Rock Heart for yourself. See the above map image for reference.

1. Start at the Jagged Peak Mountainside Site Of Grace.
2. Head southwest until you see another Spiritspring, then take it upwards.
3. From this higher ledge, continue west until you see a lower ledge that you can jump down onto.
4. Turn and face north once you have jumped down.
5. You should see a spectral chair overlooking the cliff view. Walk towards it.
6. Wait until a ghost appears on the chair.
7. He will then disappear and leave a lootable item in the chair's place.
8. Pick it up to acquire the Rock Heart.

With the Rock Heart, you can boost Dragon Communion Incantations which are already some of the strongest in the game. This includes spells like Rotten Breath, Greyoll's Roar, Ekzykes's Decay, Ghostflame Breath and the two optional incantation rewards received upon Bayle's defeat.

Note: To get the spectre to reveal himself you must have first located the red 'Domain of Dragons' painting within the Shadow Keep. See our guide to all painting locations for more information.

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Bayle The Dread

Once you're ready to fight Bayle he can be a tricky boss, perhaps one of the toughest in Elden Ring. As such, don't be dismayed if it takes you more than a few tries to fell the beast. He's weak to Pierce damage and strong against almost everything else, including all elements and status effects.

This means any type of bow, spear or thrusting sword is preferable. Most other types of swords will have Pierce as a secondary damage output so don't fear too much and perhaps summon Igon to draw Bayle's attention away from you for a while. Whale on him enough and it's possible to stun him. Once this happens, turn off your lock on and run to his head to perform a critical hit.

Bayle dishes out both Fire and Lightning attacks, as well as the usual tail swipes, claw attacks and breath attacks as befits a Dragon. He has a second phase once he takes a substantial amount of damage and can close distances at incredible speed. Consider equipping Talismans that negate Fire and Lightning damage (Flamedrake and Boldrake Talismans +3) and something to boost your stamina for those critical dodges (Two-Headed Turtle Talisman).

Upon defeat, Bayle drops a substantial 490,000 Runes and the Heart of Bayle, which can be traded at the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion for one of the following spells:

• Bayle's Flame Lightning: Incantation that requires 53 Arcane and costs 35 stamina. Summons Bayle's spectral talon which crashes down in an AOE blast of fire and lightning.
• Bayle's Tyranny: Incantation that requires 49 Arcane and costs 72 stamina. Summons Bayle's spectral head which emits a roar and summons an AOE blast of fire and lightning.

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Dragon Communion Priestess quest rewards

Upon returning to the Dragon Communion Priestess, you'll receive the following rewards depending on if you gave her Thiollier's Concoction or not:

If you give her Thiollier's Concoction:

• Dragonbolt of Florissax Incantation: Calls down red lightning and increases all forms of damage negation to the caster and nearby allies.
• Ancient Dragon Florissax Spirit Ash: Available after speaking to the Priestess again and choosing the 'take her with you' option.

If you do not give her Thiollier's Concoction:

• Priestess Heart: Boosts Dragon Cult incantations and allows the Tarnished to take on the Dragon Priestess form.
• Flowerstone Gavel: A Strength/Arcane-based weapon that can call down a bolt of red lightning. Requires Strength 14, Dexterity 8 and Arcane 15.

Dragon Priestess Heart

Like the Rock Heart mentioned above, the Dragon Priestess Heart has the power to transform the Tarnished into a Dragon-like form. This heart is a reusable item that can buff Dragon Cult Incantations for 60 seconds.

This includes popular incantations like the Ancient Dragons' Lightning Strike, Dragonbolt of Florissax, Lightning Spear, Lannseax's Glaive and more.

This item can only be used on unarmored Tarnished and also offers a 7% increase to all damage negation. To remove the Dragon form, you need to be defeated and respawn.

That rounds up our guide on the Dragon Communion Priestess quest in Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree. For more Elden Ring tips and tricks, check out our guide to the best early weapons in Shadow Of The Erdtree to get you started. Or, if you're further along in the DLC, see our best weapons guide that goes through the best of the bunch. Be sure to also check out our Map Fragment locations guide to help you access and uncover every region in the DLC and see our boss locations guide so you won't miss a single one.