Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree features some of the baddest and most difficult boss fights in the FromSoftware franchise. However, there are a few bosses that are extremely annoying to fight, such as Golden Hippopotamus, mainly because of camera angles and less movement space. This boss will greet the player pretty unpleasantly when they first enter the Shadow Keep through the main gate. If you want tips and tricks to defeat the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring, here is a complete guide for you.
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Golden Hippopotamus Location in Elden Ring
The Golden Hippopotamus is located in the Shadow Keep in Scadu Altus. He is the first boss you face after entering the Shadow Keep from the main gate. To enter Scadu Altus, you need to defeat Rellana in the Castle Ensis.
After you have made your way into Scadu Altus, continue making your way north until you see a looming dark fortress. You will need to defeat the Golden Hippopotamus to unlock the way to the Ancient Ruins of Ruah. Here are the steps to reach the Golden Hippopotamus:
- From the Highroad Cross Site of Grace, head North using the main road. You will soon notice a massive dark fortress looming in front of you.
- The main road will take you directly to the Shadow Keep main entrance. Enter it and use the lift to get to the next floor.
- Enter the next room to start the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight.
Golden Hippopotamus Weaknesses in Elden Ring
The Golden Hippopotamus has a few weaknesses, and here is a quick preview:
- Weak to Bleed: Bleed works the best on the Golden Hippopotamus, and it is one of the easier ways to defeat it.
- Weak to Frost Buildup: Golden Hippopotamus is also weak to frost buildup, just like bleed.
- Headshots Break Poise Quickly: Hitting the head of the Golden Hippopotamus is a great way to quickly break his poise, especially with jump attacks.
How to Defeat Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring
Solo-fighting the Golden Hippopotamus fight was one of my biggest nightmares during the early review playthrough. Again, like the Dancing Lion boss, this fight is hard due to the extremely bad camera angles and getting cornered in the small room.
The Golden Hippopotamus is very aggressive and constantly tries to ram you against the wall. Here is a complete guide on how to defeat the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring.
How to Fight Golden Hippopotamus in Phase 1
The first thing you must remember at all times is to not corner yourself towards one of the walls. Always try to stay at the center of the room and move circularly. Otherwise, the Golden Hippopotamus will slam you into the wall constantly, taking away your space to dodge. Next, the camera angle is very bad in this fight, so it is best to not lock on to the enemy.
Now, I will recommend using Spirit Summons from the get-go to defeat the Golden Hippopotamus, because this fight is definitely not worth it. Use Spirit Summons to take on the enemy aggro from the start and use Bleed builds to quickly chop down its health.
Here are all of Golden Hippopotamus attack patterns in Phase 1 and how to dodge them:
- Charging Bite attack: The Golden Hippopotamus will charge at you with his mouth wide open in a grab attack, which does a lot of damage. Wait for him to come close and do a side dodge roll and another dodge roll towards the enemy’s back to easily avoid it.
- Ground Slam: Occasionally, the Golden Hippopotamus will rise on two legs and fall with his body on the ground, doing a shock wave around it. Sprint sideways when it rises, steering clear from its falling area. Jump the exact moment it does the ground slam to dodge the shockwave.
- Head Slam Combo: The head slam combo is the most common move from the Golden Hippopotamus, as it lifts its head slightly and does two consecutive slams while moving toward the player. Do a quick double-dodge roll to the side just before the first smash. Don’t roll backward, as you will easily get stuck on the walls.
- Sideway Bite and Head Bash Combo: Occasionally, it will do a bite attack near its right shoulder and then follow up with a head bash to the left. You can easily side-roll the attacks. After you dodge the bite attack, wait a second before rolling again to avoid the head bash.
- Delayed Head Bash Combo: This is a deadly move from Golden Hippopotamus, where it charges its head to the right of it and then throws it up at the player, followed by another head bash.
How to Fight Golden Hippopotamus in Phase 2
After the Golden Hippopotamus loses 40% or more of its HP, it transitions into the second phase. In its second phase, it sprouts spikes on its back, like a porcupine, and shoots spikes during most of his Phase 1 attacks. This phase also adds a couple of new moves and makes him slightly faster.
The strategy here is similar to the one in Phase 1. Let your Spirit Summon take the aggro as you close in to deal damage. Stay at the center of the room at all times and don’t get grabbed by its bite attack.
Here are all the new Golden Hippopotamus attack patterns in Phase 2 and how to dodge them:
- Spike Rain: The Golden Hippopotamus will shoot its spikes at the sky, and they will rain on you over a couple of seconds. Sprint in any direction to avoid the spikes.
- Jumping Spike Roll: It jumps in the air, falls towards the player, and continues to roll. To dodge it, sprint towards it when it jumps in the air and dodge roll towards it the moment he drops at you. Continue to move straight and dodge rolling to avoid the rolling damage.
In most case, you will take some damage from this attack so the plan is to minimize the damage and quickly heal up.
Golden Hippopotamus Rewards In Elden Ring
After reducing the Golden Hippopotamus’s health bar to zero, it will be defeated. Here are all the rewards dropped from the Golden Hippopotamus on defeat:
- Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns (Incantation)
- Scadutree Fragment x2
Defeating the Golden Hippopotamus will also unlock the rest of the Shadow Keep, allowing you to travel to the Ancient Ruins of Ruah. So, that’s it. If you are still having trouble defeating the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree, ask your queries in the comment section and we will try to help you out.
Sanmay Chakrabarti
An old soul who loves CRPGs and Souls-Like to death. Takes pleasure in simplifying "Complex and Hard" games for casual players with tailored guides and videos. He loves to explore new places, read fantasy fiction, watch anime, and create wacky character builds in his off time.
