There are plenty of Legacy Dungeons to explore in theShadow of the Erdtree DLCand each one of them has its unique quirks. The Belurat area is an introduction to the new expansion, while Castle Ensis is a brilliant way to follow that up. But it’s hard to look past Shadow Keep and the Specimen Storeroom as some of the finest Legacy Dungeon designs within the entire game, base game and all.
Elden Ring: How to Beat Rellana Twin Moon Knight in Shadow of the Erdtree
Double The Blades, Double The Trouble.
Most players will begin their assault on Shadow Keep by simply walking through the front door, which will see you come face to face with a boss guarding the way in, the Golden Hippopotamus. This is a tough boss with strong, hard-to-avoid attacks, and it will somewhat prepare you for what’s to come in the dungeon ahead. But if you’re struggling to deal with this brute, then stick around, and we will guide you through this fight.
Where is the Golden Hippopotamus in Shadow of the Erdtree?
As mentioned, this Boss is found in Shadow Keep. To get to Shadow Keep, you’ll want to head north of the Highland Cross Site of Grace, and you’ll need to either deal with the Furnace Golem or run past them on the way to the Shadow Keep Main Gate Site of Grace. Rest here, as when you walk into the next area, the Golden Hippopotamus will be on you in a flash.
It’s worth mentioning that this is not the last time that you will encounter a Hippo enemy in the game, as you will encounter a Lesser Hippopotamus in an area soon after you gain access to the upper area of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, as well as two more in the body of water below Bonny Village. This enemy will have the same attack pattern but a smaller health pool and no access to Golden Thorns. Upon defeating this enemy, you’ll also gain a Scadutree Fragment.
How to Prepare For This Fight
The Golden Hippopotamus is a boss that relies purely on physical damage, which means that setting up for this fight is rather straightforward, and there is a lot of flexibility. To make sure you have as much protection as possible, I would recommend theDragoncrest Shield Talisman +2, theGolden VowSpell and theCrimson Amber Medallion +3
As for your build, again, there’s a lot of flexibility here. The Golden Hippopotamus has no immunity to any attack type, so we would recommend Frost or Bleed, as these tend to be the most efficient choices when you have the pick of the bunch.
Then, when it comes to summons, you have access to Spirit Ashes in this fight, and options likeMimic Tear Ashes,Black Knife Tiche Ashesand Swordmaster Yosh are all super options. But, you should also consider summoningHornsentor Redmane Freyja, as they both will have summon signs outside the boss arena, depending on the circumstances of your adventure so far.
How to Beat the Golden Hippopotamus in Shadow of the Erdtree
The fight begins as most do within the DLC. The boss will close the distance on you fast and prevent you from immediately summoning your spirit ashes. This opening attack here is usually their open-mouth charging attack, which can be hard to avoid. The timing to roll clear of this one is tricky to master, so if you can, try and predict this charge and run away either side of their gaping jaws. Note, if you don’t, you’ll be locked into an inescapable animation that will cut your health by more than half.
Other than this, the Golden Hippopotamus will use a range of very basic attacks, such as a head bash, a bite attack without charging, and a belly slam attack where they rise into their hind legs and come down upon you with full force.
All of these are heavily telegraphed, but hit extremely hard and break poise a lot. Which means you’ll be stun-locked at times and may be unable to recover after being caught with one. Especially if you get backed into a corner in this rather small boss arena. So the key here is to learn their tells, stay away from their mouth as much as possible and try to stay in the middle of the battlefield.
The only change that will occur throughout the fight is that at around the time you lower the Golden Hippopotamus to 70% health, they will sprout Golden Thorns from their back and this will give them access to one new attack. When they perform attacks from there on out, they’ll all be accomplished by an AOE Golden Thorn attack which deals modest damage. You can pretty much approach the fight as normal and largely ignore its effects, but it’s always best to stay out of this attack where possible and try to land attacks when they are in a moment of recovery.
The key to victory here, in all honesty, is to rely on your summons, as you can pretty much rely on them to finish this fight on their own, provided you can stay out of the Golden Hippopotamus' firing line while they do. Especially if you have two summons in play, which is possible during this boss encounter. But if you are going it alone, it’s all about not giving the boss a chance to stunlock you and breaking stance as much as possible.
Rewards For Defeating The Golden Hippopotamus
If you manage to defeat the Golden Hippopotamus inShadow of the Erdtree, you’ll earn the following rewards for your efforts;
The standout rewards are the two Scadutree Fragments and the new Ash of War. The Scadutree Fragments will likely be a huge boon for players when they fight the Golden Hippopotamus, and will give you added firepower as you begin your path toward Messmer.
Plus, you’ll gain a new Ash of War, which will allow you to mimic the Golden Thorns of the Golden Hippopotamus and roll around, causing a great deal of damage. This can be built into with a crucible build with items like theCrucible Tree SetorCrucible Axe Set.
Elden Ring: How to Beat Romina Saint of the Bud in Shadow of the Erdtree
Is it a scorpion, a centipede, or a spider? Your guess is as good as mine
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Shadow of the Erdtree is the first and only DLC expansion for FromSoftware’s groundbreaking Elden Ring. It takes players to a whole new region, the Land of Shadow, where a new story awaits the Tarnished.
