The Golden Hippopotamus is an optional boss in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. Regardless of your end-game build, this boss hits hard, and you will have little to no space to strike back. This guide explains how to find and defeat Golden Hippopotamus in the game.
Golden Hippopotamus Location
You can reach Golden Hippopotamus after crossing the ‘Shadow Keep Main Gate’ site of grace. Exploring the location will lead you towards an elevator that stops at a big area in front of you covered with water.
As soon you enter this location, Golden Hippopotamus will wake up from sleep and come rushing at you, triggering the boss fight.
How To Beat The Golden Hippopotamus
Even though the Golden Hippopotamus is an optional boss, it is a very strong foe to beat. Most of the boss’s attacks hit hard and likely will kill you in two hits. Learning about the attack patterns should give you enough knowledge to take the fight head-on, counter the moves and emerge victorious.
Attack Patterns
| Attack | description |
|---|---|
| Stomach Slam | Golden Hippopotamus stands up on its back legs and comes down, crushing the area below its stomach to deal massive damage. |
| Bite Grab | If the boss faces you from a distance, it will rush with its mouth wide open and try to grab you. Once grabbed, it will do three slam attacks that most likely deplete the complete health bar. |
| Golden Thorn Projectiles | When you deplete Golden Hippopotamus’ health to 50 percent or below, it will summon golden spiked thorns on its back. When the golden glow discharges, thorn projectiles are fired at a target from above. |
| Head Slam | When you deplete the Golden Hippopotamus’ health to 50 percent or below, it will summon golden spiked thorns on its back. When the golden glow discharges, thorn projectiles are fired at a target from above. |
| Bite Combo | The boss starts the combo with a bite attack and then lands a few head slams. All attacks can be blocked, but each hit will deal massive poise damage to you. |
Best Strategy To Beat Golden Hippopotamus
Beating the Golden Hippopotamus involves distracting. This can be achieved by bringing a summon with you or using a Spirit Ash such as the Mimic Tear.
An upgraded Mimic Tear will be much more helpful. All of your endgame gear, including weapons, shields, stats, and other items, will be used by Mimic Tear in the battle, aiding you side by side in defeating the Golden Hippopotamus.
Additionally, a 100 percent physical damage negation shield is a must-have for the Golden Hippopotamus boss fight. This is a large-sized boss in a small room. Dodging most of its AoE attacks is hard, but blocking them is very easy. Therefore, always run with a shield when you attempt the boss fight, regarding of your build.
When your summon has the boss’s attention, use this moment to deal as much damage as possible. After that, the boss will focus attention on you, and this is the time to soak all the damage by blocking.
Rinse and repeat this process, and the Golden Hippopotamus will be defeated in three to five minutes.
Rewards
Defeating the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree will give you the following rewards:
- 200,000 runes
- Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns
- Two Scadutree Fragments
Check out our ranking of other bosses in Elden Ring Shadow of Erdtree DLC that drop remembrance. If you’d like to finish the DLC as quickly as possible, here is the order of Shadow of the Erdtree major bosses you need to beat to finish the DLC’s story.
