How to beat Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

The Golden Hippopotamus is a boss in Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree DLC with fewer moves than bosses like Divine Beast Dancing Lion and Rellana, Twin Moon Knight. But straightforward doesn’t mean harmless. One wrong move will land you in deep trouble.

Our Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree guide covers how to beat the Golden Hippopotamus, including its weaknesses and the best ways to prepare yourself for the challenge.

Golden Hippopotamus location in Elden Ring DLC

The Golden Hippopotamus sits in the central courtyard of Shadow Keep, and it’s the first enemy you’ll find in the dungeon if you approach it from the southern entrance in Scadu Altus. The boss is technically optional, since you can also enter Shadow Keep from the east, but defeating it gives you two Scadutree Fragments to help enhance your combat abilities. Taking the Hippo on is worth it for that alone.

No NPC allies are here to help with the Golden Hippopotamus battle, but you can summon your Spirit Ash companion.

Golden Hippopotamus weaknesses and how to prepare

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

I wasn’t able to find any status ailment weaknesses with the Golden Hippopotamus, though the monstrosity does seem to be weak against slashing damage. It also has low poise, so a few casts of gravity magic — Rock Sling is, as ever, a strong choice for this battle — or four or five strong attacks should be enough to break its poise. Even if you miss the hitbox for landing a critical hit while the Golden Hippopotamus’ stance is broken, attacking its head deals heavy damage.

Swords, greatswords, and daggers are solid options for this fight. The Backhand Blade might not have the highest scaling, but its swift strikes and unique Ash of War that lets you dodge around your target make it a good option. The Blackgaol Knight’s sword is also an excellent pick, and if you’re running a magic build, any late-game weapon that scales with faith or intelligence works well.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

If you want an assist, it’s worth starting Hornsent’s questline, as they can become a summon in this battle. In fact, if you progress past this boss before speaking to Hornsent you can get locked out, so make sure you do the aforementioned quest steps if that’s something you are interested in.

Speaking of assists — don’t hesitate to let your Spirit Ash summon do the work, especially if you have a Mimic Tear. A Tear that’s +6 or higher, with a Revered Spirit Ash level of four or higher, can take down the Golden Hippopotamus almost entirely on its own. Black Knife Tiche, the Nightmaiden and Swordmistress Puppets, and Swordmaster Yosh are strong alternatives capable of keeping the Hippo busy while you attack it.

Make sure to upgrade your weapon as well. If you’ve run out of Smithing Stones or Glovewort, take a detour back to The Lands Between to pick up some Bell Bearings for the Maiden Husks.

How to beat Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring DLC

The Golden Hippopotamus behaves in a manner similar to Ulcerated Tree Spirits. Most of its deadliest attacks come from its head and mouth, and it uses its long body and neck to reach far and block you from getting around on. On the bright side, the Hippopotamus’ massive size and reliance on frontal damage means you have more safe spots to strike than usual with major bosses, especially if a Spirit Ash summon is distracting the Hippo for you.

Golden Hippopotamus boss fight phase 1

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

The Golden Hippopotamus only has a few attacks in its initial phase. That may sound comparatively simple to deal with, but it tends to chain them together and move more quickly than you might expect. It’s easy to get caught and flattened before you even have a chance to react.

The Golden Hippopotamus will probably greet you with a gaping maw, as it rushes toward you with mouth wide open. The attack knocks you to the side and leaves you vulnerable to its follow-up, where the Hippo smashes its head and neck into the ground once or twice. Getting hit by both attacks is enough to end the battle, even if you have high vigor and strong armor, so dodge forward or to the side when you see it coming.

You can get away from its head slams that way as well, though if you see it lunge toward you with its mouth open, roll forward. It tends to whip its head to the side after biting, and a sideways dodge would put you in danger.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

That’s pretty much all the Golden Hippopotamus does in this opening act. Avoid its mouth, and attack its side and rear to quickly whittle its HP down.

Golden Hippopotamus boss fight phase 2

Once the Golden Hippopotamus’ HP drops to the halfway point, it stops for a moment and sprouts golden, branch-like spines all down its back. You can take advantage of this brief lull to land some additional hits, but don’t linger too long before retreating a little. The newly coiffed Hippo sends a shower of holy-infused spikes raining down around it to celebrate its new style. It will occasionally repeat this attack again if you stay close to it for an extended period of time, and it telegraphs it by shaking its body all over.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

The range of this attack is roughly two dodge-rolls back from the Hippo, so you don’t have to retreat too far before moving in for another strike.

The Golden Hippopotamus may also do a little spin and send spikes out in a circle all around it. Dodging this attack is mostly a matter of luck, as the spike spread is random with a fair bit of space between each spike. Rolling sideways is likely to put you in harm’s way, so the best way to handle it is either dodging forward toward the Hippo — handy, since you’ll be in range for a few attacks afterward while the Hippo finishes — or holding up your shield if you have one.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

The most dangerous attack happens when the Hippo leaps into the air. After lingering there for a few seconds, it crashes down and rolls forward. This move is exceptionally powerful and can wipe you out in one hit if your HP isn’t full. Given the Hippo’s girth, your best bet for staying alive is to dodge forward when it crashes down, or, if you’re positioned further from the point of impact, when it rolls at you.

Image: FromSoftware/Bandai Namco via Polygon

In my experience, the Golden Hippopotamus trades its head flops for aggressive bites in this phase. It’ll lunge forward, bite, and jerk its head to one side afterward, so make sure to keep staying away from its face when you can. It’ll also continue using the gaping rush attack, which is unchanged.

Both of these attacks give you a chance to get beside or behind the Hippo and use your melee strikes to whittle its health down quickly. Use strong or charged attacks and powerful weapon skills to break its poise and deal even more damage.

Once you defeat the Hippo, you get the Aspect of the Crucible: Thorns incantation, inspired by the Hippo’s spines, and two Scadutree Fragments.

Looking for more Shadow of the Erdtree guides? Check out our guides on new Elden Ring DLC weapons, armor, map fragments, sites of grace, and talismans. We’ve also got location guides on where to find Scadutree Fragments and Revered Spirit Ashes, and an interactive Elden Ring DLC map.