Golden Hippopotamus | Elden Ring Wiki

Miserable boss fight that really embodies so much of what is wrong with FromSoft's design and their stubbornness to change and even double down on ARTIFICIAL difficulty (yes, that's a real thing) in the DLC. I'm sure there are viable builds to make this easy or whatever, but I shouldn't have to respec for every boss fight (nor are there enough Larval Tears to do so).

Relentless, unceasing attacks that leave you with the choice of trying to run away from its enormous hit box (certain death) or try to heal (certain death) all while the camera spins around in the most inconvenient ways possible and you end up getting trapped by some object on the floor. And if you do break its stance, you better be in the best position possible or else there's no chance in hell you'll get to its weak point before it starts getting up. I never used mimic tear in the base game, but the absurdity of some of these DLC bosses have left me little choice. Hell, even with mimic, its still no cakewalk as the bastard will almost exclusively target you.

Submit

i love getting a stance break but being unable to follow up because the only weakpoint is in a wall. terrible boss...

Submit

Who the f thinks to go back and chat with npc in the few steps between cryptic rune breaking message and giant hippo.

Submit

The problem with the grab attack is that almost every other grab attack in the game is some kind of swipe or lunge. The 'active frames' for the grab last one second, max. Meanwhile the Golden Hippo grab is a charge that lasts multiple seconds and touching the hitbox at any point locks you into the grab. Factoring in its sheer size, this hitbox is very unclear and difficult to evade. Anyways I blew this thing the **** up with Lightning Spear and Knight's Lightning Spear while I had my Godrick Soldiers draw aggro. No regrets.

Submit

Why are these guys immune to sleep? Rune bears, Red bears, Lion Guardians and other animals and beast-type enemies will conk out and wet the bed, but not some hippos?

Submit

I love how after defeating him there's a grace 2 feet away from another grace

Submit

certified classic elden ring jank

Submit

50% of this boss difficulty goes to the amazing camera.

Submit

one of my least favorite bosses ever

Submit

longsword has more variety in its moveset than this pig looking piss porcupine ass

Submit

I want a golden hippopotimus for Christmas, only a golden hippopotimus will do

Submit

WHERE'S MY RIPOSTE YOU PISS COVERED HIPPO GO BACK TO DARK SOULS 2 WITH THOSE MASSIVE HITBOXES

Submit

This enemy is not immune to sleep. It just has a really high resist.

Submit

erm, I dunno who needs to hear this, but the grab attack is super easy to dodge 100% of the time, if you just roll into him (and to the side) early. Your timing doesn't even matter. Roll early. I mean very very early, while he's still sliding his mouth on the ground. Again, it's 100% consistent and negates the attack entirely.

Submit

Btw for those who are wondering about its grab area for crits riposte, I consistently get it at the opposite side of its yellow glow (so, it's in its right eye!). This hippo is a prank master,

Submit

darksouls 2 ahh hitboxes

Submit

Tree sentinel armor, death bird spear & appropriate talismans works fine.

Submit

I just beat him with my RL75 STR 50 (boosted by Radagon Soreal and Godrick's Rune), using Royal Knight Resolve ash on my +15 Grave Sytche + some jump attacks + twinblade talisman L1 complete combo. The trick to 'easily' beat this "rhino tank" is to press roll at the last second on its grab attack (I was med load) and stay around its butt to do some stance-breaking. Its hitbox weakness (safer to attack) is around is butt, unlike Gaius' boar who can do annoying kicks.

Submit

Golden vow, flame grant me strength, black flame (thrown orb) with mimic tear. Run dodge throw...pure cheese but I tried everything else I could including the death poker and this is the one that worked.

Submit

whats up with this boss ? i have no problem stancebreaking it but I cant for the life of me do the critical attack, my character just light attack instead

Submit

I'm not saying its a good or fun boss at all but a lot of the hate is overblown. Its no worse than a lot of the filler bosses in the main game.

Submit

i looked in this things direction and got frame drops, truly the most powerful attack

Submit

why must it be immune to sleep

Submit

Messmer: "We need someone to guard the main entrance of our castle, maybe one of my most powerful knights..."
Soldiers: "How about a giant hippo sir?"
Messmer: "Yes, perfect."

Submit

heh, if they can't see anything then they can't criticize the boss' design

Submit

Mimic Tear is my favourite character ever. What a chad.

Submit

The hardest boss I've ever seen in all souls.

Submit

I like how I first tried him my first dlc playthrough and every subsequent one he became the most annoying boss for me

Submit

Fighting against your own camera premium boss

Submit

Deaths poker shreds this boss, lay ghostflame on the ground and watch him slam down and lay in it while he melts even at base stats (rl1)

Submit

It’s interesting that he guards the gate and not Gaius who is supposedly Messmer’s top guy. It would make more sense to fight the hippo down in the church district after draining the water.

Submit

This grab attack is nuts, it's on par with Ebrietas charge attack. Even going full casual and running bloodhound step can't save you from it consistently

Submit

hahaha blasphemous blade and mimic tear go brrrrrr

Submit

Had good success with Ice Lightening. Was Fast enough to get a couple hits at a time when he was on Freya and he's a big boi so it hit him quite a bit.

Submit

Was this buffed due to Moo Deng? Got whooped multiple times last night >.<

Submit

As a boss its underwhelming, as a copy and paste enemy its infuriating. Its running grab is some bullshit and every time I stance broke it it just wouldnt let me have the critical hit

Submit

Straight sword, Square Off, Both Assassin dagger talisman. Poise break for days.

Submit

Even though it says "strong vs Bleed", bleed actually worked well for me. I did try Lightning on Backhand Blade and somehow did mediocre damage.

Submit

Ahh yes let's just stick this big fat hippo in this 3-foot room and call it good :D

Submit

this ***** hitbox vs commander gaius hitbox choose your poison

Submit

This boss is actually not super hard to manage, just extremely tedious and frustrating at times (grab attack hitbox, pinched against walls). There is almost no time for special attacks and being up close causes problems (camera).

My technique to put this chonky boi down:

- Use shield instead of rolls, with guardboost talisman. You can basically block almost everything. This helps a lot with keeping control on where you are and doesn't make you roll yourself into a corner. I have poise of around 70 for reference.
- Only roll for his breakdance move and mouthgrab move. Keep max distance at all times. Being on med. load is vital!
- Whenever he needs to turn around and you have enough distance, hit him with blasphemous blad 'takers flame'. It hits hard and you get some health back.

This boss is simply to frantic and big to face head on. See it more as a bull fight where Hippo boi runs around you instead of you around him.

And yeah, this boss isn;t fun lol.

Submit

Actually the worst hitboxes in the entire game

Submit

my fps drops to 20 when i fight this ****

Submit

Milady melts those guys

Submit

I hate it

Submit

Is there anything scarier than when this thing pulls out a point-blank mouth grab and you don't have full HP?

Submit

Me fight big fat hippo
Me get scadutree fragments
Me get happy

Submit

genuinely garbage. How this company learned nothing about the goddamn camera in like 13 years. How can you make such an unfun and boring boss because he's not impossible, anyone can beat him but he's so badly designed, so crap that i refuse to believe they even cared enough to playtest it, they forget to make it fun.

Submit

My strategy use a maxed mimic tear both summons dodge the first 2 moves and them strike till stunned with maxed rivers of blood and learn the moveset

Submit

DLC boss design is 1/4 peak 3/4 gutter trash

Submit

Took me forever to get to this boss from the first floor storage area. Died. And when I went back, his fog is now unpassable. What the hell? Did I somehow find it from the other side? Why is this broken?

Submit

I don't understand the line "DLC+HP". Why are there two lines for HP? "HP" and "DLC+HP" ?? I am on NG+4, which one is correct? 43,770 or 56,080? Thank you in advance

Submit

Completely bs boss. The mouth grab gets u even if u roll to the side just before it hits. Not even talking about hitboxes on the rolls. Boring af

Submit

I’m playing through without spirit ashes or summons, and this boss was super annoying, with all the camera issues and ridiculous hit boxes. HOWEVER, once I switched to blocking his attacks instead of trying to dodge, he fell pretty quick. Just use a good shield, and don’t get greedy when you see an opportunity to attack. Felt really easy after that.

Submit

Fromsoft gets +10 points on creativity, I wouldn't have thought of this boss in a thousand years, but -100 points for design, I think its hitboxes are bs, and classic camera jank

Submit

Rolling sparks plainly obliterate that boss. With Alexander's shard, Perfumer's talisman and buffs for the chosen element, poor hyppo suffers ~5k damage per blast.

Submit

Framerate destroyer

Submit

good fight, minus all the golden thorn attacks

Submit

I've been through the DLC countless times by now, and every new iteration I hate this boss (Shadow Keep version) a little more. It's not difficult, I just hate fighting it.

Submit

Not too bad. Died twice trying to execute the critical hit that never would work. 3rd time I fought boss and it was stunned, did not even try to execute the critical hit , boss dead. dont even try to execute critical hit when it's stunned , it's bugged. Just whale on it

Submit

Not too bad. Died twice trying to execute the critical hit that never would work. 3rd time I fought boss and it was stunned, did not even try to execute the critical hit , boss dead. dont even try to execute critical hit when it's stunned , it's bugged. Just whale on it

Submit

Put some numbers together for funsies, and this beast took 178,270 damage to kill at ng+7 DLC+ with both Hornsent and Freyja summoned. Chonky boi

Submit

This boss actually can be afflicted with Sleep. I proc'd Eternal Sleep on him the other day. No idea what the proc number is, but thought you should know

Submit

CURSE YOU, HIPPO!
I HEARBYE VOW YOU WILL RUE THIS DAY!
BEHOLD, A 900 HP HOST AND I, AN ARCANE BUILD!
YOUR FEARS MADE FLESH!

SQUISHY AS F*CK MY HOST MAY BE, FOUL HIPPO, BUT I'LL SOON DPS YOUR LAGGY HIDE!
WITH A HAIL OF BLEED PROCS!
WITH EVERY LAST DROP OF MY CRIMSON FLASK!

Submit

Peak

Submit

I miss when bosses used to have breakable body parts that drop as weapons. I’d love me a giant hippo tooth to ram into people.

Submit

Is the -10% lightning damage because of the water they’re always fought in?

Submit

I have a setup for this boss that isn't necessarily 100% consistent, but is pretty close and works at RL 150. The build is 80 strength, 50 stamina, and uses powerstanced great hammers (I personally use pickaxes) along with Cragblade and the Stonebarb Cracked Tear. Set up your Cragblades, drink your physick, walk into the arena. Dodge the boss's opening grab attack and then start doing jumping L1s. Four L1s with this setup will break the hippo's stance, and with the recovery time on the grab attack you will have the time to do four of these. Riposte ASAP and then continue jump attacking. If you time it correctly, the hippo will get stance broken a second time during its phase change animation, which will cancel out the rain of spines and let you finish the boss off while it is stunned.

Submit

I don't think this guide lists/shows all of the attacks. What about the jumping and rolling moves in 2nd phase?

Submit

I want to like Boss Hippo, but between a few solo runs and co-oping enjoy it less and less. The hitboxes feel inconsistent (especially the grab, spike throws and big ground slams), it punishes lock-on, and it has far too many attacks that has it lunging into you from any range while also finishing just far enough away that it'll be queuing another attack by the time you close the distance. Plus, it's so huge that it's short critical hit window can be easily missed, even when you're at the right angle.

It's much better as an elite enemy.

Submit

heres a good tip: Its weak to both slashing and lightning damage. The bulk of its attacks is also physiscal damage. you can have decent fun with a CGS and the deflecting hard tear. For me it worked with a lighting omen cleaver, you can deal 1-2 k damage per counter hit, stagger it in about 2 hits and have enaugh weapon defence to just block the break-dance move

Submit

Messmer couldn't afford to hire a doorman because he spent all of Crusade's money on spear racks around the Shadow Keep. Thus he opted to place the Golden Camerapotamus at the gate, so that it won't take up place inside the castle itself all while warding off intruders at the same time. Or warding off everyone out there, for that matter.

Submit

after working tirelessly for 100 years, little john the hippo finally saved up enough money to buy this 0.001 square meter apartment in shadow keep. He borrowed galvanized square spears and eco friendly rocks from his aunt and proceed to transform the tiny room into a fully functional house

Submit

didnt like it at all on my first playthrough, but I actually kinda enjoy it now

Submit

Chode on legs

Submit

Imagine Messmer riding this thing to battle when it suddenly goes 2nd phase and impales his but hole, that is the reason why snek boi turned to Huw and this monstrocity of a hyperpotamus is left at front door

Submit

Gotta love when From admits they have no clue how to design bosses anymore, so they just give an attack hitbox every time this fatass wiggles its neck slightly. Like yeah, no ****, of course I'd take the same amount of damage from his neck fat jiggling next to me as the giant teeth doing the bite attack that missed me by a mile. Makes perfect sense. Beat this ****er on NG+7 first attempt and the jank is still some of the worst I've seen since Demon's Souls

Submit

I just beat the Shadow Keep boss on NG+ (not DLC+, it’s my first time thru the DLC) and got 400,000 runes. A lot more than what’s reported here. What gives?

Submit

idk about anyone else but it's using the golden quills at 75% HP for me. Idk what I did to piss him off.

Submit

i'm glad FS finally recognizes how horrifying hippos are

Submit

Golden Hippo fight made me want to acoustically punch myself. Walking into a fight and getting insta'd from the bite and chew move is top tier anger inducing.

Submit

Irrelevant lore tangent) but Noone talks about how Golden hippopotami have lore consistency

Each carry a scadutree fragment, and are also chimeras(Hippo, Rhino, Alligator- even wings which were cut content)
When the Scadutree avatar defends itself, it fights with thorns, and when the Scadutree is under threat of fire, it grows thorns around Enir Elim(who idolize the crucible)

In addition the Music for the hippos is the "Erdtree Avatar" theme,

To me this means the hippos may either be born containing- or perhaps purposefully devour scadutree fragments to defend them- one even using the Crucible aspect THORNS to defend them

Making the Golden Hippopotamus a fun through line between the Scadutree and the Crucible

Submit

there is no solid tactic to win this boss with 100% certainty, after about a dozen tries of just dying immediately after entering the arena cuz his attacks as hard af to dodge and he doesnt even give you time to prepare, i just popped my best summon, spammed my rolls, took some advantage windows to attack him from behind while he was smashing my summon, and prayed God for good RNG and eventually, after sweating through the fight, i won WHILE HE KILLED ME AT THE SAME TIME, so yeah all i have to say is just good luck, you can only win this fata$$ with good luck.

Submit

mid boss, also gives 150k not 200k as listed

Submit

such a bad boss, nonsense

Submit

The person who designed the hitboxes of this boss should be fired and blacklisted.They linger way too long and have a size bigger than radahn’s meteor attack and do stupid amounts of damage

Submit

Golden hippo hates me so much that he targets me through the fog gate when my friend summons me

Submit

So I am about halfway through the expansion, and as usual with FS games I don't understand the story at all. So as usual I start looking up story explanations by smarter people to get a sense of what the heck is going on. Now I feel I get most of it, except... No one tells me how the F a giant golden hippo fits into Miquella's quest for world domination???

Submit

This boss feels a little random and uninspiring. Tried a few times with bleed backhand swords on an arcane build.

Got bored soon so I just rotted breath/pest threads it down easy mode

Submit

river,
horse

Submit

Game peaked at Golden Hippo. I was so impressed that I stopped playing right after I defeated that boss. Because I already knew at that moment I had experienced the best piece of content ever made, that Miyazaki could no longer proivde us with anything better than that boss fight. It was what I would like to call the apotheosis of Miyazaki's career as a game developer. His magnum opus, even better than Miranda, The Blighted Bloom from the base game. Not sure if he's longer capable of creating something better than Golden Hippo so this is where my road ends as a fellow and very epic Fromsoftware fan, I've seen everything and I can finally move on. God bless you Michael Zaki and Yui Tanimura.

If you disagree you're just nitpicking and biased. So erm... yeah, I win. Bye bye!

Submit

Game peaked at Golden Hippo. I was so impressed that I stopped playing right after I defeated that boss. Because I already knew at that moment I had experienced the best piece of content ever made, that Miyazaki could no longer proivde us with anything better than that boss fight. It was what I would like to call the apotheosis of Miyazaki's career as a game developer. His magnum opus, even better than Miranda, The Blighted Bloom from the base game. Not sure if he's longer capable of creating something better than Golden Hippo so this is where my road ends as a fellow and very epic Fromsoftware fan, I've seen everything and I can finally move on. God bless you Michael Zaki and Yui Tanimura.

If you disagree you're just nitpicking and biased. So erm... yeah, I win. Bye bye!

Submit

How is this listed as optional boss? Did i miss something

Submit

Not their best work...

Submit

The one at shadow keep gave me 200k runes, not 150k.
Terrible boss design to be honest, but a friend told me the next boss is gonna be cooler.

Submit

Wow, the site of grace that spawned after defeating the hippo in Shadow Keep is so pointless. It must hold the record as the closest distance between two bonfires in any Souls game ever.

Submit

to all those who have issues with camera, just don't use camera lock in this fight, how did y'all even make it this far in the game??

Submit

All I want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus!
Only a Hippopotamus will do!!!

Submit

Another **** boss of the dlc

Submit

Weirdly didn't notice that the golden hippo is much larger than the other world hippos until my latest playthrough. I always thought they were the same size for some reason and wondered why only the golden one had weird camera issues.

Maybe From's camera/hitbox issues are a result of faulty scaling because the "little" hippos are perfect (although not being trapped in arena might help with that).

Submit