Golden Hippopotamus
Shadow Keep · Optional (Shadow of the Erdtree)
Weak toFire, Lightning
Difficulty6/10
The Golden Hippopotamus guards the elevator inside Shadow Keep’s main gate. It is a huge armoured beast that charges, slams its belly and, in phase 2, rains golden quills on the arena.
Quick facts
| Location | Shadow Keep, past the main gate |
| Nearest Site of Grace | Shadow Keep Main Gate |
| Required? | No, optional |
| HP (NG) | 33,866 |
| Runes (NG) | 200,000 |
| Drops | Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns, 2 Scadutree Fragments |
| Weak to | Fire, Lightning |
| Resists | High Poison and Scarlet Rot; moderate Hemorrhage and Frostbite |
| Immune to | Sleep, Madness |
| Summons | Redmane Freyja and a Hornsent warrior |
| Difficulty | ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 6/10 (Tarnished Wiki rating) |
Key attacks and how to avoid them
- Fanged Charge: sprint at an angle and roll away at the last moment.
- Belly Slam: roll to either side.
- Golden Belly Slam (phase 2): roll back from the impact, then sprint sideways from the falling quills.
- Raining Quills: sprint sideways out of the area.
- Savage Spin: sprint right as it rears up, then roll right twice.
How to beat the Golden Hippopotamus
- Bring Fire or Lightning damage.
- Heavy weapons break its stance for critical hits.
- Dodge toward its body, never toward its head.
Related: the 2 fragments it drops are only a start; see all Scadutree Fragment locations to raise your blessing before the fight.
FAQ
What is Golden Hippopotamus weak to?
Golden Hippopotamus is weak to Fire, Lightning.
Is Golden Hippopotamus required?
No, Golden Hippopotamus is an optional boss.
More Shadow of the Erdtree guides: the full DLC boss list and the boss checklist.
Stats checked against Fextralife (NG values).
Further reading: Golden Hippopotamus on the Fextralife Elden Ring wiki.