By the time you reach the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, you'll have learned that bosses aren't messing around. The Golden Hippo is the first foe you'll face in Shadow Keep, and while both the Dancing Lion and Rellana were both agile, fast-hitting foes, in true hippo style this boss fight is considerably different. Don't take that to mean it's easier though, because each hit you take is devastating.
If you're struggling against this enormous beast and you need some tips, here's how to beat the Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Firstly, you'll want to Your options are either Hornsent, who can deal plenty of damage thanks to his bleed capabilities, or Redmane Freyja, who is much more tanky. However, for my fight only Hornsent was available to summon, so Redmane Freyja has some criteria that must be met first.
As soon as you enter the arena, the Golden Hippo will charge at you. It will either do a slower charge with its mouth wide open, trying to grab you and smash you against the floor multiple times, or it will leap forward for a harder-hitting single attack. Either way, - as usual, the Mimic Tear is recommended - before dodging to the side.
The general rule of thumb for this entire fight is to . The Golden Hippo is huge which means you can deal plenty of damage from the sides, but it can also spin fairly quickly and change its target. For the first stage of the fight, its main attacks are the aforementioned charges, a chomp a.
