There are actually a few different ways to enter the Shadow Fortress Erdtree's Shadowand no one would blame you for choosing to go all out when you see the literal army camped outside the front door and the Furnace Golem behind them. However, this Hand Ring: If Malenia couldn't contain the fear of an angry Elden God, nothing can. So, let's say you made it through the chaos at the front door—you have a little meeting to attend with the Messmer's receptionist. And by receptionist, we mean the giant crazy hippo that guards the lobby of the Shadow Keep. If you did that, we're sure You managed to take down a Furnace GolemBut it would be useful to give a few tips on this subject.
Golden Hippo Abilities
The hippo will immediately come at you with its mouth open and try to take a bite out of you. If it manages to catch you in its jaws, you are probably dead. If it doesn't, it will probably catch you in its next attack, when it tries to headbutt you a few times. To be honest, the first stage is pretty typical hippo behavior, it will lunge at you and try to take a bite out of you while trying to soften you up. Its biggest attack is when it rears up and slams itself into the ground, creating a shockwave that can knock you out if you are too close. But it is generally dangerous because it is a hippo the size of a city bus.
Perhaps sensing your indifference, the hippo with around 50% health decides to show you his Sonic the Hedgehog cosplay outfit, spawning a giant set of glowing, golden spikes and rolling around the arena. When the spikes first appear, they shake a bit, then rain down a bunch of spikes. He also occasionally fires them directly at you. And yes, as mentioned, he leaps into the air and rolls around the arena, crushing everything in his path and dealing massive damage.
Defeating the Golden Hippo – Stage One
So, first, if you want to get ahead of the curve, you might want to consider pushing some of the NPC questlines a bit further. This is one of the first battles where you can have two options for summon signs—Redmane Freyja or Hornsent—or none at all, which can make the task at hand a bit of a pain, but not impossible depending on your build.
When you step into the arena, if you're bringing a Spirit Ash, bring it in as soon as possible. If you're running with Mimic Tear, don't try to heal until the hippo rolls left or right just before charging. If you can dodge it, back away a bit more so that you're not near the hippo's head, as it will do a few quick headbutts after this initial charge. Now you can get better.
From there, stage one is basically a bullfight. Your one and only job is to stay away from the hippo's head. The big bitch isn't smart, so staying to one side usually means getting plenty of free hits when the hippo misses a hit. It's pretty unpredictable, so you want to get in, deal two or three hits of damage, and wait to see what it does next. You don't want to be too close when it goes for a ground attack, but it does have a long recovery time that you can get right on top of the hippo as long as you can avoid it.
Melee fighters will finish the job here, as the hippo’s stance can be easily disrupted. Tanks will also do well, but you can’t always rely on the Great Shield; the hippo’s attacks will drain your stamina in no time. Still, if you need to get a full hit with a shield, punish it with a guard counter. Mages should try to convince the hippo to use one of its larger moves before attempting a spell, and you may want to stay a little closer to the hippo’s backside to be safe when it starts moving again. If you’ve brought a Soul Ash or a summon into this fight, the hippo’s focus can be pretty direct on them, and a particularly powerful one with the right weapon can do some serious damage. Just, again, stay out of the business end of things.
Defeating the Golden Hippo – Stage Two
For the Sonic phase, the hippo will stop in its tracks to extend the spikes. This seems like the perfect moment to get in a few extra hits, and it can be, but only if you have something that can hit from a reasonable distance. Melee fighters should take a big step back before it’s too late. If you’re too close—at any point for the rest of the fight—not only will you get hit with spikes, but you’ll also be the primary target for the barrage of spikes it sends into the sky. From a distance, it can also launch spikes directly at you. A good shield can absorb the damage it deals; everyone else, just run forward from the barrage. If you’re fast, you can even get in a hit before you have to retreat a few steps.
As for rolling, when you see the thing leap into the air, quickly get some distance and avoid the ensuing explosion of feathers. If you're lucky, it'll be more interested in your summon or the Soul Ash than anything else, and keeping your distance will be a piece of cake. If you're not lucky, at least angle yourself toward the middle of the arena and don't roll into a wall where you could easily get caught. Beyond that, the hippo uses everything it's ever done before, it's just a matter of watching for signs that things are about to get spiky. Aim for just two hits at a time before giving the hippo some space, and it'll eventually fall to the ground.
Your rewards for victory are 200,000 Runes, two(!!) Scadutree Shards, and a Crucible Appearance spell called Thorns, which basically lets you live out your dreams of Spin Dashing your enemies like Sonic the Hedgehog. Also, just saying, there's another one of these floating around in an area just outside the Shadow Keep in Rauh's Ancient Ruins, but without the thorn phase, which is good because it and the other hippos you encounter after this also carry Scadutree Shards.