Rewards: Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns, 2x Scardutree Fragments, 200,000
Summons Available: Yes, Redmane Freyja or Hornsent
Location: Shadow Keep, just after the Shadow Keep Main Gate Grace
The Golden Hippopotamus is the gatekeeper of the Shadow Keep, and a quite formidable one at that. Well-armored and with a deadly bit (as well as a huge size), this gigantic hippo also has powers derived from the mysterious Crucible in the form of deadly golden spines that will skewer you if you aren’t careful. Taking on this mighty foe will be quite a challenge, but we are here to help you take on this plus-sized pachyderm.
General Tips
The Golden Hippopotamus has limited options against players on its sides. While not totally safe, stay there to deal the most damage, especially in phase 1.
At about 2/3 health remaining, the Golden Hippopotamus will enter its second phase. It will begin with its Thorn Slam, where it will grow quills/thorns on its back, enabling its 3 “Thorn” moves.
The Golden Hippopotamus has surprisingly long idle states after attacks to punish or heal.
The Golden Hippopotamus’s Bite Charge is its deadliest move, and trickiest to dodge: remember to dodge diagonally toward the Hippo, just avoiding the mouth.
Strategy
Because the Golden Hippopotamus begins by moving quickly toward you, you should begin the fight by not only summoning the NPC of your choice (if you are bringing one), but also by buffing before going through the fog door. This will prevent you from being hit with an early attack, one which is very often a hugely damaging grab.
Once you’ve done that, then you can end the Golden Hippopotamus’s arena. It will always start by coming from the far corner and running at you. While you may have time to summon before an attack reaches you, it can depend on the Hippo’s first attack, and so you should wait to summon, and if you are going to buff, do so before going through the fog gate.
As for the actual fight: the Hippo almost always starts with one of two attacks, its Bite Charge, or its Bite Leap. The latter is fairly easy to dodge, but the former has some tricky timings. If the hippo lowers its head to the ground and opens its jaws, running at you, then, to avoid being grabbed, you will need to roll diagonally toward the hippo, aiming to just avoid the teeth. If you can get this attack down, then the first phase is not too difficult.
After the Hippo does this move, it can take a bit to recover, allowing you to summon or apply a quick buff. After that, it’s just a matter of avoiding its other well-telegraphed attacks. To remain the safest, and give yourself the most warning for its attacks, try to stick to the Hippo’s side.
At about 2/3 health, the Golden Hippopotamus will enter its phase 2. It will rear up on its hind legs, golden quills/thorns will appear on its back, and it will slam down. Dodge the slam, then spam roll back or sprint to the left or right. If you are at medium distance or further, sprinting works better.
After this point, the Hippo will gain 3 new golden thorn attacks: the already-discussed Thorn Slam, a tricky Thorn Spin that requires you to dodge slightly later than you’d expect (as the needles fly at you after the main motion of the Hippo), and a Thorn Rollout, during which the Hippo leaps into the air, forms a ball, and then hurls at you, demanding a tight dodge.
Aside from the Thron Spin, which can be hard to dodge but doesn’t deal much damage or stagger, this phase can actually be easier to deal with, as the Hippo has more moves it can do instead of its Bite Charge. However, the Spin does mean that the side of the Hippo is now less safe than before, requiring you to position yourself more careful. It’s still the place to be, but if you see the thorns glowing, it is an indication to back away, in case the Spin is the next move.
Outside of that, the Golden Hippopotamus is a manageable boss. Keep the pressure up, stay focused on dodging instead of trading (since the Hippo does have very high damage), and stick to the Hippo’s side, and it will be dead in no time.
Moveset
Bite Charge: The Hippo will lower its head to the ground and open its mouth. Dodge diagonally toward the hippo, aiming to just avoid its teeth.
Bite Leap: The Hippo will tilt its head down before lunging forward from a distance, its mouth open. Dodge to the left or right.
Thorn Slam: Replaces the Slam in Phase 2. The Hippo will rise up, the quills on its back glowing, and then slam down. Dodge the slam if you are close. If you are right next to the Hippo, spam roll backwards. If you have some distance, sprint to the left or right.
Thorn Spin: The Hippo will raise its head, and its quills will glow. Then, it will twist on the ground, shooting quills at you. As only the quill projectiles are damagings, dodge just after you think you need to, as the quills fire out from the Hppo.
Thorn Rollout: The Hippo will leap into the air, form a ball, and slam down. Dodge in any direction as it comes down.
Headslams: The Hippo will raise its head up and slam it down several times. Dodge to the side with each slam. Try to end up at the Hippo’s side.
Horn Swipe: The Hippo will swipe upward with its horn. Dodge diagonally into the Hippo.
Chomp: The Hippo will open its mouth while you are in front of it or to its side, to bite at you. Roll so that you end up on its side as it bites. It can repeat this attack in a combo.
Slam: The Hippo will rise up on its hind legs. After a moment, it will slam down, requiring you to dodge.
Bite: The Hippo will bite in front of it and back up, creating room for itself. If you are right next to its head, dodge back.
Graves is an avid writer, web designer, and gamer, with more ideas than he could hope to achieve in a lifetime. But, armed with a mug of coffee and an overactive imagination, he'll try. When he isn't working on a creative project, he is painting miniatures, reading cheesy sci-fi novels, or making music.
200,000
