Where to go after defeating Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree

The Golden Hippopotamus is the third major boss fight in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree. If you've defeated it and are confused about where to go next, we've got you covered with this guide.

Where to go after defeating Golden Hippopotamus in Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree DLC

After defeating the Golden Hippopotamus at Shadow Keep, your next step should be to consider what exactly it is you want to do next. The Golden Hippo boss fight is highly unique in the fact that despite being one of the 'early' game bosses, it leads to one of the most complex areas in the DLC, which can simultaneously lead you to the end-game far before you're ready to take it on. Either way, reaching the Specimen Storehouse is a good place to start, as even if you decide to check out of the Shadow Keep and go and check out the rest of the Shadowed Lands first, you'll be able to come back quickly later on.

The Specimen Storehouse is within Shadow Keep so you won't have to venture to a new area, but the Shadow Keep is rather tricky to navigate and it's easy to get turned around.

After defeating the Golden Hippo, you should see a path left of the Site of Grace. Go there and keep on moving forward. You'll stumble upon a few Messmer soldiers nearby; avoid or kill them if you have to. There'll be a wooden staircase heading up a ways, take that up, stopping in the small area to the right to collect a thrusting sword if it tickles your fancy. Be warned that there's some more Messmer soldiers, and one of those big Messmer Knights in there. Either way, continue up the stairs to reach a new level, with a doorway leading to a dining room.

There'll be two of the Knights in the dining room, one shooting arrows at you from across the room and one patrolling around. At the end of the room you should see a doorway that leads to another area. Head on through that doorway.

After exiting the doorway, go to the area on the right with the Golden Order boats. You'll find some small Vulgar militiamen who'll do their usual song and dance of going for sneak attacks and throwing poison pots. Give 'em that special Lands Between lovin' (beat them into the ground) and continue on.

After passing by the Golden Order boats, you should see a stairway leading to another building on the left, with staves at both sides of the path. That's where you should go next. You'll notice a Fire Knight roaming there, and these guys absolutely suck. It's advised you take them out, as being casters they'll be able to pester you for a considerable distance if you try to simply avoid them.

They've got surprisingly high poise, but the brand new martial arts weapon can actually get them into a bit of a loop here. Jumping heavy attacks will stagger them just long enough for you to do another jumping heavy attack, and this can make very short work of them indeed. Its main attacks here are throwing fire balls which it can either throw outright, or throw out with a delay, which is great at catching you off guard. They'll also try to get in to give you a stab, often accompanied by an area denial fire spell, so make sure you're mixing up your dodges so they can't pin you down for too long.

At the end of the path is a lift that will take you up to the Specimen Storage area of the Shadow Keep. Get on it and you'll be on your way up. When you get here, make sure to grab the Grace before either leaving or choosing to venture on.

Now, from the Specimen Storage, there are a good few places you can choose to go to next. You have the option of exploring through Specimen Storage some more, there'll even be some NPC interactions with Redmane Freyja here, and new locations such as the Hinterlands. It's also possible to access another section of the Shadow Keep, in that of the Church District. This area is flooded however, so it'll require some work to explore it fully, and from there you can head to the Scadutree itself.

If however you're coming here very late on and you do decide to take on the major boss of the area, Messmer the Impaler, make sure you're more than ready. This boss is one of the hardest in Elden Ring including the base game, and he'll make sure you know it.

Messmer Boss Guide Tips & Tricks (Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree)

Messmer is weak to the Bleed and Scarlet Rot effects, so to capitalize on these, use a maxed out high bleed status weapon, paired with either a Bleed or Rot weapon grease (if the weapon allows), or an Incantation like Bloodflame Blade or alternatively, Dragon Rot Breath if the Dragon Communion Incantations are more your speed. Messmer has an NPC summon, but be wary of the fact that using any NPC summon will increase his total health pool. You can also use any Ash Summons you've got, with Black Knife Tiche and the Mimic Tear being great options here, and these have the benefit of not buffing the boss in any way.

The boss difficulty scales up massively with Messmer, so you may first want to visit some other great holiday destinations like the Ellac River and Cerulean Coast to the South, or the Gravesite Plain and Scadu Altus as they are filled with a plethora of dungeons and bosses to take on and peel weapons and armor from. Just make sure when you come back, you come back ready, as neither Messmer nor any of the bosses proceeding him will pull any punches.

For more on Elden Ring and Shadow of the Erdtree, check out our guide on Where to get the Carian Thrusting Shield in Shadow of the Erdtree, or our guide on Where to get the Savage Lion's Claw here at Pro Game Guides.