First new Elden Ring patch finally gets Shadow of the Erdtree's annoying Golden Hippopotamus off your back

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We all hate the big hippo

Elden Ring
(Image credit: FromSoftware)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree patch 1.12.3 has finally fixed the Golden Hippopotamus fight, so the annoying bugger isn't breathing down your neck as soon as you step into its arena.

Today, July 4, Bandai Namco rolled out a new Elden Ring patch, which you can peruse in full on the publisher's website. Arguably headlining the new patch is tweaks made to two Shadow of the Erdtree more frustrating bosses: Commander Gaius and the Golden Hippopotamus.

"Changed the placement of the bosses in the re-fight against the Golden Hippopotamus and Commander Gaius bosses to be in the same position as in the first fight," the patch notes read. This means both bosses won't come steamrolling towards you the second you set foot in their arenas, which is nothing short of wonderful news.

You hate the Golden Hippo. I hate the Golden Hippo. We all hate the Golden Hippo. With this patch, though, it means the Shadow of the Erdtree boss should rise from its slumber when you go back to try your hand at beating it yet again, instead of barreling towards you and not letting you so much as pull off a Spirit Summon the second the fight begins.

The change is also nice for Commander Gaius for similar reasons - the boar-mounted boss will no longer be at your throat the second you start the fight. It must be said that Gaius was considerably easier to handle when his fight began compared to the Golden Hippo, which was just plain annoying, but still fairly frustrating in his own right.

Additionally, the new Elden Ring patch has fixed a bug where the "unblockable bite attack of the Golden Hippopotamus boss would connect with players more easily than intended." I knew I wasn't imagining things - it turns out every time I thought I'd dodged the attack, only to be gobbled up by the Golden Hippo, I actually did dodge the attack fair and square. 

Look over our Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree questlines guide for a look at where you can begin every NPC quest.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.