Rakk Hive

The Rakk Hive is a gigantic alien quadruped with four pearl-like eyes and a number of holes spread across its back. The holes are home to flights of Rakk, which themselves will swarm to attack anything that gets near the Rakk Hive.

The hibernation cycle of a Rakk Hive lasts much longer than that of the other species on Pandora. They are visible in their dormant state by their exposed backs protruding above the ground while most of their body remains submerged. Unlike the Trash Coast Rakk Hive, they will not awaken; however, Rakk will still fly out of their exposed backs.

Combat
The Rakk Hive moves very slowly, so keeping your distance is fairly easy, as well as highly recommended due to its powerful stomping attack. If you do choose to fight it head on, the stomp attack can be avoided by simply jumping just before the Rakk Hive impacts the ground. It also occasionally spits explosive balls of corrosive acid at and around the player in a wide arc. These balls simmer where they land on the ground and throw up a wall of corrosive steam for a VERY long time doing damage to any player inside, so avoid being pinned into a corner. It is worth noting that the corrosive steam will also damage the flying Rakk. If the player manages to establish a fighting position behind the Rakk Hive (usually possible during co-op play), the Rakk Hive can attack by lifting it's back leg and then defecating a stream of corrosive acid towards the player.

Throughout the battle, the beast will shake itself to release a swarm of Rakk from the holes on its back. These are either white Defender Rakk or yellowish Kamikaze Rakk. These are unique to the battle with the Rakk Hive. Defender Rakk behave just like most other Rakk in the game, flocking together and dive-bombing the player until either they or the player are killed. Kamikaze Rakk are smaller and will also flock together, but will explode when they die and use this against their targets in a brutal suicide attack.

Due to the number of Rakk that frequently spawn, it is possible to get easy Second Wind kills and thus, stay alive for the whole fight, provided that the player stays out from underneath the hive itself, in which case the legs will block lines of sight to the Rakk. Killing the Rakk when they are close will provide a steady supply of ammunition literally raining out of the sky and a nearby tent containing some lockers and several chests full of ammunition can be similarly helpful.

The Rakk Hive's critical hit locations are the four bulging eyes and its mouth. Sustained attacks on each of the eyes will cause them to burst. Once all four burst, the Rakk Hive is blinded, and will stop attacking you and simply stand still.

The Rakk Hive has proven to be quite vulnerable to fire, so equipping incendiary elemental tech weapons and fire artifacts can be a valuable strategy. A rocket launcher is also very effective if you use it to fire at the head, and they are also very effective at wiping out the Rakk flights.

While it is clearly intended that the player fight in the large arena it is possible to simply remain on the ledge and shoot at the beast until it dies; without being attacked by anything but the occasional acid ball or Rakk.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSv0aSudmNU

Rumors
Due to the ability to obtain the Rider sniper rifle only during this mission, see hidden basement, the Rider's red text is a direct and overt clue to the Hive's weak spots, as shooting each of its eyes until they are put out does yield critical hit damage.

Experience
During Playthrough 2.5, killing the Rakk Hive with a level 50 character yields a massive 100 000 experience points. This is very useful if you need to raise a weapon proficiency for a weapon you have never used before, before using the actual weapon in real combat.

Loot
The Rakk Hive will occasionally drop a Leviathan or an Eridian Artifact upon death.

Trivia

 * Little has changed in the Rakk Hive's appearance from the original version of Borderlands prior to change in art direction.
 * The Rakk Hive will continue to breathe after being defeated and its organs can be seen still moving through the gaping hole that appears in its side. The carcass can be climbed for a better view at this heaving mass.
 * The Rakk Hive was the first boss to be publicly revealed for Borderlands, appearing in certain promotional videos before the game's release.
 * Although the Guardian Angel says that fighting the Rakk Hive will be one of the greatest challenges in the game, it is actually one of the easiest bosses to defeat by simply shooting out its eyes.
 * Two hibernating Rakk Hives can be seen in Skag Gully, just outside of the playable area, one can be found near Zephyr Substation, and another near the wind turbine in Howling Defile. One other can be found just below the burning building outside Sledge's Safe House.
 * In the original development of the Rakk Hive boss fight, there were geysers in the ground that could be used to damage the Boss. However, due to the focus testers usually staying on the cliff area, this was taken out in the final version.
 * In the original development of the Rakk Hive boss fight, The Rakk that were spawned from the Hive's back were a lot stronger than the current build of the game. However, due to the focus testers' feedback, the damage dealt was lowered.
 * The Rakk Hive's name changes on different playthroughs - Rakk Hive on Playthrough 1, Awesome Rakk Hive on Playthrough 2, and Ultimate Rakk Hive on Playthrough 2.5.
 * A Rakk Hive appears in the Claptrap Web Series. It is shown kicking a Bandit through a football goal.
 * A poster in T-Bone Junction advertises Rakk Hive Rides for the whole family.