What are the Glowing Footprints in Elden Ring?

The Lands Between of Elden Ring is a place where all is very much not as it appears. There are secrets hiding around every corner, and more often than not, hidden right in plain sight. Sometimes it’s nice things like a hidden container of rare items, and sometimes it’s a random dude that inexplicably polymorphs into a giant bear. You’ll never know until you check! One such example of these strange phenomena are the glowing tracks you occasionally encounter out in the wilderness. So, what are the glowing footprints in Elden Ring?

The glowing footprints are occasionally encountered in the overworld, usually moving very quickly and often in circular patterns. As you might have guessed, these footprints aren’t sentient invisible feet or anything like that, but rather invisible Teardrop Scarabs. You’ve more than likely encountered these large bugs all over the Lands Between; they’re the big beetles that roll around glowing balls, and when you kill them, they either refill your Flasks or give you a rare item. Some of these Scarabs are just… inexplicably invisible, but they still drop cool stuff.

What are the Glowing Footprints in Elden Ring?

When you encounter a set of glowing footprints, that means an Invisible Teardrop Scarab is on the move nearby. They usually run around in circles, but they move so fast that even Torrent can’t keep up with them. As such, the best way to pin them down, kill them, and take their rare loot is to watch their pattern for a little while and look for spots you can intercept them. It can be a little difficult to gauge where their hitbox is since you can’t see them, but if you swing a weapon in their general direction, either on foot or on Torrent, you should be able to clock them right out of their pattern. One good hit is all it takes, and they’ll drop their precious loot.

So what kind of stuff do invisible Teardrop Scarabs carry? All sorts of things! They can drop weapons, armor, items, and even Ashes of War. One of the most coveted Ashes of War, the Hoarfrost Stomp, is carried by an invisible Teardrop Scarab that hangs out near Caria Manor in Liurnia of the Lakes. So whenever you hear that little tinkling sound, make sure you track down that Scarab and claim what’s yours!