What do the Glowing Footprints do in Elden Ring? Answered

There are several mysterious things to uncover in Elden Ring. While exploring The Lands Between, you might encounter a set of glowing footsteps walking a path. Your first inclination might be to follow them; you may think they’ll lead you to a treasure. However, that is not the case. When you see a set of glowing footsteps, this means you’ve encountered an invisible Teardrop Scarab.

Invisible Teardrop Scarabs are similar to regular Teardrop Scarabs in that they drop valuable items upon death. However, unlike regular scarabs, they won’t completely vanish once you spot them. To take out an invisible scarab, simply hit it once, and it should die immediately. Whatever it drops will automatically end up in your inventory.

As the invisible Teardrop Scarabs are rather fast, it’s best to try to outsmart them, rather than catch them; not even Torrent can keep up with these invisible creatures. Once you see a set of glowing footprints, try to observe its path, and then position yourself along its set path. Then, wait for the footprints to start coming towards you. Attack as the scarab approaches, and you should kill it.

Some incantations and Ashes of War can only be obtained by killing invisible scarabs. If you want to grab the Poison Armament incantation or the Hoarfrost Stomp Ash of War, you’ll need to keep an eye out for these glowing footprints.