Elden Ring's pesky Teardrop Scarabs are invisible to the naked eye but leave prints momentarily in their wake as they move about in predetermined routes. If players are patient, they can simply stand where their print tracks pass and prepare a well-timed strike with whichever armament they choose. In one hit, Elden Ring's Teardrop Scarabs reveal their physical form as they perish instantly.
Invisible Teardrop Scarabs may reward players with either an Ash of War, an incantation, or a sorcery, so there is an incentive to stop them in their tracks if players wish to procure such rewards. But hitting them normally can be frustrating if Elden Ring players lack the patience to do so. Fortunately, there is a neat trick players can exploit that completely omits any input from the player and trivializes the invisible Teardrop Scarabs' whole gimmick.
Redditor u/CatPlayer is the latest Elden Ring player to surmise an effective method for snatching invisible Teardrop Scarabs. Instead of painstakingly waiting for the Scarab to make its rounds and then time an attack perfectly, CatPlayer demonstrates that the player can sit back and automatically defeat it with autonomous Phalanx spells. Elden Ring's Phalanx spells produce multiple swords that are held suspended above the player, pointed forward, and fire toward an enemy in the vicinity.
In the case of Teardrop Scarabs and any other invisible enemy, the Phalanx spell will still know to target and strike the enemy despite the player not being able to see it. Further, this tactic also works effectively well on Elden Ring's invisible Black Knife Assassins, such as the one in the Sage's Cave in Altus Plateau. Many strategies exist for invisible foes, such as equipping the Sentry Torch or simply summoning Spirit Ashes, but Phalanx spells work wonders due to the mystical swords attacking autonomously.
If players are concerned that their character's lack of intelligence, or INT, will be a detriment to their ability to use this exploit, CatPlayer has a simple workaround. CatPlayer advises that any of Elden Ring's Phalanx Ash of Wars will work in this case as well, which is convenient if players do not have a build that is oriented toward INT. Perhaps the easiest way to secure this skill as an Ash of War, as CatPlayer states, is from Rogier's Rapier. Then, the Ash of War can be removed and put onto any other weapon as the player sees fit.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.