Elden Ring is packed with mysteries — including its many cracked, glowing statues scattered across the Lands Between. Just what are these weird little guys? Where do they come from? What do they want? Well, the answer is actually very simple if you know. Though it can take a good bit of finagling to actually line things up properly and crack open each statue. The rewards are often worth it, however, so let’s take a look what you need in our latest guide to Elden Ring!
The long and short of it is that cracked, glowing statues require colossal foes to break them. Every such statue is placed near (or near enough to) a giant-sized enemy. The idea is to draw such foes’ attention, via attacking them, and wait by the statue for them to hit back. Then you obviously want to dodge out of the way or block. The glowing statue will crack in half — exposing a reward inside. Usually this is a high-level Smithing Stone used in upgrading weapons.
That makes the whole process worth the minor time investment. Early Smithing Stones (and Somber Smithing Stones) are easy to farm and even buy. Certain optional bosses throughout Elden Ring drop “Bell Bearings.” You turn these in to buy unique items back at the Roundtable Hold. A few Bell Bearings make Smithing Stones available to purchase infinitely, but the cost can be prohibitive. Not to mention higher tiers of stone are harder to get Bell Bearings for. Statues are one of the easiest ways to get these items quickly and for free instead.
The downside is that statues are one-time use. Once you loot the gooey center, new stones cannot be acquired from the same statue after resting and reloading. Spend your Smithing Stones — and especially your Somber Smithing Stones for unique and boss weapons — wisely. At least until you can reliably farm more of them.
One of the earliest (and least obvious) cracked statues is in Stormveil Castle. It’s found between the Secluded Cell and Liftside Chamber Sites of Grace, in the area filled with Godrick soldiers operating turrets. There’s a single zombie-dog and an Omen (i.e. one of those bulky, horned ogres) resting in front of the statue. It may actually behoove you to kill these two enemies before trying to crack the statue, too. They’re quite a nasty combination: even at higher character levels. You might think this is a bad idea, but the Omen is not strong enough to crack the stone statue. It can strike the glowing crack for days and not leave a dent.
Instead, head transfer to the Secluded Cell grace. That’s the one right before the boss battle with Godrick, FYI. There’s a giant troll flanked by two weaker enemies just outside. Grab the troll’s attention and run past them, down the road, through the wooden barricades guarded by black bird monsters. The troll should keep pace. Once they’re in range of the statue, let them give it a whack, and take the Smithing Stones you find inside!
That’s just an example, of course, but should give you an idea about which kinds of enemies destroy the cracked statues. Medium-sized ones (like the Omen) won’t cut it. You need truly big boys to solve this tiny series of Elden Ring puzzles. Best of luck!
