Don't panic if a giant turtle invades you in Elden Ring – they're "just taking a walk" and give free Runes to chill hosts

Elden Ring's PvP Colosseum update has brought a thirst for blood to the RPG's community, but one would-be Invader is instead seizing the moment to promote peace and tranquility through idle strolls around the Lands Between. Their name is "JustTakingAWalk," and they are just taking a walk.

JTAW goes by Anchorrr on Reddit, and they recently posted a short clip of a relaxing trip to Volcano Manor which has (rather fittingly) quickly caught fire. Elden Ring's enemies don't attack Invaders, you see, so as long as the host doesn't disconnect or try to kill you, you're free to roam around and take in the sights. Immediately intrigued by this display of pacifism, I reached out to talk to JTAW about their wandering ways and, just as importantly, their giant turtle getup.

sometimes_if_i_dont_have_anything_better_to_do_i from r/Eldenring

"I thought if I dressed in a silly manner it would increase my chances at not being attacked," JTAW says of the hat and turtle shield they wear on every walk. "More people would be skeptical of me if I wore normal armor, same with the face. As for the shield, I wear it as I thought it fit the slow turtle walk I was doing." 

Despite their disarming name and outfit, JTAW says they're frequently hunted by the people they invade. But not everyone attacks on sight. "Sometimes if I meet a friendly host they would sever a hunter that was attacking me so I could finish my walk in peace," they tell me. 

The longest walk they've had (so far) was out in the Consecrated Snowfield on the north end of the map (pictured above). "When I first started doing it around three weeks ago, me, a host, and two hunters walked throughout the entire Consecrated Snowfield all the way to Ordina, Liturgical Town," they recall. "If I remember correctly it was a good 16 minutes of slow walking." 

Alas, most Souls fans can't be cured of their homicidal urges so easily after years of FromSoftare shenanigans teaching them to exterminate anything that moves, especially dark phantoms. JTAW has only had around six successful walks so far, but that's more of an armistice than most players have managed, and pretty darn admirable. 

"My goal most of the time is to reach the fog wall, and if I complete it with the host waiting for me  I make sure to bow, drop some runes I have laying around, and Sever out," JTAW says. "I'm just chilling; most of the time I do these kinds of walks after a while of playing normally. If I need a quick laugh I go and change up my character and start Invading to take a nice stroll and give some players a quick laugh." 

So remember, folks. If a big, dapper turtle invades you and starts walking around, treat them like you would Elden Ring's turtle pope and sheathe your sword. Join them! Stop and smell the flowers for a bit. Besides, you'll get some free runes out of the deal, and more importantly, you'll get a memorable story. 

The Elden Ring community is honestly kind of impressed by a player who reached Godskin Apostle at level 22 without learning about fast travel.