It turns out this has nothing to do with the specific area I was in, and the buff was in fact the result of a completely random rare-weather event in Elden Ring that happens on occasion. Whether this was the first time experiencing this rare event or I simply never realized it was happening before, I found myself remembering exactly why I’d dumped so many hours into this game. Even after 1200 hours, I’m still filled with the sense that I might discover something new around any corner, and that sense of wonder and awe is what keeps me hooked.
There’s A Rare Weather Event In Elden Ring You Probably Never Noticed
The Erdtree’s Golden Leaves Can Fall At Night During A Rune-Buff Storm
Elden Ring is full of secrets and mysteries that even the most detail-oriented players have probably overlooked at some point. One such example is the Erdtree “storm”, which only occurs as a completely randomized weather event that only takes place at night. This is a somewhat well-documented but nonetheless surprising feature of the game that most players might not even realize is happening while they’re in the midst of it. The event lasts a fairly limited amount of time, no more than 5 minutes of gameplay, and will give you the same buff as the 
Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot.
You’ll know if you’re in one of these weather events if you see what appear to be falling golden Erdtree leaves floating in the air inside a designated area, and if there is a Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot buff icon under your status bar for reasons you can’t quite figure out. If you find yourself inside one of these Erdtree storms, it’s a good idea to start wiping out as many enemies as you can until the buff wears off. You’ll earn a substantial bonus to rune acquisition for a short period of time.
These aren’t the only weather events that impact gameplay in Elden Ring, as rain will make Fire less effective while also making Lightning more effective.
Apparently, this effect will also occur during multiplayer group sessions where players share passwords and any member of the group defeats a Shardbearer or becomes Elden Lord, yet another feature many players don’t even realize is an option. Playing in a large enough group will more or less guarantee you always have some type of rune buff active. I don’t tend to play in these sorts of large shared-password groups, which also likely explains why I haven’t experienced these weather events more often.
How Elden Ring’s Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot Buff Works
Earn Extra Runes For A Short Timeframe
The Gold-Pickled Fowl Foot is a relatively common consumable item in Elden Ring that will boost rune acquisition by about 30% for three minutes. These can be purchased after tracking down Patches, or better yet, can be crafted if you buy the 
Missionary’s Cookbook [2] from him. They require 3x 
Rowa Fruit, a 
Four-Toed Fowl Foot, and a 
Gold Firefly, all of which can be farmed in various locations across the Lands Between. The Erdtree storm will have an identical effect when it happens, and it even shares the same temporary buff symbol.
To know if the rune buff is active, you’ll see a Golden Fowl Foot icon on a diamond background under your status bar, not to be confused with the Golden Fowl Foot on a square background, which is the permanent buff icon from the 
Gold Scarab Talisman. A similar icon will also appear when using the 
Golden Horn Tender consumables from SOTE. It’s worth noting that both the Golden Horn Tender and Golden-Pickled Fowl Foot consumables stack with the Gold Scarab Talisman, but not with each other. Further, these consumables will not stack with the effect from the Erdtree storm.
