Patches is an NPC that players can encounter in Elden Ring, the open world role-playing game from FromSoftware. The character pretends to be friendly, but will betray the players in the course of the game.
The first contact with Patches
When players walk along Lake Agheel in Limgrave, they will find a small fork in the southwestern direction that leads under a natural bridge. If they follow the path, they will find a cave entrance to their left.
However, before the stained ones can enter the cave, a fog gate appears and the players are attacked by a red phantom. If they can defeat the phantom, the gate disappears and the players can descend into the turbid river cave.
The cave is quite small and has tall bushes. The bushes camouflage a series of bell traps that, when activated, attract a horde of bandits. If the players manage to defeat the bandits, they will find a treasure chest in a side cave. However, before they have a chance to take a closer look, they are attacked by Patches.
The boss fight is not particularly difficult. It’s enough for the players to drain Patches of half of his life energy to make him beg for mercy. If the players agree, the fight ends and Patches is available to the players as a merchant.
Patches (Elden Ring): Wrong Game
Patches sets traps for the players. The first trap is the aforementioned bandit attack in the murky water caves. The second trap is hiding in the crate he is sitting next to. If the players open the crate, they will be enveloped in a thick mist and teleported to the Misty Forest Ruins right next to a large rune bear.
When players return to Patches after the ambush, he snarkily replies that the trap might be a lesson for those who wander the world too curious or greedy.
Later on, players will find Patches in the area of Gelmir Mountain. He is hiding in some bushes, looking at a trail of glowing crystals. If the players approach him, he claims that he is not doing anything noticeable. When the players follow the trail and step up to the cliff, Patches sneaks up behind them and kicks them off the cliff. In doing so, he means that the stained ones will never make it to House Vulcan.
Elden Ring: Patches Quest Series
Once the players have recovered from the new ambush and made their way to House Vulcan, they encounter Patches again. He offers them to perform a task for him. The players are to assassinate another player. If the players successfully return to Patches, he promises to talk to the leader of House Vulcan, Thanil. If the players return to him afterwards, Patches gives them a magma whip candlestick and Patches‘ quest line ends.
What’s the deal with Patches?
Patches is a recurring character in FromSoftware’s games. Already in the mech suit game Armored Core: For Answer there is an opponent named „Patches, the good luck“. This fight is also comparatively simple and a few hits are enough before Patches gives up.
In Demon Souls, Patches then appears as an NPC for the first time. When players meet Patches the Hyena in the tunnel city, he tells them that he has seen a legendary treasure under a large firefly. If the players want to take a closer look, Patches kicks the players off the hill. Only when the players survive the trap and return to the NPC, he gives the supposed treasure – a simple stick – and disappears again.
Both in the „Dark Souls“ series and in „Bloodborne“ there have been repeated appearances of patches. The character always wears a squire’s uniform in the Souls games and is depicted as a bald character with a long, broad nose. In Bloodborne, on the other hand, players can find a spider creature wearing Patches‘ head.
In all parts, Patches is dubbed by the same voice actor, William Vanderpuye.
Is it possible to kill patches in Elden Ring?
It is possible to kill patches at any time. Players will receive two simple gold runes and a gesture as a reward, and his full leather armor set, which is rather poor in terms of stats, though. In addition, players get a spear level +7 and a bell pendant, which they can turn in at the twin shells in the tablet round fortress.
However, it may be better to kill Patches only after buying an item from him. This is because Patches is in possession of Margit’s shackles. This item, which costs 5000 runes, can be used in the fight against Margit, the Cruel Mark. By using the shackles, Margit will be paralyzed for a short time and will not be able to attack the players, so they can cause significant damage in that time. You can also use the shackle to temporarily stun Morgott, the Omen King in battle.
Because most players are likely to encounter patches before they get to Margit and before they can even travel to the Round Table Stronghold, it is recommended that you don’t kill the NPC right at the beginning, but buy the shackles first.