FromSoftware’s games don’t have many recurring characters, but one that has popped up numerous times over the years isPatches (NPC). Patches once again returns inElden Ring, found in a cave that players can reach very early in the game. After making their way through Murkwater Cave in Limgrave,Elden Ringplayers can open a chest to trigger a boss fight with Patches, who accuses the player of stealing his belongings.
ThePatches boss fight inElden Ringis one of the easiest in the game and should be resolved fairly quickly. AfterElden Ringplayers have dealt some damage to Patches, he will then try to surrender. At that point,Elden Ringplayers have the choice to kill or spare Patches. If players choose to spare Patches, then they will potentially have more encounters with him later in the game.
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The immediate effect of sparing Patches inElden Ringturns him into a merchant that players can use at Murkwater Cave and other locations. When players reach theRadahn boss fight, they will notice that Patches is one of the options for NPCs that players can summon into the battle. However, if players actually summon Patches in to help with the Radahn fight, they will find that he leaves to go back to his world fairly quickly and so isn’t much help.
Patches will later trick the player into following a trail of Rainbow Stones and kicking them off the cliff. After this, players can still encounter Patches when inVolcano Manorto start a special questline. Obviously, anyone that chose to kill Patches earlier will not be able to start this particular quest until they start a New Game+ run.
The final locationElden Ringplayers see Patches is at the Shaded Castle in the Altus Plateau. Once here, players can get theDancer’s Castanetsfrom him. Anyone that regrets not killing Patches inElden Ringat their first meeting can then kill him here now if they’d like with no real consequences.
Patches has become a sort of unofficial mascot for FromSoftware, appearing in many of the company’s games ever since his debut appearance inArmored Core: For Answer. Considering how many times he’s popped up over the years, it seems highly likely that fans will see Patches again in FromSoftware’s next game, whatever that may be. While they wait to learn more about FromSoftware’s next project, fans can continue exploringElden Ring’s massive open world.
Elden Ringis out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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