Introduction
FromSoftware video games are famend for his or her difficult gameplay, intricate worlds, and memorable characters. Amongst these characters, few encourage as a lot simultaneous frustration and affection as Patches. A recurring determine throughout a number of titles, Patches embodies the archetype of the treacherous trickster, a personality you like to hate (and generally hate to like). In Elden Ring, this custom continues. Patches returns to the Lands Between, bringing his acquainted model of deceit, crafty, and shocking resilience. He’s greater than only a easy villain; he’s a posh entity whose interactions with the participant yield each perilous conditions and invaluable rewards. Whether or not you are a seasoned veteran acquainted with his antics or a newcomer encountering his schemes for the primary time, understanding Patches is essential to navigating the treacherous world of Elden Ring. This information will delve into the whole lot you must learn about this scheming scoundrel, from his preliminary appearances to his surprisingly nuanced questline. Navigating his schemes and selecting the best path will check your wits and decision-making expertise, however the rewards are undoubtedly value it.
Who’s Patches? Unveiling the Treacherous Service provider
Patches is a reputation that strikes worry (and maybe slightly amusement) into the hearts of many who’ve braved the worlds of FromSoftware. He is not a colossal boss or a world-ending deity, however quite a crafty, cowardly, and undeniably persistent particular person who has appeared in varied kinds throughout completely different video games. He debuted in Demon’s Souls, then tormented gamers in Darkish Souls, made a cameo look in Bloodborne, and even tried his hand at trickery in Sekiro. What unites these incarnations of Patches? A penchant for deceit, an unwavering self-preservation intuition, and a exceptional skill to outlive conditions that may kill lesser beings.
In Elden Ring, Patches retains these core traits. He is nonetheless a trickster, all the time searching for an angle to take advantage of. He is nonetheless motivated by greed, keen to alleviate unwary adventurers of their hard-earned Runes. And he is nonetheless remarkably good at escaping conditions the place he is outmatched. Nonetheless, Elden Ring additionally presents a extra layered model of Patches, providing a shocking quantity of depth to his interactions with the participant. He’s a service provider of types, promoting invaluable objects, however trusting him along with your hard-earned runes is all the time a bet.
Bodily, Patches is recognizable by his considerably unkempt look and his distinctive crouching posture. This crouch will not be merely an idle animation; it is usually a prelude to some type of treachery, a telltale signal that one thing is amiss. Be careful for this.
Encountering Patches in Elden Ring: Treachery Unfolds
Patches’s journey via the Lands Between takes him to a number of key places, every encounter providing new alternatives for deceit and surprisingly, generally, camaraderie.
Murkwater Cave
His first look happens in Murkwater Cave, positioned in Limgrave. The cave itself is a comparatively simple dungeon, populated by bandits. Nonetheless, on the finish of the cave, you will encounter a chest seemingly unguarded. Strategy with warning, as a result of upon opening the chest, you set off an ambush. Patches seems, wielding a spear and defend, and assaults. The combat itself is not significantly tough, particularly if you happen to’re correctly leveled. Nonetheless, the important thing to surviving this encounter lies not in defeating Patches outright, however in decreasing his well being to a important level. When his well being is low, Patches will give up, begging for his life. Select to spare him, and he’ll change into a service provider, providing a collection of items, together with a Margit’s Shackle, which may be extremely helpful within the combat in opposition to Margit, the Fell Omen. Killing him at this stage grants you his bell bearing, which may be given to the Twin Maiden Husks on the Roundtable Maintain, permitting you to buy his wares even after his demise.
Scenic Isle (Liurnia of the Lakes)
After your preliminary encounter in Murkwater Cave, Patches resurfaces in Liurnia of the Lakes, particularly on the Scenic Isle, simply positioned on the map and accessible by Torrent. Head to the marked location, and method the sting of the cliff face. As you method the marked space, Patches will reappear in entrance of you, and provide you with some recommendation, suggesting that you just look over the sting to get an amazing view. You possibly can guess what occurs subsequent: He kicks you off. This act of treachery is each infuriating and hilarious, a basic Patches second. Thankfully, the autumn is not deadly, and you will find your self in a decrease space with some helpful objects close to the Web site of Grace.
Volcano Manor
Patches additionally makes his approach to Volcano Manor, a location in Altus Plateau devoted to serving the Larger Will. You’ll find him loitering within the manor’s corridors, seemingly reformed and built-in into the family. At Volcano Manor, Patches will assign you assassination contracts. Finishing these contracts will grant you varied rewards, and advance his questline. He additionally sells objects at Volcano Manor, which can be helpful in your journey.
Shaded Fortress
Patches additionally seems later within the sport within the Shaded Fortress. The situation is on the border between Altus Plateau and Mt Gelmir. Killing him at this location will yield distinctive objects that will not be dropped in some other location.
Navigating Patches’s Questline: Selections and Penalties
Patches’s questline in Elden Ring is intertwined with the occasions unfolding at Volcano Manor and gives a singular perspective on the manor’s inhabitants and their motivations. By finishing his assassination requests, you will delve deeper into the lore of the manor and uncover a few of its secrets and techniques.
Crucially, at Volcano Manor, you will be introduced with a alternative: kill Patches or spare him. Every determination has its personal set of penalties. Killing him at Volcano Manor will clearly finish his questline and grant you his bell bearing. Nonetheless, sparing him permits you to proceed his questline and doubtlessly unlock much more rewards.
As soon as you’ve got accomplished the Volcano Manor questline given to you by Tanith, you’ll find that Patches will disappear from the Manor, presumably transferring on to a brand new location.
Patches’s Impression on the Participant Expertise: Extra Than Only a Villain
Patches’s presence in Elden Ring is extra than simply an occasional annoyance. He serves as a relentless reminder that the Lands Between are a harmful and unpredictable place, full of people who usually are not all the time what they appear. His trickery may be irritating, particularly whenever you fall sufferer to one in every of his traps. Nevertheless it additionally provides a layer of levity and humor to the in any other case grim and desolate world.
He is a personality that gamers like to hate. His schemes are so outrageous and his cowardice so clear that it is arduous to not discover him considerably endearing. He is a survivor, a rogue who manages to navigate the perils of the Lands Between via crafty and a wholesome dose of self-preservation.
Participating with Patches’s questline additionally gives distinctive advantages. He sells invaluable objects that may assist you in your journey, and his interactions present insights into the lore and characters of Elden Ring. He forces you to consider carefully about your choices, to weigh the dangers and rewards of trusting (or not trusting) a personality who has confirmed time and time once more that he’s to not be trusted. He is a crucial function of the sport, whether or not you agree along with his actions or not.
Conclusion: The Enduring Attraction of the Scheming Scoundrel
Patches is a defining character in Elden Ring. He’s a relentless, irritating reminder that the world will not be a good one, and that belief is a luxurious you possibly can not often afford. From his ambush in Murkwater Cave to his potential involvement with the assassination plots of Volcano Manor, Patches leaves an enduring impression on anybody who crosses his path.
He embodies the core themes of Elden Ring: the battle for survival, the anomaly of morality, and the enduring energy of human (or demi-human) nature. He’s a personality that gamers will bear in mind lengthy after they’ve defeated the ultimate boss and claimed the Elden Ring. He may be grasping and cowardly, however he additionally performs an essential position within the sport’s narrative, and he challenges us to consider carefully about who we select to belief.
In the end, Patches is a testomony to FromSoftware’s masterful character design. He’s a villain, a trickster, and a survivor, all rolled into one unforgettable package deal. Whether or not you select to kill him on sight or navigate his questline to its conclusion, one factor is for certain: your journey via Elden Ring might be richer and extra memorable for having encountered the scheming scoundrel often known as Patches. His legacy on this planet of FromSoftware continues, and we are able to ensure that he’ll proceed to shock us sooner or later.
