Elden Ring Patches questline (2024)

Patches is one of just a handful of common threads that developer FromSoftware has included in almost every game since 2009’s Demon’s Souls. In Patches’ Elden Ring quest, he has a massive presence, and unsurprisingly, he’s up to his old tricks — yes, including pushing you down a big hole.

Here’s how to meet Patches, where to find him after that, and how to see his secret ending added in patch 1.04.

CHAPTER 1: MERCY

Step 1: Murkwater Cave
Step 2: Have mercy
Step 3: Patches’ pitfalls

CHAPTER 2: SIGHTSEEING

Step 4 (optional): Find Patches in Liurnia
Step 5 (optional): Find Patches on Mt. Gelmir

CHAPTER 3: A RECUSANT IN REPOSE

Step 6: Meet Patches in Volcano Manor
Step 7: Defeat Rykard
Step 8: Meet Patches at Shaded Castle

CHAPTER 4: MURKWATER REPRISE

Step 9: Install patch 1.04
Step 10: Return to Murkwater Cave
Step 11: Kill Patches

Chapter 1: Mercy

Step 1: Murkwater Cave

Meeting Patches is one of the first things you can do in Elden Ring, if you’re so inclined. You’ll first encounter the wily scoundrel in Murkwater Cave, which you can find by following the shallow stream from the north side of Agheel Lake.

You’ll be invaded by a hostile NPC as you traverse the stream, so be ready, and kill the skeletons that you pass instead of running by them, because they can easily catch up and overwhelm you while you’re fighting the invader.

Step 2: Have mercy

Inside Murkwater Cave, you’ll be attacked by Patches once you open a specific chest. The encounter is framed as a boss fight — until you get his health low, at which point he’ll begin cowering and begging for mercy. If you want to continue his storyline, oblige his request — for now. You’ll receive the Grovel for Mercy gesture.

Patches will set up shop in the cave, giving you access to important items, including Margit’s Shackle, a Stonesword Key, and some PvP invasion items.

Step 3: Patches’ pitfalls

While Patches resides in Murkwater, you can attack him again to reengage, and then use the Grovel gesture to beg him for mercy. He may still kill you — different players have reported different results on forums like Reddit — but either way, you should earn the Extreme Repentance gesture from the experience. And even if he does kill you, he’ll be friendly again when you return.

You’ll also find a new chest in the room. Opening it will teleport you to Mistwood Ruins, and Patches will be gone the next time you return to Murkwater. Don’t worry, though — he won’t be gone forever.

Chapter 2: Sightseeing

The following steps are optional. You can eventually catch up with Patches even if you miss him at his next two locations.

Step 4 (optional): Find Patches in Liurnia

After leaving Murkwater Cave, Patches takes up residence on the Scenic Isle in southern Liurnia. The small isle juts from the water just west of the telescope icon on the map, and Patches resides on the isle’s southern tip.

He’ll continue to peddle his wares here, and he’ll even offer you a hot tip about a special Abductor Virgin who will teleport you to the base of the Erdtree. The enemy to which he refers is at the bottom of the massive rotating elevator near the Schoolhouse Classroom site of grace in the Academy of Raya Lucaria. Granted, this is Patches we’re talking about, so don’t be surprised when it actually transports you to a deadly dungeon in Volcano Manor rather than the base of the Erdtree. (For more on this, check out our Volcano Manor walkthrough.)

Step 5 (optional): Find Patches on Mt. Gelmir

Unwary travelers can also encounter Patches on Mt. Gelmir, during the journey to Volcano Manor.

Uphill from the First Mt. Gelmir Campsite site of grace, you’ll find a message instructing you to follow the rainbow stones toward a treasure. Just like back in Demon’s Souls, this is a trap laid by our good friend Patches, who will kick you down to the bottom of the chasm when you get close enough to the cliff. There’s stuff to explore down there — if you can survive the Basilisks.

However, if you look around carefully near the second and third glowing stones, you can confront Patches about his trap. Naturally, he insists he’s doing nothing suspicious, and kicks you down the cliff anyway once you continue following the path of stones.

Chapter 3: A Recusant in Repose

Step 6: Meet Patches in Volcano Manor

Despite Patches’ best efforts to kill you, chances are you’ll eventually make it to Volcano Manor, where you can find him in the entry hallway after progressing the recusant assassinations questline there.

Here’s the short version: Do one recusant mission for Tanith to make Patches appear. Exhaust his dialogue, and he’ll give you his own assassination mission. Complete the task, return and speak with him, then reload the area and speak with him again to receive the Magma Whip Candlestick.

Step 7: Defeat Rykard

Regardless of whether you actually complete Patches’ mission at the Manor, defeating the boss there, Praetor Rykard, will cause all NPCs, including Patches, to leave.

And don’t worry, if you need help with Rykard — you guessed it — Polygon covered the fight extensively in our Volcano Manor guide.

Step 8: Meet Patches at Shaded Castle

Patches’ penultimate hideout is in Shaded Castle, a medium-sized dungeon in between Altus Plateau and Mt. Gelmir. Patches waits on the wooden walkway that leads to the boss fog, so if you’ve already completed Shaded Castle, simply teleport to the Castellan’s Hall site of grace and walk outside to find him.

In a rare vulnerable moment, Patches gives you the Dancer’s Castanets and requests you pass them on to Tanith. Exhaust his dialogue, and Patches will fall silent. You can give the item to Tanith — or not, as it appears to have no tangible effect.

Chapter 4: Murkwater Reprise

Step 9: Install patch 1.04

No, this isn’t a “patches” joke. Prior to Elden Ring patch 1.04, which was released on April 19, 2022, that was the end of Patches’ journey through the Lands Between. So if you want to continue, make sure you’re on the latest version of the game.

Step 10: Return to Murkwater Cave

After meeting Patches at the Shaded Castle, return to Murkwater Cave for one last encounter.

When you attempt to reenter Patches’ original room, you’ll find a green boss fog wall (you may need to rest at the cave’s site of grace for it to appear). Enter the fog, and open the chest for Patches to attack you once again, only to realize his mistake and surrender almost instantly. This time, you’ll get the Patches’ Crouch gesture.

Reload the area, and Patches’ Emporium will, at last, once again be open for business (though his wares don’t appear to have changed). Note that, at this point, if you missed getting the Extreme Repentance gesture the first time around, you can attack Patches to reengage him, and then allow your health to get low and use the Grovel for Mercy gesture to earn it now. Patches won’t stop attacking you, but if you let him kill you and then return to the area, he’ll be friendly again, and you can easily pick up any dropped runes.

Step 11: Kill Patches

Now is the time when you can kill Patches safely, with the knowledge that you’ve done everything, and he has nothing left to offer you. Doing so nets you Patches’ Bell Bearing, his Spear +7, and the Leather Armor set. Plus, you know you want to.

With Patches in the ground, check out Polygon’s guides to Varré, Nepheli, Fia, and Blaidd’s NPC questlines for more.