Patches

An NPC who has shown up in many other FromSoft games, Patches is a merchant, whose quest reveals him to have some soft spots.

Though he may do his best to get one over on you, any FromSoft vet will want to see Patches’s surprisingly long quest to conclusion. He is also a summon for Radahn, though he will flee shortly after arriving, providing no help whatsoever. While it’s rewards are minimal and it can be confusing in places, it is worth completing in order to see if Patches will redeem himself.

How to Complete Patches’s Quest

This time around, Patches has made a lair out of Murkwater Cave in Limgrave, which can be found along the river leading to the lake with Flying Dragon Agheel. Once inside, you can clear the dungeon as normal, until you come to a suspiciously empty room with a suspiciously unguarded chest. Open the chest, and Patches will attack as a boss fight. Be careful not to kill Patches here. Instead, you should hit him until he is at less than half health, and then let him surrender to you. Accept his surrender, and then exhaust his dialog, prompting him to become “friendly” and open his shop to you.

Note: This step is both skippable and entirely optional, only rewarding you with a new emote. As well, if you skip it now by going to Volcano Manor (Step 6) before completing it, you will be able to try it again at the end of his quest.

Now, you want Patches to show you how to surrender properly. Hit him three times with a weapon that won’t kill him outright, causing him to become aggressive again. Let him hit you until he reduces your HP to a low amount, and then he will offer to accept your surrender. But only if you use the Grovel for Mercy gesture. That won’t be enough for him, as his dialog will reveal, and so he will teach you the Extreme Repentance gesture. If you perform this before he kills you, only then will he accept your surrender and become friendly again.

Note: This step can be skipped, and you will only miss out on a story beat with Patches. If you reach Volcano Manor before completing this step, go straight to step 6.

Return to Murkwater Cave after reloading the area. When you do, the chest that he ambushed you at before will be closed again. Opening it will reveal a teleporter trap which will teleport you to Mistwood. He really got you this time.

Note: This step can be skipped, and you will only miss out on dialog featuring another of Patches’s “tricks”. If you reach Volcano Manor before completing this step, go straight to step 6.

After being forgiven, Patches leaves Murkwater Cave himself and sets up in Liurnia, at the Scenic Isle Site of Grace in the swamp. Exhaust his dialog here to learn about an Abdicator Virgin at the bottom of a water wheel in Raya Lucaria. Despite what he claims, dying to this Abdicator Virgin will not teleport players to the base of the Erdtree, but rather to the fiery inquisition chambers below Volcano Manor. You really must stop trusting this guy.

Note: This step can be skipped, and you will only miss out on a story beat with Patches. If you reach Volcano Manor before completing this step, go straight to step 6.

As you are hiking up Mt. Gelmir, you can once again encounter on of Patches’ “clever” tricks. He has left a message for you, and a trail of Rainbow Stones leading you to the edge of a cliff. I wonder what will happen? Following this trail will trigger a cutscene, in which Patches will push you off and make fun of you. Always up to his old tricks, isn’t he?

Once you make it to Volcano Manor, he will be close at hand. You can find him in the entrance hallway, northwest of the Site of Grace. If he is not here when you arrive, he will be after you join Volcano Manor and reload the area.

WARNING: This step has to be completed before defeating Rykard, or else you’ll miss it’s reward, the Magma Whip Candlestick.

After you have completed the first assassination mission for Tanith/Volcano Manor, speak to Patches in order to receive his assassination mission (via the Letter to Patches). This mission will see you assassinate Great Horned Tragoth in Magma Wyrm Makar’s arena near the Ruin-Strewn Precipice Overlook Site of Grace in Northern Liurnia (after defeating Makar himself). After killing Tragoth, you can return to Patches for him to (begrudgingly) give you your reward: the Magma Whip Candlestick.

Once you kill Rykard, whether at the end of the Volcano Manor questline or after clearing the legacy dungeon, Patches will leave Volcano Manor, progressing his quest.

Patches can next be found in the Shaded Castle, where he will be on the ground just outside of Elemer of the Briar‘s arena. Exhaust his dialog here in order to obtain the Dancer’s Castaners (which can be given to Tanith, though this has no effect). He will pretend to die (of course he will), and then vanish from the area. I am sure he is gone for good this time.

He was not gone for good. Instead, he has set up back in his old digs, Murkwater Cave in Limgrave! Here, he will once again be a boss, just like the first time you met him. He will surrender almost immediately, and be friendly from this point on, but I guess it just goes to show that he will never change. And, besides, would you want him to?

If you did not do step 2 while Patches was in Murkwater Cave earlier, you can do so now.