Elden Ring Patches location, quest steps and what to do with Patches's chest

Where to find Patches in Elden Ring

Patches can be found in Murkwater Cave, a dungeon north of the Agheel Lake. Take the river up, and after the invasion from Bloody Finger Nerijus, enter the nearby cave. Make sure you have a torch before entering if you don't have one already.

Murkwater Cave itself is a very short dungeon. You'll find bells which you can walk into which alert nearby enemies, but provided you aren't surrounded, shouldn't be too taxing to take down.

When ready, head down the right path from the central room to find a fog wall. Inside is a treasure chest. Open the chest and Patches will appear in a 'boss' fight.

What to do during the Patches fight, and whether to forgive and forget explained

Patches will have a health bar similar to an boss encounter, and as the only 'boss' within the dungeon, you'd expect it to play out as such.

Instead, there are a few key differences. For one, Patches is as strong as a knight or regular shielded enemy you might have encountered in Gatefront Ruins or elsewhere - in short, as long as you keep a middle distance, use your shield and be patient, you'll whittle his health down in no time at all.

This brings us to our next difference. Halfway through the battle, Patches will surrender and ask you to stop fighting. At this point, halt your attacks and wait. After a few moments, the encounter will end.

Now 'forgive and forget' and you'll spare him fully.

What is inside Patches' chest?

Sparing Patches will unlock him as a vendor, who offers you a number of useful items to help you out in the early game.

One is Margit's Shackle, a reusable item which you can use during the upcoming battle with Margit. This is a mandatory battle on the critical path, and though it's not cheap at 5,000 Runes, the battle is difficult enough that any leg up is worth investing in.

There are a number of other items, including a cookbook but perhaps the most notable is a Stonesword Key, which you can also purchase for 5,000 Runes.

Talking to him also sees him discuss a second, unopened chest elsewhere in the cave - one that's apparently being left for a special someone.

If you open the chest, it springs a trap which teleports you away to Mistwood, a short distance to the east in Limgrave.

If you do this, then you cannot warp away - you must rest at a Site of Grace first. Thankfully, there is one on the roads out of your location to the north and south - so head to either, rest, then escape:

When you return to Patches, he's surprised you're alive - but will continue to sell you goods if you decide not to seek vengeance!

Where to find Patches after Murkwater Cave

Patches won’t stay in Murkwater Caves and will actually appear in other locations once you progress beyond Stormveil Castle.

Similar to past Souls games, there’s even a bit where - possible spoilers ahead - he’ll trick you to peer over a cliff edge so he can kick you off it.

However, the next crucial stage you’ll see him if you want to advance his questline is at Volcano Manor.

Volcano Manor can be found on Mt. Gelmir to the west of Altus Plateau. You’ll find it on the same path as looking for the map fragment for that area.

Inside the manor, you’ll meet Lady Tanith seated in an area to the right of the Site of Grace with her Crucible Knight bodyguard standing next to her.

Speak to Tanith and agree to join her and when you next reload the area, you’ll find Patches is squatting in the manor’s hallway entrance. If you talk to him he’ll continue to sell his wares as before.

However, you can also trigger Patches’ questline after you have completed one of Tanith’s assassination requests.

After you’ve joined Volcano Manor, Tanith gives you the drawing room key, which lets you access the rooms to the right of the manor. In the large drawing room on the left, you’ll find Knight Bernahl, an Ash of War merchant and on the table opposite him is a letter that gives you an assassination target.

When you’ve completed your first assassination, speak to Patches again and he’ll give you a letter with his own assassination target.

The target is Great Horned Tragoth, who you might have seen as an NPC you can summon during the Starscourge Radhan fight.

He can be found at the Ruin-Strewn Precipice, which should be familiar to players if they decided to find an alternate path to Altus Plateau instead of finding the medallion halves to operate the Grand Lift of Dectus.

In short, this path is found at the end of the ravine north of Liurnia. Tragoth’s invading sign can be found in the same place where you fight Magma Wyrm Makar.

Tragoth is a hard-hitting character who wields a huge stone hammer but also has a crossbow for ranged attacks. But if you can bait him into his charged attacks you should be able to catch him at the end of these attacks. He’ll drop the Bull Goat armour set when defeated.

Once this is done, return to Volcano Manor and speak to Patches and he’ll congratulate you on a job well done. But what about your reward?

You’ll actually have to speak to him again and then select the option to prompt him on this before he begrudgingly gives you the Magma Whip Candlestick.

Where to find Patches after Volcano Manor

To continue Patches’ quest and move him from Volcano Manor, you will need to continue the manor’s questline, which leads to fighting and defeating the God-Devouring Serpent (AKA Lord Rykard).

The next place you’ll find Patches is at the Shaded Castle, which you will have visited if you are following Millicent’s questline.

You will find Patches slumped in a corner before the castle’s boss (he will appear in this location whether or not you have defeated this boss).

Speak to him and he will give you the Dancer’s Castanets item, telling you to give it to Lady Tanith, before seemingly dying.

At this point, Tanith and her knight will have left the manor. However, if you fast-travel back to the Site of Grace where you fought Rykard, you’ll find that she’s lying next to her fallen lord, eating him.

You can talk to her and have the option to give her the Dancer’s Castanets although she will ignore you. In any case, doing this will still result in it disappearing from your key items but seems to do nothing else.

You can now either leave the area or kill Tanith if you want to trigger an optional fight.

Where to find Patches after Shaded Castle

The April 1.04 patch added one final part of Patches’ quest. So after you’ve given the Dancer’s Castanets to Tanith, return to Murkwater Caves. If you make your way to where Patches was originally you’ll find the area has a fog wall once again.

Go in and you’ll find another chest, which has just a glass shard inside. It’s deja vu as you’ll once again be ambushed by Patches from above with his spear and greatshield.

However, you don’t even have to fight him as he’ll suddenly recognise you and almost immediately surrender. You’ll automatically be rewarded with the Patches’ Crouch emote, allowing you to squat just like he does.

That’s basically the end of Patches’ questline and he’ll stay in Murkwater Caves to peddle the same things as before.

Or, you can also kill him to take his gear (a leather armour set and a Spear +7, so nothing to really write home about) and Patches’ Bell Bearing, which can be given to the Twin Maiden Husks back at the Roundtable Hold, though it will just be to buy the same things from them instead.

The choice is yours!