Elden Ring players likely know Patches as an initial enemy turned traveling merchant, but they might not realize that he has appeared in many of FromSoftware’s games and has a pretty rich history. Aside from the Dark Souls series, none of FromSoftware’s games take place in the same fictional universe, making the existence of a character who exists in multiple franchises a bit of a mystery.

Players have speculated on the nature of Patches andwhy he might appear in FromSoft’s multiple different universes, though there is no official answer as of now. The biggest hint to the true nature of Patches is his consistent personality throughout each of his appearances. The way he acts in each of his appearances may point to Patches being a mythical figure, inspired by a common archetype in folklore. Players may also be shocked to learn just how far back into FromSoftware’s catalog Patches goes, and how varied some of his appearances are.

Who Patches Is In Elden Ring

Patches Can First Be Found In Murkwater Cave

When players first encounter Patches in Elden Ring, they will likely trigger a fight with him by opening a chest nearby. While the player is looking at their new loot, Patches will charge at them out of the darkness, accusing them of being a thief. He fights the player with a combination of spear, shield, and acid mist which he will drink and spit at them. Once Patches reaches half-health, he will beg for his life. If spared, he becomes a merchant that the player will encounter throughout the game.

This pattern is one that is seen across most of Patches’ appearances in some form. He will try to trick and kill the player, only to quickly beg for his life as soon as he is caught again. Elden Ring’s version of Patches is actually one of the most straightforward when it comes to fighting, as others tend to rely even more on trickery, stealth, and long-ranged attacks. This could tip off the player to Patches’ true identity within FromSoft’s many different worlds.

Why Is Patches In So Many FromSoftware Games?

Patches May Even Appear In Subtler Cameos In Certain Games

Patches first appeared in FromSoftware’s mech series Armored Core in the installment Armored Core: For Answer. In it, he is a mercenary called “Patch The Good Luck” who attacks the player using stealthier methods but will surrender once his health gets too low. This cemented his pattern for most of his future appearances in FromSoftware games. However, he would step up his levels of trickery in subsequent installments.

In Demon’s Souls Patches will try to lure the player to their deaths twice, once by getting them to pursue a treasure guarded by a tough enemy, the other time by kicking them into a pit. He tries to repeat the pit trick in Dark Souls, and he even disguises himself as a different NPC by stealing their armor in Dark Souls 3. Some players also believe he has shown up under different names, like the eye-patch-wearing Anayama in Sekiro. This penchant for trickery may explain why Patches can appear across different FromSoft universes.

Tricksters have appeared in many different folk stories across different cultures, like France’s Reynard the Fox or Coyote in many Indigenous American stories. Similar to these characters, Patches has appeared across different FromSoftware universes in different forms. Perhaps the closest parallel between Patches and tricksters of legend is his appearance as Patches the Spider in Bloodborne, which could be an allusion to the legendary trickster Anansi.

Patches is an interesting and somewhat enigmatic character. Though players have a good understanding of how he will behave, his true nature has yet to be given a canon explanation. It will be interesting to see if Patches returns in any FromSoftware games following Elden Ring, but players will have to be careful if he appears near any pits.