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For other uses, see Patches (disambiguation).
"Have you heard of Trusty Patches? If ever a man has rubbed me up the wrong way, ugh! If he ever comes around again, I swear, I'll have his hide."
Knight Lautrec of Carim

Patches, also known as Trusty Patches, is a character in Dark Souls. He is an opportunistic trickster with a strong animosity towards clerics.

He is the only character in Dark Souls who previously appeared in Demon's Souls, though the nature of this connection is unclear, and could ostensibly be coincidental within their respective fictions. Patches (or some apparent double of him) has appeared in other From Software games before and since Dark Souls, each time with a different title such as "Patches the Spider" or "Patches the Untethered."

Location[]

  • Patches is initially encountered in The Catacombs, up the ladder before the spiky bridge. Once Reah and her companions depart for the Catacombs, or the player enters the Tomb of the Giants, Patches will relocated to the Tomb.
  • He will remain in the Tomb of the Giants until Gravelord Nito is defeated.
  • After Nito's defeat, he will relocate to Firelink Shrine as a merchant. To find him, the player should face Kingseeker Frampt, then turn left to the doorway to the catacombs and turn left again before the stairs. Patches will be squatting in a small cove facing Frampt's direction.

Plot[]

Knight Lautrec expresses misgivings about Patches before the player first encounters him, giving players new to the series a hint that Patches is not trustworthy.

On first meeting the Chosen Undead, Patches will ask, "Are you a Cleric?" An affirmative answer will result in him attacking the player, immediately ending his questline.

If meeting Patches before Reah has left for the Catacombs, he will appear in the first area next to a bridge lever. Although seemingly neutral, his intentions are less than friendly. Upon the player's attempt to cross the bridge, Patches will attempt to kill the player by flipping it. The player may survive either by running back before the animation starts or by rolling off the bridge onto the conveniently placed ledge to the right of its center. If Patches was not spoken to before the player attempted to cross the bridge, doing so afterwards will result in him giving the player a Soul of a Lost Undead. Speaking to him before attempting to cross, then speaking to him again after will prompt him to ask if the flip caused any trouble; an answer in the affirmative will result in Patches giving the player a Humanity.

Patches is encountered again early in the Tomb of the Giants, not far from the earliest available bonfire. He will attempt to trick the player into looking over the edge of a cliff, and will promptly kick them off. Upon making their way back to him without dying, Patches will beg forgiveness, asking if he is still a friend. Dying before talking to Patches will cause him to question how you survived and become hostile. Answering in the negative will prompt Patches to give the player one Twin Humanities.

Patches remains in the Tomb of the Giants until Gravelord Nito is defeated, after which he will travel to Firelink Shrine. He will take up residence in an alcove near Frampt and act as a vendor for the rest of the game. Patches sells some useful items, many of which are of limited stock, as well as assorted cleric equipment—likely collected from earlier victims.

Lore[]

Little is known about Patches or his background, although he has previously been acquainted with Shiva of the East, Solaire of Astora, Lautrec of Carim, and Petrus of Thorolund.

Patches' very existence implies that he is trans-dimensional or that every reality contains a version of himself: the Hyena in Demon Souls, the Spider in Bloodborne, Trusty/Unbreakable in Dark Souls, and the Untethered in Elden Ring.

Notes[]

  • If you want to meet Patches in the Catacombs, do not talk to Petrus after Reah arrives as this will trigger their party to leave, causing Patches to move to the Tomb of the Giants.
  • Patches is the only merchant who sells the Crescent Axe, the Cleric Set, the Eyes of Death, and the Masks of the Father, Mother, and Child.
  • Employing the Dark Hand's special attack against Patches, the player can obtain up to seven liquid Humanity. As with other similar NPCs, using the Dark Hand will not cause hostility towards the player.
  • In the Catacombs, moving Patches away from the switch via Dark Hand, kicking, exit and reload or by wearing the Ring of Fog will allow the player to cross the bridge once without stopping. Remaining on the bridge for too long will give Patches enough time to reach and activate the switch. Occasionally the player can get to the other side and back without Patches noticing, although afterwards he will still apologize and give a humanity.
  • Patches cannot be attacked with the Dark Hand when encountered at Firelink Shrine while he is in his sitting position. Kicking him will force him to stand up without making him aggressive.

Strategy[]

Patches will use his spear to his advantage and attack the player with his shield up. Backstabbing can work well, though Patches may not leave his back open often.

Wares[]

Character information[]

Health and souls[]

Health Souls
NG NG+ NG NG+
821 1,797 2,000 4,000

Defenses[]

Physical Defenses Elemental Defenses Resistances
Regular Defense Strike Defense Slash Defense Thrust Defense Magic Defense Fire Defense Lightning Defense Poison Toxic Bleed
273 283 273 273 245 219 226 A A B

These stats are sourced from FuturePress's Official Dark Souls Strategy Guide.


Equipment[]

Right Hand Left Hand
Wpn Winged Spear
Winged Spear +14
Eagle shield
Eagle Shield +14

Head Chest Hands Legs
Black Leather Armor
Black Leather Armor +10
Black Leather Gloves
Black Leather Gloves +10
Black Leather Boots
Black Leather Boots +10

Drops[]

Item Wpn Crescent Axe
Crescent Axe
Humanity
Humanity
Drop Rate Guaranteed Guaranteed

Dialogue[]

Trivia[]

  • He is voiced by William Vanderpuye, who also voiced Unbreakable Patches and Amnesiac Lapp in Dark Souls III, Patches the Hyena in Demon's Souls, Patches the Spider in Bloodborne, and Patches the Untethered in Elden Ring. The various Patches found throughout the Souls series all favor similar gear, choosing to wield a spear and low-weight greatshield and wearing light armor.
    • His title in Elden Ring, "Patches the Untethered," alludes to his continued appearance throughout multiple intellectual properties.
    • In Dark Souls II, he is substituted by Mild-Mannered Pate.
  • He first appeared as "Patch the Good Luck" in Armored Core: For Answer, also developed by From Software. Both are named パッチ in Japanese. In each depiction, Patches is cowardly, uses ambushes, and is quick to grovel when placed at a disadvantage.
  • Patches may also be an allusion to an unnamed character in the much older FromSoftware title Shadow Tower Abyss, who pretends to be the player's friend while repeatedly tricking them into various traps.
  • At Firelink Shrine, Patches sits close to a cliff, indicating he may still be trying to trick people into jumping to their deaths.

Gallery[]

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