.jpg?q=50&fit=contain&w=1140&h=&dpr=1.5)
One of the first caves that the Tarnished may come across in their exploration of Limgrave is the Murkwater Cave, located just north of the Dragon-Burnt ruins. If the player travels along the river they should eventually find it, although they might have to face Bloody Finger Nerijus before entering.
Once he is taken care of, the player will be able to access the Murkwater Cave Site of Grace. This cave's notoriety within the community is prevalent because the player will be able to start Patches' questline after completing it. Patches is a fan favorite within the community because of his love for betraying the player at every turn and appearing in almost every FromSoftware game.
Main Cave Section Walkthrough
There are a number of things that the player should be aware of going into this cave that will make the experience a lot easier. Thankfully this cave is fairly short, so the player won't need to remember too much before going into this cave. Most importantly, the entire area is covered in sound traps that are hiding in the grassy cavern area.
Tripping any of these traps will alert every single enemy in the cave to your location. The player will then have to deal with a mob of Highwayman foot soldiers that will quickly overwhelm the average low-level player.
Therefore, the best strategy is to carefully maneuver around the sound traps and stealth kill a few of the guards to make the overall fight easier. There will then be three Highwaymen guards resting by a fire in a smaller cave pathway to the left of the main cavern. They will all be fairly bunched up, so it's recommended that the player uses Glintstone Arc to damage all of them at once.
After killing these soldiers, the player will then be able to access the chest nearby to their bodies where they will be rewarded with five mushrooms. Returning to the main room and going down the other pathway will lead to the boss room.
Patches Strategies
Upon reaching the large cavern area the player will notice that there is no boss fog that they need to traverse. Only after approaching the items on the floor will Patches make his grand entrance. He will accuse you of stealing his goods which is incredibly characteristic of the Patches from other FromSoftware titles. He will then jump down from his perch and try to kill the player.
Whilst his move set is very limited, his massive shield may cause problems for early game players and thrust attacks may catch the player unaware. The player should not lose confidence though, because they only need to get Patches down to 50% health before he gives up.
Patches will also use an Acid Spraymist attack that will appear as a large orange cloud that will linger for a few seconds. If the player is caught in this mist, their attack power will be lowered for a period. It's most advisable that when Patches is about to use this attack (telegraphed by when he pulls out the vial), the player repositions themselves away from where the cloud will form.
Waiting for a moment when his shield is protecting him is key to damaging him. Circling behind him to where he is more exposed is an excellent way to ensure damage, especially when the player uses spells from a distance to ensure they aren't suddenly in danger from being stabbed.
Don't Kill Patches!
Once Patches has reached 50% health, he will give up and cower down. It is important that when the player is near to this health threshold they slow down so as not to damage him more than necessary. If the player does decide to kill Patches, then they will be rewarded with Patches' Bell Bearing along with the leather armor set, a couple of Golden Runes, and a +7 Spear.
Once the player ceases to attack Patches in his cowered state, the player will get the Grovel For Mercy reaction, he will then offer to help you. After this point, he will become a merchant that sells the Tarnished a number of incredibly useful items throughout the game.
Arguably the most useful item he sells is Margit's Shackle, which will totally immobilize Margit The Fell Omen for a number of seconds during his boss fight. He also offers a number of consumables and the sword Estoc for an expensive 5,000 Runes.
Of course, not killing Patches at this moment will also open the player up to be betrayed by him again later on in the game at the Altus Plateau. However, it will also open up the opportunity to get interesting items and extra quest pathways once the player reaches the Volcano Manor. The player should refer to the full Patches questline for more information.
Elden Ring is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.