News for Dark Souls. This could mean that Patches, one of the Dark Souls franchise's most infamous characters, will be appearing in the game as well.
Patches is a trickster archetype and a recurring character in FromSoftware games. For fans of the series, bumping into Patches means betrayal is not far behind. Sometimes, Patches will even appear in disguises, like Stiegward the Onion Knight. In Dark Souls games, Patches typically tries to fool players into helping him out, which ultimately leads to Patches attempting to kill them. It's a trope that's become so common, it's expected. So, will the deceitful character appear in Elden Ring? It's certainly possible.
Like Randall Flagg in Stephen King's novels, Patches is a character who can loosely connect unrelated games and may appear in different guises and under different monikers. Because of Patches's nature, and the character's history with appearing in FromSoftware titles, it makes sense that he will appear in Elden Ring in some form or fashion.
Why & How Patches May Appear In Elden Ring
If Elden Ring and Dark Souls take place in different and unrelated worlds, it might seem odd for Patches to appear in both. However, for those who've played FromSoftware games regularly, it's not hard to believe. The character has appeared in Demon's Souls as Patches the Hyena. He's appeared in Dark Souls titles in guises like Amnesiac Lapp and Unbreakable Patches. The character even appeared as a horrifying spider in Bloodborne and would likely also show up in the rumored Bloodborne sequel.
Like the other FromSoftware games that feature Patches, Elden Ring is from Hidetaka Miyazaki. With a character as notorious and iconic as Patches, it seems odd that Miyazaki would leave Patches out of his next big game. Elden Ring has revealed very little about itself, and it's likely fans may not find out if Patches makes a cameo until they're actually playing the game for the first time. After all, a Patches appearance has the most impact if it's a surprise.
Hopefully, fans anxiously anticipating Elden Ring will get an update on the game soon. For those looking for a primer on Patches before FromSoftware's next games releases, there are plenty of titles out there that feature the Dark Souls character.