The Firelink Shrine is, for the most part, a comforting place Dark Souls 3 fans can call home. It's a pretty simple little spot — there's the central ring around the bonfire, there's an alcove for NPCs to inhabit ... and if you head outside, you'll find a tower just waiting to be explored.
Unfortunately, said tower is locked — but if you manage to find your way inside, you'll find one of Dark Souls 3's biggest callbacks to the other games in the franchise. The tower itself may be empty when you first explore it, but that doesn't mean you're the only one interested in it.
The man known as "Patches" has long been a pain in the backsides of Souls players, and the same holds true for Dark Souls 3. He's not just a shopkeeper anymore, either — this version of Patches plays an integral role in a few different questlines.
SPOILER WARNING:
If you hadn't already guessed, we'll be talking about the end of Patches' questline — if you want to try and figure it out on your own, bookmark this guide and come back if you need help.
In the Cathedral of the Deep
Just because Patches heads to the Firelink Shrine doesn't mean he'll actually be in the shrine when you return. Instead, buy the Tower Key from the Shrine Handmaiden. At 20,000 souls, it's expensive, but it's worth it: head back up to the tower to find the Fire Keeper's soul, then return to the door through which you entered.
Surprise! Patches has locked you inside, and there's seemingly no way out. It's possible to simply warp back to the bonfire, but if you drop down off the ledge, you'll find the Fire Keeper armor set and an Estus ring. From there, simply follow the path back out and around to the shrine's main room.
You can now confront Patches on the upper floor of the Firelink Shrine. He'll apologize and agree to sell you items, including the armor set required to continue Siegward of Catarina's questline.
Now that Patches will stop trying to kill you, he'll set up shop in the Firelink Shrine and sell you miscellaneous items. It's not much, but hey, at least he'll stop knocking you into pits!
Patches also has a pretty big influence on Siegward's questline — if you wanted to see what the Knights of Catarina are up to in Dark Souls 3, check out our guide on how to complete his story!
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