Elden Ring‘s Murkwater Cave is a dungeon in central Limgrave that houses one of the most recognizable characters in FromSoftware’s games – Patches. The cunning recurring character acts as an NPC, a merchant, and a field boss.
Murkwater Cave is an easy-to-navigate location and offers many crafting items early in the game. Patches is the boss of Murkwater Cave, but before you deal with him, you will have to defeat Bloody Finger Nerijus.
So, in this Elden Ring Murkwater Cave walkthrough, I will show you the cave location, how to defeat the enemies near and inside the cave, the items you can loot, and how to save yourself from Patches’ betrayal! 😎
Let’s jump into the article.
Murkwater Cave Elden Ring Location
Murkwater Cave in Elden Ring is a beginner-friendly location, except for the Bloody Finger Nerijus, where you can roam around and collect a few crafting materials. It is in central Limgrave, just north of the bridge.
You need to go via the Murkwater River to find this cave, as it is hidden, just like Highroad Cave. If you watch it from the bridge, I am pretty sure you’ll miss it, just like I did in my first playthrough. So, make sure you get down in the waters.
If you play as a Samurai, you will get a Uchigatana, one of the best katanas in the Elden Ring. However, if you are playing with any other class, make sure you purchase a Bastard Sword from the Nomadic Merchant on the eastern side of the Weeping Peninsula. The greatsword is good for early-game enemies and will cost you 3000 Runes only.
How To Get to Murkwater Cave in Elden Ring?
As I said, you need to find the Murkwater Cave via the Murkwater River. When you are in the river, you will encounter some highwaymen.
These enemies rebirth after you kill them. So, once their HP is 0 and they are trying to rebirth, hit the last blow and finish them completely.
Along the way, you can also collect some Fire Grease. You can coat your armaments with Fire Grease and inflict fire damage on your enemies. It lasts for 60 seconds and deals an additional 85 fire damage.
Once you reach the entrance of the Murkwater cave, you will automatically unmount Torrent. This happens because an invader has started entering your world.
Soon, the Bloody Finger Nerijus appears, all in red, to fight you. This battlefield is slightly north of the Murkwater Cave. Bloody Finger Nerijus attacks with powerful daggers with bleed capabilities; he also has some ranged attacks.
So, remember to fight Nerijus wisely; he can take down your health very quickly, if not kill you with a single shot. I recommend fighting with a shield in your left hand, as it will save you from his thrust attacks. About his power stabs, just dodge.
Fight defensively against the Bloody Finger Nerijus. Approximately 45 seconds into the fight, Bloody Finger Hunter Yura will be automatically summoned for your help.
Once you defeat the Bloody Finger Nerijus, you will receive 1294 Runes and Reduvia – a dagger with an inherent blood loss effect. You can use this dagger against the Sleeping Dragon in Caelid to farm runes early in the game.
After defeating the invader in the Murkwater River, head west and enter the Murkwater Cave.
Murkwater Cave Walkthrough
I suggest you buy a torch from Merchant Kale before you enter Murkwater Cave because it is dark inside. Although this cave is better-lit than Highroad Cave, I suggest you have a torch in your inventory.
Activate the site of grace inside the Murkwater Cave so you can put this location on the map and come here later if needed.
Inside the Murkwater Cave, you will see two highwaymen, one roaming around while the other resting. The roaming enemy will charge at you. Kill the enemy silently, or the other enemies will be alerted.
After killing the first enemy, sneakily go towards the resting enemy. Ensure you follow the exact path when the first enemy runs towards you, or else you will set off a trap, and a group of enemies will attack you.
Once you reach the resting NPC, kill him silently with thrust or piercing attacks.
Some highwaymen from the left cave will run towards you. Fight with them cautiously, as they can inflict the Poison effect on you.
After killing the rabid highwaymen, go inside the cave, and you will find three more highwaymen. They are easy to kill; just beware of their Poison effect.
In a treasure chest, you can loot the Highwaymen’s cloth armor.
In the next treasure chest, you can loot some mushrooms – a material used for crafting items.
Exit the first cave and enter the second cave. On the way, you can collect some Cave Moss, another crafting material. Most caves in Elden Ring, including the Groveside Cave, feature Cave Moss. So, you can use this for crafting quite easily!
In the second cave, when you open the treasure chest, you will hear a voice. This is Patches, a recurring character in FromSoftware games. He is known for his cunning wits and tendency to betray the players at multiple checkpoints in the game.
As Patches will hop onto the battlefield, you need to engage. He is pretty easy to beat, so any weapon and shield combination can work in this fight.
Once Patches’ health bar is less than 50%, he will stop fighting and surrender. You can keep on hitting him and kill him, but I suggest you not do this.
Wait for a few dialogues, and the “ENEMY FELLED” notification will appear. You will also receive 2X Golden Rune [1] and a Grovel for Mercy gesture.
Once the items are collected, you can continue the friendly chat with Patches. He will suggest that he wants to start a new life above the bridge and will ask you to forgive him.
You can choose any of the two dialogue options:
- Forgive and forget
- Some things can’t be forgiven
Choose the first option, and it will trigger a subsequent conversation.
Patches will hint at his new life as a merchant and will ask you to come back later, and he will offer you a new deal.
Now, you have two options. You can exit the Murkwater Cave using the nearby pool of light and continue on your adventures in the Lands Between. Or, you can quit the game and reload it to return to this spot.
If you choose to quit and reload, like I did, then you can come back to Patches inside the Murkwater Cave and buy items from him. You can buy a Gold Pickled Fowl or a Missionary’s Cookbook.
Just next to Patches, you will find a treasure chest with Cloth Garb and Cloth Trousers. The items are not that important, but you can collect them anyway.
After purchasing items from Patches, you can ask him about the other chest in the cave. If you choose this option, you will get a misleading answer.
The treasure chest is nothing but a trap by the cunning NPC. It is a teleporter trap that takes you outside the cave and right in the middle of a troublesome spot.
If you open the treasure chest with the teleporter trap, you will end up in the Mistwood Forest in west Limgrave. You will spawn between two wild bears. If you don’t want to fight them, just hop on your Torrent and run away before they notice you.
Final Thoughts
If, somehow, you end up killing Patches, you can collect Patches’ Bell Bearing. It is a key item in Elden Ring that can be offered to the Twin Maiden Husks to gain access to new shop items.
Along with the Patches’ Bell Bearing, you also get 800 Runes, Spear+7, Leather Armor, Leather Gloves, and Leather Boots.
Also, if you are ahead in the game and did not find Patches in the Murkwater Cave, you can encounter Patches at other locations in Lands Between.
For example, in Liurnia, you will find Patches near the Scenic Isles site of grace. In Altus Plateau, you can find him at Mt. Gelmir. Patches can also be encountered at the entrance of Volcano Manor.
After Rykard, Lord of Blasphemy, is defeated, he will move to the Shaded Castle on the bridge leading to Elemer of the Briar. Finally, once Tanith has been given the Dancer’s Castanets, he will return to Murkwater Cave.
If you roam around Elden Ring’s world long enough, you’ll also come across huge moving structures that are often guarded by tough bosses. These are Elden Ring’s Walking Mausoleums. Make sure to check out our guide so that you know how to get the most out of them!
