What happens if you don‘t forgive Patches in Dark Souls 3?

As a veteran Dark Souls player, I‘ve had plenty of encounters with the notoriously treacherous NPC known as Patches. Across multiple games, he never fails to lay cunning traps to catch unsuspecting undead. But what happens if you refuse to forgive Patches for his trickery when you meet him in Lothric? Let‘s dig into the consequences.

Immediate Effects: New Gesture and Item

After Patches kicks you down from the bridge outside Rosaria‘s chamber, denying him forgiveness nets you a couple of rewards:

• Prostration Gesture – Grovel pose allowing you to beg for mercy
• Rusted Coin – Boosts item discovery for a short time

These serve as Patches‘ initial apology for deceiving you. The groveling gesture fits his cowardly personality, while the coin plays to his merchant nature.

You‘ll also notice alternate dialog if you speak with him again, as he seems surprised by your refusal to forgive. But the gifts are the main takeaway if you want immediate compensation rather than waiting for access to his shop.

Merchant Services Still Available

Interestingly enough, even if you adamantly express your contempt, Patches sets up his Rohypnol merchant services in that spot not long after. He‘ll even have additional unique dialog lines reflecting your past interactions:

"Oh, it‘s you. Have you come to trample upon me? Go on, have your way. I think nothing of it…"

So while he remembers your harsh words, he focuses his energy on potential business transactions rather than holding a personal grudge.

Rescue of Greirat Unaffected

One of Patches‘ most useful roles in Dark Souls 3 is saving the thief Greirat from his doomed expedition to Irithyll Valley.

If you inform Patches of Greirat‘s journey beforehand, Patches will rescue the onion-loving thief from certain death once dispatched to Irithyll.

However, Patches carries out this rescue dutifully regardless of whether you forgave him previously.

This again demonstrates Patches putting capitalistic priorities around preserving a potential customer over his personal feelings.

Other Quest Outcomes Identical

Along with still saving Greirat, all other critical parts of Patches questline play out identically down the road:

• Relocates to Firelink Shrine after Greirat‘s quest concludes
• Can send him to Lothric Castle to loot more items
• Ultimately gives the player Siegbräu and Armor of Thorns

So in terms of meaningful impact on events, there are zero long term downsides to refusing forgiveness initially. See the comparison below:

Clearly the "Refuse Forgiveness" path gives some short term gains without hampering critical quest progress.

Speculation on Patches as a Character

Looking deeper at Patches himself – why does he focus so intently on profit over personal squabbles?

As one of few NPCs maintaining humanity through countless cycles, perhaps an obsession with commerce and theft keeps him anchored. Or maybe he realizes the player‘s potential value as a customer supercedes other petty disputes.

In any case, it seems swearing vengeance over a minor trespass simply isn‘t Patches‘ style. Regardless of your choice, expect no major betrayals even after refusing to pardon his mischief.

Conclusion: Refusing is Recommended

After analyzing all outcomes, I recommend seasoned players refuse Patches‘ plea for mercy at first encounter. The special gesture and item provide nice short term bonuses, while his questline carries on unaffected.

You can always forgive him afterwards, but you only get one chance to put the crooked cretin in his place when he‘s caught red-handed! Just don‘t expect any permanent consequences outside brief shame and reconciliation.

So don‘t let fear or sentiment stop you from putting Patches on blast next playthrough! For veteran dungeoneers, it‘s a small act of justice worth pursuing.

Let me know in the comments if this helped guide your interactions with Unbreakable Patches on your next Lothric adventure!