Elden Ring is a vast open-world game that is full of brutal enemies for the player to slay and be slain by. The Tarnished are given an amazing landscape to discover and search from top to bottom. Along the way, they will come across a myriad of different personalities. The land is filled with non-playable characters to discover and their stories to be told. Some of these characters are warm and inviting, while others are not so inviting.
Whether the NPC is one of the more favorable or not, many of them have something in common: mortality. Yes, many of the NPCs in Elden Ring are killable just like FromSoftware’s other classics. Some NPCs players should even kill for the in-game benefits that their death may bestow upon them. Conversely, other characters should be left alone as they are too valuable alive. Either way, it is up to the Tarnished to be the Judge, Jury, and Executioner of these NPCs.
9 Kenneth Haight
Kenneth Haight can only be described as a damsel in distress. Found in the game’s first area Limgrave, Kenneth has been overthrown in his castle and is stranded on a broken piece of a building. When passing by, the Tarnished can hear Kenneth calling for help.
Unfortunately for Kenneth though, he drops a very important resource for the early game. Upon death, Kenneth drops a Golden Seed which is used to increase the number of healing flasks the player can hold. Guess the Tarnished is not the Knight in shining armor Kenneth was hoping for.
8 Gatekeeper Gostoc
At Elden Ring’s first major dungeon Stormveil, players will notice that the front gate is completely shut tight. With the inability to press on, they will go through a little room on the side of the gate where they will meet a peculiar man. Gatekeeper Gostoc reveals his disdain for Godrick and aids the player in traversing the castle. Gostoc is not as generous as he seems though.
At various points of the dungeon, Gostoc can be found stalking the player or conveniently being in hidden places near the player as they progress. This is because when the player dies, Gostoc will take 30% of the runes the player dropped. Not only that, but Gostoc will even actively try to trap the player in different dangerous scenarios to get them killed. It’s off to the gallows for Gostoc.
7 Merchant Kale and The Nomadic Merchants
NPCs players will surely come across on their journey through The Lands Between are the Nomadic Merchants. These helpful fellows provide the player with an abundance of different resources and items. They can be extremely helpful to the players throughout the game.
Most of them are extremely nice and friendly. This fact makes killing them so much harder. The merchants are scattered throughout the world, so it can be pretty annoying to find them again. When players kill them they get their bell bearings, making the Twin Maiden Husks a one-stop shop for all of their needs.
6 Knight Bernahl
Found at the Warmaster’s Shack in Limgrave, Knight Bernahl aids the player by teaching them Ashes of War. This can be extremely helpful to players at the beginning of the campaign because of their lack of choices. He provides most of the basic ones that can certainly turn the tide of battle.
Knight Bernahl is also the main proponent of the Volcano Manor quest line. At the end of which, he leaves the Manor and will invade the player later on. Killing him here is recommended because the player will be given the Devourers Scepter (one of the legendary armaments),
5 Ensha
This brazen man is a servant of Gideon Ofnir who can be found leaning against Gideon’s door frame in Roundtable Hold. Unsuspecting players were most likely caught by surprise when they got attacked by Ensha in the hold after obtaining the Haligtree Medallion Half.
This event triggers Ensha to turn into an invader and attack the Tarnished where they feel most safe. Killing Ensha here rewards the player with the Clinging Bone weapon and cool-looking Royal Remains armor set.
4 Patches
When speaking about killable NPCs in a FromSoftware game it would be blasphemous to omit the king of killable NPCs. Patches is a staple in the series because he will constantly try to hoodwink and betray the player. Veterans of the franchise are no strangers to the antics of this trickster.
Players are usually given the chance to spare or kill Patches. Although many players have a soft spot for Patches, killing him is quite lucrative in the early game of Elden Ring. After slaying Patches players will acquire a +7 Spear which is a considerable weapon for how early someone can fight him.
3 Millicent
Whilst traveling the plague-ridden lands of Caelid, being a helping hand to someone is just about the last thing on players’ minds. After traveling through poison swamps, getting trampled by giant birds, and getting eviscerated by giant shrimp, players will be keeping an eye out for the exit.
However, if the player does take care to search some interesting places in Caelid they will come across a sick woman named Millicent. Millicent is plagued by the scarlet rot, and she asks the Tarnished’s aid in curing her. After this, the player can continue her quest which proposes a choice at the end. One of the options is to kill Millicent, granting the player the Millicent’s Prosthesis talisman.
2 Preceptor Seluvis
One of the most pretentious characters in any of From’s games makes his appearance in the Lands Between. Seluvis is a conceited and snobby sorcerer that the Tarnished meets during Ranni’s quest line.
Technically the player cannot directly kill this NPC, but while doing the quest for Ranni, Seluvis will die. Unfortunately, the player is not the one to swing the sword, but they will certainly reap the benefits. Upon death, Seluvis will drop his bell bearing that gives access to his shop.
1 Blaidd
During Ranni’s quest, players will meet some of Elden Ring’s best and worst NPCs. One of the good ones, however, is Blaidd. Blaidd is Ranni’s associate and guardian. He will help the Tarnished throughout the game, even during boss fights like Radahn, and often provide a friendly face when the player can use it. Even if the face is that of a wolf.
Blaidd, however, will turn hostile at the end of Ranni’s quest, attacking the player outside her tower. This heart-wrenching fight is hard to get through, not because of difficulty, but because Blaidd is a friend. Killing him does give the player his amazing armor though.
Elden Ring is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
