What happens when you kill every Merchant in Elden Ring?

In Elden, Ring players can technically eliminate any NPC in the game – including important characters. Here is what happens when you kill every Merchant in the FromSoftware title.

Although it has a vast open-world map, Elden Ring brings back many key traits of the Dark Souls franchises. One of those is the ability for users to hurt any NPC in the game’s story.

Devious players looking to slay anyone that walks in their direction may be curious what happens if you strike down Merchants. Here are the consequences of killing the traveling salesmen.

FromSoftware

What happens if you kill every Merchant in Elden Ring?

Can you kill Merchants in Elden Ring?

One of the first characters you meet in Elden Ring is Merchant Kale at the Church of Elleh in Limgrave. The NPC – who looks sort of like Santa Clause – is a salesman who will offer you items in exchange for runes.

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In previous Dark Souls titles, characters like this could be killed but it would often come with dire consequences such as being locked out of shops or special items for the rest of the game. In Elden Ring, it appears FromSoftware has not only largely dropped any negative consequences, but it can actually be beneficial.

Each time you manage to take out one of the NPCs, you will be given a special Bell Bearing which can be turned in to the Twin Maiden Husks at the Round Table. Doing this will unlock the Merchant’s inventory. YouTuber ‘Boomstick Gaming‘ tested the mechanic out and explained, “Having all of the Merchants items purchasable from one easy-to-access location beats trying to mark where each Merchant is at on the map.”

Since the Roundtable Hold is a place players will travel to frequently and can access instantly once unlocked, killing Merchants will essentially give you a complete shop in the location. In total, there are around 11 Merchants for players to hunt down across the Lands Between.

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It should be pointed out that while there doesn’t seem to be any known negative consequences at the time of writing, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any. Elden Ring is a massive game so users could eventually find something it impacts. But as of now, it appears to largely be beneficial.