Elden Ring is full of characters trying to use and backstab you. In this area, Gostoc the Gatekeeper surely is one of the worst but you can also use him and get some useful rewards.
Where to find Gostoc in Elden Ring?
Your first encounter with this friendly person takes place after defeating Margit close to the castle main gate. By taking the left door, you will find it in the corner of the room and he will first advises you to take the secret passage through the cliffs, rather than going through the main gate which is too well defended.
Door opening
You can accept Gostoc's suggestion, or refuse it and ask him to open the door, it doesn't really matter.
Once the door is open, you can go back to talk to Gostoc who will now sale items. You can also kill him at this point to get his loot, and save yourself some trouble. However, this will block the last step of a convergent quest. It is better to refrain from hurting him.
Stalking, trapping and stealing of runes
Gostoc will discreetly follow you into the castle, whether you go through the side or the main door. By being discreet, it is even possible to surprise him in places that are difficult to access, such as in the watchtower or the roof.
If you enter the dark room with a banished Knight, in order to get the rusty key, Gostoc will close the door behind you with a sneer, which will plunge you into darkness.
The real problem is that each time you die in the Castle, Gostoc will steal 30% of the runes from your corpse. If you had 1000 runes before you died, there will only be 700 left. The only way to get all your runes back is to kill Gostoc before killing Godrick. Then it will be too late. But again, this may not be the best decision.
Patch 1.03: After Godrick's Death
Once Godrick is killed, Gostoc will appear on the spot and stomp on the demigod's head, insulting him. Previously, his quest ended there, and he no longer offered his goods, which caused many players to kill him in order to obtain his loot and recover their runes. Since the last patch however he's essential for the last step of the Loux and Kenneth quests. He also cannot be brought back to life.
If you have correctly completed the quests of these 3 characters without killing them, by reloading the area several times after Godrick's death, they will eventually appear in the throne room. Gostoc will once again open his shop with new items.
