And it proved to be a victorious return for Patchell as tries from Aaron Shingler, Jonathan Evans, DTH van der Merwe and Hadleigh Parkes earned the Scarlets a 26-15 win.
Patchell was instrumental in Parkes' bonus-point try 30 seconds after the break as he broke superbly to put his team in.
And while the overall result saw Scarlets leapfrog the Blues in the table to move into the top six for the first time this season, the 23-year-old was keen to look at the bigger picture.
"I'd been here five years, of course it was going to be a little bit different going into the away changing room but once you get over that and get on the pitch the pitch is the same size as it always is, you get on with the 80 minutes," he said.
"We'll see at the end of the year how important this game is, certainly for the here and now climbing up the table was a big priority and to come away with maximum points is pleasing.
"Don't get me wrong, it was a good win but next week now becomes the biggest game of the season, and the weekend after that becomes the biggest game of the season.
"We're happy that we've won but there's a long way to go this year."
Guinness PRO12 Scarlets News
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