The Rat Market (Guide)

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Category:World Qualities

Rat Market:
The Rat Market is: Closed, based on the timestamp: Wed, 20 Nov 2024 11:42:05 +0000

Last updated on: 11:06, 18 Nov 2024 (UTC)

Placeholder4small.png Late MYN Content and Onwards

The Rat Market is a periodic, dynamic piece of content released in September 1899 (2021). Its mechanics make heavy use of World Qualities. According to the announcement post, one of the goals of the Rat Market is to introduce a regular source of variation, so that players are encouraged to experience more of the available content.

Every week, the Rat Market is only open for three days spanning the weekend. It opens at 11am UTC on Friday, and closes at 11am UTC on Monday. Check your local time zone to see when it's accessible for you, and beware of Daylight Savings Time.

You access the Rat Market from a storylet in the Flit. Entering the Rat Market for the first time will cost 3 actions, but every subsequent entry that weekend will cost 0.

Mechanics[edit]

The most important to know up-front is that you cannot save Rat-Shillings. 72 hours after you enter the Rat Market (and gain the A Rat for the Weekend quality), any Rat-Shillings you have left will be converted to an assortment of Currency items (primarily Rostygold, see A Rat no Longer) at a rate of 10 pence-equivalent per Rat-Shilling.

The second-most important thing to know about is The Rat Market (Bazaar), and the consistent things you can purchase from it. In some cases, this may be the purpose of your visit. In other cases, this may be an outlet of Rat-Shillings that would otherwise become Rostygold.

World Qualities[edit]

Selling Items[edit]

On any given week, only some items can be sold for Rat-Shillings. New sellable items are randomly chosen weekly and can be sold during the two following weekends.

The selection of sellable items is controlled by the "Ratly Demand" World Qualities. For example, when Inscrutable Demand is active, The Whiskery Bibliophile will appear in the Rat Market, allowing you to sell Uncanny Incunabula and Cartographer's Hoards.

The precise mechanics governing the Ratly Demands are not known at this time, but they appear to follow the pattern described below:

Ratly Demand mechanics
  • Each Demand starts at 0, where it is inactive and the corresponding items cannot be sold. It will remain at this level for at least one week, possibly more.
  • Each Monday, the World Quality may increase from 0 to 1 (apparently at random). The Demand is now active, and its items may be sold when the Rat Market opens later in the week. It remains at this level for one week.
  • The following Monday, the Demand increases from 1 to 2, where it is still active and its items are sellable when the Rat Market opens. It remains at this level for one week.
  • Next Monday, the Demand increases from 2 to 3. It is now inactive, and the corresponding items can no longer be sold. It remains at this level for one week.
  • The following Monday, the Demand increases from 3 to 4, where it is still inactive. It remains at this level for one week.
  • Next Monday, one of two things happens (apparently at random):
    • The Demand may increase from 4 to 5 (inactive), remaining there for one week before resetting to 0.
    • Alternatively, the Demand may skip level 5 entirely, going directly from 4 to 0.


Buying Items[edit]

What you can buy with Rat-Shillings changes with a variety of different World Qualities:

  • The Rat-Wind and Rat-Moon change randomly every week to a new value. These mainly give access to powerful Bazaar equipment at a discount, though two of the Rat-Wind items are exclusive to the Rat Market.
  • The Rat Season advances one season every week, and allows you to purchase particularly valuable or hard-to-get items. These items are not discounted, and the cheaper items are even heavily marked up, but they are more difficult to obtain elsewhere.
  • The False-Season follows real-world seasons and serves to unlock a unique piece of buyable equipment, for a total of 4 different pieces of equipment.

Cryptic Clues[edit]

While the market is only available on weekends, the clues to next weekend's items are revealed earlier by the Gazette in Your Lodgings. The Rat-Moon and Rat-Wind hint at some items that can be gained that season, whereas the items the rats are looking to buy are stated explicitly.

For example:

East - "The unseen Rat-Wind is in the east; time is shorter this season! Look to your wrists!"

This refers to the Ratwork Watch

Soft - "However, the hidden Rat-Moon is soft, they say. Soft as skin and pink as a gentlerat's paw."

This refers to the Lenguals

Selling Items for Rat-Shillings[edit]

On any given week, only some items can be sold for Rat-Shillings. New saleable items are randomly chosen weekly on Mondays and can be sold during the two following weekends. The different stalls buy items of different types.

Each item you can sell has a Nominal Sale Value equal to its (theoretical) value in pennies. You will always receive at least this amount's worth of Rat-Shillings, but the first several items you sell each week will receive a substantial markup. This is controlled by your Rat Market Saturation, which increases after every sale by the sold item's nominal sale value.

  • Items sold below 65,000 Saturation receive a 32% markup to their nominal sale value.
  • Items sold at or above 65,000 Saturation but below 180,000 receive a 12% markup.
  • Items sold at or above 180,000 Saturation receive no markup, and simply receive their nominal sale value's worth of Rat-Shillings.

For more info, see The Rat Market (Guide)/Calculators.

Critically, sale order does not affect the number of Rat-Shillings received, and there is no "correct" sale order. Items sold that would transcend a breakpoint will simply receive a markup proportionally between the two markup values. The player cannot sell more than 800,000 Saturation worth of items in one week.

Demand Status[1] Sellable Items ( Nominal Sale Value)
1,250[2] 6,250[3] 31,250[4]
Inscrutable Cooldown (1–2 weeks) Uncanny Incunabulum Chimerical Archive Cartographer's Hoard
Intricate Cooldown (2–3 weeks) Unlawful Device Crackling Device
Maudlin Possible next week Captivating Ballad Parabolan Parable
Saintly Cooldown (2–3 weeks) Ratty Reliquary False Hagiotoponym
Soft Cooldown (1–2 weeks) Parabola-Linen Scrap Scrap of Ivory Organza
Tempestuous Possible next week Storm-Threnody Night-Whisper
Calculating Active (week 1/2) Vital Intelligence Paired Mates ( 5,000[5]) Corresponding Sounder
Ruinous Cooldown (2–3 weeks) Mortification of a Great Power
  1. ↑ See above for a detailed description of Ratly Demand mechanics.
  2. ↑ Increases Saturation by 1,250.
    Sells for:
  3. ↑ Increases Saturation by 6,250.
    Sells for:
  4. ↑ Increases Saturation by 31,250.
    Sells for:
  5. ↑ Must be sold in pairs of 1 Queen Mate and 1 Epaulette Mate.
    Each pair increases Saturation by 5,000.
    Each pair sells for:


In addition, Fourth-City Echoes can be sold every week for 125 Rat-Shillings each via the Bazaar tab. This item has no other repeatable uses at this moment, and can be farmed in L.B. Industries at a competitive rate. Because they are sold through the Bazaar tab, they do not contribute to Rat Market Saturation.

Buying Items with Rat-Shillings[edit]

Items can be purchased with Rat-Shillings from four shops in the Bazaar tab, or two storylets which do not cost actions. A single Rat-Shilling is assumed to have a value of ten pennies (E 0.10). The actual exchange rate varies by good, but that's an easy value by which to compare.

In the Bazaar tab, cheap economic items can be purchased for a value equal to their Bazaar sell price, while more expensive items have a mark-up, going up to a 100% cost increase for items selling for E 2.50 or more. Equipable items can be purchased from the Rat Market for slightly cheaper than they cost in the Echo Bazaar (which is always still greater than the value of selling them back to the Bazaar).

From the (Ratty) Bazaar[edit]

Crow-Crease Cryptics:

Item Sale Value Shillings
(mark-up)
Inkling of Identity E 0.10 1 (at value)
Maniac's Prayer E 0.10 1 (at value)
Appalling Secret E 0.15 2 (+33%)
Compromising Document E 0.50 7 (+40%)
Correspondence Plaque E 0.50 7 (+40%)
Journal of Infamy E 0.50 7 (+40%)
Tale of Terror!! E 0.50 7 (+40%)
Touching Love Story E 2.50 50 (+100%)
Blackmail Material E 12.50 250 (+100%)

Extramurine Trading Company:

Item Sale Value Shillings
(mark-up)
Royal-Blue Feather E 0.50 / 1 8 (+60%)
Solacefruit E 0.50 / 1 8 (+60%)
Hand-picked Peppercaps 1 10 (+100%)
Nightsoil of the Bazaar 1 10 (+100%)
Preserved Surface Blooms E 2.50 / 3 25 (at value)
Carved Ball of Stygian Ivory E 2.50 / 5 45 (+80%)
Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits E 2.50 / 5 60 (+140%)

Merry Gun's Exchange:

Item Sale Value Shillings
(mark-up) 		Buy price at the Bazaar
Amanita Sherry E 0.10 1 (at value)
Map Scrap E 0.10 1 (at value)
Phosphorescent Scarab E 0.10 1 (at value)
Flawed Diamond E 0.12 2 (+67%)
Palimpsest Scrap E 0.50 7 (+40%)
Rattus Faber Rifle E 2.50 50 (+100%)
Skyglass Knife E 3.20 63 E 6.40
Set of Kifers E 32.40 640 E 64.80
Ravenglass Knife E 51.20 1000 E 102.40
Set of Intricate Kifers E 312.50 3999 E 400.00
Ratwork Derringer E 250.00 4000 E 400.00

Nightclaw's Paw-Brokers:

Item Shillings Buy price at the Bazaar
Well-Placed Pawn 2
Pair of Scarlet Stockings of Dubious Origin 20 E 4.00
Antique Constable's Badge 300 E 30
Copper Cipher Ring 400 E 40
Red-Feathered Pin 400 E 40
Tiny Jewelled Reliquary 400 E 40
Engraved Pewter Tankard 500 E 50
Old Bone Skeleton Key 600 E 62.50
Ornate Typewriter 600 E 60


Direction of the Rat-Wind[edit]

Current value: West

Item Rat-Wind Currently available? Buy price at the Bazaar Shillings
(discount)
Ratwork Watch East ✗ E 460.00 3200 (-30%)
Poison-tipped Umbrella South ✗ E 450.00 3200 (-29%)
Ratwork Pocket Piece West ✓ N/A 3200
Rat's-Head Cane North ✗ N/A 3200


Phase of the Rat-Moon[edit]

Current value: Runny

Item Rat-Moon Currently available? Buy price at the Bazaar Shillings
(discount)
Fecund Amber Tiara Blue ✗ E 400 2800 (-30%)
Pair of Lenguals Soft ✗ E 400 2800 (-30%)
Smock of Four Thousand Three Hundred and Eight Pockets Hard ✗ E 420 2800 (-33%)
Pair of Vakeskin Boots Runny ✓ E 320 2800(-12.5%)


The Rat-Season[edit]

Rat-Season Abbreviations:

  • FaF: Freeze-and-Fall
  • LL: Lying-Longing
  • CC: Candle-Canker
  • WaW: Wink-and-Wane
  • VV: Vial-Vane
  • TaT: Take-and-Toil
  • WW: Wine-Whisper
  • RaR: Rise-and-Rake
  • NK: Nitre-Knife
  • KC: Kifer-Caitiff
  • SS: Skitter-Scatter
  • DD: Dimmest-Dark

Current season: Take-and-Toil (TaT)

The Rat-Season:
FaF LL CC WaW VV TaT WW RaR NK KC SS DD
Jan 10 - Jan 13 Jan 17 - Jan 20 Jan 24 - Jan 27 Jan 31 - Feb 03 Feb 07 - Feb 10 Nov 22 - Nov 25 Nov 29 - Dec 02 Dec 06 - Dec 09 Dec 13 - Dec 16 Dec 20 - Dec 23 Dec 27 - Dec 30 Jan 03 - Jan 06
Eyeless Skull ( 625) Elemental Secret ( 3,125) Legenda Cosmogone ( 3,125) Fecund Amber ( 3,125)
Irrigo Mirrorcatch Box ( 3,500) Starstone Demark ( 3,125) Coruscating Soul ( 3,125) Reported Location of a One-Time Prince of Hell ( 15,625)


The False-Season[edit]

Current value: Autumn

Item False-Season Begins on[1] Currently available? Shillings
Venge-Rat Waders Autumn Sep 3 ✓ 10000
St Eligius' Beard Hairs Winter Dec 3 ✗ 10000
False-Star Catalogue Spring Mar 4, 2025 ✗ 10000
Leviathan-Bone Knife Summer Jun 3, 2025 ✗ 10000
  1. ↑ The value updates on the first Tuesday of the corresponding month


Related to Ratly Demand[edit]

Typically, demand is what determines what items are sellable in the Rat Market. However, in one instance, a stall being present allows an item to be purchased.

Item Stall Currently Available? Shillings
Gant-filled Mirrorcatch Box The Shrivelled Celebrant ✗ 3750


Unique Items[edit]

A handful of items in the Rat Market have no other sources.

Item Accessibility Currently available? Shillings Slot Stats
Rat's-Head Cane Rat-Wind: North ✗ 3200 Weapon
Ratwork Pocket Piece Rat-Wind: West ✓ 3200 Weapon
Stainless Gloves The Rat-Season: Kifer-Caitiff, Skitter-Scatter or Dimmest-Dark ✗ 4000 Gloves
Venge-Rat Waders The False-Season: Autumn ✓ 10000 Boots
St Eligius' Beard Hairs The False-Season: Winter ✗ 10000 Affiliation
False-Star Catalogue The False-Season: Spring ✗ 10000 Weapon
Leviathan-Bone Knife The False-Season: Summer ✗ 10000 Weapon
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