Editing The Rat Market (Guide)

{{GuideFor|Location=The Rat Market (Area)|Pages = The Rat Market (Storylet)#The Rat Market (Quality)#Phase of the Rat-Moon:#Direction of the Rat-Wind:#The False-Season:#Rat-Shilling#Rat Market#The Rat Market (Area)}}<!--
-->{{ExpiringSoon
|Year=2024
|Month=May
|Day=28
|Detail= The Rat Market will undergo substantial changes. See the [https://www.failbettergames.com/news/upcoming-adjustments-to-the-rat-market blog post] for details.
}}

{{World Qualities Box|rm=yes}}
{{Audience|EarlyPoSI|Evergreen=yes}}
[[The Rat Market (Area)|The Rat Market]] is a periodic, dynamic piece of content released in September 1899 (2021). Its mechanics make heavy use of [[:Category:World Qualities|World Qualities]]. According to the [https://www.failbettergames.com/the-rat-market-is-open-for-business/ 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. You access the Rat Market from a storylet in [[the Flit]]. 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.

*Tables are collected on [[The_Rat_Market_(Guide)/Tables|this page]].

==Mechanics==
The most important to know up-front is that '''you cannot save {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}'''. 72 hours after you enter the Rat Market (and gain the {{IL|A Rat for the Weekend}} quality), any Rat-Shillings you have left will be converted to an equivalent amount of {{IL|Rostygold}}. (The current exchange rate is 10 Rostygold 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 {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} that would otherwise become {{IL|Rostygold}}.

===World Qualities===
What can be sold for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}, and what can be bought with {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}, changes with a variety of different World Qualities on a weekly basis. The {{IL|The Rat-Season:|Appearance=Rat Season}} cycles one season every week and determines which items you can sell for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}. The {{IL|Direction of the Rat-Wind:|Appearance=Rat-Wind}} and {{IL|Phase of the Rat-Moon:|Appearance=Rat-Moon}} change randomly every week to a new value. Each of these qualities unlock an array of items to buy, and their conjunction unlocks a [[:Category:Most Valuable|Most Valuable]] or otherwise hard-to-get items. These are not regular economic items, and are either at a more substantial discount or are otherwise difficult to obtain. The {{IL|The False-Season:|Appearance=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===
While the market is only available on weekends, the clues to next weekend's items are revealed earlier with [['RATTUS FABER REOPEN RENEGADE MARKET! PUNTERS FEAR A RUN ON RATTY WARES!'|this action]]. The Rat-Season clue is linked to one of the items that can be exchanged that week, while the Rat-Moon and Rat-Wind hint at some items that can be gained that season.

For reference:
East - "The unseen Rat-Wind is in the east; time is shorter this season! Look to your wrists!"
:This refers to the {{IL|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 {{IL|Lenguals}}
Kifer-Caitiff - "This is to be expected in the secret Rat-Season of Kifer-Caitiff. Sing your sorrow, but quietly. You never know who's listening. The tunnels have ears still unclogged!"
: This refers to {{IL|Captivating Ballad|Appearance=Captivating Ballads}}

==Selling Items for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}==
What items you can sell for {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} depends on {{IL|The Rat-Season:}} World Quality. The option to sell them is accessed from [[the Smaller Stalls]]; note that these sales take one action each (except for the {{IL|Fourth-City Echo}}es, which can additionally be sold from [[The Rat Market (Bazaar)|the Bazaar tab]]). All items are available in a ''range'' of Rat-Seasons, covering three consecutive weekends. This makes for somewhat less volatility for players wishing to stock up on exchangeable items. After the third week, the item will leave the Rat-Market and be replaced by another of equivalent value. These replacements are staggered, with one item being replaced each weekend.

The option to sell a {{IL|Fourth-City Echo}} is always available. This item has no other repeatable uses at this moment, and can be farmed in [["Welcome to L.B. Industries!"|L.B. Industries]] at a competitive rate.
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
''Rat-Season Abbreviations:''
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
*'''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
</div>
</div>
Current season: {{Current Value|The Rat-Season:}} (<!--
-->{{#switch:{{Current Value|The Rat-Season:}}
|Freeze-and-Fall = <abbr title="Freeze-and-Fall">'''FaF'''</abbr>
|Lying-Longing = <abbr title="Lying-Longing">'''LL'''</abbr>
|Candle-Canker = <abbr title="Candle-Canker">'''CC'''</abbr>
|Wink-and-Wane = <abbr title="Wink-and-Wane">'''WaW'''</abbr>
|Vial-Vane = <abbr title="Vial-Vane">'''VV'''</abbr>
|Take-and-Toil = <abbr title="Take-and-Toil">'''TaT'''</abbr>
|Wine-Whisper = <abbr title="Wine-Whisper">'''WW'''</abbr>
|Rise-and-Rake = <abbr title="Rise-and-Rake">'''RaR'''</abbr>
|Nitre-Knife = <abbr title="Nitre-Knife">'''NK'''</abbr>
|Kifer-Caitiff = <abbr title="Kifer-Caitiff">'''KC'''</abbr>
|Skitter-Scatter = <abbr title="Skitter-Scatter">'''SS'''</abbr>
|Dimmest-Dark = <abbr title="Dimmest-Dark">'''DD'''</abbr>}}<!--
-->)

{{Wiki Note|'''On the weekends of May 17-20 and May 24-27, ALL items listed in the table below will be sellable on the Rat Market, regardless of {{IL|The Rat-Season:|Appearance=The Rat Season}}.'''}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Selling}}

==Buying Items with {{IL|Rat-Shillings}}==
Items can be purchased with {{IL|Rat-Shillings}} from four shops in the Bazaar tab, or two storylets which do not cost actions. A single {{IL|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=== 
'''{{IL|Crow-Crease Cryptics}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Crow-Crease Cryptics}}
'''{{IL|Extramurine Trading Company}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Extramurine Trading Company}}
'''{{IL|Merry Gun's Exchange}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Merry Gun's Exchange}}
'''{{IL|Nightclaw's Paw-Brokers}}:'''
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Nightclaw's Paw-Brokers}}
<br>

==={{IL|Direction of the Rat-Wind:|Appearance=Direction of the Rat-Wind}}===
Current value: {{Current Value|Direction of the Rat-Wind:}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Rat-Wind}}
<br>
==={{IL|Phase of the Rat-Moon:|Appearance=Phase of the Rat-Moon}}===
Current value: {{Current Value|Phase of the Rat-Moon:}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Rat-Moon}}
<br>
==={{IL|Direction of the Rat-Wind:|Appearance=Rat-Wind}} + {{IL|Phase of the Rat-Moon:|Appearance=Rat-Moon}}===
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Rat-Wind + Rat-Moon}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Rat-Wind + Rat-Moon (alternate)}}
<br>
==={{IL|The False-Season:|Appearance=The False-Season}}===
Current value: {{Current Value|The False-Season:}}
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/False-Season}}
<br>
===Unique Items===
A handful of items in the Rat Market have no other sources.
{{:The Rat Market (Guide)/Tables/Uniques}}

[[Category:Guides]]