History Main / CommonPlaceRare

* In the world of ''{{Adventurers}}!'', [[HowDoYouLikeThemApples apples]] are [[http://adventurers.keenspot.com/d/20020923.html pretty expensive]].

** The pickling supplies--dill, brine, vinegar, and [[spoiler:ghost]] cucumbers--are perhaps even rarer than beets, as the area where they drop only appears for a single day at a time, completely randomly, and was last accessible on [[AprilFoolsDay April 1, 2011]], when the entrance was invisible and the only clue to its presence was a ''fake'' entrance in another zone.

*** Well, did you noticed that his city is in the middle of a plain and that his domain notably lacks of ports (except the one in the far north of the continent.)?

* ''ChronoTrigger'' has jerky, which appears twice in the game. The first time it is used is as a minor plot advancement point. The second time it is part of a ChainOfDeals for getting some optional equipment in one of the zany [[SideQuest sidequests]]. About 2 minutes into the game you can find the shopkeeper selling it, for 9900 gold. A trifling when you will need it (much later in the game), but at the beginning it seems insanely overpriced.

* In ''ManiacMansion'' and its sequel, ''DayOfTheTentacle'', nothing physically prevents you from leaving the Edison Mansion, which causes some FridgeLogic when considering the ludicrous lengths you have to go through to get commonplace objects such as an envelope and stamps (in the first game) or a bottle of vinegar (in the second). ''ManiacMansion'' justifies this in that it's set at night, but going looking for a night-open convenience store might frankly be simpler.

-->"This is a place where having the ability to bake cakes is a mark of ''considerable status''!

* In the {{''X''}} games, microchips are everywhere - weapons, ships, components of all kinds. And yet, good luck finding some in the universe - there's so much demand, and the production process involves such a convoluted chain of supply, that most chip factories are permanently empty - the few chips they produce are instantly snatched up by NPC traders. And if you do manage to be faster than the traders, expect to pay ludicrous prices for them.

* In ''Scarface: The World Is Yours'' it's entirely possible to have lackeys weilding weapons the player is not yet allowed to buy. Don't fret. They can give them to the boss by placing them in the trunks of special cars (think mobile armory). Doesn't quite work with the boat-mounted machine guns that Tony can later buy to weild himself. Also, it doesn't quite matter how much cash Tony has. Being able to purchase entirely legal items (such as a vending machine or a park bench) depends on how much his enemies respect him.

* The "larger wallet" phenomena occurs again in ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'' where the only way to construct the third wallet requires {{Orichalcum}} and Dark Matter. That's some wallet.

** Clay is also rather rare to find, its found on coastal areas. Heres Your boat, have fun!

* In ''WorldOfWarcraft'', after levelling your character up to level 45 or higher, you and a group of 4 other like-minded adventurers (you'll die if you try to do it alone) can go on a dangeous quest deep inside Zul'Farrak to obtain the electric scale of a giant hydra named after {{Godzilla}}. To simply summon this hydra, at least one of your group must go to another continent, then battle his way through hordes of troll cultists to obtain a sacred mallet, then battle his way through even MORE hordes of trolls to bless this mallet at a very special altar. AND all those trolls used to be elite, that is extremely powerful for their level (thankfully, they changed that in a later patch). Your ultimate reward? '''A carrot on a stick.'''
** There also exist a lot of items you can buy from vendors that are incredibly expensive while serving no actual purpose whatsoever. Unless you happen to need, say, a weeding ring for roleplaying.

* In ''PokemonGoldAndSilver'', a road is blocked by a 'tree' (actually a Pokémon), so nobody can pass there. You have to defeat the (hard) gym leader in order to acquire an item that will allow you to remove said tree: a squirt bottle.
** Introduced in the same game: charcoal. While this game allows you to buy and endless number of them, future games (and even the remakes) don't and give you a single piece charcoal per game.
** Fishing rods

In video games, seemingly common items often take an excessive amount of effort to acquire. You may expect an item to be common based on real-life experience and even [[UnusableEnemyEquipment see them used all over the place]], but you can't pick one up until you've completed the proper SideQuest. Probably not until much later into the game.

This is frequently seen with capacity upgrades. Being able to hold more money and items is a [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts big]] [[InventoryManagementPuzzle deal]] in a lot of games, so coming across wallet or sack fifty floors deep into an ancient dungeon is often WorthIt.

** While the only bow in the land is always locked in a dungeon, shops still sell arrows and enemies with bows still exist. There's even a market catering to people with bows, in the form of shooting mini-games.

** Or dollar sign in place of yen, maybe?