History Main / RatStomp

* ''Webcomic/TheNoob'', being a parody of the MMO genre, has plenty of fun with this trope. From the disappointment that the heroic adventure starts with collection [[TwentyBearAsses rat tails]], to the ExplosiveBreeder needed to repopulate the starting zone, to the elf-players looking down on the humans starting with ratstomping (while [[HypocriticalHumor starting elf players are all stuck killing spiders]]), to the starting-zone rats being made into [[DemonicSpider giant spiked monstrosities]] because the head developer ordered the team to ramp up the difficulty or be fired (he only meant the endgame dungeon).

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the human noble fight off an invasion of rats in their family's pantry in their origin story. Like all classic RPG tropes in the game, it's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded.]] Providing the page quote above. Oddly enough, it's the only time in the entire franchise thus far that giant rats are an enemy.

* ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine2'': Rats as possible enemies in the first area and they are TheGoomba of the game, taking one hit to die from your weakest attack.

* ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine'':
** The ''second'' area of the game that features rats as enemies, with the boss being the Rat King. These rats however are no pushover, as they ''all'' come with an dangerous attack that, if not interrupted by Stun, deals a ''whopping'' 300 or 400 damage at a point where you have 600 HP maximum.
** The sequel plays this straight by having rats as possible enemies in the first area and they are TheGoomba of the game, taking one hit to die from your weakest attack.

* In ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine'', it's the ''second'' area of the game that features rats as enemies, with the boss being the Rat King. These rats however are no pushover, as they ''all'' come with an dangerous attack that, if not interrupted by Stun, deals a ''whopping'' 300 or 400 damage at a point where you have 600 HP maximum.

* Toyed with all over the place in ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII'': [[RatMen The Skaven]] are a common StarterVillain early foe for many faction starts, and true to the trope their early units are weak: However, they have serious MagicarpPower thanks to an array of plagues, mad science and ninja, and are your final foes in the Vortex Campaign. [[spoiler: In fact, the entire plot was orchestrated by the Skaven!]]. In addition, they are a playable race in their own right, and depending on the faction chosen you may also fight them in the mid-game as well. Hence, the trope can be played straight, inverted or averted depending on the faction.

* Inverted (!) with ''[[VideoGame/Hades]]'', as giant mutant rats are among the last and therefore most powerful enemies you face. Additionally, it's a Justified inversion because the entire game involves escaping from the Greek underworld; the presence of living, rather than undead things at the end indicates that you're very close to escaping.

* Inverted (!) with ''VideoGame/Hades'', as giant mutant rats are among the last and therefore most powerful enemies you face. Additionally, it's a Justified inversion because the entire game involves escaping from the Greek underworld; the presence of living, rather than undead things at the end indicates that you're very close to escaping.

* Subverted in ''WebComic/YokokasQuest''; Mao takes on a quest to drive out 'some kind of vermin', but the vermin in question turn out to be giant poisonous snake-centipedes, rather than the rats he was expecting.

* In ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine'', it's the ''second'' area of the game that features rats as enemies. These rats however are no pushover, as they ''all'' come with an dangerous attack that, if successfully pulled off, deals a whopping 300 or 400 damage at a point where you have 600 HP maximum.

* In ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine'', it's the ''second'' area of the game that features rats as enemies. These rats however are no pushover, as they ''all'' come with an attack that deals 300 or 400 damage at a point where you have 600 HP at most.

* ''Webcomic/TheNoob'', being a parody of the MMO genre, has plenty of fun with this trope. From the disappointment that the heroic adventure starts with collection [[TwentyBearAsses rat tails]], to the ExplosiveBreeder needed to repopulate the starting zone, to the elf-players looking down on the humans starting with ratstomping (while [[HypocriticalHumor starting elf players are all stuck killing spiders]]), to the starting-zone rats being made into [[DemonicSpider giant spiked monstrosities]] because the head developer ordered the team to ramp up the difficulty or be fired (he only meant the endgame dungeon).

A common early quest in many [[RolePlayingGame RPGs]], particularly of the Western, tabletop-derived variety. Rats may be [[RodentsOfUnusualSize of unusual size]], or substituted with some similarly non-threatening and easily killed critter (the Eastern equivalent is typically one or more slimes), and indeed the basement may well be a different room entirely. This may even be part of the game's combat tutorial. Whatever the specifics, there's an area filled with small squishy things that need squishing. Get to it.

** Done again in ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'', where the first quest involves clearing out the basement of the inn. In this case weak bug enemies are used instead of rats.

** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateDarkAlliance'' also begins with one of these, in the cellar beneath the Elfsong Tavern.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the human noble fight off an invasion of rats in their family's pantry in their origin story. Like all classic RPG tropes in the game, it's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded.]] Providing the page quote above.
** Oddly enough, it's the only time in the entire franchise thus far that giant rats are an enemy.
* ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'' features a brewery full of rats. This is, however, not a low-level quest.
** Hilariously lampshaded later when the main characters ask to a Inn Keeper if he can obtain his trust by killing the rats in his cellar, making him angry at you. Then is double subverted when you find out that he does have giant rats in his cellar.

** And then, in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', one of the first quests you can obtain involves testing out a rat repellent. It involves hitting rats with a stick. That makes their heads explode.
*** Before that the Radroaches you fight during the escape from Vault 101 also count.

* Played straight in Facebook game ''VideoGame/{{Mousehunt}}''. Though ''everything'' you fight is a mouse, the three weakest mice (White, Brown and Grey) the player encounters in the tutorial are based off regular varieties of real-life mice/rats while everything else is a NinjaPirateZombieRobot
* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls''
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'':
*** The first quest for the Balmora Fighter's Guild has you killing a room full of rats.
*** ''Tribunal'' has the "Crimson Plague" side questline, which involves you killing some rats who are spreading the disease. (It averts the "beginner" quest part, however, as the quest soon escalates to you needing to kill a notorious DamageSpongeBoss.)
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]''
*** Plays it straight by starting you off in a dungeon/secret passage largely populated by rats, but inverts it with the first Fighter's Guild quest -- you're told a local woman has a "rat problem" in her basement, but the problem is that they're her pets and ''mountain lions'' are killing them.
*** When asked about "Rumors," some [=NPCs=] will [[LampshadeHanging point out]] how the tasks given to new recruits always seem to have something to do with rats.
** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' also has an archetypal "clearing out rats" quest during the ThievesGuild questline, but it's not possible to do it before a number of other quests have been finished. Interestingly, you also fight a man named Hamelyn who's been expermenting on the rats, and he can actually be a little tough if you aren't prepared. Also, exterminating pests will only be a cover for the ''real'' task...[[note]]putting rat poison in the mead so the brewery fails [[TheInspectorIsComing the health inspection]].[[/note]]
* Subverted in most RPG created by ''Creator/FromSoftware'', particularly ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}}'', rats can be seen early on, but it isn't you who stomp rats, [[RussianReversal it's the rats who stomp you]]. Not only they are [[RodentsOfUnusualSize twice larger than you]], they are also poisonous and [[ZergRush can swarm you]].

** Done again in ''VideoGame/IcewindDale'', where the first quest involves clearing out the basement of the inn. In this case weak bug enemies are used instead of rats.
** It gets parodied in ''Icewind Dale 2'', when you encounter another group of low level adventurers who were given the exact same quest and chose to solve it by tossing a cat into the room with the rats.

* ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' has a [[http://nwn.bioware.com/support/patchdetails127.html demo module]] for rats and dire rats, named "[[TalkLikeAPirate Thar be Rats! Yarrr!]]"
** In ''Hex Coda'', a module by [[{{Tropers/Twoflower}} Stefan Gagne]], you're asked to get rid of the rats in the basement of a bar. Except that these are mutant, anthropomorphic rats, and the best course of action is not violence, but diplomacy -- you can simply ask them to leave nicely. The Journal entry for this quest is called "Ratstomp", making this the TropeNamer.
** Another fan module, ''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues'' contains a rather nasty subversion: in the course of one Act I sidequest, the Princess finds herself alone in a sewer full of common rats... without [[NoGearLevel any of her gear or weapons]] and with [[InjuredPlayerCharacterStage just a single HP left]]. Suddenly, common sewer rats become a terrifying menace that can kill you in one hit and ''you can't even fight back''.

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. The ''tutorial's'' RatStomp features bunnies(!), but you start out fetching a mosquito larva from a forest and clearing out a tavern owner's basement of rats - including the miniboss [[DastardlyWhiplash Baron von Ratsworth]]. However, the rats [[MookMaker just keep coming]] until you find and turn off the [[RuleOfFunny rat faucet]]. (This area is more significant than it appears; cranking the challenge level up beyond what a new player can handle can get you extra ''types'' of rats, potentially enabling a risk-for-reward shortcut against far more dangerous rats in a quest well down the line.)
* While ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' indeed has some quests dealing with rats, they are never a challenge - even first level quests deal with wolves, panthers, bears, giant owl-bear hybrids or humanoid bandits. The only ones that come close are a couple concerning giant ''undead bats'' A more standard example of this trope would be the Kobolds, who are a race of mining rat-people that populate the early Human player maps.
* ''[[Videogame/{{Mardek}} Mardek RPG]]'': The rats have strange pipes instead of tails.

* The first thing you are required to do in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is to clear out the rats in a sewer. One of the local old guys even calls Vaan "Vaan Ratsbane" jokingly.

* The old [[NoobCave Tutorial Island]] in ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' included a Battle 101 section, where you killed - you guessed it - giant brown rats. The rats in the "real world" are much smaller.
* ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'' has a quest that gives you a bounty on rat tails. In keeping with Sigil's utter bizzarness, it is on ''Cranium'' rats, who become increasingly deadly sorcerers when in the presence of more of their kind.
* ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' had a subversion; you don't fight rats until around halfway through the game. Even then still, at first they're not a challenge, but once you've shrunk down the rats are about 12 foot, and bust out boxing moves..
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' has the human noble fight off an invasion of rats in their family's pantry in their origin story. Like all classic RPG tropes in the game, it's [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded.]] Providing the page quote above.
** Oddly enough, it's the only time in the entire franchise thus far that giant rats are an enemy.
* In the original ''Videogame/AloneInTheDark1992'' you must dodge rats in a wine cellar while looking for ammunition in that room. The rats can't be killed, but if they touch you, they wear down your life force and you are liable to die.
* In ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'', a Tarantian businessman asks you to clear the rats out of his warehouse, although this actually occurs a short way into the game (usually the second, third or fourth town you visit). There are a couple of opportunities earlier in the game to kill rats in dark rooms, though.

* ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'' features a brewery full of rats. This is, however, not a low-level quest.
** Hilariously lampshaded later when the main characters ask to a Inn Keeper if he can obtain his trust by killing the rats in his cellar, making him angry at you. Then is double subverted when you find out that he does have giant rats in his cellar.
* ''VideoGame/{{Sacred}}'' 2 asks you to clear out a couple of cellars toward the beginning of the game. One of them is, predictably, full of rats.
* Your first quests in Noobshire from ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' has you ''saving'' rats rather than killing them, though one of the quests for Yulgar does involve cleaning out his rat-infested basement.
* Any RPG made by Creator/SpiderwebSoftware has a good chance of having rats as the very first enemies you fight, before you even go on any quests.
* One of the first things you do in ''VideoGame/BrainLord'' is help clear one villager's attic of rats.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'', the first Pokémon you'll find in the wild will likely be a [[ComMons Rattata]] in the [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue first]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver second]] generations, and Patrat in the [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite fifth]] generation.
* ''VideoGame/EveOnline'', even being a WideOpenSandbox, is not immune, except the rats are low level NPC pirates in spaceships...which the players call "rats", and the act of cruising for [=NPCs=] in asteroid belts "ratting". And not just because of the Fun With Abbreviations to be had with pi''RAT''e... player pirates don't get called that.

* In ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'', while there's a tiny part of the game before it, Allegretto and Beat's first battles are in an AbsurdlySpaciousSewer with a lot of rats in it. The only ones you're ''required'' to fight, however, are the ones in the bottleneck that serve as a combat tutorial for item use, Special Attacks, and light levels, should you elect to let it be one, and the boss and entourage at your destination.
* In ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings'' you have to enter your basement towards the beginning of the game to retrieve a certain item, where there is a chance that you will fight rats.

* One of the tasks you must perform in ''[[VideoGame/ThreeDUltraPinballCreepNight 3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night]]'' is to knock out a bunch of rats attacking a MadScientistLaboratory.
* Your first quest in ''VideoGame/CandyBox 2'' is to clear out some lady's basement of rats. It's also impossible to lose, since the rats die within 1-3 hits, and deal 1 damage to you. As a CallBack to the previous game, the rats aren't drawn in ASCII unlike all the other enemies, instead literally being shown as the text "rat".
* The tutorial battle in ''VideoGame/RegaliaOfMenAndMonarchs'' has the heroes clearing out a dusty old armory where some rats have taken up residence. Defeating the smaller rats reduces the HP of the Broodmother, making her easier to defeat.

* Any RPG made by Spiderweb Software has a good chance of having rats as the very first enemies you fight, before you even go on any quests.

* In ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'', a Tarantian businessman asks you to clear the rats out of his warehouse, although this actually occurs in the second town you visit. There are a couple of opportunities earlier in the game to kill rats in dark rooms, though.

* Played straight in Facebook game ''{{Mousehunt}}''. Though ''everything'' you fight is a mouse, the three weakest mice (White, Brown and Grey) the player encounters in the tutorial are based off regular varieties of real-life mice/rats while everything else is a NinjaPirateZombieRobot

* ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing''. You start out fetching a mosquito larva from a forest and clearing out a tavern owner's basement of rats - including the miniboss [[DastardlyWhiplash Baron von Ratsworth]]. However, the rats [[MookMaker just keep coming]] until you find and turn off the [[RuleOfFunny rat faucet]].

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' also has an archetypal "clearing out rats" quest during the ThievesGuild questline, but it's not possible to do it before a number of other quests have been finished. Interestingly, you also fight a boss who's been expiermenting on the rats, and he can actually be a little tough if you aren't prepared. Also, exterminating pests will only be a cover for the ''real'' task...[[note]]putting rat poison in the mead so the brewery fails [[TheInspectorIsComing the health inspection]].[[/note]]