History TooAwesomeToUse / RolePlayingGames

*** To discourage this trope, the game now has hard caps on the amounts of certain healing items you can carry; for instance, you can still keep a stock of 50 Life Stones, Medicines and Healing Water each, but now it's impossible to have more than 2 Beads of Life. Any attempt to grab another will result in the item being returned to the box. The only healing items you can get 99 of are the insanely rare high-quality demon meat cuts, but they restore such an absurdly small amount of HP their only practical use is to be sold as ShopFodder.

*** To discourage this trope, the game now has hard caps on the amounts of certain healing items you can carry; for instance, you can still keep a stock of 50 Life Stones, Medicines and Healing Water each, but now it's impossible to have more than 2 Beads of Life. Any attempt to grab another will result in the item being returned to the box. The only healing items you can get 99 of are the insanely rare high-quality demon meat cuts, but they restore such an absurdly small amount of HP their only practical use is to be sold as VendorTrash.

** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'': To discourage this trope, the game now has hard caps on the amounts of certain healing items you can carry; for instance, you can still keep a stock of 50 Life Stones, Medicines and Healing Water each, but now it's impossible to have more than 2 Beads of Life. Any attempt to grab another will result in the item being returned to the box. The only healing items you can get 99 of are the insanely rare high-quality demon meat cuts, but they restore such an absurdly small amount of HP their only practical use is to be sold as VendorTrash.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' adds Gems, which grant a whopping 50% power boost to a move of the same element, but they're one-use, which means that after that initial blaze of power, your Pokémon is stuck with no item. You have to decide if the one-time boost is preferable to the constant 20% boost you'd get from a Type-enhancing item of the same element. These Gems are rather rare (only being found in certain spots or randomly appearing dust clouds in certain areas), so it's more useful to use them in situations like Link Battles, the Battle Subway, and the PWT, where held items are restored between matches. [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY The following generation]] takes it UpToEleven, in which you are given one Normal Gem (as a hidden item which occasionally respawns) but none of the other types at all.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonGO'' has the Premium Battle Passes, which allows the player to either participate in as many raids as they want if they have enough passes or use them to participate in global PVP against a randomly chosen player. PVP has both a freebie version and a premium version that requires a pass to enter. The premium version of PVP has greater rewards (more stardust, more Rare Candy, better Pokémon rewards, etc) compared to the free version which doesn't give out as much. However, to get the better rewards, you have to win several rounds in a row with a five win streak being the maximum. If you get a string of bad luck due to shoddy connections, an opponent that easily counters your team, or just plain bad luck in general, your overall rewards will be a lot weaker. Hardcore raiders will likely never use their battle passes on PVP since the risk is too great and not worth sacrificing raids for. The only way to get a pass is either completing a quest that gives them out (which is not common) or paying real money to get them. Even more so are the elite TMs, which are only offered as an end prize for each GO Battle League season or from Community Day boxes that are only available monthly. They allow you to pick any learnable move to teach a Pokemon, including moves exclusive to Community Day or raid events (Hydro Cannon on Swampert, Psystrike on Mewtwo, etc) or moves that could no longer be learned normally otherwise (Ice Shard and Icy Wind on Dewgong, for example).

** The Master Ball can catch any wild Pokémon without fail. However, you usually only get one each game, with some games offering a second. The existence of legendary Pokémon makes it a bit easier to decide to actually use it -- it just makes sense to use the item you only get one of to catch the Pokémon that you can only encounter once.[[note]]although from ''Platinum'' onwards they would respawn after beating the Champion.[[/note]] Alternatively, one could use it on [[GetBackHereBoss roaming Pokémon]] to save themselves stress or with a shiny Pokémon (especially if it's an [[MetalSlime Abra]] or a Graveler that knows [[SuicideAttack Self Destruct]]).

** ''VideoGame/PokemonGO'' has the Premium Battle Passes, which allows the player to either participate in as many raids as they want if they have enough passes or use them to participate in global PVP against a randomly chosen player. PVP has both a freebie version and a premium version that requires a pass to enter. The premium version of PVP has greater rewards (more stardust, more Rare Candy, better Pokemon rewards, etc) compared to the free version which doesn't give out as much. However, to get the better rewards, you have to win several rounds in a row with a five win streak being the maximum. If you get a string of bad luck due to shoddy connections, an opponent that easily counters your team, or just plain bad luck in general, your overall rewards will be a lot weaker. Hardcore raiders will likely never use their battle passes on PVP since the risk is too great and not worth sacrificing raids for. The only way to get a pass is either completing a quest that gives them out (which is not common) or paying real money to get them. Even more so are the elite TMs, which are only offered as an end prize for each GO Battle League season or from Community Day boxes that are only available monthly. They allow you to pick any learnable move to teach a Pokemon, including moves exclusive to Community Day or raid events (Hydro Cannon on Swampert, Psystrike on Mewtwo, etc) or moves that could no longer be learned normally otherwise (Ice Shard and Icy Wind on Dewgong, for example).

** PP Ups (and PP Maxes, but these are just the equivalent of 3 PP Ups) permanently increase the total PP of a single move. In the several generations preceding ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', they cannot be bought anywhere, and only a handful exist in the field; if you're incredibly lucky or patient, you can collect more with the Pickup ability or through the Lotto, which requires lots of Pokémon with different trainer [=IDs=]. In the end, it's not really worth the effort to most people. Many players never use them, because even if you think you know exactly which move to boost, you might have to overwrite it later, making it a waste. Unfortunately, like the aforementioned TM's, certain high-power moves only have 5 uses normally, meaning they needed to be boosted to 8 PP for competitive play because that PP will run out fast. Ideally, one should have all their moves maxed out in case they have to outlast a stall team, but this was tedious to do since PP Ups were not made widely available and easily accessible until the Isle of Armor DLC in ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' (which introduced the [[ItemCrafting Cram-o-Matic]] that can mix items into PP Ups, which also makes good use of your VendorTrash if you know the right combination).

** The best example of an "easily-acquired substitute" is [[GameBreaker Kero-Kero Cola]], a [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Megalixir]]-equivalent that can be repeatedly bought around mid-to-late-game for an expensive but not impossible 150/200 coins, depending on where you get them. By comparison, Max Mushrooms (which heal a party member to full HP) can only be bought at the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon and Royal Syrup (which restores FP to full) can't be bought at all. Kero-Kero Cola does the same thing as both items combined, and on the whole party, too. Unless money is an issue (and given the genre, [[MoneyForNothing it probably isn't]]) you'll never be in a position where using the rare item is better than using a Cola, letting you treat them as VendorTrash instead of worrying about saving them.

** Powerful food items also fall under this; while you can make them yourself once you learn their recipes, they tend to require a lot of rare ingredients, and you usually only get one freebie (a notable exception being the Nirvana Tea). The 100 Victories Steak is noteworthy for being an item found in Chapter 2 that restores 10000 HP ''and'' buffs your STR, when most characters are unlikely to have that much HP until the ''final'' chapter. (Tip: Don't treat the [[AbnormalAmmo attack items]] this way, because their damage does ''not'' scale with your characters' stats, and they're all basically underpowered to the point of uselessness once you reach the FinalBoss.)

*** This is inverted with HP healing items. Your average healing items are available on shops, but they are ''expensive'' up until mid-game and you're better leaving those to tough battles. To help with this, there are Muscle Drinks and variants and Life Stones: the first one heals a huge deal of HP but can cause one of the StandardStatusEffects on use - being a NintendoHard game, you do '''not''' want to get afflicted with these on boss fights. The other one always heal a fixed low percentage, so it's never enough in mid-battle and you're better using them on the map. While fairly common, those are only available as RandomDrops, and demons like to use them as bargaining chips if you're trying to recruit one mid-battle.

** The Master Ball can catch any wild Pokémon without fail. However, you usually only get one each game, with some games offering a second. The existence of legendary Pokémon makes it a bit easier to decide to actually use it -- it just makes sense to use the item you only get one of to catch the Pokémon that you can only encounter once.[[note:]]although from ''Platinum'' onwards they would respawn after beating the Champion.[[/note]] Alternatively, one could use it on [[GetBackHereBoss roaming Pokémon]] to save themselves stress or with a shiny Pokémon (especially if it's an [[MetalSlime Abra]] or a Graveler that knows [[SuicideAttack Self Destruct]]).

* ''VideoGame/PathfinderWrathOfTheRighteous'' has special quivers of ammunition, which add special effects to your bow/crossbow attacks but are in limited supply and disappear once consumed. What takes the cake, though, is Midnight Bolts, a special missile that '''always hits''' (in a game where pretty much everything barring Magic Missile has at least a 1 in 20 chance to miss or be dodged) and deals a whopping '''50 damage''' that can't be blocked or resisted in any way (again, in a game where from the get go you fight enemies that can reduce damage from most sources). Early bosses will lose one fourth to half of their hit points to a single Midnight Bolt, but for most of the game you will only have the one...

** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'' once again does this with the Apricorn Balls, which are handed out by the aptly named Ball Guy who hangs out near most of the gyms in the game. As in ''Sun and Moon'', he only gives out one of each. Given how much easier it is to obtain the various specialty balls introduced in later generations, and how often those will do the job just as well if not better, the Apricorn Balls typically just gather dust. Averted for the evolution items for this game - some (like the Razor Claw) will respawn in the same location after some time (some taking longer than others), some can be excavated by the Digging Duo in the Wild Area, and some appear (in a rotation) from the rare item seller in Stow-on-Side. As of the Isle of Armor DLC, Apricorns and Apricorn Balls can now be obtained much more often.

*** A DummiedOut weapon is [[Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail the Holy Hand Grenade]]. Restored by the Restoration Project mod, this weapon is hugely overpowered, but you can only find one Holy Hand Grenade. And since the throwing skill is ignored by many players, due to thrown weapons being generally not worth the hassle of investing skill points in, there's a high chance of throwing the holy hand grenade missing it's intended target entirely.

*** A greater example is the Spoon Dagger, renamed to just Dagger in some versions. Only one exists in the game and it requires going through an out-of-the-way optional dungeon twice to get it. It does an instant 9,999 damage to whatever you throw it at, so you're probably going to save it for the last boss.

** The Master Ball is probably the most famous example since it can catch any Pokémon regardless of how strong it is. However, you usually only get one during a playthrough, though it's possible to get more of them via the lottery, trading, or exploiting cheats. The fact that legendary Pokémon exist also makes it a bit easier to decide to actually use it -- it just makes sense to use the item you only get one of to catch the Pokémon that you can only encounter once (though one can always {{save scum|ming}} instead, and ''Platinum'' onwards lets defeated Legendaries respawn after beating the Champion). Alternatively, one could use it on [[GetBackHereBoss roaming Pokémon]] to save themselves stress or save it in the unlikely event they encounter a shiny Pokémon (especially if it's an [[MetalSlime Abra]] or a Graveler that knows [[SuicideAttack Self Destruct]]).
** Certain healing items, such as Max Revives, can heal every Pokémon in your party to full health but can only be found once or twice in the game. In most games, there's only one legal way to get Sacred Ash (two in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver HeartGold/SoulSilver]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Emerald]]'', but only through the [=MysticTicket=] event in the latter), which is usually by catching Ho-Oh, who will be holding it... but the item's power is ridiculously awesome - it is essentially a [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Megalixir]] that revives all of the Pokémon in your party to full health (albeit only on the field), something you can normally only do by visiting a Pokémon Center.
** Ethers and Elixirs can't be bought in stores, and in Generation I, they are the ''only'' way to [[ManaPotion restore PP]] without visiting a Pokémon Center. If you use them at all, it'll probably be during the [[BossRush Elite Four battles]]. Mysteryberries in Generation II had the same effect and respawned every day, while Leppa Berries from every Generation afterward had the same effect but you could replant them for more. Outside of Gen I, its remakes, and the two [=GameCube=] games, Ethers and Elixers are basically VendorTrash.

** Prior to Generation V, [=TMs=] (items that teach attacks to Pokémon). Some can be bought at markets and Game Corners, but others that you only get one of... ever. This might not seem so bad until you realize that [=TMs=] can only be used once, at which point they disappear forever. And if you're the kind of Trainer that switches up his/her team a lot, you may have just wasted a strong attack on a Pokémon you'll never use again. Even worse, you will most likely need multiple copies of certain [=TMs=] for high-level competitive play, but the only way to get those moves is by breeding, trading, or worse, restarting your game multiple times. Earthquake was a particularly big offender, given its high power, high accuracy, lack of negative side-effects, [[ElementalRockPaperScissors useful typing]], and nearly everything being able to learn it. Worse, since only fathers pass down [=TM=] moves, the player was discouraged from ''ever'' using one-of-a-kind [=TMs=] on female or genderless Pokémon. WordOfGod has stated that the change to make [=TMs=] infinite use from Gen V onward was ''because'' of this trope.

** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' adds Gems, which grant a whopping 50% power boost to a move of the same element, but they're one-use, which means that after that initial blaze of power, your Pokémon is stuck with no item (although this is a good time to follow up with Acrobatics). You have to decide if the one-time boost is preferable to the constant 20% boost you'd get from a Type-enhancing item of the same element. These Gems are rather rare (only being found in certain spots or randomly appearing dust clouds in certain areas), so it's more useful to use them in situations like Link Battles, the Battle Subway, and the PWT, where held items are restored between matches. [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY The following Pokémon generation]] takes it UpToEleven, in which you are given one Normal Gem (as a hidden item which occasionally respawns) but the other Gems? Completely unavailable ([[DummiedOut data exists for them]], including one for the new Fairy type, but none aside from the Normal Gem can be found after Gen V).
** Certain Berries reduce super-effective damage from a certain type, restore health, or raise a stat when at low health. They're consumed upon use. Especially problematic in Generation V, where the only way to obtain those berries easily (or ''at all'') are on the Dream World website, or only obtainable from certain Join Avenue shops. Again, it's better to use them when in battles with restored items between rounds. A few berries are extremely difficult to get a hold of (often requiring beating battle tower, subway or mansion facilities, all of which have downright absurd [=RNG=] abuse) and although there's often a system to farm berries (except in Generation V as mentioned earlier), these berries take an extremely long time to produce a good number of them.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'': The Random Joker cards. Exceedingly rare, and one Random Joker fits ''any'' critera for opening a door. If you manage to get one, you'll probably end up saving it until you reach the [[spoiler:[[DiscOneFinalBoss Disc-One]]]] FinalBoss, just in case you find a door with an even ''more'' insane requirement.

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' seems to be deliberately invoking this. Early in the game, you receive a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie that restores ''all'' HP. If you take the normal path and actually save it all the way to the FinalBoss, [[spoiler:because the pie is his ex-wife's special recipe, the smell will weaken his resolve, reducing his Attack and Defense]]. You can also use it during the TrueFinalBoss fight, to instantly win the IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight against both the aforementioned neutral-path FinalBoss and the character who gave you the pie. And due to the way the game's endings work, you might actually use the same one slice of pie to do both of these in the same run.

** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories'': The Random Joker cards. Exceedingly rare, and one Random Joker fits ''any'' critera for opening a door. If you manage to get one, you'll probably end up saving it until you reach the FinalBoss, just in case you find a door with an even ''more'' insane requirement.

* ''VideoGame/SecretOfEvermore'' has two super-rare weapons: The bazooka and the call bead. The former is a projectile weapon that deals tons of damage and can be loaded with three kinds of ammo, except said ammo is so rare and expensive you'd normally never fire it. The latter summons an ally who launches a [[LastDiscMagic very powerful spell]], but since there are only so many call beads in the game you'd never use them. However, thanks to a couple of {{Good Bad Bug}}s, the Cryo-Blast rounds (which happens to be the ''best ammo'') don't deplete as you fire them and you can get infinite call beads thanks to a glitched event flag in Nobilia.
* There are a multitude of items like this in ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'':
** The Master Ball is probably the most famous example, since it can catch any Pokémon regardless of how strong it is. However, you usually only get one during a playthrough, though it's possible to get more of them via the lottery, trading, or exploiting cheats. The fact that legendary Pokémon exist also makes it a bit easier to decide to actually use it -- it just makes sense to use the item you only get one of to catch the Pokémon that you can only encounter once (though one can always {{save scum|ming}} instead, and ''Platinum'' onwards lets defeated legendaries respawn after beating the Champion). Alternatively, one could use it on [[GetBackHereBoss roaming Pokémon]] to save themselves stress or save it in the unlikely event they encounter a shiny Pokémon (especially if it's an [[MetalSlime Abra]] or a Graveler that knows [[SuicideAttack Self Destruct]]).

** Ethers and Elixirs can't be bought in stores, and are the ''only'' way to [[ManaPotion restore PP]] without visiting a Pokémon Center. If you use them at all, it'll probably be during the [[BossRush Elite Four battles]]. In the later games, Mysteryberries and Leppa Berries had the same effect, but you could replant them for more, thereby rendering Ethers [[VendorTrash yet another useless thing that garnered lots of cash]].

** Items necessary to evolve certain Pokémon (Elemental Stones, King Rocks, and the like) have always been notorious for being rare and hard to find (except for ''Red, Blue and Yellow'', where the stones could be bought for cheap and en masse). Most of the time, you can only find a few on the ground, get them as gifts from characters, and very rarely, find them carried by wild Pokémon. ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'', and ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' after them, made some of them more readily available so long as you fulfilled certain conditions.

** Time Flutes in ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' instantly purify ''any'' Pokémon, thereby giving them an extra move and whatever experience they should have gained through battle. However, there's only three throughout the entire game, and one of them comes from beating [[MarathonLevel Mt. Battle.]] As a result, those unable to conquer Mt. Battle have only two Time Flutes they can use for whatever Pokémon they want, adding to the stress of determining who it will be used on. Luckily, there are a finite number of Shadow Pokémon in the game, so even the most indecisive players will use the flutes in the end.
** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' adds Gems, which grant a whopping 50% power boost to a move of the same element, but they're one-use, which means that after that initial blaze of power, your Pokémon is stuck with no item (although this is a good time to follow up with Acrobatics). You have to decide if the one-time boost is preferable to the constant 20% boost you'd get from a Type-enhancing item of the same element. These Gems are rather rare (only being found in certain spots or randomly-appearing dust clouds in certain areas), so it's more useful to use them in situations like Link Battles, the Battle Subway, and the PWT, where held items are restored between matches. [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY The following Pokémon generation]] takes it UpToEleven, in which you are given one Normal Gem (as a hidden item which occasionally respawns) but the other Gems? Completely unavailable ([[DummiedOut data exists for them]], including one for the new Fairy type, but none aside from the Normal Gem can be found after Gen V).

** ''VideoGame/PokemonGO'' has the Premium Battle Passes, which allows the player to either participate in as many raids as they want if they have enough passes or use them to participate in global PVP against a randomly chosen player. PVP has both a freebie version and a premium version that requires a pass to enter. The premium version of PVP has greater rewards (more stardust, more Rare Candy, better Pokemon rewards, etc) compared to the free version which doesn't give out as much. However, to get the better rewards, you have to win several rounds in a row with a five win streak being the maximum. If you get a string of bad luck due to shoddy connections, an opponent that easily counters your team, or just plain bad luck in general, your overall rewards will be a lot weaker. Hardcore raiders will likely never use their battle passes on PVP since the risk is too great and not worth sacrificing raids for. The only way to get a pass is either completing a quest that gives them out (which is not common) or paying real money to get them. Even more so are the elite TMs, which are only offered as an end prize for each GO Battle League season or from Community Day boxes that are only available monthly. They allow you to pick any learnable move to teach a Pokemon, including moves exclusive to Community Day or raid events (Hydro Cannon on Swampert, Psystrike on Mewtwo, etc) or moves that could no longer be learned normally otherwise (Ice Shard and Icy Wind on Dewgong, for example)
* The ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' games have a few instances.
** The items that fall under this are Water of Life (revives a party member, you'd normally have to reach a town and pay a fee), Psy Crystals (restore full PP instantly), Vials (+500 HP, most characters won't have this much until near the end of the game with a full complement of Djinn), Potions (Full HP) and Mist Potions (heal everyone for ~300 HP, only outclassed by [[LastDiscMagic Pure Wish]], which you need a lot of level grinding to get).\\
You only find so many of them, and once you use them, they're gone. (If you ''sell'' them instead, shops can sell them back to you as rarities at 1.33x the price.) They eventually become useless when you learn Revive (the main character of all games is a [[DishingOutDirt Venus Adept]], who can learn it by setting 4 Djinn of the same element; other Adepts can learn it in nearly any class that requires 4 Venus Djinn), gain access to equipment that regenerates PP in battle, and gain backup party members that can safely spam healing spells between fights while recovering their PP by walking around.
** Summons. They deal massive damage (especially to bosses), boost the summoner's elemental affinity temporarily, and some have added effects. To use them, though, they require that you unleash your Djinn, which prevents them from giving you a better class and (probably) important spells like Revive. Although they will recover (at a rate of one per person per turn, when you need four per person to do any real damage), the immediate effect makes such a tactic a DeathOrGloryAttack. [[AwesomeButImpractical But, man,]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65IDTQp0JJc do they look cool]]!

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. Megalixirs heal everyone fully HP and MP-wise, and Tabs boost stats. As such, you would think they'd be rare. The thing is, if you know where to [[VideoGameStealing steal them]], you can have as many as you want. There's one room in [[BonusDungeon the Black Omen]] filled with monsters that you can snag Megalixirs from, and these monsters ''respawn''. The average player will usually go into NewGamePlus with a full complement of Megalixirs as a result. Tabs are a bit trickier, mostly because the monsters you can steal them from tend to stay dead once you kill them.

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger''. Megalixirs heal everyone fully, and Tabs boost stats. As such, you would think they'd be rare. The thing is, if you know where to [[VideoGameStealing steal them]], you can have as many as you want. There's one room in [[BonusDungeon the Black Omen]] filled with monsters that you can snag Megalixirs from, and these monsters ''respawn''. The average player will usually go into NewGamePlus with a full complement of Megalixirs as a result. Tabs are a bit trickier, mostly because the monsters you can steal them from tend to stay dead once you kill them.

** There's also the Tropica, a fruit that gives any character a 200 HP boost. There's only two in the entire game, and one of them is very, VERY easy to miss.

*** ''Mothership Zeta'' and ''Broken Steel'' also include additional ammo for the Blaster. The other alien weapons also suffer from this, since there is a finite number of power modules.

* In ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'', the M-920 Cain is essentially a railgun with the power of a nuclear warhead (to the point of causing mushroom clouds and bearing the radiation hazard symbol) that does enough damage to instantly clear an entire squadron of enemy troops. Unfortunately, it requires all of your heavy weapon ammo to fire once (unless you have the heavy ammo upgrades; getting them all will let you fire it twice). It has a four second charge time, and you have to charge it out of cover. It's just not practical in the many close-quarters firefights which populate the game because of its blast radius, especially since its projectile is relatively slow. The last boss is one of the fights you'd want to use it on, but he flails around like he's having a seizure, making hitting him an exercise in frustration, so you might save it until the end... and then completely blow it.

* ''[[VideoGame/SaGa2 SaGa / Final Fantasy Legend II]]'' naturally has these; almost every item has [[BreakableWeapons a durability counter]]. The ones you can't buy of course will fall into this. A lot of these can be found in the Nasty Dungeon. The Glass sword, which deals 1000+ damage ignoring all defense, breaks after one use. There is also the Hyper cannon, which will instantly win any non-boss battle, but it can only be used three times. You can equip the latter on a robot for one regenerating use, but the [[InventoryManagementPuzzle limited space on a robot]] itself is Too Awesome To Use. The [[EnhancedRemake DS version]] features even more of these.