Grapes of Wrath - The Ultimate Guide

On 12th November 2009, the Neopian News announced a new item had appeared in Neopia. Grapes of Wrath. Just looking at the Grapes, it was obvious – illustrated as a kind of "bomb"- it was clear that they were a Battledome item, and since they had not appeared in the mysterious Hidden Tower in Faerieland (often where rare items are sold to those lucky enough to locate it), there were only a few places left they could be found – the Neopian Shops, or the elusive Smugglers Cove.

When news broke on the Neopian Chat-Boards, it was revealed that the elusive Grapes of Wrath (GoW for short) were being sold at Smugglers Cove, in Krawk Island. The price of Dubloons began to rise.

Smugglers Cove is a shop in Krawk Island located at the bottom of a cliff, renowned for selling rare items, which can only be purchased for dubloons – Krawk Island currency. It was discovered that the price of the Grapes of Wrath was 155 Dubloons. The unconventional method of the Smugglers Cove is that it only stocks only 100 or less of each item, ever. Buyers have to have a lot of luck and patience in order to snag such rare items, as it is not long before the Smugglers at mysterious Cove refuse entry to Neopians who hang around the cove for too long, or return too quickly between visits. If the Smugglers will not let you access the cove, it means that you have been “banned” for a period of time thought to range from 15 minutes up to almost two hours. Refreshing during this time was rumoured to increase the length of the ban; however, this has been regarded to be untrue.

It is rumoured that items at the Smugglers Cove stock exactly on the minute, for example X:XX:00 am NST eg. 5:19:00 am NST; however, it seems to be completely random at exactly what minutes the Grapes of Wrath and other Smugglers Cove items actually restock. Examples of times that the GoW have restocked (in order) are:

9:12:00 NST, 6:15:00 NST, 6:22:00 NST, 11:03:00 NST, 11:51:00 NST.

Generally speaking, Smugglers Cove items restock more frequently closer to when they are released, and gradually come to a halt as more are released and purchased, eventually until 100 (some say 120) or less have been released, at which point they will discontinue stocking all together.

During the period in which the Grapes of Wrath were still stocking, there were "Cove Chat" boards on the Battledome Chat – whereby users would discuss if they saw any grapes at the cove that minute, or discuss theories as to when the grapes might stock next.

The reason for such high demand for a bunch of Grapes with a scary blue glow, you ask? Well, they are a great Battledome weapon, of course. The Grapes are indeed a fantastic 24-icon battle weapon, and can be compared to the likes of Attack Peas and other rare items, usually only accessible to richer Neopians. Anyone with a bunch of Grapes of Wrath in their battleset will always be a challenge in the Battledome.

The release of such a notable Battledome item through the Smugglers Cove, which has not happened for a long time in Neopia, not only gave the chance for all types of Neopians (with 155+ Dubloons) to have their luck at purchasing some from Smugglers Cove, since the restocks are totally random, but also brought out rarer items owned by more affluent players into the economy again, as richer players traded items such as Wand of the Dark Faerie, Illusen’s Staff or Faerie Slingshots for the Grapes. This had two overall primary effects: 1. It made players of all kinds lucky enough to purchase the Grapes of Wrath richer. 2. It deflated higher priced items as the demand to buy Grapes either for Battle-use or as an investment dramatically increased.

On top of being a impressive weapon, Draiks, Poogles, & Kaus have been discovered to have 10% fire and 10% earth resistance, Chombies have 10% earth resistance, Cybunnies have 20% earth resistance, Ixi 30% earth, and Shoyrus have 20% resistance to fire when battling with the Grapes of Wrath.

The price tag of the Grapes of Wrath, however, is something that you may need to think twice about before considering to save your neopoints for, unless you managed to snipe them from the Smugglers Cove, of course! Upon their release, the Grapes of Wrath were selling for around 300-350,000,000 Neopoints on the Trading Post, around the price of a Wand of the Dark Faerie at the time. There were high concerns that the Grapes of Wrath might be downgraded (in terms of battling, this means they would perhaps turn out to actually be a one use bomb, for example Ghostkerbomb), which would have the effect of dramatically deflating the price. Such fears prevented some players from purchasing the Grapes of Wrath with their hard-earned neopoints, and on the other hand some owners of the Grapes of Wrath were more than happy to accept quick sales.

On November 13th, however, it was announced in the Neopian Times editorial that the Grapes of Wrath would in fact remain a multi-use item. The confirmation that the Grapes of Wrath were in fact a multi-use item, secured their place as an elite Battledome item in Neopia, which of course sent the price of the Grapes on the trading post and auctions (between sellers, not at the Smugglers Cove) soaring by not thousands, but hundreds of millions of Neopoints. The price of the Grapes of Wrath can only rise with time, being a Smugglers Cove item, making it an excellent investment for those lucky enough to be able to afford it!

On 14 Nov 2009 at 7:55am NST, I conducted a survey on the Battledome Chat, whereby I aimed to find out why people loved or hated the Grapes of Wrath. Some responses were more serious than others! Here are the results of the survey:

8 Reasons to Love the Grapes:

1. "You can make a fruit drink with them"

2. "I love grapes, because I coved it!"

3. "It reveals the greed"

4. "I love them, because they are a cheaper alternative to the Attack Pea!"

5. "I love that they could possibly fund 2 stamp avatars for me if I do get them."

6. "It shows the battledome hasn't been forgotten!"

7. "Grapes and Peas make a good match!"

8. "They are a homage to John Steinbeck!"

8 Reasons to Hate the Grapes:

1. "That only 100 can be released"

2. "I hate them because I haven’t got them"

3. "I hate grapes as it is out of reach for the average player."

4. “There's no avatar!"

5. "I hate that I don't have one!”

6. "I hate them because attack pea is better"

7. "I Hate the fact that its based on a lucky refresh."

8. "They've stirred up a lot of animosity and jealousy.”

It was clear there was a mixed response from the release of such a powerful weapon...

Ever since I wrote my Grapes of Wrath guide, located on my pets page, I get a large volume of questions about the Grapes of Wrath. Here are some of the most common questions answered:

Why GRAPES of wrath?

The question as to why The Neopets Team invent strange fruit and vegetable related battle items was answered in the Neopian Times Editorial : "I think we just tend to come up with items right before lunchtime. That probably explains a lot about Neopia, huh? XD"

Are they still stocking at the Smugglers Cove?

Whilst it cannot be confirmed that the Grapes have stopped stocking, at the time of writing this article a set of Grapes had not stocked for over 48 hours; therefore the chances of managing to restock one are dramatically lower than they were when first released, and it is assumed most have been released by now. There is, however, a chance, no matter how small it may be, that a few more could be released! Good luck. :)

I have 160 Dubloons! Do I need the exact amount to restock something from Smugglers Cove -in this case the Grapes of Wrath?

No, don't worry – the smugglers will give change!

What does "Wrath" mean?

Definition: "strong vengeful anger or indignation" – I guess that explains the creepy blue glow!

Is it not unfair for the Neopets Team to allow people with one-month old accounts to earn more in one click than someone who has been playing every day for years?

Perhaps, but this is a game, after all – and the chance for everyone to grab a Grape from the cove was equal.

Are the Grapes of Wrath seedless?

I have been asked this question, and am now of the opinion the grapes ARE in fact seedless - those sneaky smugglers wouldn't want everyone and anyone growing Grapes of Wrath, right?

I hope this article has been of use to you. It truly has been interesting watching the release and subsequent hysteria over such an awesome weapon in Neopia, and I have met a few friends along the way, and even as a player of eight years - learnt a lot.

A special thanks to the Neopians who frequent the Battledome Chat for their extensive knowledge and insight, as well as those who participated in the survey. It is clear the Grapes of Wrath have secured a place as one of Neopia’s most coveted items. Oh, those pesky Smugglers...