Your Kind of Wealth

Pure Neopoints

The most common thing that signifies if somebody is rich. Pretty easy to make, considering that Neopets has over 100 games that all pay out NP. Also, there’s restocking and other things to do to make more NP. Just watch the account at National Neopian grow bigger and bigger. (And admire all those zeroes!)

The biggest pro with this is that you’ll have the Neopoints there, no matter what. They’ll be safe in the account and never run away. However, inflation is a problem when you realize your 200k can’t buy you a Halloween PB like it could a year ago. A downside to this is that you’ll get less luck (at games like Fruit Machine, Tombola etc since you’re already rich) and you will not be able to feed your pets at the Soup Kitchen.

Overall, I’d say that pure Neopoints is definitely a good thing to have. It’s convenient because you can just purchase whatever you want and easy to carry around (and to lose!).

Items

Wealth may also lie in items. You know, stuff that you get and then keep. Items may not only be bought, but you can get them from random events and such! (Which won’t cost you a single Neopoint - how great is that?) Never go by the estimated value, because it’s not really what it is. The Shop Wizard and Trading Post determines the true worth. As with NP, you can go and admire all your stuff in the SDB and there’s really no limit to how many you can have. (50 for inventory, but no cap in the SDB.) Quantity or quality?

These thingies aren’t 100% safe when it comes to the NP value. Some items get retired and the value just rises. Some items have increased value because of inflation. Therefore, items are not really reliable as a NP source since the value fluctuates. It may rise or drop (gradually). An item worth 10k today might be 1k or 100k tomorrow.

Items are great when the value cannot be put into NP (like an 18 million NP item), but they may be hard to sell. Also, it’s not handy cash like NP where you can just whop it out and buy the thing you want. You’ll have to trade or sell to get NP and then buy it, or trade for it. Items are best left for experienced players and those with common sense to check the value before selling.

If you just stash everything into your SDB, you should really go there and count the value one day. (This works best if you have over 100 items, different ones.) You might be amazed at what you find there. I did this and figured out that I had over a million in my 800-some items. (It took me more than one hour and an assistant who did the calculations.) So keep your items and watch them rise in price (or drop)...

Don’t forget that you can feed your pets at the Soup Kitchen if you have less than 2k NP. (Splurged it all on that Everlasting Apple, eh?) It’s really great if you like items and aren’t too scared of prices fluctuating.

Stocks

The third thing that is less common than those two listed above is the Stock Market. Yes, it is the fancy Chia with the red, sporty car who talks on the phone all day. Some people have millions of NP invested in this little place they call the Stock Market and it’s really amazing. For 15 NP and up, you can buy a share of stock and then sell it. You’re limited to buying 1000 stocks a day. I know some people who play this game in order to make NP. (Instead of the regular action games, 3 times, ten games per day...)

This is another one of those unpredictable things in which the NP value changes. It is risky, but can make great NP. One day it’s there, the other day it has vanished. And don’t forget that the market can crash! You might sit there with 3 million one day and nothing the other. Big profits at great risks, but best suited for experienced players with a good starting capital who can afford this.

The good thing with this is that you can make quite a lot of NP if your stocks go up a lot. Also, you might be able to visit the Soup Kitchen having spent all your NP on stocks. A big plus is that you don’t need a fast connection and a lot of time since the stocks change gradually and not jump up overnight. This is an excellent kind of wealth that shows you have smarts and quite a bit of luck.

Other Means

Well, those three kinds above were all related to NP. Honestly, almost everything these days are. But here I’ll list a few things below that the affluent and rich usually have. (This will be more about respect than money, though they go hand in hand.) Don’t stop now!

Pets – Isn’t that so obvious? The more expensive the coat is, the more money people expect you to have. It’s a great way of showing wealth, though it might not always be what people think. (You can just get a lab map and zap your pet to some incredibly expensive color. Or maybe a it was a visit from Jacko or a gift from a friend...) What people don’t really think of is how poor one ends up after spending all that NP on a Paint Brush...

Trophies – Anyone would go ‘wow’ at a huge trophy cabinet with 34 different trophies, all screaming ‘CHAMPION’. Trophies are also awarded together with NP and perhaps a rare item (with a few exceptions, such as the golden feather)... For some mysterious reason, they’re connected with wealth. (As if 5k is a lot?) But really, the trophy is usually more worth the NP handout.

Avatars – I’ll bet you might’ve already guessed that this would be mentioned. A rare avatar shows that you have talent or cash. Good examples are Faerie Queen Doll (at least a million) and Malevolent Sentient Poogle Plushie (TCG). Avatars like that will probably make people assume that you have a lot of NP.

But most important of all, there’s one kind of riches that we should always have! And that’s happiness! If you’re happy with 2000 Bottles of Green Sand and 500 NPs in your bank, then that’s fine. Wealth in happiness cannot be measured. As long as you’re having fun at Neopets, it’s all good. (And if making a lot of NP and admiring it appeals to you, then that’s wealth too...)

Author’s Note: The reader has been reading this article at his/her own risk. The author is not responsible for any damages to the reader, whether they are mental or physical. (Okay, maybe whacking someone with a Neopian Times Issue 3...) Any questions, comments or concerns? The reader is welcome to neomail the author.