 How to Get Your First UC Pet
by katzam
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On April 26th 2007, Neopets went through “the conversion”, allowing users to dress up their pets and add their own special bit of personality. However, in the process, the art style of our Neopets changed; and the few pets that still have their old art are called Unconverted Pets (or UCs). There are dozens of benefits to having the new style (converted) pets, but still UCs are highly sought after. But if you weren’t lucky enough to keep an old-style pet after the conversion, or joined the site later than that, how can you hope to own one of these coveted UC pets? In this article I will go through the various ways you can own a UC pet of your own!Option 1: Adoption Every now and then, a kind user will put their pets up for adoption (UFA), meaning that they will give them away to another user. Usually this is because the original owner is leaving the site, or trying to downsize, but either way it gives you a window of opportunity if you want a UC pet. Usually people will ask for an application when they put their pets UFA. There are three basic types of app which you could submit: • Neoboard apps! The first (and simplest) type of app is a Neoboard app. Essentially, you post the reasons why you want the pet in a post on the Neoboards. This kind of app is challenging, as you are limited by the length of a post, but takes much less work than the other two kinds. This kind of app is unlikely to be successful when applying for UCs because there are so many people who will want the pet, so it might be better to choose one of the other two options. • Neomail apps! These apps are send to the original owner of the pet you wish to apply for via Neomail. They should be no longer than 2-3 mails, but they give you much more space to express your reasons for wanting the pet, and your plans. The downside of Neomail apps is that the number of words you can use is still limited, and you cannot add images. If the extra space is important to you or you want to show off your artistic talent, the third kind of app might be for you… • Petpage apps! These apps are hosted on the Petpage of one of your Neopets. You can produce a text-only Petpage, which is essentially the same as a Neomail app but without the harsh text limit; or you can go really all-out on the design. Typical Petpage apps have a fancy layout, and links to take you to different sections. There are dozens of guides out there for making Petpage apps, and you can always ask on the Pound Chat boards for help! Although a user cannot demand you make a Petpage app, in most cases they are more likely to succeed than the other two kinds, especially with UC pets. The problem with applying for UC pets is the competition. There will be hundreds of people applying for the same pet as you, so you really have to make yourself stand out. It may take many apps before you are even considered, which can be a little disheartening, but don’t worry! There are plenty of other ways to get that UC pet you want so badly! Option 2: Trading The other main way to get a UC Neopet is by trading one of your own pets. However, your Red Scorchio with a string of numbers in his name won’t trade for a UC. You may need to go through many trades to get a pet that could trade for a UC, and it can be time consuming AND expensive. I will explain the two trading routes a little more now. 2a: Battledome Pets! Battledome pets (or BD pets) are pets which have had their strength, defence and hit points trained to a high value through the Mystery Island Training School. You can also increase your pet’s stats using the Lab Ray, or by feeding them certain types of Negg. A pet with very high stats can trade for a UC pet easily, especially if they have a nice name and are painted an expensive colour. A value called HSD (hit points + strength + defence) can be used to compare BD pets, and pets with around 1,500+ HSD are more likely to trade for UCs than those with a lower HSD value, but it depends on the user. Trading BD pets does have its downsides though: • Training is expensive and time consuming!! It could take you years to train your pet to a high enough HSD value, and it will cost a LOT of Neopoints. • Adoption costs are high! Some users will not accept BD pet offers because they cannot afford the adoption fee when you transfer them. • BD pets vary in popularity. If a site event involving the Battledome occurs, BD pets become more popular, but if not they can be fairly unpopular. Timing is essential. 2b: Name trading! There is a second trading option when it comes to getting a UC, and guess what? It’s MUCH cheaper! However, it can be a little trickier to start off. This option is called Name Trading, and involved trading for better and better names. The best names are real names (like Mary, John or Steven), or real words (like Fragile, Tough or Smart). The more common the name, the higher its value. Pets with very short names also have a high value, and pets with 3 letter names are extremely popular at the moment. The best possible option in terms of names would be a very short name which is also a real name AND a real word. The trouble is, I’m willing to bet most of you don’t have one of these highly prized names just hanging about on your account. You would have to trade for them, and that process can take as long as trading a BD pet for a UC. You may need to train your pets’ stats, or paint them, or offer a custom morph and paint with your pet before you get a better name! Overall UC pets are difficult to obtain, but not impossible! By applying for any UFA UC pets (which the owner may even let you trade for a UC you like better after you get the pet), and either training a BD pet or trading for names, you can get there one day! However, you may find that along the way, you prefer your BD pet, or the beautiful name you worked so hard to trade for, and decide to keep them. That’s OK too – converted pets can be just as special! It’s all about what you want to do with them. Remember, all pets have value and deserve to be well cared for.
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