What to do when you STILL feel like a n00b

     If you’re anything like me, you started playing Neopets a long, long time ago. Possibly when you were young enough that your parents had to fax TNT a permission form to access neoboards and guilds. When it comes to rocking the account age shield on your lookup, you’ve got that shiny 15 years, but beyond that you’re totally lacking.

     So what do you do when your account is old but you still feel like a n00b?

     To meet your goals, you need neopoints!

     Back when my account was new, my goal was to make 10,000 NP a day. I wasn’t very good at games, and spent all my time bouncing my hasee friends to the doughnutfruit instead of maximizing my earning potential. That’s probably why when I logged in a couple months ago I was sitting under 2 million NP. The good news is that it’s much easier than young me knew to make big profits, and in about 3 months I’ve reached Ultimate Riches!

     Step 1: Complete ALL of your dailies

     This one might seem obvious, but sometimes I’m tempted to skip some of the dailies that require more work, like the Mysterious Negg Cave. I quickly learned that this would be a big mistake after winning an Ultimate Icy Negg two days in a row - they sell for over 50k a piece!

     Step 2: Earn 50k a day with GhoulCatchers

     Talk about easy money! GhoulCatchers is a mobile game that allows you to quickly earn NP for each level you complete, up to 50 a day. The best part is that there’s no limit to how many times you can play the same level, so you’re able to beat level 1 over and over.

     Step 3: Food Club

     Wow if there is one thing I wish I knew about years ago, it’s Food Club. The betting system feels complicated, but there are a ton of kind Neopians who are willing to lend a hand. Plus, the older your account is the more you can bet. Some days I’ve made over a million NP!

     Next up, lookup!

     Another way to stop feeling like a n00b, is to stop LOOKING like a n00b. That means putting a little elbow grease into jazzing up your user lookup. Until recently I had a standard issue lookup, with low stats and nothing to reflect my personality as a Neopian. Thankfully solving this can be a lot of fun, and only costs as much NP as you want to put in.

     Step 1: Find a cool theme, or make one yourself!

     As someone who doesn’t code, I always assumed I was forever stuck with the basic white theme. Boy was I wrong! Neopets approved fan sites have tons of great themes you can use (with credit to the designer) so you can still feel special without having to learn a difficult new skill. Just remember that you can’t enter the lookup spotlight with these, since it’s someone else’s work.

     Step 2: Share a bit of personality

     This goes hand in hand with finding a theme, but I think it’s important to be yourself. For years my lookup just listed generic interests from the options given. Ninjas?? When was I ever interested in ninjas?? Now I have a little blurb about myself and what I like. The best part is when I’m able to make a great neofriend because they notice we have something in common.

     Step 3: Improve your stats

     Now this is where things get tricky (and sometimes a bit spendy). In order to stop looking like a n00b, you might want to start collecting trophies, avatars, and/or stamps. Trophies won’t cost you anything, but can take a lot of time if you’re not a skilled gamer. I recommend going after some easy ones first, like card games, and then playing your favorite flash games on “reset day”. Sometimes you can double up, and get an avatar and trophy at the same time.

     Which brings me to my next point - avatar collecting. Be sure to engage with the neoboards for this one. There are so many kind Neopians on the boards who are excited to help you meet your goals and lend items. This will allow you to collect while spending little to no NP. Just be sure to be friendly and not beg for lends! I’ve been very lucky to make some friends during my quest for avatars, which has been a wonderful bonus and helped me feel even less like a n00b.

     Finally, stamps. This can be a very expensive endeavor, so if you’re not passionate about it, don’t worry. Just save your NP! Otherwise it can be a fun treat when you get yourself a new stamp for your album. I like to get them when I’ve had a particularly good day at the Food Club, or when a Random Event surprises me with a little extra money to burn. Definitely buy the cheapest first, even just seeking stamps under 10k NP can really boost your stat!

     Spoil your pets

     Last but not least, I highly recommend that you give your pets a little extra attention to really feel like a dedicated Neopian. After all, our pets are why we are here in the first place!

     Step 1: Train!

     Up until this last month or so, I knew nothing about the battledome. I was able to find some great articles about training, and now my yurble is on her way to becoming a strong little fighter! Plus, participating in battles is a great way to make your account well rounded. Each day you can win items like codestones, nerkmids, and neggs to resell and increase your savings. Then, every couple of weeks you can participate in site events like the Battle of the Obelisk, in order to earn avatars and boons. Overall it’s a great investment to train your pet, and eventually will pay for itself.

     Step 2: Get your dreamies

     I always wanted a family full of baby pets, and saved long and hard to get the paintbrush for each of them. Now I am so proud of my pets, and love showing them off on my lookup! I think painting your pets is the best way to be excited about your account and really set yourself apart as an invested Neopian and not a n00b.

     Step 3: Customize

     Once you paint your pets the color you’ve always dreamed of, I highly recommend you customize them. Even just adding a background can make them feel special, and shows a bit of your personality while you’re at it! Plus you can enter them in the customization spotlight for another chance at a trophy for your lookup ;)

          I’m sure that I’m not the only one out there who looked at their account and felt like I wasn’t playing to my full potential as a veteran user! I hope that these steps can be helpful and achievable for anyone who is finally ready to shed that n00b status. Good luck, and as always, have fun!