The Lab Ray: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Costs? by naebean11 |  |
UNKNOWN - With rumours of a potential war infiltrating the chat boards and
the news page, the prices of items such as codestones and dubloons have risen
rapidly. Training your pet for either the Battledome or the up-and-coming war
has become quite an investment. If only there was a better way to raise your
pets' statistics! For Neopians willing to drop a cool 80,000 Neopoints for all
nine pieces of the Lab Ray, this wish has become a reality. Of course there
are pros and cons to zapping your pet, but hopefully I can give you the information
you need to decide whether or not the Lab Ray is right for you and your pets.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Lab Ray, allow me to fill you
in. In the 'Puzzles' section of the Game Room, there is a game entitled Treasure
Maps. There are five different maps that you can collect the pieces for and
assemble--Original Map, Spooky, Underwater, Laboratory, and Space. Obviously
the one we are interested in today is the Secret Laboratory Map. Once all nine
pieces are brought to this page, you are given access to the Lab Ray. You can
find map pieces as random events anywhere in Neopia, or you can purchase them
from privately-owned shops. Once every day you may bring your pets to this page
and choose one of them to be zapped. The Ray can do many things to your pet,
some good, some bad. It can raise and lower stats as well as change your pet's
species, gender, or colour. Now you can see why some people are sceptical about
using the Lab Ray on their precious painted pets!
Now comes the debate-- to use or not to use the Lab Ray? Unfortunately, it
probably is not a great idea to zap your faerie Krawk or other painted pets
with the Ray. Unless you are prepared to live with the consequences if the species
or colour changes, DO NOT TAKE RARE OR PAINTED PETS TO THE LAB RAY!! This may
seem like a major drawback since most people have one pet that they train, and
this pet is usually special to them. I found a personal solution to this problem.
My first and favourite pet, Jenova11, was painted faerie before she became a
baby. Either way I did not want to risk subjecting her to experimentation because
I do not have the money to trade for unbuyable Aisha morphing potions and/or
another expensive paint brush. Instead, I visited the Pound and adopted a poor
pet that needed a good home! ZachariahX started out as an extremely weak, level
one, blue Zafara. I have taken him to the Ray every day since I rescued him
from the Pound. I wagered that over time, the benefits of using the Ray would
outweigh the costs. I have really cashed in on that bet! If you look him up,
you can see that ZachariahX has almost caught up to Jenova11 in stats. He has
already surpassed her in hit points. Because I adopted him from the Pound, I
do not care what species or colour he is. I have kept careful notes in my Neopian
Diary each day, documenting every effect that the Lab Ray has caused. If you
are interested, I can share some of this information with you.
In the long run, zapping your pet with the Lab Ray really pays off. Occasionally
you lose some stats. I have found from several months of personal experience
that you usually gain them back (and then some) quite quickly. Hit points are
commonly added five at a time, while other stats can be changed in quantities
of one, two, or three. It is really just a matter of accepting the consequences
of using the Ray. For people who already have four pets, the adoption of an
experimental pet is not an option. These people are truly between a rock and
a hard place. They can either choose one of their existing pets to zap or continue
paying for codestones and dubloons. Whatever you decide to do, please be responsible
about taking on an experimental pet. If you choose adoption, care for and love
your new pet just as you would any other. Good luck with the Ray, and hopefully
we will be fighting along side each other in the war!
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