How to be a True Avatar Collector

You may have come across certain things called "avatars" during your time here in Neopia. These are special images that you can use to represent yourself on your User Lookup and on the Neoboards. You can unlock and collect them by performing specific tasks in different areas of Neopia. Collecting avatars is actually a hobby that some Neopians enjoy. There are people who take joy in collecting them, spending a few minutes of their time trying to find them. But then there are those who love avatars with all of their heart, dedicating all their time to becoming the best avatar collector in all of Neopia. These people are the True Avatar Collectors.

Being a True Avatar Collector is not as easy as it looks; you need to make avatars your first priority, no matter what. Spending months of your time saving up millions of Neopoints, just so you can buy one item that gives you one avatar. But that's it- that's the difference between a "Person-who-collects-avatars" and a "True Avatar Collector". You have to do whatever it takes to get one more new avatar, one more to add to your Secret Avatar Count.

Now if you're still reading this, you must be interested in becoming a True Avatar Collector yourself. (Or if you're just reading this article because you're bored and need to waste a few minutes of your time, that's fine too.) There are a few guidelines you have to follow, but they all faucet from the main rule that all True Avatar Collectors follow: make avatar collecting your first priority.

1) Never give up! No matter how hard it gets, you just gotta keep pressing on. Even when you want to just stop collecting avatars and start focusing on something easier, like trading pets, you need to remember that you made a vow. A vow that clearly states that you will make avatars your first priority.

1.5) Be patient. Try to be as chill as the Techo Master and wait until the time is right. Random avatars are called "random" for a reason you know; not everyone can get them. You need to be really lucky, and even then it's still pretty random.

2) Don't be afraid to ask for help. Now, I'm not saying that you should make other people do all the work so you don't have to. I'm just telling you that it's okay to ask others for help when you need it. Getting lent on the Avatar Chat is very common; in fact, most people go to the Avatar Chat and stay there because it is the best place to get items/pet lends for avatars.

2.5) Be kind to everyone. Nobody likes that one person who is rude to others for no reason, which is why you should treat others how you want to be treated. Who knows? The person you're talking to might be an avatar item lender in disguise ;).

3) Chat, chat, chat! Make yourself known! The more people know you, the more they'll trust you. Because really, who would you trust more; a random person you've never seen or talked to before, or someone you have spoken to on more than a few occasions?

3.5) Make lots of friends. The more people you know, the wider your circle of contacts. The more contacts you have, the more connections you have. And being a successful avatar collector is all about having connections.

4) Know how to save your Neopoints. Without Neopoints, you won't be able to afford any high-end avatar items. It is also preferable to have Neopoints (or items that can be sold easily and are valuable) as collateral when you get lent avatar items. Without any collateral, finding lends will be harder.

5) Learn to handle criticism. Being an avatar collector involves being a collector in everything (though avatars are still numero uno). You need to build up your account to show that you mean business (and also to show that you won't try to do any shady business with someone's items if they lend you).

5.5) Build up your account. No matter how good you think your account is at the moment, it can always be improved. Make sure that you take what other people say into consideration, especially if they, themselves, have a good account. After all, they know what they're doing.

6) If you have a rare avatar, one that required lots of hard work, or one that involved you spending a lot of Neopoints on it, use it. Show off your best-of-the-best avatars in order to get everyone's attention, because you need to be noticed. Lying in the background won't work if you want to be a True Avatar Collector; you have to make everyone see that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get an avatar. Whether it be playing a game for 5 hours straight, spending 10 million Neopoints on a book that will disappear after you read it to your pet, or writing an article to submit to the Neopian Times for a chance to receive an avatar that comes only once a year.

You see, being an avatar collector takes lots of work. You need to be able to spend countless amounts of time doing mindless tasks for a bunch of pixels that you will probably not even use. But that's ok! Just because you aren't going to use them, it doesn't make them worthless. They still add to your Secret Avatar count, and that's what really matters, right? Seeing that little number on your User Lookup go up by one, it's the best feeling ever. The feeling of accomplishment that you get from that makes everything you did worth it. If you don't feel that accomplishment feeling, you probably aren't a good enough avatar collector yet. That's okay though, because you have the best how-to avatar collecting guide right here at your fingertips. So go on, get out of here. Explore every nook and cranny of Neopia; find all the secret avatars, and then find even more! Be the first one to uncover the newest and most rarest avatar out there, and you'll certainly have earned the title of "True Avatar Collector".