Back From Hiatus... Now What?

     Imagine this: the world has become a dangerous place and you must go into hiding. You must isolate yourself for the next year or two in hopes that the danger will clear out and it is safe to return home. The years fly by, and you’re now accustomed to this new way of living. But you miss your old home. The familiarity, the nostalgia – it calls you back. You don’t know what you’re up against, or if it even is safe to return, but you take the risk anyways. You emerge from the shadows, returning to your old land. It’s foggy. A purple mist clouds the air. You run as fast as possible through it, hoping there’s a light at the end. You dash through it, getting closer to a bright light. The fog clears and you see… an origami Lutari? A new plot? There’s another Caption Contest avatar?

     Welcome to Neopets: The Return from the Hiatus.

     Everyone has their fair share of reasons for going on hiatus, whether that be new changes in their life or they just need a break to focus on real world things. Maybe they wanted to feel the sun on their skin and breathe in some fresh air (I personally can’t relate/know what that's like, but someone out there might). Some disappear for so long and never return. For those who do come back, especially if they’re been gone for significant period of time, there may be some huge surprises waiting for them. From my own personal experience, returning from a two-year hiatus wasn’t a *huge* game changer, but there were a few new changes that definitely got me shook. Here the top changes that anyone returning from a long-time hiatus should know about.

     1) Shop Price Limits

     I was searching up Secret Laboratory Map prices on the Shop Wiz to price the cheaper pieces, when all of a sudden, I see something priced at 140,000 NPs. I had to rub my eyes to make sure I actually saw that right. I just wanted to go up to the item and say, "Hi, I think you’re a bit lost. You’re supposed to max out at 99,999. The Trading Post is south from here at Mystery Island. Good bye." Although shocked at first, I found it pleasant that this limit has increased. The only thing to be wary of is that since this is a relatively new change, the prices for what used to be "unbuyables" may fluctuate a certain amount. Make sure you check previous prices to ensure you’re not overpaying for an item.

     2) Five Pet Limit

     I don’t remember how I figured this one out, but needless to say that when I did, I went to adopt ALL THE PETS!! I went on a pet adopting/creating spree! As someone who had to let go of some pet dreams prior to my hiatus due to the capped-out space my accounts, I was absolutely enthralled to learn about this extra space. If you’re returning from hiatus, TREAT YO SELF and adopt a new pet today! Even on all four of your side accounts too, if you’re as extra as I am.

     3) New Colours

     While I was going wild creating new pets, I took a stroll to the Rainbow Pool to see what options I had. AND THERE WERE MANY MORE! Marble, toy, and steampunk, are just a few of the colours I’ve missed out on. If you’ve disappeared from longer than I have, I definitely recommend a trip to the Rainbow Pool to check out any new fun colours you’ve never heard of. Who knows, you might just walk out of there with a fresh new paint job for your pets.

     4) Random and Caption Contest

     You may have just returned onto Neopets, but you aren’t the only one! After the mourning for our beloved Random Contest (and the avatar that came along with it), we were for sure it was a goner. But it’s made a comeback, and the avatar collectors are rejoicing! Another return that was significant to me was the Caption Contest. When I left for hiatus, we’ve had that Usul skiing down Terror Mountain being chased by a giant snowball and the Snowager for months. I’m delighted for its return, and the new avatar! I’ve been meaning to upgrade my Caption Contest trophy for a while now… *polishes bronze trophy*

     5) Active Neofriends

     Prior to my hiatus, the active Neofriend feature was not exactly functioning, causing me to feel quite lonely on this site with it’s sad face at the end of the endearing "you have no Neofriends online" message. But now it has returned, HAZZA! Go out there and make some friends so you can finally see them online!

     6) The Wraith War

     As it turns out, contests and the Neofriends feature aren’t the only thing that have returned – the wraiths are back at it again as well. I just wanted to do my dailies and not feel personally attacked by intense lag purple fog. Before discovering there was a plot, I didn’t know who Kaia was or what a Mystic Murmur is and all this new information was mind boggling. Although I returned too late to complete every aspect of the plot, it’s nice to see that we’ve gotten a new one after a long plot drought. I certainly have missed getting intellectually stimulated with puzzles and fighting off enemies in the Battledome.

     To conclude, there are many exciting changes that are always underway. You never know what can happen after such a long time! Neopets is continuing to change, and there’s many more things to be excited about in the near future (and I’m really hoping Key Quest is one of them *cough cough*).

     I found the best way to discover all these changes is to keep on exploring the many different aspects of the site. Try and venture out beyond your dailies and check out what’s popping on the other side of Kreludor or buy a stock if you’ve never done so before. There are also many amazing and kind Neopians on the boards who are definitely willing to answer any questions you may have. I wish you the best of luck on settling back in and we’re glad to have you back!