PET CENTRAL - Is owning a Krawk a Neopian status symbol for being richer and higher
class than everyone else? And is it just a craze?
When Krawks were first introduced, whispers were being heard all over Neopia
via Neomail, Neochat messages and posts such as “Psssst... Did you hear about
the new Neopet called a Krawk?”, “How do you get one? ”, “Where do you get one?”,
“I totally want one - pity it costs so much!”
Krawk owners especially were being bugged with such questions as “Wow, how
did you get yours?” and “How much did you pay for yours?” Many users blocked
people from Neomailing them until the fuss died down. Or ended up saying in
their user lookup “Please stop asking me how I got my Krawk” or explained in
writing how they got one. Don’t get me started about the fuss on the chat boards!
On the chat boards, every second post was Krawk related. I sensibly decided
to avoid the boards for a while until the frenzy died down.
This was the buzz around Neopia when the Neopets staff released the new pet
that came from the rare petpet of the same name. Which, to tell you the truth,
I had never heard of before the ‘Krawk kraze’. I honestly wondered what the
fuss was about. So what - the Neopets staff released another Neopet. No big
deal.
Boy, was I wrong.
Users were becoming famous for owning the rare, exclusive, restricted Neopet
Krawk. Only about 200 had been created in the beginning making them highly sought
after and prices were going though the roof, which meant that virtually only
the Neopian elite were able to afford one. Some users spent up to 1 million
NPs or more to get one. People were begging to trade valuable items for Krawk
petpets, and some even sold all of their most precious items to get one.
Like most I was jealous at the time of Krawk owners. I wanted a Krawk but
I did not bug anyone about it. I think I only wanted one for the rareness and
the coolness factor like everyone else. Some people think “She has a Krawk so
she must be really rich”. It’s not exactly the cutest Neopet around. I thought
it might be just another overnight fad or craze.
I thought there would eventually be lots of Krawks around, making them less
valuable. I didn’t want to spend that much on a pet and I wasn’t that desperate
to get one right away so I thought I would wait. I was right - the number has
slowly risen from about 200 to about 700.
So now, today, you may be thinking “Okay, I really want a Krawk. How do I
get one?” Well, this may sound silly but not everyone knows how to get a Krawk.
I don’t know about other Krawk owners but every so often I receive a Neomail
saying “Excuse me, how did you get your Krawk?” or I see the odd user on Help
Chat asking, even though Krawks are probably one of the most talked about and
celebrated pets in Neopia (ignoring wooden spoon status).
So if you really want to own a Krawk, here is what you do:
1. Firstly, you must have three pets or less.
2. You need to get a regular Krawk petpet and to give it to one of your pets.
Then go to your Pet Status Page and click on Krawk.
3. Name your Krawk petpet. The name you choose for your Krawk petpet will eventually
become the name of your new Krawk pet, so you must choose a Pet name that does
not already exist in Neopia, just as if you were creating a new pet.
4. Take the pet who owns the petpet to the Fungus Cave on Krawk Island (make
sure he/she is the active pet). If you have done the above steps correctly,
a message will appear at the Fungus Cave asking if you want to feed your pet
some fungus. Say YES.
5. Viola! You now have a spiffy pet Krawk! Congratulations!
These are the steps to getting a Krawk via the petpet way.
Now you can also get Krawks in heaps of other ways, such as buying magical
Krawk plushies or morphing potions, Dr Sloth may hand you a Krawk transmogrification
potion as a random event, or via the lab ray. Of course if you are very lucky
you might find a buyable morphing potion or a magical plushie on the Shop Wizard,
but that is fairly unlikely.
Even though all those things are rather rare, there is still a chance for
anyone to get a Krawk if they set their mind to it. The other day I even saw
a blue Krawk morphing potion for sale, but, typical of my luck, I missed getting
it. This coming from someone named “plushieowner” who missed buying a shadow
Usul plushie in the Toy Shop (one of the rarest plushies in Neopia).
At the time I started writing this article three members of my guild got Krawks
in the same week. Isn’t that a funny coincidence? Or is that just an example
of how Krawks are becoming more common?
Unfortunately, getting a Krawk is still expensive for the average Neopian
but it is easier to get one now than back when they were first released. Who
knows? If you are really lucky you could even get one free, via the lab ray
or as a random event. Even magical Krawk plushies or morphing potions can be
had for a reasonable price in the shop restocks. However, a cable modem or ADSL,
and the quick reflexes of Chet Flash are essential for this maneuver!!
By the way - if this article sounds a bit like I’m anti Krawk, I’m not. Krawks
have grown on me since I starting writing this article. Not actually growing
ON me! I mean I have slowly grown to like them more. I am even the proud owner
of a female, striped Krawk called HtmlChic. Before someone asks how I got my
Krawk, I’ll tell you. I originally had a Scorchio. Then I spent 200k on a transmogrification
potion to turn it into a Mutant Krawk and then I spent 70k on a striped paint
brush. At the time, this was cheaper and easier than buying a petpet.
Author’s Note: Some of the figures in this article may be a bit out of
date because I wrote this article some time ago, but I think the history and
acquisition of Krawks is still valid.
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