New and Confused?

by Prophetserendipity

There are so many people in NeoPets nowadays it makes you step back and think. Wow, what a far way we've come, and it looks like we're not going to stop! But all of Neopia can become quite overwhelming when you're a Newbie on the scene.

You may look to the Neopian Times for help, and that's a great place. But most of the 'help' articles are for money making, choosing the right pet and all those other points of interests most of the NeoPet veterans have their minds on.

But the new person wants to know everything they can, and you have to build a foundation from which you can build. Who cares about the latest paintbrush when you don't even know how to paint your pets, or even what a paintbrush does!

I can't help you with every aspect of NeoPets, but I can offer some helpful suggestions to get you on your feet and get where you really want to be - someone who knows the ropes and knows where to look for the right stuff!

1. The most important, and useful, way to learn your way about Neopia is to explore! Things are clearly marked, though a lot of places have descriptions you can read if you bring your cursor/mouse over it. What a wonderful thing the NeoPets staff decided to do when helping us! The more you explore, the more you'll know about NeoPets. And you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it by yourself, and no one else!

2. Ask. If you're stumped, looked all around, and still can't find where you need to be, go to the message boards. People there are friendly, and you'll usually get a reply within a few moments. Though beware of scammers. Newbies are just the kinds of people that the dishonest Neopians out there are looking for. :) Your password is your business of course.

3. Make Neofriends. Not only does it make NeoPets even more enjoyable (fancy that!) but you have someone to rely on. Know some people in real life who play NeoPets? Great - ask for their username, look it up and befriend them. Now you even have someone you can call up on the phone if you're really lost and don't know where to get that book for your quest...and by the way, what is a quest after all?

4. Supplemental pages. Yes, this seems a bit odd, and some of the information may not even be correct! But you can find hints and tips all around the Internet. NeoPets isn't just a one domain deal! planetneopia.com and nothingbutneopets.com are two good sites with a lot of information and other goodies that you can take advantage of!

5. FAQ and Help pages on NeoPets. These are some of the most frequently asked questions and solutions. The NeoPets staff has gone through their piles and piles of mail to sort this out for us, and it might be a good idea to take advantage of it. Once you have those basics down, the rest of my suggestions my help even more!

6. Join a guild. There are plenty of people in guilds, some have been around since NeoPets started! So you're bound to find someone in your guild nice enough to answer questions, though be sure to be nice. They are taking time out to help you get your bearings straight!

If all else fails, you can always Neomail some of the people who write articles for the Neopian Times. People such as myself, who write these help articles really do want to help...or they want the trophy *grin*. But whatever you do, make sure you have fun and stay safe. NeoPets is a game, a fun and insanely addictive one at that!

I hope I've been able to help, I had a lot of fun writing this. With a lot of help from my extra special pet, Funahou :) If you're still confused with this whole concept of NeoPets, you can always Neomail me ^^