Your Own Special Place in Neopia

This is what this article is about. Finding your own special place in Neopia, where you can feel good. Most people have this aching desire to be the best, and only a few actually make it come true. But with the endless possibilities that rests within Neopia and many more areas to be conquered, there’s still hope. Nothing is impossible.

The old saying goes: Everybody is special – in his or her own way. I’m sure you’re special and you have talents. Now you just need to tap into those talents and make the best out of it. Most people want to feel successful, and in Neopia it’s the money, trophies, avatars and more that makes this. Everyone wants to feel respected, have lots of things and all that, right?

Well, below is a list of areas for you to succeed. I’ll list material rewards (NP, items, you know...), time it takes to master, what abilities and talents are useful in this area and other stuff. Ready to read? Let’s move!

Restocks – Ah, the greatness of restocking! Restocking means that you buy stuff and sell it at a higher price to make profit. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? Most people restock by buying stuff in the General Neopian shops and selling them in their own shop. It’s what older Neopians do to make NP. (Since most people aren’t exceptionally good.) Once you know the lingo, it’s fairly easy.

Time: It takes a week or so to master basic restocking, assuming that you spend one or two hours on the computer each day. There are good guides out there, but experience is the best teacher.

Rewards: All the NP you make by selling stuff, duh! Depending on what you restock, you might make nothing to over 100k in one day.

Helpful Talents: Fast typer (with the small keyboard and num lock on), quick clicker. (Works even better with a fast computer.) Common sense and a good memory is very helpful.

Games – There are over 100 games in Neopia, so there’s bound to be a game that you’re good at! Games come in all different kinds, from simple luck to fancy flash. Has a highscore list which is judged daily at 4:45 AM NST when trophies and NP are given out. Tip: Play on the first day of the month, since the highscore lists reset that day.

Time: Depends on the game and yourself. May take one day to a month or even more to master. As for playing, a few minutes will do for basic NP (for most flash games). Prepare to spend an hour or two if trying to get into the highscore list.

Rewards: The NP you get from winning the game. Possibly a trophy if you get into the highscore list and some more NP.

Helpful Talents: Depends on the game. Good fingers (with keyboard and mouse), fast reaction and a bit of good luck in general. Also, most games involve some intelligence and logic (like Sutek’s Tomb and Snowmuncher) so train your brain.

Stock Market – Is a game, but is also more than a game. You simply buy stocks and sell when prices rise. One stock may jump with 50% while another goes all the way down to zero. There’s no telling what will happen. Quite a risky business, but may give good profit. You need a lot of NP to start, though. Tip: As the age-old advice goes, don’t put your eggs all in one basket.

Time: It takes a long time for stocks to go up and down. Check every single day. Buying stocks and selling doesn’t take long time.

Rewards: The NP you make.

Helpful Talents: A good eye and memory. A bit of luck doesn’t hurt, and sheer common sense telling you not to buy 10000 shares of the same stock. (Seriously, what if the company declares bankruptcy?)

Battledome – The thing for all the fighters out there! Gather weapons, get stat raises and battle! Millions and millions of NP can be poured into this area as there’s not really an end to it. New weapons appear all the time and old ones get retired. You need a LOT of NP if you’re serious about this.

Time: A pet cannot become very strong overnight, and it takes lots of time to train. Also, searching and buying the perfect weapon may take even more time.

Rewards: Strong pets in wars may make lots of NP. There’s probably a highscore list too... All the most, I’d say the satisfaction of beating an opponent. (Not a weak one, of course!)

Helpful Talents: Patience is mandatory. (Or run away and freak out...) Also, a very strong will is good since it will take long time and you can’t get side-tracked if you really want to master this area.

Special Areas – By this, I mean the stuff like the Poetry Contest, Storytelling Contest and Art Gallery. Not to mention all those spotlights out there that are up for grabs. This area is where you can show that you’re artistically inclined and let your imagination run free.

Time: Depends on what you’re doing. Making the masterpiece usually takes quite a bit of time unless it’s something fast for the Storytelling Contest or something like that. The wait is even longer...

Rewards: NP, a trophy, a rare item and probably fame. (Since winners tend to be featured on the News page.) Oh, and possibly a lot of fanmail.

Helpful Talents: You’ll have to be a pretty good artist and/or writer. (Plus whatever may come up, like coding in the Site Spotlight etc.)

That was the general list of categories. Here are two special ones that I thought I’d take up. One is pretty current and might die down (though I doubt it) and the other is just a plain classic. So don’t stop here, go for the extras! (Or I’ll have to hunt you down with silver tape and a Sloth Plush.)

The Kadoatery – Not exactly a game, but it has a place in Neopia Central. You just simply go there when the Kads cry and feed them stuff. Do a nice deed for Neopia and stop the crying petpets, isn’t it easy? No, but it isn’t impossible either. You don’t need to go and actually buy Draik Eggs, that’d just be a waste of NP. (Poor Draiks...) Be careful, this thing is very addictive once you get into it...

Time: Takes a pretty long time to manage to feed a Kad. Once you know the trick, it’ll probably go faster. Check out help pages and the KFC for help (if you’re a beginner.) It takes about thirty minutes (to fifty) for a restock (when the Kads get hungry) and a minute or so to feed each time.

Rewards: A pretty trophy on your lookup (along with the war shields), an avatar (after numerous feeds) and possibly a Kadoatie. Additional: Your name up there until the Kads get hungry again, plus the satisfaction that you fed a poor little petpet.

Helpful Talents: VERY fast with C&P (copying and pasting), quick clicker. A fast modem helps. Also, you have to be calm and not freak out when the restock comes around.

The Neopian Times – Neopia’s best newspaper where players send in stuff and hopefully it gets published. Updated on a weekly basis. It isn’t that hard to get in, if you’re persistent and good enough!

Time: Each week there’s a new issue. As for the time it takes, that depends on if you’re writing a short story or a ten-part series. The best time to send is just around the time when an issue comes out. (Hoping your piece will get into the following issue, of course.)

Rewards: There aren’t any material rewards (with a few exceptions like special issues etc.). You get an excited feeling of getting published and probably fanmails if you make it.

Helpful Talents: Good writing, correct grammar, loads of imagination and so on. Good sense of humor is greatly appreciated. One good thing: You don’t need to be a fast typer or have Internet speed of light.

Well, that was it! There are probably more areas, but the major ones are covered. If you still haven’t decided, that’s fine. Some people like to wander around and try everything. You don’t need to just focus on one area, though it’s a good thing to do to get the best performance. Not everyone can be the best, but there are lots of things to do that aren’t in this article.

Remember that striving for success is great, but don’t let it take over everything. Neopets is supposed to be fun, and if you find dung wars fun, then all the more to you. So what are you waiting for? There’s a whole world out there waiting for you to master! (And if you don’t, that’s okay too. No pressure.)

Author’s Note: The reader has been reading this article at his/her own risk. The author is not to be blamed for any mental damages caused by reading this piece. Also, the author knows people who’ve excelled in areas noted above, so it isn’t impossible. You just have to try! Any questions, comments or concerns? The reader is welcome to Neomail the author.