Extreme Herder Guide: Tips and Tricks for all Skills

     Introduction

     Have you always wanted to herd Petpets around a farm? Or do you want to feel like a hero by rescuing them from a gruesome fate? Maybe you just want a new avatar to show off on the Neoboards. Whatever the reason, Extreme Herder may be just the game for you! In this game, you control Samrin the Kacheek, running around your farm and saving your Petpets from Balthazar. He must have realized that Petpets are easier to catch than Faeries - but not when you're around!

     To control Samrin, you'll just need to use the arrow keys as well as the space bar, which you can press to let go of a Petpet. The game screen is made up of a pen in the middle where you want to put all of your Petpets, surrounded by a field where they're roaming wild. The pen has a gate on each side when you begin the game, but later on they all disappear except for the one on the west side; there are also portals on the edges of the screen that you can walk through, but they also disappear eventually. The gates are where you can drop off Petpets to keep them safe, and you can use the portals to move around the farm more quickly. Every level, Balthazar enters from the northwest corner and hunts down the Petpets, and it's your job to round them up before he gets to any of them.

     Extreme Herder is a challenging game for sure, but luckily there are power-ups that can help you out of a tight spot! One is an orange orb that will speed you up when you grab it, and the other is a snowflake which freezes Balthazar in his tracks for a few seconds. The speed boost takes some practice to control but can be really handy. The snowflake can be even more helpful since your enemy briefly can't move, but it stops appearing when you get further into the game.

     Extreme Herder has also been around for a very long time, and its mechanics can seem very strange. For example, Balthazar targets only one specific Petpet at a time, and it might not even be the one closest to him! On top of that, dropping a Petpet can change his target and where he goes. But don't worry, this guide will teach you how to use these mechanics to your advantage to earn a high score. To make the learning process more seamless and efficient, the big tips we have in this guide are divided into three sections based on how much experience you have playing the game.

     Beginner Tips:

     You have just learned that this game exists. You’re full of hope but lack skill. You have determination, but you lack experience. Well, young grasshopper, here are some tips for you!

      1. Have realistic expectations. Extreme Herder is not an easy game to master. Reading a guide (even one as good

      as this one), will not immediately guarantee you a score of 250+ . But if you practice 30 minutes a day for a week or

      two, you will be very pleased with the progress you make.

      2. Start each level at the top left corner of the screen (where Balthazar first appears). This allows you to quickly snag

      any Petpet(s) that may be in his way.

      3. There is no pause button in this game. If you need a break, grab the final Petpet in any level and stand near the

      right corner of the level. Balthazar will make his way to the mid-top portion of the screen and stay there until the level

      is cleared or the Petpet is dropped.

      4. Practice turning corners. Nothing is more frustrating than making a turn, hitting an edge over and over, and losing

      a life (or two…. or three)

      5. Practice moving after getting the orange ball. In the later levels (16 onwards), the snowflake stops appearing. The

      orange ball, however, is always available (as far as I know).

     Intermediate Tips:

     At this point, you should be consistently getting to Level 11 with a score of 107 (max score at this point) and all three lives. Here is how to keep progressing.

      1. The key difference between a beginner and intermediate player is the ability to control Balthazar. Balthazar always

      locks on to a single Petpet, and you should be able to quickly figure out which one he is going for (or at least the

      general bunch of Petpets). This gives you a general sense of where you should focus your energy/time. Note that if

      you grab the target Petpet too early, then Balthazar will change direction, possibly going for a new cluster of Petpets

      that you cannot save in time – so be careful!

      2. Practice juggling two Petpets at the same time. This is a critical, common scenario that you want to escape

      unscathed.

      3. Type “freeze” to temporarily freeze Balthazar. This essentially functions as a free snowflake. I strongly recommend

      only using this code when you are consistently scoring 160+. In the beginning, you need as much practice as you

      can get – you should not rely on this code to get you through a level.

      4. Master the space bar. You can get to this point without it, but you cannot become an advanced player until you can

      pick up Petpets and drop them in optimal locations like second nature.

     Advanced Tips:

     This is it! The big kahuna! The one you’ve all been waiting for! These are the tips that separate the people who consistently score 225+ from the people who do not. The game maxes out in difficulty pretty early, so mastering the below bullets is the key to success:

      1. Practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more. There is no magic formula and no substitute that

      replaces good, old-fashioned practicing.

      2. Use the “freeze” code on level 15. The code stops working from level 16 onwards, so take advantage when you

      can.

      3. In the Intermediate section, I mentioned controlling Balthazar’s movements. An advanced player picks up and

      drops Petpets strategically throughout the space to make Balthazar change directions. Essentially, you drop a Petpet

      as far away from Balthazar as possible (considering the tradeoff in time) and then approach the large cluster of

      Petpets that Balthazar is headed towards and quickly pick up and drop each of them. This cycle resets Balthazar’s

      target Petpet and makes him change direction. While he is changing direction, you can quickly throw a few Petpets

      in the enclosure. This idea may not immediately make sense – but it should click with some practice. You don’t have

      to wait until the later levels to do it – it’s a skill you can practice on level 1!

     Conclusion

     We hope that these tips have been helpful! Remember: even when it seems hopeless, keep working at it and one day you will be an Extreme Herder expert. Whether you're hunting for the avatar or a trophy, or just saving Petpets for fun, this game can be fun for everyone! Both authors of this guide have earned the avatar and trophy from Extreme Herder, and so if you have any questions about the tips we've presented here, you can send a Neomail to either of us. Otherwise, happy herding!