Super-Happy-Fun Questing Guide!

[Sheer_Immortal]

Super-Happy-Fun Questing Guide!

I've been on Gaia for a fairly long time (since Nov. 4, '04), and most of that time, I've been questing after one item or another. I've made a few mistakes and learned a lot in that time, and now I want to share what I've learned with anyone who doesn't know what questing is, who is thinking about starting their first quest, or who is just looking for a few extra tips.

There are two different types of "quests" here on Gaia. There are quests given out by NPCs who tell you to do things, or buy things for them, and then they give you an item in return.

The second type of quest, and the one that I'm going to talk about in this thread, is user-operated quests. When a person is questing, that means that they have an item that they really want, or a certain look that they want to achieve, and they "quest" to earn gold to get that item or that dream avatar.

You can finish your quest in a variety of ways. You may receive donations of gold, items to sell, or items on your dream avatar, though this isn't very likely and should never be expected. People donate out of the kindness of their hearts, not because you expect them to. You may end up earning all the gold for the item yourself - even though it takes longer than if people donate to you, I find that I end up with a greater sense of accomplishment if I have to earn my own gold.

To help you achieve your dreams, I'm going to walk you through how to quest, how to set up a quest thread, and what to expect when you're questing.

Table of Contents:
Post 1 - You are here.
Post 2 - So Many Items, So Little Time: What to Quest For
Post 3 - The Plan of Attack: Making Your Quest Thread
Post 4 - Git 'er Done: How to Achieve Your Quest

 

[Sheer_Immortal]

So Many Items, So Little Time: What to Quest For

Did you know that Gaia has well over 2006 items, just for your avatar? There are even more items when you count all the different ways you can customize flower bouquets, let alone your house and car. In all those items, how are you supposed to pick out what to quest for?

There are two different ways I go about questing. The first is to find an item that you fell in love with at first sight.

Example: The monthly collectibles known as Goti Clips were one of the first items I saw and really wanted on Gaia. Once I finally started questing for them, it took me a few months, but eventually I saved up enough gold to buy the Gotis.

The second way is to create a dream avatar using an avatar simulator. Dream avatars are nothing more than avatars that you create to look cool - they can be a cosplay, or a fashion statement, or just a reflection of your own personal style. You can build them from scratch, or you can build them around a certain item that you particularly like.

Example: I created a dream avatar a while back using tektek. I created an outfit that I thought looked good with the Goti Clips. There were several items I needed - mostly store items, but two Casino items as well. So, I quested after an expensive Casino item first, then a few inexpensive items to keep me going, and finally the other Casino item.

It's not as difficult to quest for store items as it is for limited-edition items such as event and quest items, and Monthly Collectibles. With store items, you always know what the most you'll have to pay is - whatever the store price is. You can sometimes find bargains in the Marketplace or Exchange forum, but at most you'll have to pay full store price, which is a fixed amount.

With limited-edition items, however, the price fluctuates up and down because you have to buy them from other users, and they'll sell for whatever the current market price is. For this reason, it's much harder to set a fixed amount of gold for which to quest. Additionally, prices for limited-edition items often increase over time.

Example: When I set out to quest for the Goti Clips, their price was at 28k. By the time I had raised 28k, their price had gone up to 31k, and I ended up buying them at 32k. If I had waited 'til now to quest for them, I'd have to pay over 100k for the same item.

So, if you have a dream avatar that contains both store and limited-edition items, I suggest that you prioritize what to quest for. I would recommend getting the limited-edition items first, then the store items. Also, since older MC and event items tend to be more expensive than newer items*, I would quest for the older items before any others.

*Exceptions include popular newer items such as the Chyaku Norisu scarf and the Kiki/Coco kitty plushies.

 

[Sheer_Immortal]

The Plan of Attack: Making Your Quest Thread

Once you've picked out your item, it's a good idea to make a thread where you can simultaneously track your progress, advertise, and earn gold.

Example: My quest thread. I can track my quests here, and bumping my thread earns me gold while making my thread go to the top of the forum where more people will see it.

When making your quest thread, it's a lot easier if you have already written down what information you'll need to include and how you're going to organize that information. This will make it easier for you to keep your info organized and easier for potential donators to see what you're questing for and how far along you are.

When making your thread, put the title as "Do not post yet" or something like that and then post the word "reserved" for the rest of the page. Then edit your posts and add in what you want.

A catchy title is important too - "my quest" will probably get fewer visitors than a thread with an attention-grabbing title. Likewise, using formatting in your thread is more eye-catching and creative than plain text. However, make sure to keep your text legible - small text and light-colored fonts are nearly impossible to read.

Example: I used indigo-colored font in my quest thread for the headers, and I have the important posts centered to make them stand out from the other posts.

Let people know what you are seeking and why you want it. I'd recommend putting this in the first page, along with your progress. Use proper grammar and be polite.

When you bump your thread do not put in the stare or gonk/stress/yell emotes, or ask why people are not donating when you have only gotten to the second page. Nothing turns off a potential donator like your impatience and bad temper as you are bumping. Try to bump with patience and graciousness, knowing that everything you do in that thread tells the donator about who you are as a person.

If someone bumps your post, thank them for it. Maybe even try to talk to them. Conversation is the best type of bump anyhow; it looks good and helps create interest in your thread.

Expect to be around for a while if you are questing for an expensive item. It can take months sometimes so patience is a virtue.

Example: My quest for the Joker Hat took me a year and a half.

Donations should never be expected, but having a creative and organized thread shows potential donators that you put a lot of time and effort into your quest, and it can help indirectly persuade people to donate to you. ^.^

 

[Sheer_Immortal]

Git 'er Done: How to Achieve Your Quest

To achieve your quest, you'll probably have to make a lot of the gold yourself, unless some rare, generous person comes along who happens to donate the item you want.

Example: I've been questing on Gaia since December 8, 2004. In that time, I've had only 18 donations that weren't from charities, friends, or prizes for games.

So, to help you earn your gold, I'd like to refer you to the guide on how to make gold that I wrote up.

It gives a nice sense of accomplishment to earn your own gold, but let's face it - donations rock, right? So, the question remains: how to get donations?

First things first - advertising. Advertising your thread in posts is generally considered spam and it's quite rude, especially when you advertise your quest in someone else's quest thread, and even more so when they're questing for the same item.

However, what you can do is advertise in your signature. This can be as simple as a text link to your quest thread. You can also make clickable banners that link to your thread, or you can use one of tektek's quest trackers - this has the advantage of showing your progress and tracking marketplace prices, but you have to update your progress yourself by changing your signature. With a link in your signature, every post you make is an advertisement for your quest.

You can also advertise by bumping your quest thread. Bumping keeps the thread at the top of the forum, and threads that are at the top of the forum are seen by more people. Bumping has the additional advantage of giving you gold.

You can also get donations by going to charities and asking very politely. Most charities have application forms to fill out, and rules for filling out the forms. Be sure to read the entire first page of a charity thread before asking for donations.

Lastly, always be respectful and polite when asking for donations, be it in your quest thread, in charities, or anywhere else. Having a specific item in mind is usually better than just begging for gold, and asking in the proper locations (such as your thread or charities) usually goes a long way compared to jumping into random threads and begging for gold.