I've seen a lot of common questions around the site lately, so I felt like gathering some starter info.
This entry may be used in conjunction with another journal entry of mine. I'm keeping track of a list of threads/guides/lists for myself. That list might overlap with this entry, but it's also possibly worth checking.
✖ ✖ Start these habits ✖ ✖
Dumpster Dive
- Dumpster Dive is a feature where you can dive for items that have been donated by other Gaians. You can click Dive every five minutes. If the Dumpster is empty, you'll receive an item from Admin. Get between 10-20 of those items and the Dumpster will say it's empty. Just wait a bit and check again later to see when it's full.
The great thing about this feature is that the richer Gaians have been donating items worth like 30 million gold or 300 million gold. You're not guaranteed to get expensive items, but there's a small chance.
Don't like an item? Sell it or donate it back! Also, be sure to give back to the Dumpster when you can. n .n
- Note: You'll most likely receive a Philosopher's Cache. This item will be explained below.
Click Item Grant Links
- Keep an eye out for item grants. Every so often, Gaia releases links that grants a free item just for clicking on them. Sometimes they're announced, sometimes they're not. Keep your eyes peeled, or~ be sure to check item grant list threads. Users will often post the latest links on those threads.
Many of the grant links are time sensitive and will disappear within a time frame of a day to a week. A few of the grant links remain active for years.
Here's a thread that lists the active item grants. It's a great way to catch up on a few items! Grant Item Archive
- Pro-tip: Subscribe to an item list grant thread (like the one above). You'll be notified whenever the thread gets a post. It's often just people saying thanks for the thread. However, it could also be someone posting a link to the latest grant.
Pro-tip: Reduce idle chatter on those threads. It's actually best to not post unless you do have a new grant link. Users get upset when they receive notification of a post, and it's just a couple users talking.
Daily Chance
The Daily Chance cart was updated July 2014. You now have the chance to earn higher amounts of gold (like 100k). That at least can buy a lot of gold shop items. There's also a good chance of finding charms (Heart, Star, Diamond) for the GOFusion feature.
Pro Tip: Consider using Better Gaia add-on/extension for your browser. It allows you to collect your Daily Chance carts all from one page, among many other useful features.
Pro Tip: Consider using Better Gaia add-on/extension for your browser. It allows you to collect your Daily Chance carts all from one page, among many other useful features.
Gaia Cash Tree
Use the Gaia Cash Tree.
"Watch Videos" is the easiest way to earn free Gaia cash. You earn 5c per video. The availability seems to fluctuate throughout the day. Check it randomly.
"Complete Offers" has a variety of options to choose from. You can often get 100gc quickly with this method. Beware of offers that ask for personal info and credit card information.
"Watch Videos" is the easiest way to earn free Gaia cash. You earn 5c per video. The availability seems to fluctuate throughout the day. Check it randomly.
"Complete Offers" has a variety of options to choose from. You can often get 100gc quickly with this method. Beware of offers that ask for personal info and credit card information.
✖ ✖ Make Gaian Life Easier ✖ ✖
Dress Up Search
Search feature in dress up.
Equipped Lists
Want to know what item(s) a user has on their avatar? Easy, ask them. Most people respond nicely. Too shy? Check their equipped list.
In the forums, there's an online/offline indicator under an avatar. Click "View Equipped List" from the drop down menu. A list of all their equipped items will pop up on your screen. Notice, that's Items, not Poses. Hover your mouse over the item names for an info bubble to appear. Click the marketplace link to preview the poses in the items until you find what you're looking for.
If you see a message about the equipped items not being visible, you're SOL. You'll have to ask the person directly.
In the forums, there's an online/offline indicator under an avatar. Click "View Equipped List" from the drop down menu. A list of all their equipped items will pop up on your screen. Notice, that's Items, not Poses. Hover your mouse over the item names for an info bubble to appear. Click the marketplace link to preview the poses in the items until you find what you're looking for.
If you see a message about the equipped items not being visible, you're SOL. You'll have to ask the person directly.
Quote Users
Quote a user to get their attention! This is mainly useful for continuing a conversation in the same thread. You can also use this feature to quote someone in a thread that you want them to see.
Users have become used to this quote feature. Users don't always check back to see if someone's responded to their post in a thread... They rely on being quoted.
Also, keep this in mind. Don't quote someone's name at random unless you want them to see the post.
Either type out the quote or click the quote button by a user's post so that you don't have to type it out.
You can quote multiple people in one post and all will receive notifications.
[quote="usernamehere"] [/quote]
Spoiler Tags
While not necessary, they help keep posts tidy. Some people even actually hide spoilers with them. o: They're mainly used to keep posts tidy. You must type out the tags to use them.
[spoiler] [/spoiler]
Tip Posts
In the forums, you have the option to tip user's posts. You give the person 25g from your own account with each tip.
Tipping posts is a useful way to just say that you like what someone said, acknowledge their response but there's nothing more to say, and say "thank you" or "you're welcome" without actually making another post.
In my experience, it's nice to receive a random tip. n .n I haven't seen any users complain about getting tipped.
Tipping posts is a useful way to just say that you like what someone said, acknowledge their response but there's nothing more to say, and say "thank you" or "you're welcome" without actually making another post.
In my experience, it's nice to receive a random tip. n .n I haven't seen any users complain about getting tipped.
✖ ✖ Notes for returning Gaians (good for newbies too) ✖ ✖
MCs and LQIs
Monthly Collectibles (Donation Items) are no longer sacred. They can (and many have been) re-released. Many have also been recolored.
Any item is susceptible to re-release now.
Gaia now offers Limited Quantity Items. (They're denoted in the Cash Shop as the items with the red counters that say 657/999 or something to that effect.) Don't be fooled. Gaia's official statement is that they're only guaranteed for a couple months (if that) unless otherwise stated.
Loyal's Bazaar
There's a shop called Loyal's Bazaar that you can gain access to. You must log in for a total of 75 days during a 90 day period to gain access. Before then, you can check this thread to see the items inside: LB Items Thread
zOMG
zOMG is still around. However, it's in maintenance mode. Last I heard, none of the current Gaia staff even know how to work on the code. They just make sure to cycle the servers to reduce lag. There will be no new updates to zOMG... And events like Easter, Halloween and Xmas no longer take place in zOmg.
Achievements
Gaia has Achievements. The points are worthless but there are users who rabidly collect them. Many achievements are only available during events. Achievements are how users get the little titles to place underneath their avatars.
GOFusion
GOFusion is a brand new feature. It's like alchemy but much easier to understand. You trade charms for items. Those charms are available through the Cash Shop, but you can also find them in the Daily Chance for free.
Great guide: [guide]
GCD Updates
Can't keep up with all of the Cash Shop updates? Fear not, the GCD is doing that for you. Gaia also updates the Cash Shop like crazy. I'm sure you've noticed all of the announcements. If you check the GCD, they usually have a thread that keeps track of the updates made that day. Here's one for example: [thread].
They also usually keep updated on any new feature or event as always.
Hair Cutting Items
We have items that "cut" hair and wigs while equipped.
[Info]
✖ ✖ Various Topics ✖ ✖
Philosopher's Cache and Alchemy
Quick answer: It's an item used for the Alchemy system.
You open the philosophers cache to get any one of the 10 other caches (or a Heart Charm for GOFusion). Each of those colored caches may be opened to obtain components needed to craft alchemy formulas.
So. If you have no interest in starting Alchemy, you're best off to sell it. (Well, I believe it's worth opening for the chance of one of the more expensive caches or the Heart Charm to sell those.)
Click on the spoiler below. I tried to be succinct as I could with my description of alchemy. XD;
If you're interested in finding out more about the Alchemy System, I'll link you to an intro guide. Basically, it's expensive. I hear that people can profit from alchemy, but most lose gold.
Alchemy allows you to create new items. The catch? You must have a formula, all the needed ingredients (often, expensive items) and the gold necessary to craft that item.
Formulas come in ten different levels. You gain experience by crafting items. You can only craft formulas that are your level or below.
Why do alchemy? As I said, some people profit. Others are just using up the caches that they find in the Dumpster Dive. Some have specific items they'd like to make (mainly the coveted Backwings). Some just want the achievement points that you earn from Alchemy.
This thread has links to many Alchemy guides: [The Alchemy Guide and Information Database]
Alchemy allows you to create new items. The catch? You must have a formula, all the needed ingredients (often, expensive items) and the gold necessary to craft that item.
Formulas come in ten different levels. You gain experience by crafting items. You can only craft formulas that are your level or below.
Why do alchemy? As I said, some people profit. Others are just using up the caches that they find in the Dumpster Dive. Some have specific items they'd like to make (mainly the coveted Backwings). Some just want the achievement points that you earn from Alchemy.
This thread has links to many Alchemy guides: [The Alchemy Guide and Information Database]
Booty Grab
The short answer is that Booty Grab is a Gaia game that you can play. It's free to play and you earn gold every time.
Booty Grab used to be a great way to earn gold to buy items. It's still an okay way to earn gold to buy cheap items, but you won't earn enough gold from it to buy expensive items the marketplace. (It's a long story, but the item prices have been exponentially increasing this past year due to too much gold in the system. It's hard to keep up if you don't use Gaia Cash.)
Here is a guide on how to play: BG Guide
You don't have to understand much about how the game works in order to play it. Basically, you go to the Aquarium Forum. Look for threads that say "glow" or "glowing" in the title. Look at the aquariums in the signatures. Click on a tank that says "Booty Grab" for a pop up to open and the game to start. From there, just use the arrow keys to move left and right. You keep whatever gold falls into the shell on your head. Rinse and Repeat.
Making Gold
I hate to say it, but the fastest way to earn gold on Gaia is to use cash. Cash is a currency that you get for converting real money into cash form.
What you do is look through the current items in the Cash Shop and find the one that's selling for the most gold for the least amount of cash spent. Sell that item and buy the other ones you want. (Do not buy the gold generators! They sound like a good deal. "You could win up to 150 billion gold!" They're not. You usually only win like 20 million gold. Yes, that's a lot of gold... but not in this economy. And you could probably get a guaranteed 1 billion just for buying and selling a different item for the same amount of cash.)
Do you have the Cash Tree enabled? If you don't want to spend your money on cash, you can complete free offers for cash. It takes a while to add up, but it's better than nothing. Watch out, some offers do require a credit card so just avoid them...
If you have art skills, you can draw art for users in exchange for items and gold.
Another easy method is to watch the marketplace, buy low and sell high. That's a tactic that might take a while to get into since you'll have to learn about which items to do that with and you'll need quite a bit of gold for your initial investment.
Check out the Dumpster Dive. The Dumpster is a feature where users can dive for items donated by other users. It's free. You can dive every five minutes. Many Gaians have been generously donating expensive items into the Dumpster. The Dumpster does empty though. At those times, you'll get items from the Admin. Once you get between 10 - 20 items from Admin, you won't be able to dive again until the dumpster is full of user donations. Check back periodically. ...You're not guaranteed to get something expensive. You are getting a random item that someone else didn't want, after all.
Also, be sure to participate in item contests and giveaways! The forums are full of them. You can find some NSTG ones here.
Towns Trash: Bugs, Papers, Flowers, Trash
Yeah, Gaia really doesn't make that info easy to figure out on your own.
The short answer is that paper can be made into various paper hats, bugs can be turned into ink, and flowers can be turned into bouquets. You do this by visiting various NPCs at the gold shops. Nowadays, you'd probably get more gold for just selling your trash to alchemists than by using the exchange system.
I'll link you to item lists.
Here is a full list of Towns items and what times they'll appear: [x]
What the trash can be exchanged into: [x] (I'd just like to add that bugs get turned into ink at Durem Depot. That ink can be used to color the flower bouquets or to create tattoos at Skin Tyte [x].)
And this post gives a bit of info on the alchemy side of it all: [x].
As far as I know, that information should be the same whether you're collecting in Towns or in Towns 2.
In addition to the above mentioned, you can also sell them to people looking for those items to use in Alchemy; you'll find some people looking to buy them in these forums. These people will often buy them for more than you can sell the game items for after having made them into other items through gaia shops.
Gaia Time
The Gaia headquarters is based in Pacific Standard Time (PST). (They used to run most of the Cash Shop sales in PST, but have switched to reporting a lot of their sales in EST now. I understand why it can be confusing to figure out which time zone they're in.)
The Gaia Website runs on "Gaia Standard Time (GST)" regarding daytime and nighttime cycles in Towns and such. This page explains GST: [GST Info]
