Varwolf: A Comprehensive Neopet Guide

The Varwolf is one of Neopia’s newest and most enigmatic Neopets, officially released on March 26, 2025. Originally just an April Fools’ joke in 2005, this canine pet has finally emerged from the shadows of the Haunted Woods, sparking immense curiosity and plenty of questions among Neopians.

Based on popular search trends, here is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the Varwolf!

What is a Varwolf Neopet? (Species Lore & Facts)

The Varwolf is a reclusive, quadrupedal canine Neopet native to the Haunted Woods.

Key Facts:

Discovery Date: March 26, 2025 (Official release).
Native Land: Haunted Woods.
Distinctive Features: They are known for their thick ruffs (manes) and long, protruding upper canine teeth (sabre teeth) that are visible even when their mouth is closed.
Habitat: Varwolves prefer dark and spooky places, often hollowing out trees to create burrows.
Unique Ability: Their fur has a remarkable ability to blend into the shadows by absorbing light. Shaking their fur can even cause them to briefly vanish for a form of camouflage.
Pound/Transfer Restriction: Like the Lutari, Varwolves will not accept being put in the Pound and will run away forever if abandoned. They are currently untradeable, meaning they must remain on the account where they were created.

🎨 What are the Available Varwolf Colours?

Since their initial release, more colors have quickly been made available for the Varwolf.

Colour	Release Date (approx.)
Blue, Green, Red, Yellow	March 26, 2025
Island	June 13, 2025
Grey	August 15, 2025
25th Anniversary, Halloween, Mutant, Split, White	November 26, 2025
Ghost, Rainbow	November 28, 2025
Desert, Maractite	December 8, 2025

You can paint your Varwolf using the appropriate Paint Brush at the Rainbow Pool.

How Do You Get a Varwolf Neopet? (Creation Guide)

The Varwolf was initially available only to Premium members, but is now available to all users through a permanent questline.

Option 1: The Varwolf Questline (Available to All Users)

The official, non-time-limited way to get a Varwolf is by completing a questline centered in the Haunted Woods. This method typically requires your account to be at least 3 months old.

The final steps of the questline involve collecting and using specific items to lure the Varwolf out:

Collect Scary Cave Map Pieces: These can be obtained from specific daily activities and quest answers around the Haunted Woods (e.g., Apple Bobbing, Forgotten Graveyard, Wanderer Camp) or purchased from other users.
Combine Items at the Cooking Pot: Once you have all the necessary map pieces and the required food ingredients (Mound of Rotten Fruit, Putrid Pumpkin, and Hungry Fungus) from the Haunted Woods Hunt daily, you will combine them at the Cooking Pot to create a special meal.
Lure the Varwolf: Return to the Scary Cave to complete the process and claim your new Varwolf.

Option 2: Premium Species Change Perk (Premium Members)

Neopets Premium members can use their annual Species Change Perk to transform an existing Neopet into a Varwolf. This was the first way to obtain the pet upon its release.

Other Methods:

Transmogrification Potion: A Varwolf Transmogrification Potion will change any existing Neopet into a Mutant Varwolf.
Lab Ray: While not currently possible, the Neopian Lab Ray may eventually be updated to have a chance of zapping a pet into a Varwolf.

Varwolf Item Rarity and Price Trends

The Varwolf itself is not directly bought or sold due to the transfer restriction. However, the items required for the questline were initially subject to extreme price inflation:

Quest Items: The three food items needed to lure the Varwolf—the Mound of Rotten Fruit, Putrid Pumpkin, and Hungry Fungus—are highly sought-after and obtained from the Haunted Woods Hunt daily activity. Due to low drop rates at the start of the site-wide release, their prices on the Neopian market (Trading Post/Auction House) can reach millions of Neopoints (NP).
Scary Cave Map Pieces: The individual map pieces are also valuable, though their prices may fluctuate as more people complete the quest.
Rarity: Some of the food ingredients have a rarity of r89 and were originally intended to stock in Spooky Food shops, which could help with availability and pricing over time.

Because the Varwolf quest is permanent, the best approach for players not wanting to pay inflated prices is patience. You can collect the items yourself daily or wait for prices to normalize as more items enter the economy.

How to Care for and Customize Your Varwolf

Varwolves have some unique preferences when it comes to food and grooming.

Feeding Your Varwolf

Varwolves have a famously iron stomach. Unlike most other Neopets, they absolutely love Gross Food items!

They will happily eat items like Chocolate Liver Casserole or Grubs n Cheese without any adverse effects.
Feeding a Varwolf any food with the word “rotten” in its name will instantly fill them up to bloated. This makes them incredibly simple and cheap to feed if you find or purchase inexpensive Gross Food.

Grooming & Toys

Grooming: Focus on their most distinct features: their thick ruff and their fangs. Look for items like Mane Conditioner or a Fang Brush to keep them in top shape.
Toys & Play: As natural foragers and hunters, they enjoy active toys and games. Anything that encourages chasing, like a Flying Disc or a Bouncy Ball, is a great choice. The Neopian game Kacheek Seek is also a perfect fit for their hunting instincts.

Customization

Customization for the Varwolf can be limited compared to older Neopets, as TNT must manually fit existing clothing items to the new species. While backgrounds and foregrounds generally work fine, some specific wigs, wearables, and handheld items may not be compatible yet.

Do Varwolves Stay If You Cancel Premium?

Yes. If you use the Premium Species Change perk to make a Varwolf and then cancel Premium, you keep the Varwolf permanently.

Can You Transfer or Trade a Varwolf?

No. Varwolves cannot be transferred, traded, or put in the Pound. If you abandon one, it will run away and disappear.