hb-appstore VS Payload_Launcher

Do not use Retroarch, instead use MelonDS (you can find it in the homebrew store or here) and enable ARM Jit Recompiler. It should work fine, but I had some text troubles when I tried Mario & Luigi Partners in Time and I suggest to install switchroot Android to use emulators there

install the homebrew appstore GITHUB - HB APPSTORE if you haven't already. Try the emulators. Retroarch, Tesla for system information overlays, Daybreak for updating firmware, 90DNS to test if you are properly blocking the Nintendo servers. FTPD for FTP. NUT (Windows app) for Tinfoil, makes USB transfers easy. Especially useful if you need to convert XCI to NSP. Once you get bored. Install Android.

Homebrew app store - you can install many homebrews like retroarch, goldleaf, incognito, themes and more

It's better to just Google the app your after and get it off their GitHub so you know the apps are updated for example if you want tinfoil Google tinfoil and then copy all the apps you want into your switch folder this will put them all in the album. But here is the nro for the Hb store https://github.com/fortheusers/hb-appstore/releases

wiiu.hacks.guide and an app on the homebrew appstore that I forget the name of, i think it's called am64ds patcher?

The guide isn't meant to give you homebrew applications, only the required ones. I would recommend getting the homebrew appstore to easilly get any app you want (including tinfoil). You can get it from https://github.com/fortheusers/hb-appstore/releases and you have to just put it in the "Switch" folder in your sd card. From there just open hombrew menu and it will be there

You can find the appstore here -- https://github.com/fortheusers/hb-appstore/releases. As it says, this is one of those that wants to be in its own folder, so sdmc:\switch\appstore\appstore.nro.

It sounds like you are new to Wii U hacking, so I recommend that you use wiiu.hacks.guide to homebrew your Wii U if it isn't homebrewed already. If it is, I recommend you get the Homebrew AppStore (if you don't know how to install it, look here). That way if you have a question like this again, you can check there first or use Google before asking us.

Try downloading a fresh copy of the homebrew app store and replacing the one in your "switch" folder on the SD card. Make sure your time and date are correct on the switch

For updating Atmosphere itself, I recommend installing the Payload Launcher homebrew so you can get back to Hekate. From there, you can use Hekate's USB feature.

Payload Launcher - hijacks Atmosphere's "reboot to payload" function to launch user-defined payloads

Payload Launcher This is effectively a non-Tesla-based way to switch between payloads. Probably not super useful if you're going to lean into Tesla.

If you never shut the Switch all the way off, then you don't 100% require the jig; you can reboot between payloads using the Payload Launcher homebrew.

You can in fact do so with the Payload Launcher homebrew, actually.

Payload Launcher to simplify moving from one environment to another

You can use the Payload Launcher to reboot to a given payload file directly from Atmosphere. Additionally, Atmosphere allows you to name a payload file reboot_payload.bin and reboot to it from the Switch's menu.

Then you can grab the Payload Launcher homebrew to get around the fact that you can't use Hekate to swap between sysNAND and emuNAND.

Alternately, you can use this tool to do it.