Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken the world by storm over the last few months. The game is the latest in the long-running social simulation series and has become a hit on the Nintendo Switch. It has also provided a welcome distraction when many people are in lockdown and unable to go outside as normal.
For the most part, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a relaxing and chilled-out experience. While there is little pressure in terms of goals, getting the most out of it is trickier than it seems. Fortunately, there are lots of handy tips and tricks to help you make your island as good as it can be.
If you are new to Animal Crossing: New Horizon and want to get a head start, here are 10 useful tips and tricks to help you out.
Two upgrades are vital to your experience
Two early upgrades that every player should unlock are important to getting the most out of the game. These are the Better Tools DIY book and the Pocket Organization Guide. Both are incredibly helpful. The book will help you to upgrade all of your tools so they are more effective. Meanwhile, the guide will give you far more inventory space so you can carry more items at once.
Speak to new residents as much as possible
Speaking to new people who show up at your island is a fundamental part of the Animal Crossing experience. That doesn’t mean just exchanging pleasantries with them. Instead, you should find out all the information each individual has. Doing so can unlock extra tasks and jobs, ensuring you get better items or rewards. By talking to everyone, you’ll also get more people to move to your island permanently.
Spend air miles to visit other islands
Nook Miles are an important type of currency in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They give you access to upgrades and can be used to buy certain types of items. However, they are also useful for traveling to other islands using Dodo Airlines. Don’t be afraid to spend your miles to journey to different locations. Extra Nook Miles are easy to acquire and extra islands will reward you with additional resources such as nuggets.
Keep a careful eye out for hidden secrets
There are plenty of hidden secrets in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Yet, they are not always that easy to find. Players will need to keep a close watch on the environment to see if there is anything out of the ordinary. Important things to watch out for include glowing portions of the ground and rustling in trees and bushes. Another good tip is to move slowly rather than running, as this will prevent small creatures from being scared away.
Keep saved bells in your ABD account
Despite the fact that most players will want to spend their Bells as quickly as possible, sometimes you may want to save them. Rather than just keeping the Bells in your inventory, the best way to save them is in your bank account. That means that the Bells will slowly accrue interest rather than just staying at the same value.
Don’t build a crafting table straight away
Although you get the recipe to build a crafting table early on in the game, doing so is not necessary. You can continue to use Tom Nook’s own table during the early stages of the game. This will save you precious resources, allowing you to upgrade your own tent and tools earlier. Once you have established yourself, you can then spend the nuggets on your own table.
Get through actions quicker
It is possible to skip through certain actions far more quickly than they would occur normally. For example, there is a drawn-out animation for crafting new items. By rapidly pressing the A button you can bypass this animation. Similarly, you can do the same thing when talking to people or animals on your island. Overall, this means you save plenty of time.
Pay the debt from your tent as quickly as you can
Unlike many other Animal Crossing games, New Horizons has the player start in a tent. This isn’t a free place to live, though, and you’ll owe Tom Nook for the home. Rather than putting off paying back those Nook Miles, you should try to do it as soon as you can. That way you can get access to further upgrades and bigger homes, making the player experience far better.
Don’t chop down every tree
Trees are a very important resource. They supply players with wood, fruit, and branches when hit with a stone ax. However, if you chop them down you lose these resources. In fact, a good habit to get into is to plant extra trees whenever possible. This is especially important if you have to clear some trees to make space for building. That way you have a steady supply of fruit and wood.
Redeem Nook Miles as soon as they are awarded
Although it might seem like a good idea to save up your Nook Miles, that isn’t the most efficient method. Instead, redeeming them straight away means that you can get extra tasks immediately. If you are lucky, one of these jobs might be something you were about to do anyway. The benefit of this is that you can earn more Nook Miles than you might do by keeping them unredeemed.
Got any other hints for Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Share them in the comments below!
Category: Guides
