Advice for starting New Leaf for the first time

[Etown20]

A short background - I bought New Horizons last year at launch and have been playing it regularly since then. I like the game a lot been but have recently been running out of things to do (which is not to complain - I'm very happy to have gotten a whole year out of a game). I've read on the forums about how well-regarded New Leaf is, so I thought now might be a good time to go back and check it out for the first time.

I found a used New 3DS XL on my local Facebook marketplace (side note: I was surprised how much 3DSs sell for now that they are out of production). My copy of NL:WA is in the mail and should be here next week, so I was just wondering if anyone had any tips or things I should be aware of starting out.

 

[Aniko]

When I started to play, I knew nothing about Animal Crossing so I just put my tent close to the Town Hall in front of the waterfall not knowing my house would be that big and block the view. Also the bridges! Isabelle can be really fussy about the space, villagers can build houses in front of the bridge but if you want to replace it, Isabelle will say there is not enough place, so you will have to kick out the villager first. It would be a good idea to decide where you want the bridges first and which one and also put projects in spaces you don't want villagers (those are rude and put their houses in orchards, on flowers, on paths...)

 

[daringred_]

uhhhh. well, terraforming isn't a thing and neither is the ability to move buildings, so if you want re-tail, the town hall, plaza or RV ground in specific places, you will have to map reset. when picking a map, i personally tried to visualize where i would put the bridges (you can only have three, i believe) and my house -- the latter especially since i'm pretty sure it can't be moved after the fact -- before selecting one. rocks can't be broken or moved, and neither can ponds, so if you're bothered by that then you'll have to run around your town quickly and decide whether or not you like where they're placed.

the only other thing i'd really recommend is starting with a face guide. (unless, of course, you're okay with having a random face.) unlike NH, the only things that can be changed at a later date are your hair color/style and eye color. whatever face you start off with is the face you'll have forever unless you reset later down the line. so if there are specific eyes you want, make sure you use a face guide to answer rover's questions 'correctly'.

also more of a personal recommendation: play with headphones. (at least for your first introduction sequence.) this is something i do the first time i play any game, but NL has a gorgeous soundtrack and the natural ambiance is better balanced with the music volume-wise than in NH imo.

 

[LadyDestani]

Most of these have already been covered, but here are my recommendations:

1. Definitely use a face guide. You will be stuck with your face forever.
2. Be sure you're happy with your house placement before confirming because it cannot be moved.
3. Random villagers will start moving in the very next day so lay out patterns to prevent them from placing their homes in horrible places. Namely, in front of your house, in front of Town Hall, in front of Re-Tail, where you want to build bridges, etc. Obviously, all of this is subjective, but just something to keep in mind because they really do find the most terrible, random places to plop their houses.
4. You will find a single perfect fruit on one of the trees in your town. Plant it somewhere safe so you can grow more, not right next to buildings, rivers, or cliffs. I made the mistake of selling my first perfect fruit and did not get another until I traded for one over a year later.
5. Keep checking in with Isabelle at Town Hall to complete her tutorial. She'll give a couple of tools and things to help get you started.

That's all I can think of for now, but I hope you have fun with New Leaf. I'm sure it will be quite a step backward from New Horizons when it comes to customization and Quality of Life things like storage, but I still think it's a great game.

 

[Giulsac]

I don’t know if anyone has already written it, but if you’re trying to grow a tree, you gotta wait five hours since you planted it, and then water it only once or twice (unless it’s raining), then repeat until it's fully grown; I’ve always waited half a day/a whole day, and it’s a very serious mistake, they fade right away. Also, do not plant them near the square or where the stone floor is, or too close to the buildings or the river. They must be well spaced

 

[LadyDestani]

Actually, in New Leaf you don't have to water trees or bushes. They grow over the course of a few days regardless. You only have to water flowers to keep them from wilting or water wilted flowers to bring them back to life.

 

[AprilfromShoebox]

Flowers will wither and die if they aren't watered daily! When you get the chance to get a town ordinance, absolutely choose 'a beautiful town'. In my opinion it is the only ordinance worth getting lmao
Also! I love time traveling in new leaf. I time travel constantly. If you decide to time travel, take it from me: never time travel more than 2 weeks in the future at once. Villagers will move out and move in, plants will die, weeds will grow, and your neighbors will lose friendship with you.

New leaf has a little more challenge than new Horizons but that's what I like about it. I hope you enjoy new leaf! Lmk if you ever want to come visit my town ;D

 

[Bilaz]

An obvious one easy to forget: don’t try and dig up the flowers