Newcomer tips?

[Grawr]

Hey, gang. I'm an Animal Crossing old-timer, used to play the Gamecube one way back in the day and I was absolutely obsessed.

Haven't really played AC in many years, but my fiance and I recently got New Horizons.

We've been playing for a few days, and already, there's so much that's different from what I'm used to (in a really addicting way. Chopping down a tree gives you wood instead of just knocking the tree down, huh?? Crafting?? What is this madness??)

Interested to know if you guys have any tips for a newcomer to NH.

 

[xxcodexx]

first things first! buy a wetsuit and go diving forever! the ocean critters make a lot of bells, plus you can give them to the museum as well. it will put a dent into your debt pretty quick, and upgrading your house costs a fortune!
the crafting will drive you bonkers because you have to craft your tools constantly.
theres sooo much to learn in this game; but you will get the hang of it pretty quick.

 

[Bluelady]

Don't stress too much. The game will do a good job guiding you. Just focus on getting a 3 star island. Guide (may contain spoilers). I don't think that the guide mentions this, but spread out the flowers and decorations. Don't just lump them in one area. Furniture that take up more space will add more points.

After that, Harvey's Plaza will unlock and more shops will open up. Guide Keep in mind that the plaza is different from Photopia (which will unlock first). In Photopia, you just decorate different sized rooms with items already in your catalog regardless if you don't have that item anymore.

I believe that the Tree's Bounty diy series is currently available. You may be able to shoot them down from the balloons floating in the sky. It's random.

 

[BalloonFight]

Enjoy the experience and if you're curious about stuff, don't be afraid to look it up. Especially with all of the updates now, there's quite a bit.

One tip I can give is that when you have an open housing plot, you can go to the (N)ook (M)iles (T)icket islands and hunt for villagers. To get an open plot, you'll have a villager end up asking if you'd like them to move away from your island. The next day they will pack up their house to move, and the day after that there will be a completely open plot. You can then start looking for villagers on the NMT islands.If a villager is on that island that you don't want, don't talk to them, and go to another island after to see another one.

If you end up not finding a villager you want, the plot will most likely be filled by a random villager the following day at 5am. You can time travel and keep the same exact day you have an open plot, and hunt villagers indefinitely, until you find one you desire.

Other than that I'd suggest just trading with people online, and maybe going to a catalog island to expand your island. Also, order a bunch of items from the machine in the Town Hall. Once you order 100 or something, you'll get an App on your phone that makes ordering items easier (mini spoiler, but it's super worth it).

Lastly I'd suggest starting to think about what type of theme or design you'd ultimately end up liking for your island. Also in this vein, your dream villagers could also help. Not sure how much you've seen of the game, but the creativity ceiling for island designs are nearly infinite. Getting a head start while you "beat" the game and unlock the end game tools could make it less stressful at the end if you wanted to fully design it.

 

[Pyoopi]

If you like completing achievements, like the craft 3,000 tools. Keep your tools at the wooden level, so they can break easier. Otherwise if you don't care, you can use customization kits to keep your tools in tact!

On the NSO app (if you use it), it'll keep track of your turnip prices. You can collect Nook Points everyday there and buy some in-game goodies.

When you've unlocked terraforming and you want to try designing your island, this app helped me a lot: Happy Island Designer.
I would try to get a warp pipe as soon as possible as it'll save you time from running to one point of your island to another. Then I would place a crafting bench in high traffic areas you'll be at or you can just carry one with you at all times (depends what kind of player you are).

Also on my island, I like having a designated temp work area. It holds my temp farm, my rock garden, unused flowers, and where I bury my gyroids. This can be used to build your snowmen too. I have a work bench, a stove, and storage in this location.

 

[kiwikenobi]

I second the advice to be chill and relaxed about the game, at least at first. Just take things at your own pace, don't rush yourself, and don't go out of your way to spoil things. After some time, when you run out of obvious things to do, then I think it's a fine time to start looking up more advanced things. If you care about getting 100% or getting achievements, you'll have plenty of time to do that after you've had your time just discovering things naturally. There's no substitute for a genuine pleasant surprise.

 

[Romaki]

The game is really overwhelming in the beginning, but once you unlock K. K. things go back to normal. Actually, they're far more relaxed than normal because you really don't unlock anything else after that point. I think you have to pay off your house with bells the second time to unlock the storyline, but that's about it. Other than that just enjoy your day and do your regular routine.

 

[DarthGohan1]

Use your Nook Miles Tickets at the airport to go to other little islands... sometimes you'll find interesting things there. And you can chop down all the trees guilt-free!