The free Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update added a massive amount of new content to the game, along with some welcome quality-of-life updates that make island life even more relaxing. Along with exciting new features like farming and cooking, these quality-of-life updates give fans plenty of new ways to interact with their islands and cut a lot of the game’s more repetitive and tedious parts.
Although Nintendo has stated that this update and its accompanying Happy Home Paradise DLC will be the last major updates to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, these additions provide plenty of new opportunities for players to get creative, explore, and completely customize their island getaways. While some of the updates have been long-requested by players, others came as an exciting surprise.
The 2.0 update refreshed gameplay and encouraged fans who may have left their islands months ago to return and explore everything the new version has to offer. Most of the quality-of-life changes improved upon things that players may have been frustrated with since the game’s release, but others simply expanded on the game’s existing mechanics with new features and functions that add yet another layer of fun.
Expanded Storage, Sheds, & DIY Storage Are Finally Available In ACNH
One of the most important quality-of-life updates to come to Animal Crossing in its 2.0 update is the expansion of players’ home storage. Storage can now be upgraded three times, making room for up to 5,000 items. Although upgrading home storage can cost players a hefty stack of Bells, it’s worth being able to store all of the new items, furniture, and ceiling furniture added in 2.0. Players who have been frustrated with the game’s previous 2,400-item limit will now be able to collect more items without the stress of figuring out how to keep them all.
In addition to the expansion, Animal Crossing’s storage got another exciting update with the addition of the storage shed. Players can now spend 6,000 Nook Miles for the storage shed DIY recipe at the Nook Stop in Resident Services, allowing them to build and customize as many sheds as they need. The storage shed can be placed on the island and used to access the home storage so players no longer have to run the entire way back to their house to grab something or empty their pockets.
Players were also given the ability to store DIY recipes, which may have gone unnoticed as this quality-of-life update was not featured in the October 15 Nintendo Direct. Rather than leaving their duplicate recipes scattered in their homes or across their islands to save for friends and visitors, players can now keep them in their home storage until company arrives. This greatly reduces clutter and gives players an easy way to save DIYs that doesn’t affect their Happy Home Academy score or Island Evaluations. With the addition of cooking DIY recipes that came with ACNH's 2.0 update, this is especially helpful as players help each other build their new cookbooks.
More Bridges And Inclines Can Be Built In Animal Crossing 2.0
Animal Crossing players with tiered islands and water features will be delighted by the quality-of-life update to the town’s infrastructure as 10 bridges and 10 inclines can now be built on the island. Increasing from the previous 8 that could be built each, players can now make their islands even more accessible and easier to navigate without the use of additional tools. This grants a lot more flexibility when it comes to terraforming and overall island design.
Players who want their villagers to be able to visit their mountain-top cafes, gyms, and stargazing parks can now build additional ramps so these elevated areas of the island can be easily reached. Adding water features and aesthetic bridges is now easier as well with the new higher limit on the amount of bridges that can be built, which gives players more options for designing features like zen gardens and farms. While the island’s infrastructure is still limited to the 10 bridges and inclines that can now be built, anyone who just needed that one extra ramp will be pleased by the quality-of-life improvement from this infrastructure update.
Permanent Ladders Save Time & Space In Animal Crossing 2.0
Along with the update to the amount of inclines that can be built on an island, Animal Crossing players can now install permanent ladders to scale their island’s cliffs with ease. The DIY recipe for the “wooden ladder set-up kit” at the Nook Stop for 2,000 Miles allows players to build and customize their own permanent ladders to place around the island. Unlike inclines, which are expensive to build and demolish and take a full day to install, permanent ladders can be constructed quickly and moved around the island with ease.
Permanent ladders give players even more flexibility with terraforming as they no longer have to design their islands around limited and immobile inclines. Numerous peaks, cliffs, and tiers can now be constructed and accessed with ease, and carrying around the ladder tool is no longer required to navigate islands with lots of elevated areas. This also gives players a great way to climb up and down their cliffs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons while building or designing without having to carry around and use an additional tool that takes up space in their pockets. Permanent ladders only take up one space on the cliffside and can be installed without the limitations that come with building inclines, such as the necessary amount of flat space near a cliff.
Slide Through Tight Spaces In Animal Crossing 2.0
For interior designers and furniture collectors alike, the ability to scoot through tight spaces in the home is a welcome quality-of-life update in Animal Crossing 2.0. Not only does this allow for more of ANCH's furniture to be placed in a room, but it makes spaces much easier to navigate. Players can now arrange furniture in a room without leaving large gaps in order to move around, expanding their options for decorating and allowing them to get creative without as many restrictions. This also makes rooms look a little more realistic as in-game movement no longer has to be taken account.
Access An ABD From Anywhere In Animal Crossing 2.0
Animal Crossing 2.0 now allows players to withdraw and deposit bells from anywhere on the island with the new Automatic Bell Dispenser. The ABD is an ATM-like machine that can be redeemed for 9,900 Nook Miles at the Nook Stop and placed near the island’s shops, the player’s home, or anywhere else that players might have to make a quick transaction. Players can even carry the ABD in their pockets to be taken out and used whenever they’re in need of a few extra bells or need to make a deposit after a lucrative turnip sale.
With this addition, players no longer have to run the entire way to Resident Services, wait for the loading screen, and navigate the Nook Stop’s menu to access the ABD service. It’s a major time-saver, and it’s a great decoration for players who want to add a realistic touch to their city designs, outdoor markets, and malls.
Enact Island Ordinances In Animal Crossing 2.0
Island Ordinances can now be enacted as of the Animal Crossing 2.0 update, allowing players to have even more control over their island and its schedule. For players who play during certain times of the day or have limited time to spend on their islands, ordinances change the overall operation of the island to better suit the player’s needs. There are four ordinances Animal Crossing players can choose from by visiting Resident Services and talking to Isabelle, including the Early Bird, the Night Owl, the Beautiful Island, and the Bell Boom ordinances.
While the Early Bird and Night Owl ordinances let players update the island’s schedule to better suit their own, the Beautiful Island ordinance will prevent weeds from growing as quickly and will cause more hybrid flowers to grow, making the island easier to maintain. The Bell Boom ordinance will double the buying and selling values of items in the game, giving players the ability to boost their island economy.
Isabelle’s Announcements Are Finally Useful In Animal Crossing 2.0
Rather than talking about her favorite shows and missing socks, Isabelle will now announce when special characters are visiting the island. Players now know if any travelling vendors are wandering around ahead of time, letting them know who they should be on the lookout for before they start the day.
This gives players the chance to grab any necessary items from their home storage before they take off for the day, like Saharah tickets or bugs to order an art commission from Flick. It also makes Isabelle’s morning announcements a lot less repetitive as they now contain a lot more relevant information in the 2.0 update.
Animal Crossing 2.0’s Pro Camera App Lets Players Take Better Photos
For all of those picture-perfect moments that Animal Crossing provides, there’s now a Pro Camera App that adds multiple angles to the player’s camera. In addition to the camera’s original bird’s-eye view, which let players snap pictures from afar, the handheld and tripod modes were included in the 2.0 update, allowing players to get more unique angles and shots. The Pro Camera App is 1,500 Miles at the Nook Stop and will update the player's phone camera immediately. Villagers will even smile for the camera while it’s in handheld or tripod mode, granting more opportunities for fun and unique photos that truly capture all the fun of island living. Players who are proud of all their hard work are now able to fully show off their Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands with this quality-of-life improvement.