Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC added tons of new content for the game, completely changing how players enjoy their remote islands. November 5 brings the addition of two DLCs to ACNH; the first is a free update that provides new activities like cooking and farming, while Happy Home Paradise requires a one-time purchase (or will come alongside an expanded subscription to Nintendo Switch Online) and unlocks an entirely new area. Whether players invest in the paid DLC or simply enjoy the free update, ACNH is on track to reclaim a significant portion of its initial popularity.
ACNH suffered a significant content drought over the past year, failing to appear at several Nintendo Direct Livestreams before the latest announcement. In addition, frustrations with a lack of in-game goals stagnated player progress and continued interest, leading to people reporting themselves as having lapsed from the game. Animal Crossing's 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise is set to solve most of these complaints, bringing new daily activities, objectives, items, and mechanics to the table.
Players who maintained a regular return to Animal Crossing: New Horizons have likely settled into a routine with available activities. Decorating for the Halloween season or hunting prized Villagers to recruit onto islands are just a few of the many ways players can pass the time on their islands. But for many, these long-term goals have already been completed. Players can easily pay off Tom Nook's debts through Animal Crossing's Turnip market. Given the plethora of in-game itself, many players will already have set up the majority of their interior decorations in the way they want them. Thankfully, the upcoming DLCs and updates will completely change how Animal Crossing: New Horizons owners play the game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Lets Players Redesign Villager Homes
The Happy Home Paradise DLC employs players as interior decorators for island residents' vacation homes. Players will meet with Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Villagers and NPCs and recreate desired themes using required items, customer input, and creative licensing. Villagers that get along can even room together and merge styles, challenging players to please two residents within a single living space. Players can control the interior and exterior design of the vacation homes, utilizing different biomes for the most aesthetically pleasing design. This means players can enjoy a snow-themed setting in the middle of Summer or an evergreen forest outside their hemisphere. The vacation home mechanic also employs a level of guidance to players who may doubt their decorating skills.
This activity also unlocks a new pastime on players' main Animal Crossing islands, rewarding dedicated vacation home designs with the ability to redecorate residents' homes on their main island. While the unique style of different Villagers reflects their personalities, some players may be eager to give their neighbors a better lifestyle. For example, some Lazy Villagers (like Bones the Dog) have been stuck with a dirt floor and the same few pieces of furniture since their recruitment. The time players recruited Villagers directly affects the size of their living space, which Nintendo can hopefully improve with expanded decorations and architectural abilities. Now players can reward their neighbors with the lifestyle they deserve while utilizing some of the many items New Horizons offers.
New ACNH DLC Updates Daily Activities (With A New Grind)
Animal Crossing games haven't changed their formula much throughout the franchise, enjoying a relatively basic set of established goals and activities to enjoy. Common long-term goals tend to concern completing Blathers' Museum collections or paying off Tom Nook's debt. Less vital goals focus on beautifying the island and decorating player homes. Unfortunately, these goals become stale after extended investment on the same project. The Happy Home Paradise DLC provides a new job to visit daily, likely limiting players' progress each day. Animal Crossing employed a similar technique with early development on player islands, restricting the construction to one home per day. Exploring new islands, climates, decorations, and architecture is sure to change the daily priorities of new and returning players. Catching fish, digging up fossils, and pulling weeds won't hold the same focus as exploring new Animal Crossing content.
Aside from Happy Home Paradise's new duties, the free update introduces several new items and locations to explore. Animal Crossing's Brewster's Roost will join the available attractions within the Museum and provide a new vendor to interact with. With Brewster comes the return of Gyroids, small robotic companions that can be collected and spawn beneath the ground. Gyroids once maintained a significant presence in the Animal Crossing franchise, allowing players to adjust in-game settings, repay debt, and organize storage. Their importance waned as Nintendo relegated these responsibilities to more personable characters (like Isabelle) before the Gyroids vanished from the franchise entirely. Players can now discover Gyroids hidden beneath the ground and use them as decorations or "grow" them around the island.
Animal Crossing Features New Islands And Villagers
Perhaps the most popular addition to Animal Crossing in the DLC is the inclusion of sixteen new and returning Villagers. While some of the Villagers were present in the original Animal Crossing GameCube game, others are entirely new additions to the franchise. New faces like Quinn the Eagle and Cephalobot the robotic Octopus could become the latest trendy character in Villager tier lists.
Free content coming alongside the DLC will round out the experience for everyone. Aside from the DLC's returning villagers, Kapp'n will also come back, a sea captain with his own boat. Unlike Gulliver, who has a habit of falling overboard and washing up on the shores of players' islands, Kapp'n is much more competent. Taking a voyage with Kapp'n costs 1,000 Nook Miles and is the same price as the standard Animal Crossing Mystery Island tours, but Kapp'n enjoys a new level of freedom. Instead of being restricted to current seasonal appearances, Kapp'n takes players to any locations in the world. Hemisphere and season are irrelevant, meaning passengers can enjoy any biome at any time of year, making finishing off collections a relative breeze. Harv's Island will be updated as well, with normally time-bound vendors becoming much more accessible.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons players who wish to focus on the game's vanilla goals should complete them soon or risk being overwhelmed by the number of new activities in Animal Crossing's upcoming DLC. With the slew of new activities, locations, Villagers, and more, the daily ritual of many Animal Crossing players will change forever.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' free update and Happy Home Paradise DLC releases November 5 for owners of the game on Nintendo Switch.