The new terraforming tools in Animal Crossing: New Horizons enable players to customize their towns like never before, and fans have come up with some creative uses for the mechanic. Those looking for cool Animal Crossing: New Horizons terraforming ideas will find no shortage of inspiration and examples from the community.
A first for the series, New Horizons' terraforming allows players to change the actual landscape of their islands, expanding waterways, leveling mountains, and building up cliffs. This Minecraft-esque control over the town's layout has never been seen in an Animal Crossing game before, and it lets each player's island look completely different.
Unfortunately, it can be hard to master Animal Crossing's terraforming mechanics. Terraforming is slow-going, and players often find themselves regretting their decisions after taking the plunge and putting hours into projects that just don't work out. That's why it's important to plan terraforming ahead of time, and these fan-created examples can help players get an idea of what to start creating.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Coolest Terraforming Island Layout Ideas
Build Complex Waterfalls
One of the easiest ways to spruce up an island is to add lots of snazzy waterfalls. The temptation is to use New Horizons' waterfall terraforming to create very regular, even waterfalls, but players have found success making their islands unique by going for a more natural look. Reddit user qt3-141, for example, created a tropical-style waterfall area out of uneven cliffs and various waterfall sizes, complete with some flowers and shrubs for added realism and a nifty observation deck.
Make Islands Within An Island
The water tool is also great for making other unique structures, like moats or islands within an island. Reddit user Owen-Gaynondorf used this strategy to make a simple but appealing park. One of New Horizons' bridges can connect these kinds of small islands to the rest of the town, making for self-contained and tranquil sitting spots.
Construct A Museum Entrance
Building up the land around any given structure can help make it that much more impressive. That's exactly what Reddit user vkcs1a - and SubspaceHighway before them - did for their museum. Players can use terraforming to build a large plaza outside the museum, then decorate it with fossils and other science-related items.
Build A Big Maze
As a contest for their Twitch viewers, Reddit user ReelSteele27 created a huge maze that took up almost half their island. Rather than using hedges like Animal Crossing's May Day island, ReelSteele27 used terraforming to create a complex maze, complete with custom patterns to let players know where to go and where the start and finish lines were.
Make Secret Passages To Hidden Areas
Several Reddit users have used terraforming to make secret passages, especially leading to the secret beach at the back of the island. These can be as simple as Sazley's, hidden behind a tree, or as complex as oliverskywolf's, which incorporates gaps to hop over, waterfalls for added ambiance, and an entire hidden grotto for relaxation.
Create An Island Entrance
One of the most common Animal Crossing island customization ideas is to build a terraformed entrance near the airport. These can create an immediate first impression for visitors and show off players' unique styles. Reddit user AwayCorgi made a simple entrance with some cliffs, trees, and fences, but players can incorporate waterfalls and complex furniture items to be a little more flashy.
Make A Fake Land Bridge
The ability to build bridges without water underneath is one of New Horizons' most requested features. While fans wait and hope for Nintendo to add the ability to create them, players have come up with a neat way to make fake bridges over land. Twitter user michelle (@isleofmarlie) used custom patterns and fences to decorate a strip of terraformed cliffs like a bridge - an illusion that works quite well when walking across it.
Add Lots Of Little Touches
If players are especially at a loss for what to build, they can always follow Reddit user IWILLIFUWILL's example and use terraforming to spruce up their town in many subtle ways. The New Horizons fan made lots of small cliffs, ponds, streams, waterfalls, and other land features to make every part of their town a little more interesting, which might just be the easiest and most effective use of the tools, especially for beginners.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons released on March 20, 2020, for the Nintendo Switch.
Image Source: qt3-141/Reddit, Owen-Gaynondorf/Reddit, ReelSteele27/Reddit