Animal Crossing may be the best casual game series of all time. There's no real competition and nothing to win, just chill vibes and friendly relaxation. No wonder the latest iteration of the game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, helped so many people through the anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But just because Animal Crossing: New Horizons is relaxing doesn't mean it can't be complicated. There's a lot to do in Animal Crossing, and it can all get a little overwhelming, especially when players are first starting out. However, there are some specific things that can be done in the beginning to make island life a little easier.
Have Friends
Even when played alone, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, like all entries in the Animal Crossing series, is a social game. Players will meet their in-game neighbors, bond with them (or not), celebrate birthdays and holidays, and more.
That said, life on the island is immeasurably easier and more fun if players have real-life friends who use Animal Crossing: New Horizons. So, players should ask their friends if they play Animal Crossing too and connect with them in the game. Even if they've been playing for only a short while, they'll likely have lots of extra resources they'll be happy to share, saving new players tons of time, money, and effort in the game.
Pick A Campsite
The first major task a player has when they land on their new island home is choosing a place to pitch their tent. This campsite is going to be their home as they build their new life.
Picking a campsite may seem like a simple task, and there's loads of space on a new player's empty island. But this decision deserves some thought. When converting a tent into a house, players won't have a chance to move it. Later on, they can move their house as many times as they want, but it's expensive to do so. Thus, players should take some time to think about how they want to place other houses and buildings on their island, then choose a spot for their tent carefully.
Meet The Neighbors
When a new player starts life on their island, they'll have two new neighbors who move to the island at the same time. The game will choose them randomly, but one will be a boy with the jock personality, and one will be a girl with the sisterly personality.
Just like players, the two neighbors will have tents on the island. Go knocking or find them as they walk around exploring. It pays to have strong bonds with neighbors, so start building those relationships now. Or, if players find their Animal Crossing villagers annoying, they can ignore them, and they'll move away eventually.
Clean Up
Chores in real life are a bummer. But this is Animal Crossing, so chores and other repetitive tasks are part of the fun.
New players may notice that their island, deserted until recently, is covered with weeds, rocks, and loose branches. It's their job to clean all that up. Players don't strictly have to, but increasing their island's beauty and livability is crucial to advancing the game. Players may as well clean everything up early before they have lots of other things to do.
Make Some Tools
After cleaning up, new players should hold onto their branches, as they'll need them to build new items. Tom Nook will give recipes to craft a Flimsy Fishing Rod and a Flimsy Bug Net. These are the first of several tools players will learn to make, and they're two of the most important.
Each tool takes five wooden branches to craft. Players will probably have more than enough, but keep in mind that the tools are called "flimsy" for good reason. They'll break after only a few uses, so players will need to make more. They should save as many branches as they can afford to.
Catch Some Critters
Once players have their fishing rod and bug net, it's time to put them to use. Catching fish and catching bugs in Animal Crossing are two of the main activities of the game. Eventually, players will have to work hard to catch the rarest bugs and fish. But since they haven't caught anything at the beginning, every new fish and bug has value.
Players will probably notice butterflies and moths flying around their island as they explore. Fish, as expected, live in the ocean off the coast as well as ponds and rivers. Players should collect as many as they want. Donate some to Tom Nook, and he'll offer recipes to craft new tools: the Flimsy Stone Axe and the Flimsy Watering Can.
Pay Off Tom Nook
Tom Nook is a capitalist above all else, so he's not letting anyone live on his island free of charge. Players have to pay the rent. The first fee he charges is 5,000 Nook Miles, and that's just to start.
Later on, the house and island upgrades that Tom Nook charges for are going to get increasingly expensive. But players don't have to worry about that in the beginning. The 5,000 Nook Miles are easy to earn, and players can receive a lot of them by performing tasks like collecting branches and bugs. If they keep working on the tasks the Nook Phone assigns them, they'll earn enough Miles fast.
Buy More Pocket Space
When players first join Animal Crossing: New Horizons, they have room in their pockets for 20 items. However, that space fills up quickly, leaving players wishing for more room. Luckily, they can get some.
If players access the Nook Miles ATM in Tom Nook's office, they'll find an item for sale called the Pocket Organization Guide. It costs 5,000 Nook Miles. Players should buy it as soon as they can afford to. It will add 50% more space to their inventory, i.e., 10 more slots. This is an indispensable convenience.
Collect Resources
Over the first few days and weeks on their island, players will be tasked with building things or helping others to build things that require lots of resources like stone, iron, and different kinds of wood. Even if players don't need that stuff in the beginning, they should start collecting it as soon as they can, and try not to sell it or use it to craft other items.
Players can collect wood by whacking trees with their stone axe. They can get stone and iron by smacking the boulders they find on their island with a flimsy shovel (the recipe for which they can get from Tom Nook).
Visit A Nook Island
Eventually, Tom will give players a free plane ticket for a Mystery Island Tour. This is an opportunity to collect lots of resources. They should bring their tools and harvest the island for lots of wood, stone, iron, fish, bugs, flowers, and anything else they find.
By now, players should have spent a day or two in their new island home and done great work getting established. They should have several tasks for which Tom Nook, his employees, and even neighbors have asked for help. If players get to work, pretty soon they'll be living on a certified five-star island.