Animal Crossing: New Horizons released its 2.0 update early, introducing some of the game’s most significant additions since launch. New characters, activities, and items have become available for players to enjoy, but some new features are better than others. While ACNH’s 2.0 update introduces many core changes, some are more likely see increased popularity and use in the community as time goes on.
ACNH has experienced a significant content drought for the past months, but the addition of a free 2.0 update revived interest in the game for many players. Though the update released a day early, Animal Crossing's Happy Home Paradise DLC is now available for all game owners. Long-term and short-term goals alike will become shifted with the added abilities in both content expansions, completely changing how players prioritize their in-game time.
Despite the changes to gameplay, many core mechanics of Animal Crossing: New Horizons have remained the same. Players who haven’t invested as much time in-game likely still have home loans, and the hunt for the most popular Villagers continues for many content creators and casual fans. Thankfully, the new Animal Crossing update offers plenty of new goals for players who’ve crafted their perfect island paradise and ran out of things to do.
ACNH 2.0: Unlock Brewster's Coffee Shop
Brewster’s Coffee Shop is a long-awaited addition to ACNH, but Brewster won’t serve players coffee on a silver platter just yet. As a shy NPC, Brewster requires some light encouragement in resuming his business needs and must be found on ACNH’s player islands. Players can accomplish this by hunting for Gyroids buried across the island. After being featured in nearly every Animal Crossing game prior, the Gyroids vanished from Animal Crossing: New Horizons. After unlocking Brewster’s Roost, a 24-hour hub can be accessed, where players can befriend a new NPC. Adding a location that doesn’t close is a massive relief to players with early or late schedules that don’t fit ACNH’s strict timetable. Even workers who get off shift at midnight can enjoy a virtual cup of coffee before going to bed.
ACNH 2.0 Adds Kapp’n Tours
Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Pier has always been the gateway to new islands. Players can travel to Mystery Islands in search of Villagers or resources, or schedule a flight to visit their friends. Kapp’n offers a unique opportunity that can diversify these visits by manipulating the hemispheres and seasons. Part of Animal Crossing’s beauty comes from the changing seasons, but just like real life, some players may have a favorite season. Kapp’n offers the opportunity to travel to islands with unique biomes and weather, no matter the hemisphere of the save file’s player island. Not only does this new function offer the opportunity to escape regular weather patterns, but it grants access to new resources as well.
Animal Crossing Brings Back Island Ordinances
Brewster’s Roost isn’t the only returning vendor with an alternative timetable, as players can now set ordinances for their islands. Each of the four options alters resident and business behavior, granting players more opportunities to interact with their islands’ amenities. For example, Beautiful Island encourages island residents to water flowers, pull weeds, and clear trash from oceans, making player islands more beautiful. Early Bird encourages residents to wake up earlier, and businesses open their doors much earlier than usual, allowing players with different schedules to enjoy ACNH with far fewer restrictions.
Similarly, Animal Crossing's Night Owl ordinance changes residents’ schedules to stay up later, with businesses also mirroring the practice. Bell Boom is the most game-changing, raising the prices of bought and sold goods across the island to ensure maximum profits. Bell Boom can also assist players in paying off their loans or work to bulk up savings. It is currently unknown if Bell Boom affects Redd, the Art Dealer, whose collectibles can be pricey without ordinances.
ACNH 2.0 Adds More Villager Home Visits
A large part of Animal Crossing’s charm belongs with its many Villagers, whose unique styles, wardrobes, personalities, and appearances craft a unique community in any game. Unfortunately, while players could visit different Villager homes at will (assuming the character had returned home), Villagers could not visit players as easily. Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update allows Villagers to schedule play dates with the player, opening the opportunity to participate in minigames and have unique conversations. This new mechanic encourages players to spend more time with their Villager residents, whether they’ve just met them or have had them on their island since launch.
Animal Crossing Finally Gets Permanent Ladders
ACNH introduced many new terraforming mechanics, introducing stairs and ramps for Villagers and players to navigate between island layers. Thankfully, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2.0 update introduced a less intrusive traversal method in the form of permanent ladders. These creations are far smaller than stairs or ramps and are much more convenient for players.
Construction projects like bridges or ramps are usually placed by houses or other important buildings, but permanent ladders offer a swifter way of accessing raised flower fields, orchards, or storage areas. Animal Crossing's new permanent ladders also eliminate a lengthy animation of pulling out a personal ladder and pulling it back up behind the player character.
ACNH Introduces Cooking
Before Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update, players could only grow a limited selection of plants and trees for aesthetic purposes. Now players can put what they grow to use by harvesting different foods and using them in new recipes. Like island fruit, cooked meals grant buffs to players and can be gifted to other Villagers. These items are also decorations, which will help players brighten up their new kitchens. The addition of food brings new DIY recipes to collect, giving players more long-term goals to accomplish and create their perfect island paradise. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and the Winter holidays not too far behind, some ACNH players may be looking to develop an ideal feast for their islands to celebrate. ACNH’s 2.0 Update's new and returning additions can spruce up any island scene.
ACNH 2.0 Update: New Villagers
Another exciting addition in Animal Crossing's 2.0 update are the new Villagers joining the game’s roster. Animal Crossing already features over 400 unique Villagers. Despite the many available options in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the community's most popular characters have rarely changed since release. Eight new Villagers and eight returning Villagers are now available to recruit on Mystery Islands or the Campsite. While finding these specific Villagers in the currently available roster will be extremely difficult, it will offer a dedicated goal for dedicated players.
While these changes aren’t everything Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update added, these mechanics will likely be the most used and change players’ daily in-game schedules. This update was precisely what players needed when needed, but unfortunately, it marks the end of Nintendo’s ACNH updates and live service. Thankfully, this likely means Nintendo plans to begin work (or continue working) on another Animal Crossing title very soon, meaning 2.0’s content should hold players over for a significant amount of time. Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 Update and Happy Home Paradise DLC are now available for download on the Nintendo Switch.