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10 Animal Crossing Tips I Wish Someone Told Me – New Horizons Beginner Guide Pack #animalcrossing

I’ve been obsessively playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch for a good 7 days in a row and learned a few simple tricks that I wish somebody told me ahead of time before starting the game. In an attempt to save you energy, time, and anxiety, here are the top ten Animal Crossing tips you should know as a beginner gamer.

The new Animal Crossing game was gifted to me by Nintendo. All opinions are my own.

Animal Crossing

10 Animal Crossing Tips I Wish Someone Told Me – New Horizons Beginner Guide Pack

When I first received the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game, my daughter immediately started to play without me and to be honest with you, I missed out on a few opening scenes. However, I caught up pretty quickly and now it has officially become my go-to relaxation app of choice. Whenever I need to unwind and reset, I turn to my Nintendo console and flip it on to escape to my island of joy.

The only thing I need to worry about is meeting new people, collecting some fish, and building out my house. Pretty sweet. No big bosses to defeat – although I do love those games as well!

However, Animal Crossing isn’t a “level up to defeat the next enemy” kind of title. It’s more like a “I need to unwind from the crazy day and I just want to run around in the sun” one. Know that ahead of time.

Related: 20+ Awesome Animal Crossing Gift Ideas For New Horizons Fans

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What Do You Do In Animal Crossing – New Horizons?

Still – there are plenty of things for you to do in Animal Crossing – New Horizons! You have to earn money (bells) and miles and have dozens of tasks to accomplish at once to help comb through it all.

I am a huge multi-tasker and usually try to expand my house once a day. It’s getting harder and harder as the days progress because it’s costing more and more money to build bigger houses… but I’m up for the challenge. Today, I owe around 400,00 bells to the MAN (aka Tom Nook) which means I have a lot of fishing to do.

Onto the Animal Crossing tips! Here’s what I’ve learned this week! All the things that my cousin should have told me on the first day that we played together virtually as she was texting me on the side. Instead, she kept all these secrets to herself and I am still mad at her for it. I’m sharing these time-saving, mind-saving, energy-saving Animal Crossing tips with YOU. REMEMBER ME FOR THIS!

Related: 8 Animal Crossing New Horizons Tips PLUS A Digital Game Code Giveaway

Sell Multiple Items At Once

For quite some time, I was selling one item at a time to Timmy at the Resident Center and it was taking forever OMG! I would spend about 6 minutes going in and out of conversations and selling him ONE THING AT A TIME. WHAT? NO! Just select multiple items at once and then hit your plus sign to sell them ALL TOGETHER. I just saved you 40 minutes a GAME.

By the way, inside the Resident Center – this is what you can do:

  • Tom Nook: Ask him what to do and deal with your house upgrades.
  • Timmy & Tommy: Purchase goods and sell goods.
  • Tom Nook’s Work Bench: Craft your own items.
  • Recycling Bin: Keep checking here every now and then – sometimes free stuff pops up.
  • Nook Stop Terminal: It’s like an ATM machine and you can redeem Nook miles, spend bells, pay off your house debt, and get a ticket to fly out of town.
buying upgrades at resident center from Tommy

Buy The Available Upgrades Right Away

When you look in the ATM, there are a few recipes and a tool ring available for purchase. Buy them right away. I waited several days trying to see if I could just FIND THEM in a floating present or something. NO LUCK! Eventually, I caved and was able to enjoy some pretty sweet upgrades – including immediately doubling my inventory slots as well as the strength of my tools.

As a player, these enhancements bumped up my enjoyment factor exponentially! I was able to game longer without having to stop and empty my pockets every 5 minutes. PLUS my tools stopped breaking all the time. BLISS! I wish I knew about this Animal Crossing tip right away because it would have saved me a lot of time and effort.

Related: Animal Crossing Costumes For Halloween

things to do in animal crossing

Invite People To Live On Your Island

When you buy a Nook ticket (and you should only do that when one of your tasks is to spend 500 Nook Miles), head on over to a different island and make sure you speak to your new friend TWICE. The first time you chat it will be small talk. The second time will be a personal invite to have them join your island.

I think I visited about 4 islands before I figured that one out. Again, a complete waste of Nook miles if you ask me! I could have had 4 additional people partying with me all day long if I just thought to click twice. WAH! Don’t be like me!! Click twice and get those people as part of your game – officially.

how to steal bamboo and coconut trees from islands

Steal Trees And Plants From Others Islands

Speaking of visiting different islands, steal stuff!! You need to eat some of their fruit before you can successfully take anything in a clean form. Just eat some fruit and then grab your shovel and dig up bamboo trees, cocounut trees, flowers – you name it.

If you pick the flowers, they will not plant properly. You will be able to wear the flowers or sell them by picking. So, there is a benefit, of course. I pick everything dry when I visit an island. But I also make sure to use a few slots to take a few things home to plant. Especially trees that product fruit.

And while we are on the picking portion of this discussion – even pick the weeds when you are visiting the random islands. One of your mile rewards is to gather a Ba-BILLION weeds. So, just collect anything and everything you can see.

making a leaf umbrella from weeds

FOLLOW UP TIP – you can also use the weeds to make things that will double your return! So, if you need money, use the weeds to craft items.

Give Out Your Code On Twitter Using The Hashtag #AnimalCrossing

You can earn miles by having visitors come to your Animal Crossing Island and if you don’t have any friends that play the game – here is a secret. Just head on over to Twitter, post picture of your DODO code and wait. In about 30 seconds you will have to DELETE the tweet because you will have dozens of people on your island.

So many people come over, in fact, that it becomes almost impossible to play at first. I put the tweet up and then I delete it in 30 seconds. Otherwise, nobody can walk around. That’s how engaged the Animal Crossing community is online. It’s totally amazing. Everyone is playing New Horizons! EVERYONE!

Your Dodo code is only active one time. So, don’t worry about people using it over and over again. They won’t be able to do that. As soon as you close your airport, that code will become inactive. After 5 and then 10 visitors, you will receive miles.

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Be Careful Where You Place Your Houses

This is another “learn from me” mistake. My daughter was playing our game and she placed the museum right in front of my house and when I say “right in front of my house” – I LITERALLY MEAN IT. I cannot see my mailbox. I want to DIE.

Now, I did some research and there is a point in the game where we all will be able to move our houses – thank GOD. But right now, I am not there yet. Like I said, I am only 7 days in. For now, I have to deal with this gigantic museum blocking my mailbox and making it impossible for me to get my mail. UGH. Either way – you have be careful about where you place the big buildings.

Nook bench New Horizons

Place DIY Benches A Few Different Places Around Your Island

I really spent some time setting up my New Horizons island the RIGHT way. I created about 6 benches and placed them all over the island. That way, if I wanted to make new tools and I was all the way on the other side of the world, I didn’t have to make my way back to the Resident Center. This is a great Animal Crossing tip because it will save you time.

wasp stings in new horizons

Wasp Stings Matter – So, Tend To Them

At first, I thought it was funny to have my one eye closed after a wasp sting. I was like – LOL! Look at me! I am so funny looking!! AHAHAHAHAHHAAHh And then I got stung twice and my Animal Crossing progress got lost and my lesson was learned. Now, I heal myself every time those suckers sting me and it takes two seconds.

I just pay for medicine if I don’t have the right tools necessary to whip up medicine on my own. I don’t care. You have to spend bells on the island anyway.

how to cure wasp sting animal kingdom

I’ve tried to outrun the wasps and that doesn’t work unless you are RIGHT NEXT TO A HOUSE. If you happen to have your net in hand, you can net them and then bring one to the museum – but timing is everything with that one! The point is – heal yourself immediately.

how to make a slingshot Animal Crossing

You Need A Sling Shot To Get The Floating Presents

Do you know how many floating presents passed me by before I REGISTERED that it was the slingshot that took them down? About 40! I thought they were floating to other islands and I just happened to be seeing other people’s mail. I was like, cool! Someone is getting MAIL! I did NOT GET IT!

And then I thought… WHAT DOES THIS SLING SHOT DOOOOOOOOOO? And I tried it and I was so mad. Mad for hours. Mad at everyone I knew in my life. Mad at my husband and he doesn’t even play Animal Crossing. I was just mad. Don’t be like me.

gaming in new horizons

Timing Is Everything

I know that you want to do everything, but don’t do everything unless it’s time to earn miles on it. For example, I don’t buy any chairs or BBQ pits unless one of my mile challenges is for me to spend 5,000. Or I don’t chop down trees unless I have to chop down 3 trees. If you work in the order that the Animal Crossing game puts forth, you will progress much quicker.

Having said that – try to play this way, too. If you need to catch 5 fish because it’s one of your 5 tasks… then put your net away and go catch fish. That’s the way to do it.

But listen, if you want to spend all afternoon catching fish, do you. Animal Crossing is a special game and it’s more of a meditation than anything else. There is no rush. I get that. I truly do. I’m just telling you – the top portion of your Nook Phone are the tasks you should be focusing on if you’d like to earn the most Nook Miles the FASTEST. And like I mentioned above, I am a multi-tasker.

So, those are my Animal Crossing New Horizons tips for beginners and I hope they help you in some way! Do you have any that you’d like to share!

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