

They might also give you presents for helping set up their tents! There are a few tasks you can perform to earn miles immediately. One is a virtual Nintendo Switch that you can place inside your tent (which will eventually earn you miles), and the other is a "Simple DIY workbench," which you can use later to craft tools. Whenever you perform a task that earns you miles, a phone icon will appear in the top-left corner and start beeping.īefore you do anything, check to see if your mailbox is flashing! If your Switch is connected to the internet, you should receive two presents directly from Nintendo. You'll need to earn 5,000 Nook Miles to pay off your first loan. You can keep shaking a single tree as many times as you want, and as long as there's open space around the tree (including no weeds), it'll keep dropping branches. Every time you shake a tree, there's a chance that a branch will fall out. If you can't find enough branches on the ground, stand next to a tree and press A to shake it. While you're standing on one, press Y to pick it up. Tree branches are the tiny sticks you've seen scattered around. Getting ready to party, and preparing for the futureĪfter you help your neighbors, you'll be brought back to the plaza and given a new task: gather 10 tree branches. However, note that this will bring you all the way back to check-in, where you'll have to pick from another assortment of random islands. If you have strong opinions about where your neighbors should live, tell them you'll find them a spot - otherwise, just say "Looks good to me."Īnd if for whatever reason you don't like the neighbors you were given, feel free to reset the game, and you'll be given new ones. They'll introduce themselves and offer to let you place their tents. Find each of them (they won't be far) and talk to them.

This is a great chance to meet your neighbors. And as you start your journey, you may find yourself wondering where to go, what to pick up, and who to talk to. Once you start the game, you'll be dropped off on a deserted island with nothing but a tent and a few animal friends to help you along. The game rarely gives you explicit goals, and largely leaves it up to the player to figure out their own schedule. However, if you're never played an "Animal Crossing" game before, it can be easy to get stuck wondering what you should be doing at any given moment.

After nearly two years of hype, "Animal Crossing: New Horizons" - the latest game in Nintendo's adorable life-simulator series, which centers on the player character starting a new life on a deserted island - launched on Friday, and has already won the hearts of gamers around the world.Īnd just in time, too its emphasis on escapism and spending time in nature led my colleague Palmer Haasch to call it a perfect game for alleviating social distancing woes.
