Welcome to island life! Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a relaxing and open-ended experience on Nintendo Switch, but for players eager to unlock its full potential quickly, a little guidance can go a long way. This Acnh How Guide will walk you through the essential steps for each of your first seven days, ensuring you efficiently unlock key features like the Museum, Nook’s Cranny, and more. Let’s dive into your island adventure and make the most of your initial week!
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 1
Your Animal Crossing journey begins with choosing the perfect location for your campsite and those of your first two villagers. This decision is crucial as relocating these early structures is costly and time-consuming later on. Choose wisely!
Once everyone’s tents are pitched, Tom Nook, the friendly raccoon in the iconic sweater, will task you with some introductory objectives, typically involving gathering Tree Branches and Fruit. Completing these simple tasks will lead you to your initial island celebration. After the party, feel free to take a break – the real game begins when you wake up!
Upon waking, you’ll find the game operating in real-time, mirroring the time of day where you are. Take the time to chat with your new villagers; being neighborly might reward you with free furniture or helpful DIY recipes.
Tom Nook will provide you with recipes for “flimsy” tools. Crafting a Flimsy Fishing Rod and a Flimsy Bug Net should be your immediate priority.
Big Goal 1: Donate 5 fish or bugs to Tom Nook for study
Equip your newly crafted fishing rod and bug net to start collecting the various creatures inhabiting your island. On your first day, your goal is to catch and donate five unique species to Tom Nook. Upon donating your fifth critter, Nook, impressed by your findings, will reward you with recipes for an axe and a watering can. More importantly, he’ll contact his owl friend, Blathers, inviting him to establish a museum on your island.
Important Note for Multiplayer Islands: If you’re sharing a Nintendo Switch and island with others, only the primary player (the first person to start the game) can donate specimens to Tom Nook initially. Progress is tied to the primary player completing their first five donations.
Now, you get to decide where Blathers’ Museum will be located. Choose a central and easily accessible spot, as the Museum will become a frequent destination for donations and exploration.
If your critter-catching efforts yield more than five unique species on Day 1, store the extras near your tent. If storage is limited, simply place items on the ground outside your tent – they’ll be safe there. Feel free to sell any duplicate creatures you catch to Timmy in the Resident Services tent for some Bells.
Big Goal 2: Pay off Tom Nook’s initial moving fees
Tom Nook, ever the entrepreneur, will charge you 5,000 Nook Miles (equivalent to roughly 50,000 Bells) for your island relocation. Aim to pay off this debt on your first day. This shouldn’t be too challenging, as you’ll accumulate Nook Miles naturally by completing various in-game activities, such as catching bugs, selling items, and more. Check your Nook Phone and the Nook Miles app for a list of tasks and rewards. You’ll likely complete many of these objectives without even trying. However, reviewing the available tasks can help you identify easy-to-achieve goals to quickly earn those needed Miles.
After paying off your initial debt, make sure to speak to Tom Nook again and accept his generous offer to upgrade your tent to a house. This marks a significant step in your island development.
Big Goal 3: Expand your inventory and acquire the Tool Ring (Optional but Recommended)
This goal is optional for Day 1, but highly beneficial, especially if you plan to dedicate significant playtime on your first day. If you find yourself accumulating Nook Miles quickly, consider heading to the Nook Stop terminal (the ATM-like machine in Nook’s tent) and purchasing the Pocket Organization Guide for 5,000 Nook Miles. This valuable upgrade adds an extra row to your inventory, providing much-needed space for resources, items, and critters.
Another highly recommended purchase, also from the Nook Stop, is the Tool Ring for 800 Nook Miles. This incredibly convenient tool allows you to quickly switch between your tools by simply pressing Up on the D-pad, streamlining your resource gathering and island tasks.
Big Goal 4: Efficiently Harvest Essential Resources
Explore your island and locate the four rocks scattered around. Equip your flimsy axe and strike each rock. With quick successive hits (up to eight per rock if you’re fast), each rock will yield valuable resources like Stones, Clay, and the crucial Iron Nuggets. One of these rocks will also be a “money rock,” dispensing Bells instead of crafting materials – a welcome bonus!
Once you’ve mined all the rocks, turn your attention to the trees. Using the same axe, strike each tree on your island three times to gather Softwood, Hardwood, and Wood. If your flimsy axe breaks during this process (which is likely), simply craft a new one using the Wooden Branches you collect from shaking trees.
Important Tip: In the early game, it’s wise to avoid crafting items that require Iron Nuggets. You’ll need 30 Iron Nuggets relatively soon to progress the story, and they can be somewhat scarce in the initial days. Prioritize saving them.
After completing these Day 1 objectives, save your game and prepare for Day 2, where your island development will continue to accelerate.
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 2
Waking up on Day 2 brings exciting news – your tent has been upgraded to a proper house! Congratulations on becoming a homeowner! Head over to Tom Nook, who will congratulate you and present you with your next challenge: a mortgage of 98,000 Bells for the next house upgrade. Time to get back to work and island development!
Big Goal 1: Donate 15 more fish/bugs to Blathers and receive new tools
If you were an avid explorer and collector on Day 1, you likely encountered more than 15 new species of bugs and fish beyond the initial five donated to Tom Nook. Gather these new discoveries and head to Blathers’ tent. Donating 15 unique species to Blathers will reward you with the recipes for the Flimsy Shovel and the Vaulting Pole. The Vaulting Pole is particularly useful as it allows you to cross rivers within your town, opening up previously inaccessible areas.
After donating 15 species, Blathers will be satisfied for the day and won’t accept further donations until the museum is built. Hold onto any new species you find after this point (and sell any duplicates for Bells).
You should also receive a letter from “Mom” in your mailbox today. This heartwarming letter includes three pieces of fruit that are not native to your island. Equip your newly acquired Flimsy Shovel to dig three holes and plant these special fruits. Remember that trees need one free space in every direction around them to grow, so choose planting locations carefully.
Speaking of the Flimsy Shovel, keep an eye out for cracked spots in the ground as you explore. Digging at these spots with your shovel will unearth Fossil Pieces. These fossils can be donated to Blathers once the Museum is open, contributing to your island’s cultural exhibits.
Big Goal 2: Repeat Daily Resource Collection for Continued Progress
Reiterate the resource collection process from Day 1. Visit all the rocks and trees on your island, hitting them with your axe and shovel to gather Stones, Clay, Iron Nuggets, Wood, Softwood, and Hardwood. Resource gathering is a daily essential for crafting, building, and progressing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
To optimize your rock-hitting efficiency and maximize resource output, try this helpful technique: Dig two holes diagonally behind yourself, positioning yourself in the corner formed by the holes, facing the rock.
Stand in the corner of the two holes and repeatedly hit the rock with your shovel. The holes will prevent your character from being pushed backward after each hit, ensuring you get the maximum number of hits (and resources) from each rock before it becomes inactive for the day.
Big Goal 3: Gather Resources to Help Timmy Build Nook’s Cranny Store
If you were diligent in your resource gathering on Day 1 and this morning, you should have accumulated at least 30 Softwood, 30 Hardwood, and 30 Wood. Head back to Tom Nook’s tent and speak to Timmy, the smaller raccoon. He’ll express his ambition to open his own store, Nook’s Cranny, but needs your help with resources. Donate all 90 pieces of wood to Timmy to contribute to the store’s construction.
Timmy will also request 30 Iron Nuggets for the store. You might be slightly short of this number, even with thorough resource collection over the first two days. Don’t worry if you haven’t reached 30 Iron Nuggets yet. You can continue gathering them on Day 3 or use a Nook Miles Ticket to visit another island for more resources.
Big Goal 4: Utilize Your Complimentary Nook Miles Ticket for Island Exploration
Tom Nook will reward you with a free Nook Miles Ticket. This ticket allows you to travel to a randomly generated mystery island filled with additional resources to collect, unique creatures to discover, and potentially new villagers to invite to your island.
If you are still short on Iron Nuggets for Nook’s Cranny and want to expedite the store’s construction, using your Nook Miles Ticket to visit another island is a great strategy. These islands often have abundant rocks and resources to gather.
Pro Tip: When visiting a mystery island, check if it has a fruit type different from your native island fruit. If so, collect as much of this non-native fruit as you can carry back home. Instead of selling them immediately, plant these non-native fruits on your island. Non-native fruits sell for 500 Bells each, significantly more than native fruits, making them a valuable source of income in the early game.
Mystery islands may also host animal villagers. If you encounter a villager you like, talk to them and invite them to move to your island. While they won’t arrive immediately, inviting villagers early helps speed up the process of filling your island with residents.
Big Goal 5: Consider Purchasing Improved Tool Recipes for Enhanced Durability
The Nook Stop terminal in Tom Nook’s tent offers a Pretty Good Tool Recipes pack for 3,000 Nook Miles. This recipe pack unlocks DIY recipes for more durable versions of your basic tools. These improved tools require more resources to craft, including the ever-important Iron Nuggets.
While tempting, it’s generally recommended to hold off on crafting these upgraded tools, especially those requiring Iron Nuggets, until after you’ve donated the 30 Iron Nuggets for Nook’s Cranny. Prioritize getting the store built first.
Note on Axe Recipes: The Pretty Good Tool Recipes pack includes two new axe recipes. The Stone Axe is craftable without Iron Nuggets and offers a noticeable durability upgrade over the flimsy axe, making it a worthwhile early upgrade (though not strictly necessary). The other axe recipe in the pack, which appears to be metal, requires Iron Nuggets. Be cautious with this metal axe, as it can chop down entire trees in just two hits. If you’re solely gathering wood from trees and not intending to remove them, stick with the Stone Axe to avoid accidentally chopping down your valuable trees.
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 3
Day 3 brings mixed news. The good news is that construction on Blathers’ Museum has begun! The slightly less exciting news is that you won’t be able to donate any new discoveries while the museum is under construction. Safely store any new catches and fossils in your house for now. Don’t worry, the Museum will officially open tomorrow!
Big Goal 1: Complete Nook’s Cranny Construction (If Not Already Done)
If you successfully gathered and donated all the required resources for Nook’s Cranny on Day 2, the store will open its doors today! If you are still working on collecting the 30 Iron Nuggets, continuing your daily rock-hitting routine on Day 3 will likely get you to the required amount. Deliver the resources to Timmy in the Resident Services tent as soon as you have them, and Nook’s Cranny will be ready for business on Day 4.
And remember, if you are still in need of resources, you can always purchase another Nook Miles Ticket from the Nook Stop for 2,000 Nook Miles to visit another resource-rich mystery island.
Big Goal 2: Continue Resource Stockpiling for Future Projects
Once you’ve donated the 30 Iron Nuggets for Nook’s Cranny, you can afford to be a little more liberal with your Iron Nugget usage. This means you can consider crafting some of those higher-tier tools you unlocked with the Pretty Good Tool Recipes pack. Upgraded tools offer improved durability and efficiency, making resource gathering faster and easier.
Remember, you can never truly have too many resources in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You’ll need a significant amount of materials for various building projects and crafting endeavors starting from Day 4 onwards. Continue to harvest resources daily to ensure you are well-prepared for the island development tasks ahead.
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 4
Day 4 is a significant milestone in your island development journey! Blathers’ Museum officially opens today, ready to accept all the creatures and fossils you’ve been diligently collecting! Bring everything you’ve been saving to Blathers for donation. The museum’s donation interface will helpfully grey out any species you’ve already donated, making it easy to identify new contributions. After donating your new finds, you can sell any remaining greyed-out items at Nook’s Cranny.
Speaking of Nook’s Cranny, Timmy and Tommy’s store is now your primary shopping destination for new furniture, tools, seeds, and other useful items. You can also sell unwanted items here for Bells. Be sure to check the bulletin board outside Nook’s Cranny daily for a “hot item” – an item that is in high demand and sells for significantly more Bells than usual.
Big Goal 1: Initiate Bridge Construction to Improve Island Navigation
Talk to Tom Nook in Resident Services. He’ll mention that more villagers are interested in moving to your island. But first, he wants to ensure better accessibility across your island. He’ll provide you with the DIY recipe for a Wooden Bridge, which will greatly simplify travel across rivers. Crafting the bridge requires a reasonable amount of wood, but your consistent daily resource gathering should have you well-stocked.
Carefully consider the placement of your first bridge. While the initial bridge is free to build, subsequent bridges will cost a substantial amount of Bells. Choose a location that you anticipate will be frequently used based on your island layout and your planned development path.
Big Goal 2: Designate Three Housing Plots for New Villagers
After you place your first bridge, speak to Tom Nook again. He’ll task you with setting up three housing plots for the incoming villagers. Unlike the tent plots from Day 1, these housing plots are much larger, encompassing space for a house and a surrounding yard.
While you have some freedom in plot placement, it’s generally recommended to place them relatively close together for convenience and to foster a sense of community among your villagers. However, in the long run, precise positioning is not critical, so don’t overthink it.
Big Goal 3: Craft Furniture to Furnish the New Housing Plots
Each of the three housing plots requires six pieces of furniture – three for the interior and three for the exterior. All the required furniture is DIY furniture, meaning you can craft it using readily available materials. Your consistent resource gathering should ensure you have ample materials to complete all three plots today. If you find yourself short on specific resources, consider purchasing a Nook Miles Ticket to visit a mystery island for a quick resource run.
Upon placing the second housing plot, you will unlock the DIY recipe for the Ladder. The ladder is essential for accessing the higher cliff areas of your island. You’ll need to use the ladder to reach the flowers growing on the clifftops, as some of these flowers are required for the housing plot furniture. While you’re exploring the cliffs, keep an eye out for fossils, bugs, and other resources that might be unique to these elevated areas.
Once you’ve crafted and placed all the required furniture for all three plots, speak to Tom Nook in Resident Services to inform him that the job is complete. Get ready to welcome new villagers to your island soon!
Big Goal 4: Continue Your Daily Resource Harvesting Routine
As always, continue your daily resource gathering. You’ll need a steady supply of materials for ongoing crafting, building projects, and island customization.
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 5
Following this ACNH how guide, Day 5 in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is intentionally designed to be a slightly less hectic day. There are two primary events to look forward to.
First, your Wooden Bridge construction will be completed! This new bridge will significantly improve navigation across your island. You can speak to Tom Nook to attend a brief opening ceremony, but it’s optional and doesn’t offer any gameplay advantages. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to build any more bridges or inclines for a little while, but this first bridge is a welcome improvement.
Big Goal 1: Welcome Your New Neighbor to the Island Community
The most notable event on Day 5 is the arrival of your first new villager! Head over to their newly constructed house and introduce yourself. Engaging with your villagers daily is a key part of the Animal Crossing experience, and building relationships with your island residents unlocks various benefits and heartwarming moments.
Big Goal 2: Learn the Art of Furniture Customization
Tom Nook will invite you to a furniture customization seminar in Resident Services. Attend his class to unlock the ability to customize furniture and other DIY projects. This feature opens up a vast array of visual customization options, allowing you to personalize your furniture and tools to match your island aesthetic and personal style.
Big Goal 3: Optional Resource Gathering (Focus on Rocks)
By this point, you’ve likely amassed a substantial stockpile of Hardwood, Softwood, and Wood. If you feel well-supplied, you can take a break from hitting all the trees around your island today, perhaps to prevent resource gathering burnout.
However, it’s still beneficial to hit all your rocks daily. Rocks are the primary source of Iron Nuggets, Stones, and Clay, which can sometimes be harder to come by in consistent quantities compared to wood. There’s also a chance that one of your rocks will yield a rare Golden Nugget when hit. Golden Nuggets are valuable crafting materials and sell for a good price, so always prioritize hitting your rocks each day. If you do find a Golden Nugget, save it for later use – you’ll find valuable recipes that require them.
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 6
Day 6 in your Animal Crossing: New Horizons week is another relatively relaxed day. You should have another new villager moving into one of the housing plots you prepared. Introduce yourself and welcome them to your island community.
Beyond greeting your new villager, there aren’t any essential “must-do” tasks on Day 6. This is a perfect opportunity to pursue activities you enjoy most in Animal Crossing.
If you are accumulating Nook Miles, consider purchasing a Nook Miles Ticket and visiting another mystery island. You might discover new resources, encounter villagers you’d like to invite, or even find fruit types you don’t yet have on your island.
Alternatively, spend the day fishing, catching bugs, or diving for sea creatures to build up your Bell savings. You can also focus on decorating your house and island, interacting with your villagers, or simply relaxing and enjoying the peaceful island atmosphere. Day 6 is your day to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons at your own pace and pursue your personal island goals.
WHAT TO DO ON DAY 7
Day 7 marks a significant upgrade to your island’s infrastructure! Tom Nook’s humble Resident Services tent is undergoing a major transformation into a proper Resident Services building. This upgrade will introduce a wealth of new features and functionalities to your island operations.
Unfortunately, this upgrade takes a couple of days to complete. Today, Day 7, is mostly business as usual. However, be aware that tomorrow, Day 8, the Resident Services tent (and the Nook Stop terminal inside) will be completely inaccessible due to construction. Don’t worry, the Nook Miles streak you earn for accessing the Nook Stop daily will not be interrupted during this construction period.
The third and final housing plot you prepared should be filled today, meaning another new villager will arrive on your island. Be sure to visit their new home and introduce yourself. They’ll surely appreciate the effort you put into preparing their new island home.
AFTER YOUR FIRST WEEK
The big event on the horizon, expected on Day 9 if you’ve followed this ACNH how guide, is the grand opening of the upgraded Resident Services building. Once Resident Services reopens, you’ll unlock the ability to build bridges and inclines across your island, offering even greater control over island navigation and layout. These infrastructure projects will require a significant Bell investment, so start saving!
Beyond bridges and inclines, many more features, buildings, and events are still to come in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Continue checking in each day to discover new island developments and surprises. Remember, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is designed to be a marathon, not a sprint. Even dedicating just 20-30 minutes per day is sufficient to accomplish daily tasks and steadily progress. Of course, if you wish to spend more time on your island paradise, the game offers endless opportunities for enjoyment and creativity.
Continue Your Island Adventure!
Ready for week two? Discover how to unlock the campsite, terraforming, and K.K. Slider’s first concert in our Animal Crossing: New Horizons second week walkthrough!
Read here
