What happens when you sell land in animal crossing

This Animal Crossing: New Horizons guide will help you acclimate to your new deserted island, and walk you through the ins and outs of how to best spend your first few days, unlock new facilities, learn new crafting recipes, how to get a house, and much more.

• Complete First Days Walkthrough
• Casual First Days Checklist

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Complete First Days Walkthrough

If you're the efficient type who doesn't mind following instructions, we have a complete walkthrough covering your first three days on the island, covering everything you need to know to get the facilities you need and unlock features as quickly as possible. They are divided into four sections:

• Day 0 - Getting Started
• Day 1 - DIY Crafting and Catching Critters
• Day 2 - The Museum and Building Nook's Cranny
• Day 3 - Building Bridges and New Homes

Casual First Days Checklist

Jump to a Section:

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• The Check-in Counter
• Day 0 - Getting Started on the Island
• Day 1 - DIY Crafting and Catching Critters
• Day 2 - The Museum and Building Nook's Cranny
• Day 3 - Building Bridges and New Homes

The Check-in Counter

When you first start up a new file, you’ll be directed to Timmy and Tommy’s check-in counter for your deserted island getaway package. At this point you’ll be asked to input your name, date of birth, and what you look like.

Note: The Character Creation is a bit limited, but you can at least expect to be able to obtain more haircuts, colors, and hairstyles when unlocking certain items later in the game, so don’t worry if you don’t look exactly how you want just yet.

You’ll also be asked whether you want to live on an island in the Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere. It’s better to pick the one that matches the seasons where you live, since not only does the Southern Hemisphere experience their seasons six months adrift from the Northern Hemisphere (for example, southern islands will be in Summer while northern islands are in Winter), this will also correlate to which types of bugs and fish will be available as well - so choose wisely!

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Next, you’ll get to pick from one of four randomly-generated islands to call your own. Each new save file is likely to have a different set, but all islands generally include the following layout features:

• A lower portion of the island featuring the airport and Resident Services, and is locked in by a surrounding river.
• At least 2-3 lower elevations across from the main rivers, with access to more beaches.
• 2-3 mid elevation plateaus, usually featuring 1-2 waterfalls from rivers coursing through them.
• 1-3 high elevation plateaus, with one featuring the start of a river that cascades down into the lower elevations, and splits off to lock in the starting area.
• 1-2 small ponds which may either be in the starting area, or may be out of reach.
• A possible small island created by rivers flowing along the lower portion of the map.

There are many different combinations you can get, so don’t get too hung up on which one is right for you. Remember, you’ll eventually be able to customize the landscape to your liking, so for now, pick one that best resonates with you.

Day 0 - Getting Started on the Island

Goals for the Day:

• Meet up with Tom Nook
• Find a spot for your tent
• Gather supplies for the party

Meet Up With Tom Nook

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As you land on your new deserted island, you’ll be joined by two other villagers who also signed up for the package.

It’s worth noting that you will always be joined by one male villager (whose personality is a “jock” type), and one female villager (whose personality is known as the “uchi” type). You can of course reset the game at this point to try getting different starting villagers, but they will always be picked from the jock and uchi pool!

Because this is your intro to island life, the time of day will be set around your current tasks! Real time will not set in until you finish this segment.

Follow Timmy and Tommy to the main site on the island, where Tom Nook has erected a Resident Services tent and makeshift plaza. After giving a small speech, he’ll request that you and the other villagers find a place to put up your tent.

Find a Spot For Your Tent

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Pick up your tent (and a map of the island) from Timmy or Tommy, and then find a nice spot to lay down some roots. Note that while you can’t access all of the island past the rivers, you will eventually be able to move your home to other locations on the island. For now, pick a spot that you can see yourself living at for at least a little while.

Also, you can place your home on the beach!

Before heading back to Tom Nook, be sure to talk to the other two villagers, who are busy deciding a spot for their homes. You’ll be able to either agree with the spot they’ve chosen, or take charge and place their tents down for them, allowing you to choose exactly where you want them to live in this portion of the island.

Gather Supplies for the Party

After confirming their living areas, return to Tom Nook for the next task - throwing a party! As you might expect, Tom Nook will dump the most laborious task onto you: picking up tree branches scattered around the island.

Now is a great time to mention that you can hold the A Button while moving to Sprint!

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Most Branches will be found on the ground lying at the foot of a tree. Shaking a tree may cause a branch to fall out, but the possibility of Wasps means we don't recommend doing this until you have a Net to catch them with. Once a tree has been checked for Wasps, you can shake it as many times as you like for an unlimited supply of branches!

As well, Tom Nook will mention that he’ll be inspecting the fruit on the island, but if you want to move things along, shake two fruit trees to gather up six fruit while you’re getting the tree branches, since he’ll send you right back out to gather fruit once you turn in the ten tree branches.

Night will have fallen once you’ve returned with all the branches and fruit, and Tom Nook will ask you to come up with a name for the island. Technically, he’ll put it up to a vote - but your suggestion will always win, so pick a name you really want!

Naming your island is a permanent decision: once you've picked a name, you'll never be able to change it. So name it wisely!

You’ll also be named the Resident Representative of the island, which means your character will be in charge of making a lot of the big decisions and progressing the growth of the island. This is important because while other player accounts can participate on the island as an extra character, only the Resident Rep will encounter scenes that progress the island - like unlocking more facilities and meeting certain characters.

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At this point, you’ll be free to socialize, or simply turn in for the night. Be sure to talk to Tom Nook before leaving to get your sleeping cot, and unpack the radio and lantern when you enter your tent.

When next you wake, the island will move at real time according to your Switch’s internal clock!

Day 1 - DIY Crafting and Catching Critters

Goals for the Day:

• Get the NookPhone
• Take the DIY Workshop Class
• Construct a Net and Fishing Rod
• Catch Fish and Bugs for Tom Nook
• Get the Axe, Watering Can and Museum
• Do Your First Dailies Session
• Claim Nook Miles to pay off your Itemized Bill
• Upgrade your Tent to a House
• Get Nook Miles Rewards

Get the NookPhone

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On your first real day on the island, Tom Nook will already have some tasks for you. First up, your new phone!

With the NookPhone, you’ll gain access to several apps that essentially allow you to view new info and unlock new activities. You’ll only have a few apps at first, but more will be unlocked as you make progress into turning the island from being deserted into a bustling town.

Tom will also offer you the Nook 101 app, which adds tips to the Loading Screens when starting the game that you can view later in the app. Since Tom's offering it for free, you may as well accept it here so you don't have to buy it later.

Regardless, the biggest tool you’ll have is the Nook Miles Program, which is the blue app icon with a black tanooki running atop a globe. This app allows you to earn Miles as a form of currency, opposite the usual money known as Bells. Nook Miles are earned by completing tasks, such as catching bugs or talking with your villagers.

You’ll have to pay for your tent and getaway package with 5,000 Miles. It’s easier to pay off than you might think, but we'll get to that later: you've got some important skills to learn first!

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If you're the Resident Representative on the island, be sure to check your mailbox for a letter from Nintendo. It contains a recipe to make your own crafting station to place wherever you want!

You should also check along the beach and look for any Message Bottles. They’ll appear at least once a day and contain a random DIY recipe for you to learn!

Take the DIY Workshop Class

Take a moment to check out your NookPhone and all the apps, then go meet Tom Nook at Resident Services. He’s running a DIY Workshop!

DIYs are your gateway to crafting new tools and furniture that’s core to getting things done on the island. It's central to many of the things you'll be doing on the island, so it's important to get the hang of it!

Construct a Net and Fishing Rod

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To start with, Tom will give you a recipe to make a Flimsy Fishing Rod, which needs just five Tree Branches.

You might find a few spare Tree Branches in the yellow-and-white Recycling Box in the corner of the tent. Things can sometimes appear in here when any structures have been placed over existing objects, such as Weeds and Branches. Materials like Stones and sometimes even furniture can appear too, but the box only refreshes with each day.

While you’re out looking for branches, be sure to catch up with your villager neighbors. They’ll each thank you for helping them find a place for their tent with a recipe for a Leaf Umbrella, and a free hat to wear!

The Leaf Umbrella is technically a Tool, however it's purely cosmetic. While it does keep you dry in the rain, the only thing you can do with it is give it a light spin, so we don't recommend carrying it unless you really want to get your Totoro on.

Once you’ve foraged for the five Branches, return to Nook inside Resident Serves and use the Workbench next to him to successfully craft your Flimsy Fishing Rod.

Nook will also give you a few extra recipes free of charge, including a Flimsy Net to catch bugs with.

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Catch Fish and Bugs for Tom Nook

You may recall Tom Nook mentioning that he wanted to see what kind of fauna the island has - which is a big clue in how to progress. Now that you’ve obtained your fishing rod and net, go forth and catch some critters!

To catch fish, aim your cast out towards the front of the fish's shadow - making sure it doesn't drift out of sight. Once the fish shows interest, it will peck at the lure times before dragging it underwater with a small splash - that's your cue to reel it in! Different fish appear in different types of water, and at different times!

As for catching bugs, you'll want to try and move slowly toward the bug in question before trying to swipe at it with your net. Running often spooks them away, and you can also hold down A to slowly creep up before letting go for a catch. Like fish, different bugs are found everywhere - floating, crawling, in trees - so look around!

Get the Axe, Watering Can and Museum

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Showing your catches to Tom Nook back at Resident Services will unlock even more rewards as he passes them onto his “museum friend”. Here's what you unlock:

• 1 creature shown - Unlock the Critterpedia App, allowing you to see details on every bug and fish you catch from your NookPhone.
• 2 creatures shown - Unlock the Flimsy Axe recipe, and several recipes that require wood, which you can now collect by chopping three times at any tree (this axe can’t chop it down). Trees will only drop wood three times, after which you'll have to wait until tomorrow.
  
  • Crafting the Flimsy Axe will require stones. You can usually find a stone sitting next to a rock, or in the Donation Box in Resident Services if you're lucky.
• 3 creatures shown - 5 free flowers, which you can plant wherever you wish, and will fully bloom after a couple of days. Flowers will attract unique bugs that only appear on them!
• 4 creatures shown - unlock the Flimsy Watering Can recipe, to propagate new kinds of flowers by watering them daily. Flowers always require watering (or rain), but trees don't.
• 5 creatures shown - Tom Nook gets a phone call from Blathers, who wants to join your island!

PLEASE NOTE - If you use another account on your Switch to make a second player, that player will not be able to initiate certain progression - including unlocking new tools and getting Blathers to the island. Only the Resident Representative can initiate this, but once done, other players can then buy the tool recipes from Timmy and Tommy.

Once Blathers the museum curator hears about the specimens on your island, he’ll want to move in immediately. Get a tent marker from Tom Nook, then place it down in a large open spot where you’d like the museum to one day stand in. If there are any trees in the way, they'll be deleted to make room.

Blathers will move in to your island by the next day and have set up his museum.

While you’re waiting for the next day, remember to explore around, catch critters, craft DIY projects, pick and sell weeds and seashells to Timmy, shake trees for coins and branches (and run from wasps), and talk to your villagers. Almost all of this will help accumulate Bells and Nook Miles, which you’ll want to accumulate fast if you want to move things along.

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Do Your First Dailies Session

One of the best ways to get items, Bells and materials is to do a round of Dailies. This refers to a regular routine that you do once a day to gather things you can only get once a day. At the moment, these are the things you should do today:

• Shake Trees for Bells, Furniture and Wasps. Always have a Net when doing this: if you shake the bottom of a tree and a Wasp Nest falls out, mash A to swipe the nest and catch the Wasps!
• Whack Rocks for Stones, Iron Nuggets and Clay. You're supposed to do this with Shovels, but since you don't have one, the Flimsy Axe will do just fine. If you stand at the corner of the Rock and box yourself in with placed Tools or dug holes, you can then mash A to get a lot of materials out of it very easily!
• Whack Trees for Wood. Do this AFTER you've shaken the trees earlier to clear them of any Wasp Nests. Also, don't pick up the wood until after you've hit every tree: the wood will remind you which trees you've already hit.

Claim Nook Miles to Pay Off Your Itemized Bill

With the Fossils donated and Blathers well on his way to getting a proper museum, there’s still the matter of progressing the rest of the island - which starts with you paying off your first bill.

Because it can only be paid off with Nook Miles, you’ll want to engage in as many activities as you can to score maximum points. Some requirements will already be listed in your app, but others will only be revealed when you have the right tools, or you complete the task by accident.

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If you’re looking to get 5,000 Miles fast, consider taking on the following tasks:

• Angling for Perfection! - 300 Miles. Catch 10 Fish.
• Island Ichthyologist - 300 Miles. Catch 10 unique species of Fish.
• You've Got the Bug - 300 Miles. Collect 10 Bugs.
• Bugs Don't Bug Me - 300 Miles. Collect 10 unique species of Bugs.
• Have a Nice DIY! - 300 Miles. Collect 10 DIY Recipes.
• DIY Tools - 300 Miles. Craft 5 Tools.
• DIY Furniture - 300 Miles. Craft 5 DIY Furniture items. Find the least Resource-consuming DIY and craft enough to hit this Milestone!
• Greedy Weeder - 300 Miles. Sell 50 Weeds.
• Flower Power - 300 Miles. Plant 10 Flowers. Requires buying a bag of Flower Seeds from Timmy in Resident Services.
• Flower Tender - 300 Miles. Water 10 Flowers. Requires at least a Flimsy Watering Can.
• Pick of the Bunch - 300 Miles. Sell 20 Fruit
• Go Ahead. Be Shellfish - 300 Miles. Sell 10 Seashells. Various Seashells spawn on the beach over time, however Coral does not count for this Milestone.
• Trash Fishin' - 300 Miles. Fish up 3 Trash items from the river.
• Cast Master - 300 Miles. Catch 10 Fish in a row without any getting away.
• Hoard Reward - 300 Miles. Place 5 items inside your home. Doesn't have to be Furniture, it can be literally any item!
• Extra Credit - 300 Miles. Edit your Passport.
• Shop to It - 300 Miles. Buy 1 item with Nook Shopping at the Nook Stop in Resident Services.
• Nook Miles for Miles! - 300 Miles. Complete any 5 Nook Miles + tasks.
• First-Time Buyer - 300 Miles. Buy an Item.
• Seller of Unwanted Stuff - 300 Miles. Sell an item.
• Bell Ringer - 300 Miles. Spend a total of 5,000 Bells.
• Taking the Sting Out - 300 Miles. Get stung by a Wasp after having already been stung by one. This will require letting at least two Wasps get away, and may not be possible depending on which trees were selected to have Wasp Nests today.
• Faint of Heart - 300 Miles. Get stung by a Tarantula or Scorpion. These only appear in open spaces between 7pm and 4am, and can be provoked into attacking by running near them.
• It's Raining Treasure! - 300 Miles. Shoot down 3 flying Balloon presents with your Slingshot. Requires the Slingshot, of course, and a fair bit of patience for one to float by your part of the island.
• Exterior Decorator - 300 Miles. Place 10 items outside. You can easily do this simply by placing Bugs and Fish outside.

Also be sure to access the Nook Stop terminal in the Resident Services tent each day, as you’ll get bonus points the more days in a row you check in, from 50 on your first day, all the way up to 300 a day from 7 consecutive days and onward!

Once you have 5,000 Nook Miles (which can be done over the course of several days if needed), talk to Tom Nook to pay off your debt, which will unlock the ability to gain extra Nook Miles using daily rewards called Nook Miles+.

Nook Miles+ are smaller tasks and rewards for things that you'll likely be doing every day, such as talking to your villagers, catching a few fish or bugs, earning Bells, and so-on. The difference is that there are unlimited Nook Miles+ tasks: once you complete one, a new task will take its place!

The first five Nook Miles+ tasks for the day will have a x2 bonus, with one possibly even having a x5 bonus!

Upgrade Your Tent to a House

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Talk to Tom Nook now that your bill is paid off, as he’s got a new opportunity to upgrade your little tent to a full-fledged house! This will have to be built overnight, but you’ll also get to choose a roof color. Having a proper house will also increase the interior size slightly, and allow you to hang objects up on the walls!

Upgrading to a house also unlocks the feature listed below...

Get Nook Miles Rewards

Getting a house means that you can spend more Nook Miles to purchase new items from the Nook Stop terminal, including expanded inventory space, a quick radial menu for tools, and even a Wet Suit! These are highly recommended as they make the game much more convenient to play.

Of these, we recommend getting the following first:

• Nook Inc. Wet Suit - Lets you swim in the ocean, where you catch Sea Creatures worth a LOT of Bells!
• Pretty Good Tools Recipes - Lets you craft much sturdier tools that take longer to break.
• Pocket Organization Guide - Adds 10 extra slots to your Inventory, for a total of 3 slots!

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The Wet Suit in particular is important to get, as it'll help with a task you'll have to do tomorrow! Don't forget to order one!

Day 2 - The Museum and Building Nook's Cranny

Goals for the Day:

• Meet Blathers
• Get the Shovel and Vaulting Pole Recipes
• Dig up Fossils
• <meta /> <meta /> <meta /> Swim for Sea Creatures
• Help Timmy Build Nook's Cranny
• Meet Your Island Visitor

Meet Blathers

At the start of Day 2, Tom Nook will come out to announce that the Airport will also be open for business, allowing you to travel to a friend’s island, or open your gates to allow people to visit you. This will begin the routine of daily announcements each day you first start up the game, starting at 5AM (which is when a new day technically begins in Animal Crossing).

After this announcement, be sure to check your mailbox for a letter from Mom! She’ll have sent you a random gift that can be anything, from a random piece of furniture, clothing, Bells, or even rare fruit that doesn’t grow on your island!

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If you do get a fruit that doesn't grow on your island, be sure to keep it! You'll get a Shovel today very soon which you can use to plant the fruit, letting it grow into a Fruit Tree. You can then sell the tree's fruit for more Bells than your island's native fruit will sell for!

If you ordered a Wet Suit yesterday like we suggested, you'll also now find it in the mail.

If you gave at least 5 creatures to Tom Nook and set a spot for the Museum yesterday, you’ll now find Blathers operating his museum out of a small tent. He won’t be able to furnish a full museum until you get him 15 more specimens, but he’ll also accept fossils into the mix, as well as Sea Creatures.

Get the Shovel and Vaulting Pole Recipes

Even if you’re in no rush to explore a giant museum, it’s still worth talking to Blathers, as along the way he’ll give you recipes for two new Tools: the Flimsy Shovel that lets you dig into the ground, and a Vaulting Pole that lets you cross bodies of water!

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Both of these will require you to put your Flimsy Axe recipe to good use and get some more wood. We recommend crafting the Vaulting Pole first: it'll allow you to cross the rivers so you can get more Branches, Wood, Furniture, Fish, Bugs, Rocks and Fossils from. It also will never break!

Dig Up Fossils

Buried objects are marked on the ground as a black crack, like in the picture above. These won't always be Fossils, but they are the most common. Equip the Shovel and then press the B Button to dig up what's buried underground, and this even works on Flowers, or Trees if you've eaten a Fruit!

The Shovel will also allow you to whack Rocks with much greater efficiency than the Axe, allowing you to get more supplies like clay, stone, and iron nuggets (and even a gold nugget if you’re lucky!) by striking each rock on your island multiple times until it’s tapped out for the day.

• How to Get 8 Items from Every Rock, Every Time

Swim for Sea Creatures

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If you were clever enough to order a Wet Suit yesterday, you can equip it to swim in the oceans and get Sea Creatures too! These can also be donated to Blathers, but more importantly, they sell for a really good amount of Bells. Use the A Button to Swim, and the Y Button to dive into the water were bubbles are and catch a Sea Creature.

Once you have enough specimens, return to Blathers and donate your critters. Once you reach 15, he'll say that he must close the Museum today to prepare for construction tomorrow: the day after that, the full Museum will be open!

Help Timmy Build Nook's Cranny

PLEASE NOTE - Once again, only the Resident Representative can initiate the task to help build Nook's Cranny. Other players on the island can help accumulate resources, but only the rep can start and finish the job.

For your final task of the day, visit Tom Nook at Resident Services, and you’ll find out that he’s tasked Timmy and Tommy to open up a new shop, and of course they’ll need your help (he'll also give you a Nook Miles Ticket, which you may need soon!). Talk to Timmy and offer your assistance, and he’ll ask you to bring him the following items:

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• 30 Wood
• 30 Hardwood
• 30 Softwood
• 30 Iron Nuggets

You don’t have to turn in all of them at the same time, but you do need to turn in a full stack of 30 for a material to be accepted. For each one, Timmy will return the favor by giving you a random item for your house.

In the likely event that you don't have enough materials, remember th Nook Miles Ticket Tom Nook gave you! You can use this at the Airport to fly to a random uncharted island, or Nook Miles Island, full of natural resources to plunder. This includes trees, palm trees, weeds, fish, bugs, DIY Message Bottles, and rocks!

This is incredibly useful for getting more Iron Nuggets, as you’ll only be able to get limited resources from the rocks on your own island each day. You may also find a random villager visiting these islands, and you can talk them into coming to your own island someday - which may be sooner than you think!

You can also get more materials by talking to one of your Villagers, who'll give you some of their own to the cause. If you're really desperate, go to the Nook Stop terminal in Resident Services and buy another Nook Miles Ticket for 2,000 Miles.

After you turn in all the required resources, Timmy will have you take a construction kit out to put somewhere on the island. Just like Blathers’ tent, you can place it almost anywhere you like, and you’ll eventually be able to move buildings around if aren’t in love with your initial placement.

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Like your house upgrade, the shop will take a day to be built, so do another round of dailies for more wood. You'll need a LOT of it tomorrow.

Meet Your Island Visitor

Starting with Day 2 you may also start encountering visitors to your island, including Gulliver on the beach and Wisp at night. These fellows offer you goods in exchange for Bells or completing specific tasks.

There are a wide variety of visitors you can discover, some of whom will not appear until you progress further into the game. Check out our Visiting Characters section to learn more about them!

Day 3 - Building Bridges and New Homes

Goals for the Day:

• Visit Nook's Cranny
• Talk to Tom Nook about preparing for new Villagers
• Build a Bridge
• Place Three New Villager Houses
• Get the Ladder and Furnish the Homes
• Convince Villagers to Settle on Your Island
• Resident Services Upgrade

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Visit Nook's Cranny

At this point in the game, you'll be asked to get a LOT of Resources, including Iron and Wood. It's a good idea to start stockpiling these so that you aren't held up later!

As Tom Nook announces the store’s opening today, he’ll be interrupted by some big news - three new villagers want to move into your town! However, they aren’t exactly looking for the tent experience (and your two starting villagers should be moving into houses of their own by Day 5), so you’ll need to help furnish these houses before they arrive. That is today's big goal!

Before doing this, don't forget to visit Nook's Cranny today! This is a store run by the Nooklings, and is where you can purchase new furniture items, as well as sell things like you already could beforehand. The downside is that Nook's Cranny operates under specific hours: 8am to 10pm.

Nook's Cranny also has an easily-missed cabinet in the back corner. This lets you buy some more DIYs, alongside other helpful items for you to buy, learn and use.

With Nook’s Cranny now available, you’ll also find that a new visitor named Daisy Mae will appear on your island every Sunday morning to sell Turnips. These can be bought in bulk for a certain price, and from Monday to Saturday, Timmy and Tommy will buy them for random prices - so buy low, sell high!

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• Daisy Mae - Turnip Guide

Nook's Cranny will also have a random "Hot" DIY item for the day: they can be sold for double the price that day. Nook’s Cranny will also be open late, but once they close, you can drop items in a box out front to sell them if they aren’t around for a reduced price, which will be transferred to your pocket the next day.

If the hours of Nook's Cranny doesn't work for you, you'll eventually be able to unlock Island Ordinances, which allow you to shift the schedules of everyone on the island - including villagers - by a few hours!

Talk to Tom Nook About Preparing for New Villagers

Head over to Tom Nook at Resident Services, and he'll give you the details on how he wants to prepare for these new arrivals. Specifically, he'll want you to start connecting the island by building a bridge to connect to another part of the land, and offer more areas to build these houses.

PLEASE NOTE - Once again, only the Resident Representative can initiate this task with Tom Nook. Once the challenge has been issued, other players will be allowed to help complete the task.

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It’s important to note that unlike the tents you placed, the three homes need to have ample space around them to place exterior furniture, so you’re going to want to connect your bridge to a part of the island with ample room (you actually don’t technically need to place these homes on the other side of a bridge, though).

Build a Bridge

Alright, time to build a bridge. Get the Bridge Construction Kit from Tom Nook, and then set about gathering the necessary materials - 4 Log Stakes, 4 Clay, and 4 Stone. This is quite lucky: future bridges will require a LOT of Bells to make!

The Log Stakes need a bunch of wood to craft them with, so be sure to stockpile any extra wood for your upcoming housing projects, you’re going to need a lot of resources!

To place a bridge, you’re going to need both sides of the river to be straight - either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, for four "tiles" (you can dig holes in a ground to measure this). However, you may find that many parts of the rivers that flow through your island curve and shift, so you might have to compromise on placement for now. Just remember to use the "Let me imagine it..." option to confirm that the bridge is where you want it.

If the placement of a diagonal bridge isn't exactly how you want it to be, try Vaulting to the other side of the river and trying from there. This will often nudge the placement a bit, for some reason.

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The bridge will take a day to construct, so at this point you can either start stockpiling resources (especially stones and wood), or go back to Tom Nook for your next task.

Place Three New Villager Houses

When you’re ready for this mission, Tom Nook will give you three housing plots to put down. You can place them in any order you want, wherever you want that fits.

To help you populate the housing plots with furniture, he’ll also send a ton of DIY projects your way. Many of these will be random, and you may already know a few - and at least three of them will be based on your town’s fruit and flowers.

As we mentioned above, you don't actually have to place the houses on the other side of where the bridge will be in order for them to count: any old place will do. Take note of the area of the housing plot that’s shown when placing it on the ground - the larger rectangle outside of the central area is where you’ll need to place exterior furniture and complete Tom's task.

Get the Ladder and Furnish the Homes

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Once you've put down a house, read the note on the plot to see which items need to be inserted for the 3 interior furniture items, and the 3 exterior furniture that need to be placed outside.

To help with getting your town’s flowers, Tom Nook will send you the recipe for the Ladder tool, which can be used to get to higher elevations, and won’t break! With it and the Vaulting Pole, you can now explore anywhere on your island, or the Nook Miles Islands!

It may take several days to get the necessary materials to build all 18 pieces of furniture, so be sure to take trips to the Nook Miles Islands if you’re in a rush. Once you’ve confirmed a house has all its interior and exterior furniture, Talk to Tom Nook and he will confirm the arrival of a resident the next day - and you can check on the plot for the name of the villager who is arriving.

Convince Villagers to Settle on Your Island

With the houses put down, you'll also need to find Villagers to fill them with! You encounter Villagers when you visit the Nook Miles Islands. Talk to them a few times, and you can convince them to move in! If you don't like a Villager, you can also leave the island and try again, although this is a bit of a waste of Nook Miles.

Only one Villager will arrive per day, and they'll spend their first day unpacking, so don’t feel like you need to rush to get everything done at once. If you don't find a Villager to move in, one will do so automatically.

Resident Services Upgrade

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Once all three villagers have been confirmed, you've upgraded Nook's Cranny and upgraded the Museum, Tom Nook will announce that the Resident Services tent will be expanding into a larger building - the Town Hall!

This comes with the arrival of a familiar and helpful assistant, and a host of new features for your island, including:

• Hourly music
• Changing the Town Tune and Town Flag
• Customization workshops to customize many of your crafted items
• Ramp and bridge construction
• Building relocation
• New Nook Miles Rewards

This will also trigger the last and most ambitious project Tom Nook has, but for the most part, you’ve cleared much of your island’s progression and unlocked a ton of features. To see how to complete Nook’s last project, see here.