It's finally here! The latest entry in Nintendo's celebrated life simulation franchise, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, has at last arrived on the Nintendo Switch. It's been quite a while since fans received a proper Animal Crossing experience on console. Aside from spin-offs like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (iOS/Android), Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (Nintendo 3DS) and Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival (Nintendo Wii U), there hasn't been a tried and true full-on entry in the series since 2013's Animal Crossing: New Leaf. So don't feel bad if you're a little rusty.
We're here to break down the five things you should do on your first day on the island. And while it might not seem like there's too much to check off the list this early in the game, there's plenty you can do to start off on the right foot and be ready for the days and weeks (and months) to come in Animal Crossing: New Horizons!
Talk to All of Your Villagers
This is honestly a great rule of thumb to keep every time you boot up Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Talking with villagers keeps you top-of-mind for them, and will often lead to fun sidequests, fetch missions or rewards just for being friendly!
When you first arrive on your island, there will also be two randomly-selected villagers who are moving in at the same time. Once you get past the weird setup of it all (Tom Nook owns all resources on this landmass?), your best bet is to check in with each of them multiple times. Especially in these early hours, they could be the key to recipes or tools that might otherwise be locked behind time progression. (Like the recipe for medicine!)
It's probably also a good idea to talk to Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy any time you feel like you've run out of something to do. Tom will give you suggestions or urge you to pay off your loan, but his nephews will guide you on the right path to eventually launch the shop.
Get Blathers to Town
While you won't be able to see Blathers on your island until at least your second day in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you can set up everything you need for his arrival. Oh, who's Blathers? Only the most well-respected museum curator in all of the universe. Longtime fans will recognize the name, but he's the owl you'll want to donate your first-caught critters and fossils to, so you can build out the perfect museum and aquarium exhibits.
Fortunately, setting up for Blathers to arrive is some of the most fun you can have on day one. You'll start by chatting with Tom Nook, who will let you know he's trying to convince an old friend to do some research on the island. You'll need to give Tom Book five insects or fish and that'll prompt him to call up Blathers. By day two, the informative owl will be set up with a tent -- and then you're only 15 more specimens away from museum construction!
Chop, Fish and Catch
One of the biggest additions to gameplay in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the DIY crafting mechanic, which means you'll want to stock up on resources in the early game to build tools, furniture and more. You can start this by shaking all of the trees on your island, just as you would do to collect your fruit. Pick up those sticks and take them to Tom Nook's tent to roll through the DIY tutorial. You'll quickly obtain flimsy versions of the bug-catching net and the fishing rod.
And this is where a ton of your time will be spent on day one. You'll fish along the beach and by the rivers on your island, as well snag any insects you can find. Not only will they come in handy as you pre-stock them for Blathers, but you can sell anything you catch -- making it a lot easier to take on Tom Nook's loanshark tendencies.
Stack Up Those Nook Miles
Tom Nook makes it clear right off the bat that there's a brand new form of currency aside from bells in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. That's right, say hello to Nook Miles! Set up like a mobile app rewards program, Nook Miles are rewarded for completing challenges and bonafide achievements throughout your adventure. Catch five fish? Nook Miles. Plant a new fruit on your island? Nook Miles. Get stung by a bee? Nook Miles!
The good news is that they are actually incredibly useful and pretty easy to come by. You'll even be able to pay off your first loan -- the one that got you to the island and set up in a tent -- likely on day one. Seriously, there's a Nook Miles punch card for basically everything.
Pay Off Your First Loan
You may have caught this from the last step, but it's also the most important one on this list other than getting Blathers to town. Paying off your first loan on day one means you could be set up with an actual house by your second day on the island.
The key thing to remember here is that almost everything in Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes time. Construction can take days. Mail takes 24 hours. Rocks and trees only replenish resources after a certain amount of time. You'll have to play strategically to make sure you can do everything you need to.
Getting your first actual house means room to hang things up, decorate a bit more creatively and most importantly, expanded storage. It might take you a bit to upgrade your pocket (inventory space), so this storage is a bit of a lifesaver.