October is a month-long Halloween celebration in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In addition to growing, harvesting and crafting with pumpkins, players can also begin stocking up on candy. This is important for Halloween night, because villagers and Jack, the Czar of Halloween, will be in costume and trick-or-treating all over the island.
Trick-or-treating may seem pretty cut and dry, but because it's a special event in Animal Crossing, that means there are layers to the task. Here is a complete guide to trick-or-treating in New Horizons, including the importance of candy, how it works and why players won't want to say no when their villagers ask for sweets.
Stock Up On Candy
Starting Oct. 1, players can purchase one piece of candy per day from the cupboard at Nook's Cranny. If there are multiple people living on a single island (or if players have multiple avatars), they can each purchase one piece of candy per day. Additionally, players can visit friends' islands and buy candy from their Nook's Cranny stores, as well.
It may seem excessive to have 31+ pieces of candy on-hand for a single night of trick-or-treating with a handful of villagers and one NPC, but it isn't. Having as much candy as possible will make Halloween night as fun as possible and get players tons of spooky swag.
However, it's also possible to get candy on Halloween. There will be at least two villagers in their homes during the event, handing out candy to anyone who drops by wearing a costume. They can give out one piece at a time and won't give out more than a few over the course of a single hour.
Put Together a Killer Costume
There are tons of new Halloween costumes available in New Horizons in October, in addition to already-existing staples like mage hats, mummy costumes, vampire suits and hot dog costumes. Players who want to get candy from at-home villagers or prizes from Jack need to be in costume.
New character customization options make it possible to get really, really into dressing up, so there are even more combinations to explore.
Trick-Or-Treat with Villagers
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Halloween party will kick off 5 p.m. in the plaza. Any costumed villagers wandering around the island can and will approach players for candy. If players don't have any candy in their pockets, the villager will let them go without a trick, but will request that the player acquire some candy.
If the player does have candy, they have two options: Hand over the sweets or accept a prank. If they choose the latter, their villagers will change their face/body paint to a different color and give them custom design face wrinkles. The former can be changed with any mirror vanity and the latter can be removed from the player's inventory, just like other custom face paint. As a bonus, the villager will provide the player with a mirror so they can fix their new hue, just in case they don't have one handy.
Each time a player gives a villager candy, they get something in return. The Spooky Garland and Spooky Table Setting DIYs can only be acquired this way; sometimes, villagers will also give players the items themselves. They'll also give out spooky wallpaper, flooring and a rug, as well as stacks of pumpkins. Additionally, players can learn at least one new reaction from villagers: Haunt or Scare.
However, the real prize players want is actually another piece of candy: Lollipops.
Trick-Or-Treat with Jack, the Czar of Halloween
Jack, the Czar of Halloween, will appear in the plaza for the New Horizons Halloween party. This pumpkin-headed NPC wears a purple robe and never reveals his actual identity, much like the infamous Zipper T. Bunny. All Jack wants is candy, so every time the player talks to him, they better have at least one piece in their inventory.
Giving Jack candy will net players his robe and pumpkin head, as well as at least one reaction: Haunt or Scare. After that, he'll ask for lollipops, which can only be acquired by giving candy to villagers. Each lollipop will earn the player a unique prize: Spooky Carriage, Spooky Carriage DIY and Spooky Wand DIY. Once Jack runs out of special prizes, he'll give players pumpkins or other Spooky Furniture.
The Halloween event in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about trick-or-treating and getting dressed up -- so players should start preparing now so they can have a frightfully good time.