6 ways to prepare for Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update

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If, like many other players, you’re excited for the upcoming patch but you don’t know where to start prepping your island for it, we’ve got you covered. Here’s how to prepare for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update.

After months of radio silence and outrage from some fans regarding lack of update content for New Horizons, Nintendo finally announced the 2.0 update and revealed what’s coming with it back in mid-October.

With new villagers, features like harvesting and cooking, and more on the way to Animal Crossing, you may want to prepare for it so you’re not overwhelmed by all of the new additions when it releases on November 5, 2021.

Contents:

6 ways to prepare for Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update

Many players are contemplating either restarting or flattening their islands to start anew for the upcoming patch. This article focuses on preparing your already-established town, but if you are wanting to reset your save file, check out our how to restart guide.

If you don’t know where to begin when it comes to fitting all the new features into your game, here are six ways to prepare so you’re not overwhelmed once the 2.0 update releases on November 5.

Plan your New Horizons island layout

Plan where new content will go.

The 2.0 update is adding two more optional bridges and inclines, as well as the new Ladder Set Up Kit so you can climb cliffs without even needing inclines if you prefer or if you’ve used up the allocated amount. Farming is coming too.

Because of this, you’re going to need to figure out where to put everything, especially if you’re planning on setting up an area for growing your vegetables.

If you’re doing a big overhaul, Happy Island Designer is perfect for more intricate planning. It’s a website that lets you plot out your island square-by-square, so you know exactly where to put what when it comes to transforming your island in-game.

Decide who to kick out for new Animal Crossing villagers

Shino is causing a buzz online as players REALLY want her.

With 16 new villagers coming to New Horizons on November 5, you may see one that you really want in your town. But what do you do if you already have 10 on your island? Sadly, you’re going to have to kick one out when the 2.0 update comes.

Making a resident leave is easy if you have your desired villager’s amiibo card: simply scan it at the Nook Stop in your Resident Services building and ask them to move in. Then you can pick who you want to get rid of for the new character.

If you don’t have an amiibo card, follow the steps below:

  • Set your Nintendo Switch’s date to 10 days in the future, between 12 and 3 PM.
  • In-game, find a villager with a speech bubble above their head.
  • If it’s not the character you want, tell them you want them to stay.
  • If no one has a speech bubble, time travel forward one day at a time until one does.
  • Rinse and repeat until the villager you want to leave has the speech bubble above their head. Talk to them and tell them it’s time to move on.

    • Create a farming area

    You could just plant crops anywhere… But where’s the fun in that?

    With harvesting being added (not counting the October pumpkin-growing event), you’re going to need a space to grow your vegetables.

    Potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, wheat, and sugarcane are all of the growable ingredients known so far, and while you can plant them anywhere on your grass, if you’re all about aesthetics then you’re going to want to use the Island Designer app to create some dirt patches.

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  • If you haven’t already, unlock the Island Designer app by completing the “story” and purchase either the dark dirt path or sand path permit from the Nook Stop Terminal.
  • Go to where you want to put your patches of soil and open up the Island Designer app on your Nook Phone. Select “Start Construction!”
  • Press the + button and select which path you want to place, then put them down in whatever size grid you like.

    • Once you’ve got your dirt patches, you could decorate the outside with fencing for that real farm-like look, or add in some furniture accents like the Silo.

    Build a kitchen

    You can cook recipes with your crops.

    Along with harvesting, cooking is also coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You use your freshly-grown crops and turn them into delicious meals like a proper farmer.

    It’s not clear exactly how you’ll cook just yet, but we do know that you need a kitchen in your house. There are plenty of appliances, countertops, and other kitchen furniture items in the game, so check Nook’s Cranny regularly.

    And if you already have a kitchen set up, you could always give it a refresh in time for the new update too.

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    Save your Nook Miles!

    Kapp’n will take you to new islands… But not for free.

    If you take just one thing away from this list, let it be this. Several of the new features rely on Nook Miles to either unlock or use, so you need to make sure you have enough of them to do everything you want to do. You get them by completing day-to-day tasks like catching fish and bugs, speaking to villagers, and crafting.

    The Nook Stop Terminal in your Resident Services building offers a few things you can buy with the currency, and will have even more for purchase in update 2.0. It will also cost to get Kapp’n to take you on his mysterious island tours. It would be a nightmare if you didn’t have enough for the new content, so start saving now.

    Here’s how many Nook Miles you’ll need to unlock the 2.0 content:

    • Kapp’n tours – 1,000 (every time you go)y
    • New hairstyles – 1,200
    • Cooking recipes – 2,000
    • Custom fencing – 2,500
    • New reactions – 3,300
    • Pro Camera – 1,500
    • Custom Design Patterns+ – 1,800
    • Pro Decorating License – 2,500
    • Pro Construction License – 3,000

    Save your Bells in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

    Characters from previous Animal Crossing games are returning via Harv’s Island plaza.

    Along with Nook Miles, you need to also be saving your Bells in preparation for the November 5 patch. With storage being expanded from 2,400 to 5,000 across multiple upgrades, there’s no doubt Tom Nook will be holding them hostage behind a massive paywall – classic.

    That’s not all you need to drop cash on, either. Harv’s Island is getting a shopping plaza where NPCs like Reese and Cyrus, Kicks, Tortimer, and Katrina can set up shop, but you need to make “contributions” to unlock them first.

    There’s no details yet on how much either of the features mentioned above will cost so it’s worth saving up every last Bell you can before the update, just in case you don’t have enough.

    Looking for more tips and tricks covering all things New Horizons? Take a look at our other guides:

    Gift guide | 5 of the funniest Villager catchphrases | Best way to force Villagers out | How to get Iron Nuggets fast | How to stop Villagers moving out | Terraforming ideas | How to get the Shell Arch

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