Animal Crossing: New Horizons has just received its most major overhaul since the game launched: New Horizons’ 2.0 update and accompanying Happy Home Paradise DLC have roughly doubled the amount of content in the game, so it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the new additions, especially if you haven’t, returned to your Animal Crossing island in a while. In this article, we’ll explain all the best ways to access New Horizons' new content.
Animal Crossing's New Content: The Basics
First off, you'll need to update your game as well as buy, download, and install the DLC, if you're interested in spending more money on Animal Crossing. As long as you're connected to the internet, downloading and installing the 2.0 update will be a breeze.
However, if you want to pick up the DLC, it's a little more complicated. You can choose to subscribe to Nintendo's online service + Happy Home Paradise package for a year for $50 (the same price as just the online service subscription), and with that subscription, you'll get access to Happy Home Paradise until your subscription expires, or you can just purchase the DLC outright for $25 and get access to its content forever.
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While the subscription service for a single DLC pack rubs a lot of people the wrong way, a Nintendo Switch Online membership, outside of the DLC, is actually an extremely important service for Animal Crossing. Not only is save data backup gated behind a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, but a huge part of the Animal Crossing gameplay loop is visiting other islands, inviting people to your island, and doing trades with other players.
Whether or not you want the DLC, picking up a Nintendo Switch Online subscription is a good idea if you're an Animal Crossing fan with money to spend. Accordingly, we recommend purchasing the Happy Home Paradise DLC on its own without the subscription and subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online for the best Animal Crossing experience.
What You'll Need to Access New Content in Animal Crossing: Bells and Nook Mile Tickets
With Animal Crossing's 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC, an insane amount of new content has been added to the game, but much of this content is accessed through familiar, traditional methods.
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For example, many new features are gated behind Nook Mile Ticket redemptions as part of the Nook Mileage programs. Thousands of new items have been added to retailers like Nook's Cranny and the Able Sisters, too, which will cost you bells. Then, features like the increased incline and bridge build limit will not only cost you Nook Miles to unlock but bells to actually construct.
So, it's important you have access to a ton of bells and Nook mile Tickets to make sure you'll be able to afford to unlock the new content in the game. Collecting resources on your island, completing Nook Miles challenges, and visiting Mystery Islands are great ways to acquire bells, Nook Mile Tickets, and resources.
However, you likely won't be able to gather tons of Bells, Tickets, or resources all that quickly with these methods, so if you you're looking for speed, considering jumping on the Animal Crossing Discord or Nookazon site or Discord. These communities are filled with people looking to trade or sell items, and it's not hard to part with a particularly rare thing you don't want somebody else is willing to pay a lot to have.
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Though, you will need a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to participate in any multiplayer activities. If you don't play online, the 2.0 update has brought another key way to make money and collect resources on top of pre-existing Myserty Island Tours: Kapp'n Boat Tours.
With the 2.0 update, the kappa Kapp'n arrives at your island's pier, offering trips to unique islands for 1000 Nook Mile Tickets a pop. Like Mystery Island Tours, Kapp'n will take you to a random island each time, but unlike the Mystery Islands, Kapp'n's islands will have exotic flora, be set in different seasons or times of day, and will give players the opportunity to collect season-specific items like mushrooms.
Happy Home Paradise's New Currency Poki Explained
Moving beyond Animal Crossing's 2.0 update into the Happy Home Paradise DLC, the economy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons changes a lot with the introduction of a third currency, Poki.
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Unlike Bells or Nook Mile Tickets, Poki is only usable in the DLC area: the Paradise Planning Island. Bells can't be used on the Paradise Planning Island, and instead, the new area's economy is built exclusively on Poki.
You'll earn Poki by playing the DLC: As in by designing vacation homes for your villagers and completing various jobs, i.e. the main focus of Happy Home Paradise, you'll earn Poki. You won't start off with much, but you'll get a ton as you continue playing, and you can use Poki to purchase items at a new shop on the Paradise Planning Island.
Poki is also used to purchase 'souvenir items' you can use to invite your own villagers to come have a stay on the Paradise Planning Island. In short, Poki is a totally new currency to work for so players won't be able to simply use their stockpiles of Bells and Nook Mile Tickets to immediately access all the DLC's content.
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Remember to Make Sure You've Finished Old Animal Crossing Content First
Before you jump into Animal Crossing's 2.0 update or the Happy Home Paradise DLC, make sure you've finished your major Animal Crossing projects first, like upgrading the Museum, adding in an art gallery, or simply setting up homes for all your villagers.
This isn't a hard and fast rule, but as you play Animal Crossing you'll get access to new features and upgrades you usually have to pay for through Nook Mile Tickets or Bells, and oftentimes, you won't have access to later upgrades and features before getting through earlier upgrades and features.
For example, to begin your journey towards opening up Brewster's Roost on your island, you'll need to have donated at least one of every kind of item you can donate to the Museum first.
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