The highly anticipated Nintendo Switch ACNH Update is here! Just a few days ago the 2.0 update took place which includes loads of new features and abilities for gamers. In addition to this free update, the Happy Home Paradise DLC dropped the following day. We are sharing all the details for these two big updates below, as well as tips for playing too!
This is a partnered post. All opinions are my own.
ACNH Update & Happy Home Paradise Details
The free ACNH update includes a plethora of fun new features. Let’s break those down below!
- New Villagers: Yes – there are more adorable villagers to choose from! There are 9 new villagers, along with 7 returning villagers from previous AC games.
- New Island Customization Options: The main account holder can change island ordinances like when villagers wake up and go to sleep, beautify the island by asking villagers to help clear weeds, get a bell boom of 20% when selling items, etc. You’ll want to visit Isabelle for all the details! You’ll also get a storage shed for easier and faster ways to store your items.
- Harv’s Island: There’s now a permanent co-op on Harv’s island! By donating bells you can open several new shopping spots to visit daily. This includes Redd, Sahara, Tortimer, Katrina, Reese & Cyrus, Leif, and Kicks. Additionally, Harriet can create new hairstyles for you each day and those are banked for you to test out new hairstyles whenever you’d like. All items at these shops will rotate weekly. There’s now an ATM on Harv’s island if you need more bells too.
- Cooking: You can now plant more things like veggies to use for new recipes you’ll learn from different gameplays. I recommend visiting your villagers – sometimes they are cooking up a recipe and teach you a DIY. You can be inspired by new recipes in other ways like fishing.
- New Furniture & Home Customizations: Accent walls and ceiling decor are here, along with so many more new features!
- New Villager Interactions: Not only will you learn new reactions, but your villagers will have new sayings, and even visit you when you’re in your home! That’s right, you’ll hear the door open and one of your villagers will get to look around your place. Make sure you’ve tidied up! You can also do a new group activity in the plaza. Just locate the radio and press A.
- Brewster’s Cafe: The Roost: The cafe is located inside the museum and is open 24/7. To activate the new cafe, you must locate Brewster first. The main account holder will need to visit Blathers who will send them on a mission to find him. There are a few requirements in order to activate this new feature like having a 3.0 island, and you must have donated 1 of each type of item to the museum.
- Gyroids: Gyroids are adorably tiny creatures that have been added to the game! Brewster will actually give you one, you can also dig one up on the island in which you locate him, and that will activate future gyroids you can dig up on your own island.
All of these free and fun ACNH updates will have you playing the game for hours like when you first started out! It’s SO much fun!!
A few tips to get started:
- Visit Blathers at the museum, then find Kapp’n on the boat dock to head to the random island. There you’ll find Brewster and mention Blathers sent you. You can also ask him about Gyroids. Just like with random islands you fly to, there are a variety of materials at your disposal on the island like a free DIY, fruit, and sometimes the lucky money tree island too. Look for a spot on the ground like a fossil and dig up a Gyroid to take back with you. Then return to Blathers and let him know what Brewster said. The museum will close the next day and reopen with the cafe.
- Make sure you have bells ready to go when visiting Harv’s island, although an ATM is now available if needed. You can donate 100k bells to any of the Lloyd’s and the following day a shop will be open that you can purchase from. I highly recommend doing Leif’s first so you can gather wheat starts for early cooking recipes. You can only donate to one Lloyd per day.
- Plant and water your crops right away so you can begin recipes. Fish to learn more recipes and visit villagers who may be cooking and share a DIY with you.
Watch this ACNH Update video to learn more!
About Happy Home Paradise
Happy Home Paradise is an additional new update to the game, however, it’s not free. It costs $25 as a one-time payment, or you can select to do an individual or family expansion pack which is a monthly/yearly subscription. The expansion pack includes HHP for free, but if you cancel the subscription you will lose access to HHP.
HHP is 100% worth the value. I recommend the one-time payment option. It adds a whole new dimension to Animal Crossing New Horizons!
What is Happy Home Paradise? It’s a place to work – but it’s fun, I promise! Once you’ve DL’d the 2.0 update and paid for the DLC, you will get a phone call from Tom Nook in the game who will invite you to meet Lottie at the airport. She’ll ask you to become a vacation home designer on her island.
When you first visit the archipelago in Happy Home Paradise, you’ll be met by Niko at the docks; he’ll guide you to the Paradise Planning office and Lottie will introduce you to Wardell. Lottie will teach you the ropes and guide you through your first vacation home planning process. From there as you help more clients, you’ll get a raise, unlock new abilities, and more!
Above is the map where you’ll pick out a location each time for your villager. It’s such a fun way to learn more about villagers you’ve never encountered while playing ACNH.
In addition to designing the inside of a villager’s vacation home, you can also design the outside. You’ll have full access to new items, and as you design more homes, you’ll continue to expand your collection. You can also use those new items back on your own island.
Outside the Paradise Planning office is where you’ll find new clients. You must be in your work uniform. Additionally, you’ll find some closed buildings that can be unlocked as you continue to grow your knowledge as a home designer. You can always go back and visit a villager you’ve already made a vacation home for, and edit the design. Sometimes they’ll offer you a gift or DIY too.
First Look: ACNH Happy Home Paradise
Home Hope Paradise Additional Updates:
How many vacation homes have you created so far? I’ve made 40! At this point, I’ve unlocked all the buildings on HHP including a restaurant, beachside cafe, school, hospital, and clothing boutique. I like that you can select which villagers work at the facilities and that you can always go back to update them or expand some like the restaurants to include a second floor.
Speaking of updates, I believe after 30 designs, I was able to unlock KK Slider who comes to the island for a huge dance party. It displays all the designs you’ve created along the way which is pretty neat to look at. Watch a portion of that party here:
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I recommend visiting your restaurant each day to talk to the cook. The villager will give you a new cooking recipe each time! Occasionally, a person will be roaming the island. Help them locate the school and you’ll learn a new DIY or get a free item. The teacher will also give you free plants.
At the boutique, use the maximum amount of mannequins given so you can shop specialty HHP items each day. And don’t forget to find the free DIY bottle on the beach each day.
You can also visit the hospital and ask to see the doctor. There are a few options to choose from and she’ll give you a free item like head bandages.
All of these ACNH updates are so exciting!! We can’t wait to hear what you think!
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Gina Ferrell says
My daughter absolutely loves Animal Crossing.
Shelly Peterson says
This looks like fun.