Can You Invite Campers Without Amiibo in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? A Comprehensive Guide

The short answer is a resounding yes, you absolutely can invite villagers to live on your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons without relying on amiibo cards. While amiibo provide a convenient way to bring specific villagers to your campsite, the game offers multiple avenues to welcome new residents using in-game mechanics alone. This article will delve into the details of inviting campers without amiibo, explain how campsite visits work, and answer some frequently asked questions to help you populate your island with your favorite villagers.

How to Invite Campers to Your Island Without Amiibo

The primary method for inviting villagers without amiibo involves the game’s campsite feature. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

Random Campsite Visitors

Your campsite will occasionally be visited by random villagers. These campers are not guaranteed to be the ones you want, but with patience, you can find some excellent additions to your island.

• Waiting Game: You can’t control when a camper arrives, and they appear randomly. This means you will have to wait for a camper to appear, and this might take time. These campsite visits happen randomly, about once a week, so patience is a must. If you are skipping days, you might miss a camper.
• Talking and Persuasion: Once a camper arrives, you’ll need to speak to them multiple times. They won’t immediately offer to move in. Be persistent in your conversations, as eventually, an invitation to move in may arise.
• The Replacement Option: If your island is already at its 10 villager limit, you won’t be able to simply add the camper. Instead, they will offer to replace one of your current villagers. Be careful, as choosing the wrong villager here might lead to you losing a favorite! If you do not want the camper to replace one of your villagers, close the game as soon as the camper mentions replacing a resident. Do this before finishing the dialog and reload the game, then invite the camper again to choose someone else if the game doesn’t automatically save.

The DIY Challenge Method

There’s another approach, particularly if you are trying to get a specific campsite villager to move in, rather than relying on random visits:

• Three Day Invitation: Invite the same camper back to your campsite over three consecutive days by time traveling. You will need to complete their requested DIY projects to continue the process, usually having to make an item using materials you collect.
• Permanent Move-in: After completing the DIY requests for three consecutive days, the villager should finally agree to move onto your island. This will secure them a place as a permanent resident, replacing a villager if your island is full.

Island Tours and Empty Plots

Another way to acquire new villagers is by travelling to mystery islands using Nook Miles Tickets:

• Island Hopping: When you have an empty plot on your island, either because a villager moved out or you’ve just created a new plot, you can travel to mystery islands. There you may encounter villagers who will be willing to move in.
• Random Encounters: These encounters are random, so you may have to travel to quite a few islands before finding a villager you want.
• Limited Timeframe: You will have a limited time to find a villager via the Mystery Island route. Once a day has passed, your empty plot will be filled with a randomly chosen villager.

Understanding Campsite Mechanics

To increase your chances of getting a villager you want, it’s important to understand the mechanics behind campsite visits:

• Open Plots Matter: You cannot invite a camper to move in if your island is full unless you’re willing to replace an existing villager. Always make sure you have an open plot if you’re aiming to simply add to your population.
• Time Travel Strategy: Some players use time travel to speed up the process of finding a specific camper. By moving forward a few days, you can check if a visitor has arrived and then adjust if necessary.
• Save Before Decisions: Always save your game before attempting to invite a camper, especially if your island is full. This gives you a safety net in case you accidentally choose to replace a villager you didn’t intend to.
• No Rerolling: The campsite villager is decided the first time they visit for a specific day. Leaving a campsite and going back will not change the camper.

15 Frequently Asked Questions About Inviting Campers Without Amiibo

Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify how to get villagers to your island without the use of amiibo cards:

1. Can campsite villagers replace a villager on a full island?

Yes, if your island is at its 10 villager capacity, a camper will offer to replace one of your current residents.

2. How often do campsite villagers appear?

Campsite visitors appear randomly, but tend to arrive approximately once a week.

3. Do I need to complete DIY requests to move in a camper without an amiibo?

Yes, for a specific villager you want to move to your island. You must complete the DIY requests over a three day period in order to get them to move to your island.

4. Can I use time travel to see more campsite villagers?

Yes, time traveling is a commonly used method to speed up the process of finding campsite visitors, but is not the only way.

5. Can I invite a villager to my island if I have an empty plot?

Yes, having an empty plot makes the process simpler. The camper will claim the open plot for their new home.

6. Does a camper offer to replace a random villager?

Yes, if your island is full, the camper will offer to replace a random resident and give you the opportunity to select who. You do not get the opportunity to replace a villager if you have an open plot, the camper will simply move into the open plot.

7. Can I choose who the camper replaces?

Yes, when your island is full, you get to choose which villager to replace. Be careful and make sure you choose the right one.

8. What happens if I report a villager to Isabelle before they leave?

Reporting a villager to Isabelle will reset their catchphrases and other customizations, but it will not force them to move out. Villagers move out randomly.

9. Do I need amiibo cards to get specific villagers?

No, but amiibo cards make it quicker to invite specific villagers to your campsite.

10. What happens if I invite a camper while another is already camping?

You can not invite another camper to your campsite when there is one already there.

11. Can I re-roll the villager if I don’t like who’s visiting my campsite?

No, once the villager is set for a specific day, they cannot be changed through reloading the game. If you are trying to invite them to move to your island, and the game saves, then they will be the villager you need to persuade to move in. If you do not like the villager and reload the game, there will not be a camper that day.

12. Is it safe to use fake amiibo cards?

Yes, the game cannot distinguish between real and fake amiibo cards. However, rewriting fake cards too often may cause them to stop working.

13. Can I use the same amiibo card on multiple consoles?

Yes, amiibo cards can be used on multiple consoles, if the game does not save data to the card.

14. Are villagers obtained through amiibo cards different than villagers obtained through Nook Miles tickets or campsite visits?

No, amiibo villagers are in no way different from those you encounter on mystery islands or in your campsite.

15. Do all villagers have amiibo cards?

Yes, every villager has their own amiibo card. Only NPCs like Lloid and Gullivarrr do not have amiibo cards.

Conclusion

While amiibo cards provide a direct and reliable way to invite specific villagers, they are not the only option. With patience, strategy, and a bit of luck, you can build your dream island population by using the game’s campsite system and mystery islands. By understanding how the mechanics work, you can optimize your chances of adding the villagers you desire to your island without needing any amiibo cards. Happy island building!