Can You Lose Villagers in Animal Crossing? A Comprehensive Guide
Yes, you absolutely can lose villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but not always in the way you might expect. Unlike some older installments in the series, villagers in New Horizons won’t just up and leave without your input. While it might seem like they disappear randomly, there are specific mechanisms at play that determine when and how a villager decides to move away from your island. This article delves into the intricacies of villager departures, answering your questions and providing a comprehensive understanding of how to manage your island’s population.
How Villagers Leave Your Island
The core mechanic for villager departure in Animal Crossing: New Horizons revolves around a thought bubble. When a villager is considering moving, they will develop a thought bubble above their head. If you interact with them while they have this bubble, they will express their contemplation about leaving. You are then given a choice: you can encourage them to stay or you can allow them to explore new horizons. This choice is paramount, as it is the primary way villagers will leave.
Explicit Permission is Key
The crucial takeaway here is that, for the most part, your villagers will not move out unless you give them explicit permission to do so. This is a major change from past Animal Crossing games where villagers might leave without warning. This means that if you want to keep your island’s inhabitants, you have significant control over their fate. However, there are a few other factors at play.
The Role of Friendship
Your friendship level with a villager also plays a role in their likelihood of asking to leave. Villagers with lower friendship levels are more likely to request to move, which is beneficial if you are hoping to encourage a specific villager to move away. Ignoring a villager, not giving them gifts, especially on their birthday can subtly affect their friendship level, increasing the chance of them wanting to move on. Conversely, if you’re close friends with a villager, they’ll be less likely to ask to leave.
The One-Villager Rule
If you have a villager in the process of moving out, you can lose a maximum of one villager. After this, your island is safe, and no other villager will ask to leave until you have filled your vacant plot with a new resident. In summary, villagers require that one be actively in the process of leaving and there has to be an open space for another villager before another villager is likely to move out.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Villager Departures
Let’s dive deeper into some common questions about losing villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons:
1. Will My Villagers Leave If I Ignore Them?
Yes, ignoring a villager can increase the likelihood of them asking to leave, as this will reduce your friendship level with them. However, it isn’t guaranteed, they might still stay if you don’t talk to them. They also won’t ping you unless you’ve already introduced yourself to them. It is one of the ways to make sure you can influence a resident to leave.
2. Can You Time Travel to Make Villagers Leave?
While time travel itself doesn’t directly cause villagers to move out, it can be used to speed up the process. Villagers will not move out simply because you time traveled. Time traveling can be a strategic way to make specific villagers move out quickly if you are ignoring them or trying to lower your relationship with them.
3. What Happens If I Never Talk To A Villager?
If you never talk to a villager, they will still be able to move out by getting the thought bubble if they have a lower friendship level. They need to be introduced to you before they will be able to ping you.
4. Does Talking To Isabelle Help Remove Villagers?
You can talk to Isabelle about a particular villager, and some players believe that repeatedly doing so can influence that villager to consider leaving. The villagers may get the idea they are unwelcome, but this method is not reliable and can require several attempts over days and is not guaranteed.
5. Do Villagers Get Mad If You Talk to Them Too Much?
Yes, villagers can get annoyed if you talk to them too much. They might display the “thought bubble” and get frustrated with you if you interact with them multiple times a day. Be aware that not all personalities react in the same way to over-interaction. Some villager personalities are more patient than others.
6. What Happens If I Don’t Play Animal Crossing for a While?
If you don’t play for a while, you might come back to find a villager has asked to move out. This is dependent on your friendship level with that villager before you left. The longer you are gone and the lower your relationship with the villager the higher the chance of the villager moving out.
7. Should I Let My Villagers Leave?
Whether or not to let villagers leave is entirely a personal choice. Letting villagers leave allows you to experience new villagers, personalities, and house interiors. It adds variety and helps keep the game fresh. However, if you’re attached to a particular villager, that’s perfectly fine too!
8. Do Villagers Remember You After They Move Out?
In most cases, villagers do not remember you after moving off your island. If you encounter them later at your campsite or on a mystery island tour, they’ll behave as if they’re meeting you for the first time.
9. Does Hitting Villagers Make Them Move Out?
Actually, hitting villagers with a net does not cause them to move out. It’s considered attention which actually makes it more likely they will stay. Instead, ignoring them will encourage them to leave.
10. Can You Bully A Villager Off Your Island?
While you can “bully” villagers by hitting them with a net multiple times in a row, this doesn’t necessarily make them move out but might lower your friendship with them.
11. What are Some of the Most Unpopular Villagers?
Some of the most unpopular villagers tend to be those with less appealing designs or personalities. Some of the unpopular villagers include Annalisa, Vic, Beardo, Stinky, Rocket, Derwin, Claude, and Jitters.
12. Who are the Richest Villagers in Animal Crossing?
While they don’t actually have money, some villagers are considered more valuable by the community. Coco is currently the highest valued at 1.61 million bells, while Doc is the lowest at 450,000 bells.
13. Who are Some of the Most Popular Villagers?
Some of the most popular villagers include Raymond, Stitches, Marshal, Coco, Roald, Kabuki, Ankha, and Lucky. These villagers are popular due to unique designs, personalities, and rarities.
14. Why Do Villagers Stare at You?
Villagers stare at you if you get within a certain distance of them. They will typically stop staring when they are scared off by a zombie, a thunderstorm starts, or when night begins. They will run into their houses and not come out until any of these events end.
15. Do Villagers Get Mad if You Take Their Bed?
Yes, villagers can get mad if you take their beds or hit them multiple times. They will show little particles to demonstrate they are angry. Hitting them multiple times will also have the same result.
Conclusion
While it might seem complex, losing villagers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is actually quite controlled by the player. Your decisions have a direct impact on who stays and who goes. By understanding these mechanics, you can effectively manage your island’s population and enjoy the game to its fullest. Remember, it’s all about creating the perfect island experience for you, and if that means some villagers need to move on to new adventures, you now have the knowledge to guide them along their path.