How To Transform Your Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Making your island better in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a journey of creativity, strategy, and patience. It’s about much more than just aesthetics; it’s about cultivating a thriving, functional, and personally fulfilling space. To achieve this, you need to focus on several key areas: island rating, resident happiness, functional infrastructure, and personal expression. This involves a blend of natural elements, structural design, and careful planning. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of how to improve your island:

Understanding Island Ratings and Their Importance

Your island rating, assessed by Isabelle at Resident Services, directly impacts your island’s overall potential and unlocks valuable rewards. The rating system is divided into two main categories: Development and Scenery, measured on an 8×8 grid.

• Development: This category focuses on the infrastructure and amenities on your island. Things like the number of buildings, bridges, inclines, and fences contribute to a higher Development score.
• Scenery: This measures the aesthetic and natural beauty of your island. It includes factors like the number of trees and flowers, the presence of furniture, and the removal of weeds.

A higher island rating unlocks key features. Reaching 3-stars unlocks Terraforming and the ability to pave your island with roads and paths, as well as attracting K.K. Slider for his first concert. 5-stars unlocks the coveted DIY recipe for the Golden Watering Can, and allows the Lily of the Valley flower to spawn.

Key Steps to a Better Island

1. Plant Flowers and Trees: Flowers are crucial to island aesthetics, and planting a sufficient quantity is vital for increasing your island rating. Aim for a good balance of native and non-native flower species. Cross-breeding them can yield rare color variants that also improve ratings. Similarly, planting trees, including fruit trees and hardwood trees, is important. Don’t forget, bamboo and bushes count as trees too. However, avoid overplanting, which can negatively impact your rating. Approximately 190-220 trees are a good target.
2. Remove Weeds Regularly: Weeds detract from your island’s rating. Make a habit of removing them daily. Regular weeding also frees up space for more desirable flora.
3. Construct Fences: Fences are vital for defining areas and increasing the visual appeal of your island. Use them to create gardens, yards, and defined pathways. You can choose fences that match your island’s aesthetic, and use different types to add variation.
4. Increase Villagers: Having more villagers contributes to a higher island rating. Aim to reach the maximum of 10 residents to fully optimize your island’s potential.
5. Build Bridges and Inclines: These provide crucial access to different areas of your island and also boost your island’s Development score. Plan their location strategically for easy navigation around your island.
6. Place Furniture and Decorations: A well-decorated island significantly improves its Scenery score. Place furniture, lighting, and other decorative items around your island. Make sure that it’s not just randomly placed, but designed with intention.
7. Upgrade Nook’s Cranny: This allows for the purchase of a wider variety of items, helping you gather the necessary items to decorate your island. To upgrade Nook’s Cranny, you need to spend a combined total of 200,000 Bells, have spent at least 30 days on the island, and have upgraded Resident Services to a Town Hall.
8. Terraform with Intention: Once unlocked at 3 stars, Terraforming allows you to reshape your island, add rivers, create cliffs, and carve paths. Experiment with different designs to find what works for your island’s layout.
9. Keep Items Organized: Leaving dropped items such as turnips, clothing, and DIY recipes on the ground contributes to a “cluttered” island that lowers ratings. These items should be placed, not dropped.

Optimizing Your Island Functionally

Beyond aesthetics, a well-designed island should be functional. Here are elements to improve functionality:

• Strategic Placement of Buildings: Consider the proximity of important buildings like Nook’s Cranny and the Museum. Place them in areas that are easily accessible.
• Effective Path System: Create a network of paths that makes navigation around the island smooth and simple. Utilize the Terraforming app to create unique path styles.
• Dedicated Areas: Create dedicated areas for activities like crafting, gardening, and villager interaction. This prevents things from being haphazard and makes playing more enjoyable.
• Accessible Fruit Trees: Having access to all fruit varieties, both native and non-native, is very helpful. There are several ways to obtain non-native fruit including taking boat tours with Kapp’n, using Nook Miles Tickets, getting a Dodo Code from online communities, or making friends and visiting their islands.

Maintaining Your Island for Long-Term Enjoyment

Once you’ve improved your island, continuous maintenance is key:

• Daily Weeding: Keep weeds at bay so they don’t affect your rating.
• Regular Watering: Make sure your plants and flowers stay healthy by watering them every day. Consider acquiring the Golden Watering Can to efficiently water your flowers. It has 180 uses.
• Adjust Decorations: Keep things interesting by regularly changing your island’s decorations to reflect the seasons or your personal preferences.
• Interact With Villagers: Engage with your villagers to maintain high levels of happiness. Talk to them daily, fulfill their requests, and give them gifts.

Transforming your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island is a long-term project that rewards effort and patience. Focus on the areas mentioned above to create an island that’s not just aesthetically pleasing but functional, enjoyable, and a true reflection of your personality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How do I get Isabelle to rate my island?

Isabelle will start offering island evaluations once you have more villagers moved in and after Tom Nook discusses the potential of K.K. Slider coming to perform. This option opens once you receive the daily announcements in your resident services. You must reach a 3-star island rating to unlock many of the later-game functions.

2. How many flowers do I need for a 3-star island?

You should have a minimum of 100 plants and approximately 200 flowers to get a 3-star rating.

3. Why can’t I ask Isabelle to rate my island?

Make sure you have upgraded your Resident Services to a Town Hall, and that you are getting daily announcements. Only then should the evaluation option become available.

4. What does having a 5-star island do?

A 5-star island rating grants access to the DIY recipe for the Golden Watering Can. Additionally, the Lily of the Valley flower will start spawning on your island.

5. What flower do you get for a 5-star island?

The Lily of the Valley is the exclusive flower that grows on 5-star islands. It will continue to spawn as long as you maintain your 5-star rating.

6. How do I upgrade Nook’s Cranny?

To upgrade Nook’s Cranny, you need to buy and sell 200,000 Bells worth of items, have spent at least 30 days on the island, and have upgraded Resident Services to a Town Hall.

7. How do you get different fruits in Animal Crossing?

You can obtain non-native fruits by taking boat tours with Kapp’n, using Nook Miles Tickets to visit mystery islands, getting Dodo Codes from online communities, or making friends and visiting their islands. You can also receive fruit from villagers.

8. What does the golden watering can do?

The golden watering can, with a durability of 180 uses, is used to water tiles, including tiles that have flowers, weeds, or produce on them. It doesn’t use durability to water tiles that are already hydrated.

9. How many residents do I need for a 5-star island?

You need the maximum of 10 villagers living on your island to achieve a 5-star rating.

10. How many trees do I need for a 5-star island?

You need between 190-220 trees for a 5-star island. Remember that bushes and bamboo count as trees too.

11. How do I get K.K. to perform on my island?

You need a 3-star island rating to have K.K. visit your island and perform his first concert. Make sure to get evaluations from Isabelle and improve your island according to her feedback.

12. Why is my island 1 star in Animal Crossing?

Your island rating will not exceed 1 star if you only have 6 or fewer villagers. It will not exceed 2 stars with 7 villagers and 4 stars if there are 15 or more dropped items on the ground.

13. Why does Isabelle keep saying my island is cluttered?

Isabelle will say your island is cluttered if there are too many “dropped” items on the ground outside. These include things like turnips, DIY recipes, clothing, and furniture that has been dropped instead of placed.

14. How long does the axe last in Animal Crossing?

The Flimsy Axe has 40 uses, while the Stone Axe and the regular Axe both have 100 uses.

15. Can I get on Star Island in real life?

Star Island, the one in the real world, is a different kind of experience. For day visitors, they offer a free launch boat service on weekends for boaters to get to the island from Gosport Harbor. You can also attend one of their conferences or programs. It is not the same as the Star Island in Animal Crossing.