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What Should I Keep in Animal Crossing? A Comprehensive Guide

The question of what to keep and what to sell is a constant consideration for any Animal Crossing: New Horizons player. The game bombards you with resources, items, and opportunities. Knowing what to prioritize holding onto can dramatically improve your island development and overall gameplay experience. In short, you should keep valuable resources for crafting and trading, rare items for personal collection or high-value sales, and essential crafting materials for DIY recipes, and items that have high resale value. It’s also crucial to keep things you will use for island decoration and that have meaning to you personally.

Ultimately, what you decide to keep depends on your individual play style and goals. Are you focused on completing your museum? Are you aiming to create a specific aesthetic for your island? Do you want to make as many Bells as possible? Keeping your long-term goals in mind will help guide your decisions. This article provides a detailed breakdown of the types of items you should consider keeping in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Essential Items to Keep

Valuable Resources

Certain resources are consistently valuable due to their use in crafting and trading. These are:

Gold Nuggets: Extremely valuable for crafting high-end tools and items. They also fetch a high price when sold. Obtain them rarely from rocks.
Iron Nuggets: A crucial crafting material for countless DIY recipes. You’ll constantly need these for upgrades and tools.
Hardwood, Softwood, and Wood: Basic materials used in a variety of DIY recipes. Never sell all of your supply.
Stone: Essential for building tools and various crafted items. You’ll want a steady supply of this.
Clay: Needed for crafting and certain construction projects. Another staple resource to stock up on.
Star Fragments: Used in magical and celestial DIY projects and only obtained from wishes made when a Shooting Star event happens. Collect these whenever you can.
Large Star Fragments: Rarer, used in specific and more valuable items. Keep these for special crafting projects.
Seasonal Materials: Items like Cherry Blossom Petals, Maple Leaves, Snowflakes, and Summer Shells are only available during specific times of year. Save them for crafting unique seasonal items, which are often highly sought after.
Bamboo Pieces, Young Spring Bamboo: Important for crafting Bamboo based DIYs and can be obtained by hitting bamboo trees with an axe.

Rare & Unique Items

These items are typically difficult to obtain and can be highly valuable for selling or displaying:

Rare DIY Recipes: Recipes for valuable items like the Ironwood Dresser, Crescent Moon Chair, and Cutting Board are highly sought after. They are essential for crafting and trading.
Royal Crown & Crown: The most expensive items in the game. They are great for flexing or for when you want to sell some extremely high-priced items, the Royal Crown at 1.2 million bells and the Crown at 1 million bells.
Elaborate Kimono Stands: Elegant and rare decor pieces that are hard to come by.
Zodiac Items: Limited-edition decor that correlates to the zodiac constellations. If you collect them it’s better to keep.
Space Items: Rare and visually appealing items that are crafted.
Wedding Items: Items earned during the Wedding Season event. They are not obtainable outside of this event.
Gold Roses: Rare flowers created by watering black roses with a gold watering can. Keep them for crafting gold rose wreaths, and other items, and for flexing your green thumb!
Bug and Fish Models: These are acquired by giving Flick and CJ 3 of the same insects or fish and are great to use as decoration.

Essential Tools and Equipment

It’s vital to keep your tools in good condition, or, to make sure you have the supplies to craft them quickly:

Golden Tools: Extremely durable and efficient tools. You have to work to get the recipes, so you do not want to lose them or sell them by mistake.
Axes, Shovels, Nets, Rods, Watering Can, and Slingshot: Ensure you have access to these basics to be able to quickly complete tasks. These are all craftable as well.
Ladder & Vaulting Pole: Essential for accessing different areas of your island. You do not want to accidentally get rid of these!

Decor and Island Infrastructure

Keeping a supply of items for island customization is essential:

Fencing: Keeps your island organized and adds unique design elements. Always keep a stack of it on hand.
Outdoor Seating: Necessary for creating relaxing spaces. Keep a few styles that fit your theme.
Pipes: Fantastic for quick transportation around your island.
Arcade Cabinet: Ideal for adding a retro gaming area to your island.
Flower Patches Keep your favorite colors of flowers as they are used for crafting and adding to the islands esthetic.
Fruit Trees: Plant various fruit trees to diversify your island’s resources and income.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What are the most valuable items to sell for Bells?

Royal Crowns, and Crowns are the most valuable items if you need to liquidate some of your resources to make a profit. Rare bugs and fish can also be sold to Flick and CJ, respectively, for 150% of their standard price. Keep an eye on Hot Items at Nook’s Cranny, as crafted items can sometimes be sold for significantly more than their base value.

2. Should I sell my native fruit?

While you can sell your native fruit, it’s more profitable to sell non-native fruit that you obtain from other islands or friends. Your native fruit sells for 100 Bells, while non-native fruit goes for 500 Bells.

3. When should I sell my bugs and fish?

Always hold onto your bugs until Flick visits, and hold onto your fish until CJ visits. They both will buy your critters for 150% the usual price.

4. How do I get Gold Nuggets?

Gold Nuggets are primarily found by hitting rocks with a shovel or axe. They are rare, so be persistent.

5. How do I get more DIY recipes?

DIY recipes can be obtained from various sources: message bottles on the beach, villager interactions, balloons, special events, and buying recipe packs at Nook’s Cranny. Be sure to talk to your villagers as they often share recipes.

6. What items should I never sell?

You should generally avoid selling rare and seasonal materials, limited-time items, and DIY crafting resources like gold nuggets, iron nuggets, and wood. You will almost always have a use for them later in the game.

7. Is it worth it to craft hot items at Nook’s Cranny?

Yes, crafting hot items when they are available can be a very profitable way to make Bells if you have all of the resources. Keep an eye on what’s hot that day to make the most of it.

8. What are Nook Miles used for?

Nook Miles are a currency used to purchase a variety of in-game rewards like character customizations, special items, and travel tickets to go to mystery islands. Always ensure you are completing Nook Miles + quests.

9. Should I prioritize building facilities or decorating my island first?

Prioritize building the necessary facilities like Nook’s Cranny, Able Sisters, and the Museum first. These are necessary to open up different parts of the game.

10. How can I speed up my island development?

Speed up development by focusing on earning Nook Miles, investing in the “Pretty Good Tools Belt” app, emphasizing cooking recipes, and focusing on improving your island rating. Also, time travel can be used, however this may take away from the natural progression and enjoyment of the game for some players.

11. How often do rare villagers appear on mystery islands?

Rare villagers, like octopus villagers, are very rare to encounter on mystery islands. It is primarily luck based, but your odds can improve by utilizing more Nook Miles Tickets to visit mystery islands.

12. How do I attract rarer bugs and fish?

To attract rarer bugs and fish, you will need to diversify your environment. This includes planting flowers, adding ponds and rivers, and keeping your island clear of weeds. Also, fish bait can be crafted to lure fish out and bugs are more common when flowers are bloomed.

13. What are the benefits of befriending villagers?

Befriending villagers will reward you with gifts, recipes, and personal interactions. Villagers also give you photos of themselves once you have achieved a high enough level of friendship.

14. What are the benefits of upgrading my house?

Upgrading your house will significantly increase your storage space, and your ability to add more furniture to your home. You will also get more customizations and room options as you upgrade your home.

15. Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons worth playing in 2023 and beyond?

Absolutely. Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers endless gameplay possibilities. It’s a relaxing game, where you can express yourself through building and creating at your own pace. With the game’s regular updates, and seasonal events, there is plenty to do all year long.

By understanding what to keep and prioritize in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’ll be well on your way to creating the island of your dreams. Be mindful of your goals, and tailor your inventory to suit your play style, and you will have an island you can enjoy for a long time to come.

What should I keep in Animal Crossing?