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Level Up Your Island Life: What to Do After You Build Your House in Animal Crossing

So, you’ve finally got your dream home in Animal Crossing: New Horizons! The tent is gone, and you have four walls to call your own. Congratulations! But the journey doesn’t end there; in fact, it’s just the beginning. While a fully upgraded house is a worthy goal, think of it as the launching pad for an even more fulfilling island experience. Your house is the canvas upon which you create the ultimate virtual life.

After you build your house in Animal Crossing, you have a lot to do. The real fun begins with expanding your home, customizing it, building relationships with villagers, and making your island a paradise. Focus on upgrading your house and creating more rooms, collecting furniture and decorations, and visiting the islands of other players.

Beyond Bricks and Mortar: The Real Animal Crossing Adventure

Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of what to focus on after you’ve unlocked your first house:

Home Expansion & Decoration: Your initial house is just the start. The real joy lies in expanding! Pay off those loans to Tom Nook and unlock bigger rooms, an upstairs, and a basement. Each expansion gives you more space to express your creativity. Experiment with different furniture sets, wallpapers, and flooring to create themed rooms. Aim for the highest Happy Home Academy (HHA) rank.
Interior Design Mastery: Don’t just fill your house with furniture; design it! Consider color palettes, room themes, and functionality. Create a cozy living room, a vibrant bedroom, a productive study, or even a dedicated gaming room. Use the “Happy Home Paradise” DLC for even more design tools and inspiration, or just visit the island of a player with unique designs.
Furniture Frenzy & DIY Delights: Start collecting! There are countless furniture items to discover, both through Nook’s Cranny, the Able Sisters, and the DIY workbench. Learn new DIY recipes by finding message bottles on the beach, talking to villagers, or purchasing them from Nook’s Cranny. Aim to complete entire furniture series.
Exterior Island Design: Your home isn’t just the inside; it’s the entire island! Start thinking about how you want to landscape your island. This includes: Terraforming to create rivers, cliffs, and waterfalls; placing furniture strategically to create outdoor seating areas; or designing themed sections such as a park, a garden, or a shopping district.
Villager Relationships: Your island is only as good as the company you keep! Befriend your villagers by talking to them daily, giving them gifts, and fulfilling their requests. Maxing out your friendships unlocks their photos and allows them to invite you to their homes.
Island Rating Pursuit: Aim for a 5-star island rating! Talk to Isabelle at Resident Services to get feedback on your island’s development. She’ll provide tips on how to improve your rating, focusing on things like placing furniture, planting flowers and trees, and reducing clutter. A 5-star island unlocks the golden watering can DIY recipe.
Crafting & Resource Gathering: Never stop gathering! Resources like wood, stone, clay, and iron nuggets are essential for crafting tools, furniture, and other items. Visit mystery island tours using Nook Miles to collect even more resources and find new villagers.
Nook Miles Grind: Don’t neglect your Nook Miles! Completing various tasks earns you Nook Miles, which can be redeemed for useful items like DIY recipes, clothing, and customization options. Focus on completing Nook Miles+ tasks for bonus miles.
Fashionista Fun: Expand your wardrobe! Visit the Able Sisters daily to check out their latest fashion offerings. You can also design your own custom clothing using the Custom Designs app on your NookPhone. Participate in seasonal fashion challenges for exclusive rewards.
Seasonal Events: Animal Crossing is constantly changing with the seasons! Participate in seasonal events like Bunny Day, Fishing Tourneys, Bug-Offs, Halloween, and Toy Day to earn exclusive items and experiences. Stay updated on upcoming events through announcements in the game.
Dream Address Delights: Share your island with the world! Once you unlock the ability, create a Dream Address to allow other players to visit your island in a dream. You can also visit other players’ dream islands to get inspiration for your own designs.
Community Engagement: Join the Animal Crossing community! Share your island designs, DIY creations, and villager stories on social media platforms. Visit forums and online communities to connect with other players, trade items, and participate in contests.
“Happy Home Paradise” DLC: If you are looking for something new, consider playing the “Happy Home Paradise” DLC. This content brings you to a new island where you can design vacation homes for villagers.
Island Tours & Island Hopping: One of the best ways to get new ideas or acquire new items is to leave your island on tours. Use the Dodo Airlines to leave and explore.
Learning Through Play: Remember that games like Animal Crossing can offer real-world learning opportunities. The Games Learning Society explores the intersection of games, learning, and design. Consider how the game teaches you about resource management, social interaction, and creative problem-solving. You can learn more at GamesLearningSociety.org.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Post-House Life in Animal Crossing

1. What happens after I pay off my first house loan?

You’ll be able to upgrade your house to a bigger size, and this unlocks additional storage space. Tom Nook will offer you more expansion options, including a back room, a left room, a right room, an upstairs, and a basement.

2. How do I unlock more DIY recipes?

You can find DIY recipes in several ways, including finding message bottles on the beach, shooting down balloons with your slingshot, talking to villagers when they’re crafting in their homes, and purchasing recipe books at Nook’s Cranny.

3. How do I increase my island rating?

Talk to Isabelle at Resident Services. She’ll give you specific feedback on what aspects of your island need improvement, such as placing more furniture, planting more flowers, or reducing clutter.

4. What are mystery island tours, and how do I access them?

Mystery island tours are accessed by using Nook Miles Tickets at the airport. These tours take you to randomly generated islands where you can gather resources, find new villagers to invite to your island, and discover unique items.

5. How do I unlock terraforming?

To unlock terraforming, you need to achieve a 3-star island rating and have K.K. Slider perform a concert on your island. After the concert, Tom Nook will give you the Island Designer app on your NookPhone.

6. How do I get more villagers to move to my island?

You can invite villagers to move to your island by talking to them on mystery island tours or at the campsite. You can also build new houses on your island to attract new villagers. The maximum number of villagers you can have is 10.

7. What is the point of Dream Addresses?

Dream Addresses allow you to share your island with other players in a dream. They can explore your island, but they cannot make any changes to it. You can also visit other players’ dream islands for inspiration.

8. How do I participate in seasonal events?

Seasonal events are automatically activated in the game during specific times of the year. Keep an eye on announcements in the game and on social media for information about upcoming events.

9. What is the Happy Home Academy (HHA), and how does it work?

The Happy Home Academy (HHA) is an organization that evaluates the interior design of your house. They’ll send you a score and a letter with tips on how to improve your design. Increase your HHA rank by decorating your house with furniture and paying attention to themes and color coordination.

10. How do I get more storage space in my house?

Every time you upgrade your house, you’ll gain more storage space. You can also purchase additional storage expansions from Tom Nook after you’ve fully upgraded your house.

11. What should I do with duplicate DIY recipes?

You can give duplicate DIY recipes to your friends, sell them at Nook’s Cranny, or leave them on the beach for other players to find.

12. How do I get golden tools?

Golden tools are earned by completing specific achievements in the game, such as catching all the bugs, catching all the fish, or breaking a certain number of axes. Once you unlock the DIY recipe for a golden tool, you can craft it using a regular tool and a gold nugget.

13. What happens if I don’t play Animal Crossing for a long time?

Your villagers will miss you and comment on your absence when you return. Weeds may grow on your island, and your turnips will spoil if you bought any before you took a break.

14. Is there an end goal to Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

There is no definitive end goal to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game is designed to be a relaxing and open-ended experience where you can play at your own pace and create your own goals.

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

You need to achieve a 3-star island rating and then talk to Tom Nook. He will invite K.K. Slider to perform a concert on your island, which unlocks terraforming and the ability to create Dream Addresses.

The joy of Animal Crossing lies in the journey, not the destination. So, build your house, explore your island, and create the virtual paradise of your dreams!

What to do after house Animal Crossing?