One of the biggest parts of expanding your world in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is DIY. DIY is the way you make tools, items, and help improve your town. It allows you to customize furniture items and even helps you complete villager requests. There are a lot of important things to note about this new system, and some players may feel a bit overwhelmed at times.
As it turns out, DIY will take a mix of different activities to unlock all the recipes, and you will need a stockpile of items to build your projects. If you’re looking for some help, then worry no more! Here are ten DIY basics in Animal Crossing: New Horizons that you need to know.
With more gameplay adjustments and new events out as well, there are just a few new tips that are good to know when it comes to gathering all the possible DIYs in the game. The more DIYs, the more possibilities to make that 5-star island a reality.
16 Throw Nothing Away
Unlike some other simulation games, Animal Crossing really puts an emphasis on using every single item to its maximum potential. Because of this, it’s really important to resist the temptation to sell a bunch of clumps of weeds, wood, and stone.
The good thing is that even if the storage gets filled fast, the player can still put any extra items on the ground and they’ll stay there for as long as needed. It won’t boost the island rating, but it’s a good emergency solution.
15 Visit Houses
Every day, villagers will go in and out of their houses. However, when they’re inside, a light will be visible through their window. This is the time the player should go in to check and see if they’re in the process of crafting.
Villagers who are at their workbenches will always give the player a free DIY recipe. So, never ignore it if a villager happens to be at home, and always make sure to check if they happen to be crafting.
14 DIYs Per Personality
One thing to note about DIYs is that when they come from villagers, their personality type will actually affect what kind of DIY recipes they’re most likely to give to the player. The system can be gamed this way by having certain villager types on the island.
Some DIYs, however, are considered pretty much universal. No matter what the villager’s personality type is, they still have a chance of giving the player those specific DIYs.
13 Fishing For Trash
Another way to discover more DIY recipes is by gathering items from the wild. During the Bunny Day event, for instance, the player could randomly come up with DIY recipes by finding more eggs all around the island.
Similarly, when the player is fishing and finds trash, there’s a chance they’ll receive a DIY recipe related to that particular object, whether it’s a can or an old tire.
12 Meet Celeste
Other than regular villagers, some special villagers can also provide the player with DIY recipes. Celeste is most famous for being an NPC like that, and she can be found wandering on the island on clear nights.
Celeste’s recipes are often zodiac and night sky themed, and since she’s guaranteed to give one DIY every time, it’s a must to go out and find her whenever she’s around.
11 Recipes Come in Bottles
Some DIY recipes are going to depend on both your luck and willingness to walk around the beautiful beaches of your island. At least once a day, you should find a bottle with a note inside washed up on the shore.
Each bottle will contain a random letter from a villager who’s not on your island and a handy DIY recipe. These recipes are usually for DIY furniture, not of tools. The bottles are random, so it is possible to receive a recipe you’ve already learned. Either way, keep an eye out on that horizon!
10 Some Recipes Come With A Timelock
It’s not surprising to find out that many things in the game are time-locked. This even includes DIY recipes, whether they be for tools or picnic sets. Some recipes will be locked to future events held by Nintendo, and some are locked by the month you’re in.
To get all the recipes, you may just have to play every day of the year, and even then it’s not guaranteed that you will collect them all. New information is still being found, and it’s highly likely more recipes will be added in as bonus items later on.
9 Crafting Poles & Ladders Will Take A While
When you start the game, you will be very limited with what tools you can make. You will start out with a net and fishing pole, but poles and ladders won’t come till later. Don’t waste your time looking for these recipes, as they will have to be unlocked by progressing the town.
The only other way to get these items is to visit another island that is farther along or get another player to send you one. Ladders will also be the last tool that you will unlock and are the only way to reach cliffs before infrastructure is introduced.
8 Ingredients Will Vary
As you progress, DIY projects are going to require rarer resources to make. Some will even end up taking a high amount of wood or iron, while others will take specific materials like cherries. There is even a recipe later on that requires you to collect a fossil to complete it!
It’s hard to predict what items you may need for some DIY furniture. With that in mind, you should avoid trying to horde every item that you can find since, before you know it, you will run out of space in your home.
7 Always Have Backup Wood
Wood is an item that can get you quite a bit of bells from but can be irritating to collect. Tons of the DIY recipes require wood, and there are three different types that randomly are given by trees. All of these sell will give you a nice profit, but you must resist all temptation to sell them until you’re ready.
No matter how prepared you think you are, avoid selling wood impulsively since you’ll eventually bump into a recipe that demands the 30 pieces of wood that you just sold. Once you upgrade your house, you will have a place to store wood. This way, you can keep your wood for projects without overcrowding your pockets.
6 Build Your Own Stump
While it doesn’t cost anything to use Nook’s DIY Center, you should really build your own. For starters, if you break a net or rod, going inside will reset the bugs and fish you are trying to catch. It also gets to be a bit of a hassle to have to run back and forth into the same center when, instead, you can place multiple stumps around your island.
Having your own center of operations is a lot more convenient than using Nook’s. In addition, stumps are portable so you can carry one with you wherever you go.
5 Maximize The Customization Options
Once you get a few development projects under your belt, Nook will invite you to take part in a customization class. Here, he will give you a few packs of dye and teach you how to change the color of items. This can also be used to customize things like your cellphone once you buy the necessary permit.
Some items are restricted, and you will only be able to choose from a few colors while others are more lenient. Keep in mind that you can also use your own patterns for some items like beds!
4 Trade In Nook Miles For Better Tools
If you’re tired of having an ax that breaks after thirty swings, then you’re going to want better tools. The quickest way to get them is by saving up Nook Miles and then buying the item upgrade pack. This is the only way to learn how to DIY better tools in the game.
If you want to get more solid equipment without spending those points, though, then you will once again have to visit a friend or have them make you a tool. Keep in mind that even the top of the line tools will still break after so many uses.
3 DIY Recipes Will Improve The Town
DIY isn’t just a gimmick thrown in to give you an extra activity; it is the lifeblood of island development. As you help Tom Nook civilize the island, he will provide you with new DIY recipes to help make the island a better place to live.
This includes everything from your first tools to furniture to get new neighbors to move in. He will also give you one time builds like a campsite. Be sure to keep plenty of supplies, as island improvement DIYs are a major resource drain.
2 You Can Only Build A Bridge Once
1
Finally, there are a few DIYs that are sadly a one time gig. Bridges, for example, will only be able to be made once, and then you will have to pay massive sums of money to collect your items.
This is a bit of a letdown as making a log bridge is completely realistic, especially considering the fact that you can build a huge range of items and even smelt iron to make tools. Luckily, you won’t have to gather supplies for these onetime DIYs; all you need are tons of bells that no one on your island is willing to donate.
NEXT: 10 Animal Crossing New Horizons Logic Memes That Are Too Hilarious For Words
