Islands have always been a staple of the Animal Crossing series, whether it be the original GameCube game’s Animal Island, Kapp’n’s own island in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, or the new Mystery Islands that can be visited using a Nook Miles Ticket in the latest title, Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Mystery Islands are a new feature that allows the player to collect resources, recruit new villagers to their own island, and catch fish and bugs that are difficult to obtain back home. Because the islands are randomly generated, the player can never predict what kind they will end up on, but it’s safe to say some islands are better than others. Here’s a list of the 5 best and 5 worst things that can be found on a Mystery Island.
Updated July 2nd, 2020 by Hayley Mullen: With Animal Crossing: New Horizons reaching its fourth month of life since release, popularity has not slowed thanks to constant updates and dedicated players putting the hours into their islands. Mystery Islands are just as important as ever, and their benefits continue to reveal themselves over time.
17 Best: Expensive Bugs
Many have been chattering about the famed and idolized “Tarantula Island,” a rare Mystery Island that spawns endless Tarantulas for the player to capture (or get destroyed by). Though difficult to capture, Ranchos are valued at 8,000 bells by Timmy and Tommy, meaning they are one of the most valuable bugs the player can acquire, especially in the early game. Depending on the time of year and hemisphere, Tarantula Island will become Scorpion Island.
A player will be able to recognize this bug island by its circular shape: one solitary island surrounded by a small moat the player can jump across to safety. Because of its rarity, though, players have discovered a way to create their own Tarantula Island to rake in the bells. Simply cut down all trees, dig up all flowers, stumps, and weeds, and remove all other items to leave a clear-cut, empty island field. Tarantulas and Scorpions will be much more likely to spawn in this environment, leading to an absolutely thicc bank account.
16 Worst: Native Fruit
Many players know the experience of peering over the horizon while chatting with Wilbur, straining to see what kind of island they have been flown to. It is always a letdown to see one’s native fruit hanging from the trees, mainly due to the loss of potential bells.
Let’s do some fun math: If there are 10 fruit-bearing trees on an island, then the total amount of fruit would equal 30 pieces. A non-native fruit would sell for the cushy price of 15,000 bells, while native fruit would only bring in a measly 3000 bells. For those attempting to expand their house and complete island projects, seeing the same fruit over and over again can become quite frustrating.
15 Best: Rare Fish
The one thing that basically defines an island as an island is being completely surrounded by water…perfect for catching rare fish to bolster your character’s wallet. The types of fish that can be caught depends on the month and season, but some especially rare islands such as the “Fins Island” (available June through September) will spawn only rare, finned fish that are worth a pretty bell.
Some rare islands feature a small, freshwater pond in which endless amounts of Koi can be caught, which not only help pay off one’s loans but make beautiful decorations in the house as well. Mystery Islands are also excellent for catching Sturgeon, who appear from September to March.
14 Worst: Unwanted Villagers
One of the many great additions to the Animal Crossing series that New Horizons has brought is the ability to control (to an extent) which villagers move to your island. This had become possible with Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s Welcome Amiibo update, but required the extra purchase of Amiibo cards and figurines.
Now, spawning a theoretically infinite amount of villagers is possible thanks to Mystery Island tours. As long as the player has enough Nook Miles, they can visit islands all day long, looking for a villager they vibe best with. Unfortunately, grinding for Nook Miles only to arrive on an island with a hated villager can be a letdown. Ideally, Animal Crossing is about love and acceptance, but it’s impossible to get along with everyone you meet in real life, so why should it be necessary in the game?
13 Best: Dream Villagers
There’s nothing more anticipatory in New Horizons than jumping off the DAL plane to see which villager is perusing the island. Many players spend countless Nook Mile Tickets searching for their “Dream villager,” their absolute favorite animal above all others. With a total of 397 villagers in New Horizons, the odds aren’t great, making it all the more epic upon finding them. Finding exactly who you were looking for may be the ultimate victory in a game that has no traditional levels or stages.
12 Worst: Native Flowers
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Those attempting to expand their island’s biodiversity will be inevitably frustrated to find out how many Mystery Islands share the exact same flower species as their own island. Furthermore, these flowers are often in the basic colors of yellow, white, red, and sometimes orange. Because flowers can spread like wildfire with the help of a little water, it’s important to have the flowers you want to breed, otherwise you’ll be digging up plants for days.
10 Best: Hybrid Flowers
If you’re a newcomer to the Animal Crossing series, flower breeding may seem like a daunting and confusing mechanic that isn’t overly-explained in-game. Luckily, many veterans to the series have helpful guides and Wikis containing the information on how to create rare and beautiful colors of flowers in order to make one’s island truly breathtaking.
Mystery Islands also provide a helping hand in the form of rare, hybrid flower islands the player can visit. These islands will often feature a Koi pond in the middle, surrounded by hybrid flowers of all kinds. Some flowers found include orange and black Tulips, blue and pink Hydrangeas, and pink and black Lilies. Make sure to fill your pockets with these gorgeous blossoms before hopping on the plane home!
9 Worst: Wasps
Mystery Islands don’t just have fruit trees: they also have hardwood trees, which can be shaken to find furniture items and, unfortunately, wasp’s nests. If you aren’t confident in your ability in catching Wasps, you might want to avoid shaking trees to avoid a swollen face.
Luckily, one of your islanders will eventually give you the DIY recipe for Medicine if the player talks to them with a nasty sting on their face. Unfortunately, no island paradise is safe from the living evil that is wasps.
8 Best: Bamboo
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Another rare resource that can be obtained from Mystery Islands is Bamboo, a type of tree that can be planted on the player’s island and harvested daily with an axe for valuable DIY recipe ingredients. Many DIY recipes, such as the Bamboo-Shoot Lamp and the Basket Pack, require young spring bamboo and bamboo shoots, the latter of which spawn near fully-grown bamboo trees buried underground.
The “Bamboo Island” is one of the more common rare islands to spawn and is one of the recommended islands for spawning Tarantulas due to its round shape and lack of fresh water.
6 Worst: Endless Trash
Whether it be a harsh commentary on the state of the Earth’s oceans and lakes due to pollution, or simply a way to spawn lots of trash items for crafting, the “Trash Island” is undoubtedly disappointing to those hoping to catch rare fish, or fish at all.
On the bright side, trash finally has its uses in New Horizons, being a required DIY ingredient in items such as a Succulent Plant, Recycled Boots, and a Tire Toy. After pulling in 20 pieces of trash in a row, though, you may start to feel tired of that.
5 Best: Message Bottles
On the player’s main island, a message bottle will wash up on the beach once per day containing a message from a random villager. In the above message, cranky villager Monty shares his idea for a DIY recipe, an Orange Umbrella. Unlocking DIY recipes is the best way to decorate your house and island but can be a slow and laborious process.
Thankfully, the player has a good chance of spawning a message bottle on each Mystery Island they travel to, making the unlocking process slightly less up to chance than usual.
4 Worst: Duplicate DIYs
Collecting DIY recipes seems like a daunting task when first beginning the game, but after a few hundred hours of play, players may start to find their duplicate DIY recipes cluttering their house or island. DIYs cannot be placed in storage, which has prompted many players to trade DIYs or give them away in specified areas of their island. If there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that arriving on a Mystery Island to fill one’s DIY book only to find another Campfire recipe is a huge letdown.
3 Best: Extra Resources
Let’s face it: There are only so many resources a player can obtain each day. If you have a healthy amount of trees, running out of wood is unlikely, but Stone, Clay, and Iron Nuggets can be genuinely rare, depending on the number of rocks the player has on their island. Want to craft a Western Stone but don’t want to wait a day to collect 30 Stone? simply go to a Mystery Island and farm the rocks there! Mystery Islands are the perfect solution for players who like to play long sessions.
2 Worst: Nothing New At All
What could be the most disappointing sight to see on a Mystery Island? Is it native fruit or a disliked villager? Is it a lack of any rare resources or hybrid flowers?
The answer…is all of the above. The cumulative tragedy of inexpensive fruit, no message bottle in sight, and an island devoid of Tarantulas and bamboo is undoubtedly the most frustrating experience as a Mystery Island visitor. Since a Nook Miles ticket is 2,000 Miles, the player feels obligated to earn at least some money by collecting fruit and catching creatures, prolonging a frustrating experience when all instincts are screaming to jump onto the seaplane and let Wilbur take us away.
1 Best: Lots Of Bells
One of the more unique Mystery Islands is Bell Island, where every rock is a money rock. The rocks lie in the middle of a river, save for one rock on the north side which must be broken in order to access the inner island. Make sure to bring a shovel or axe, as crafting resources are sparse here. Digging holes will help keep your character in place to ensure maximum bell earnings. Each rock can offer up to 16,000 bells, and every bell is necessary for that next house upgrade.
NEXT: Animal Crossing: 10 Hardest Fish to Catch (& How To Catch Them)
