Since its launch on November 3rd (a day early, much to the delight of fans), Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update has revitalized the fanbase and provided an abundance of exciting new features. When the update was announced in October, the internet went wild with excitement over everything it saw, from the arrival of beloved coffee sommelier, Brewster, to the return of the musical Gyroids and everything in between. With so many awesome things to do and explore, it’s hard to pick favorites. However, there are some features that really stick out in the update that deserve to be called the best of the best, whether it’s because they fixed some pre-existing issues or just add a bit of flair and fun nods to earlier games. Check out some of the top additions in the nifty list. Who knows...maybe one of your favorites is on it!
1. The Roost and Brewster
Brewster has been a staple in the Animal Crossing series since his debut in Animal Crossing: Wild World, and when he wasn’t included in the initial release of New Horizons, a lot of fans were less than pleased. This is understandable; there’s something so soothing about being in Brewster’s cafe, The Roost, and listening to his simple, straightforward way of speaking. With the 2.0 update, we’ve seen the return of the fan-favorite pigeon barista! All the player has to do is speak to Blathers, get Brewster’s picture, take a quick little boat tour, and find Brewster hunting for Gyroids. Once you’ve spoken to him, you can take the boat back and have another chat with Blathers. The museum will close for a day and bada-bing bada-boom! You’ve got The Roost in the museum! Now you can visit daily for a cup of coffee and maybe run into some of your islanders, invite friends to your island for an afternoon pick me up, and even use amiibo cards to invite special characters. It’s a fun addition that gives you the ability to enjoy a loveable character and add a new element to your daily New Horizons routine. The only downside? You can’t gift Gyroids to Brewster, and he deserves them for all his hard work running the cafe!
2. Cooking and Farming
Perhaps the addition that got people most excited, the 2.0 update introduced five new crops - wheat, sugarcane, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots - that could be grown and add a whole new set of DIY recipes specifically for cooking. There’s plenty of these recipes that you can collect from message bottles, islanders, and friends, and there are two starter DIY sets for cooking: one is available through Nook’s Cranny and the other through the Nook Stop in Resident Services. These will give you basic recipes that use both the new crops and some ingredients already introduced such as pumpkins, fish, weeds, and fruits. In addition to being a brand new feature to the series as a whole, farming and cooking give the players something new to keep up with. There are tons of new recipes to collect, rearranging to be done to make room for gardens, and it provides a new gift to give to islanders and other players (as they say, a good meal becomes a great one when shared with friends!). In addition, it’s a way to manage all the seasonal produce and food items you may come across, like mushrooms and fish. It opens up a whole new world for creation, so get to an oven and make yourself into a five-star chef!
3. Harv’s Island
Let’s be honest. There wasn’t much going on at Harv’s Island except during the wedding event for Cyrus and Reese in June. Unless you’re a real shutterbug, you probably weren’t eager to hop over to the airport to visit. However, the 2.0 update turned Harv’s Island into a rather exciting place by adding a co-op! Now you don’t have to wait for Leif, Kicks, or Sahara to shop up on your island to take a peek at their wares; you can just head on over to Harv’s Island to see what’s in stock daily. Not to mention, some old friends have been invited to set up shop as well. Tortimer has returned to offer up some more storage space to the player, and the mystical Katrina has set up a spot to give you a daily fortune. Reese and Cyrus have been given a permanent area to provide customization for furniture. Plus, Harriet has returned and will offer to style your hair! Each time she does, the style she gives you will become available for use when you edit your appearance. This update took Harv’s Island from meh to a major hotspot, and that makes it one of the coolest additions to the game!
4. Kapp’n’s Boat Tours
Oh, how we've missed the sea shanties and nautical chatter of our favorite kappa, Kapp’n! Kapp’n has spent the series carting the player around, whether it be to their new home or to new islands. His role in New Horizons is no different. With the 2.0 update, Kapp’n will appear at your island’s pier in a small boat and for 1,000 Nook Miles, he’ll take you to a random mysterious island. “Wait,” you might cry, “that feature already exists! You can buy Nook Miles tickets to fly to random islands from Dodo Airlines!” Worry not, friends, because the islands Kapp’n will take you to are far different. With his tours, you may go to islands with different seasons that will allow you to collect seasonal items such as cherry blossom petals and snowflakes. You may be taken to an island where the time of day is different. You may even go to an island with new flora, such as crops, glowing moss, or vines. Be sure to explore these islands fully and gather up all the resources available; each one is full of things to dig up and message bottles with recipes related to the things on the island. You can only take a boat tour once per day, but that’s really just an incentive to get you playing every day so you can see what new islands are out there!
5. Islander Interactions
Part of the fun of Animal Crossing is being able to talk with and give gifts to your villagers. Admittedly, New Horizons has taken some of the spice out of the chats; some villagers used to be a bit more snooty and sarcastic, which was surprisingly funny (and savage, on occasion,) and helped break up the usual easygoing and happy villager dialogue. However, they’ve made up for this with a few additions in the 2.0 update. The first is that islanders can now come to visit you in your house! They’ll come over at random times to hang out and take a look around or maybe bring a gift or ask to play a game with you. It may not seem like much, but it’s nice to have the islanders want to visit you, and sometimes the minigames are fun. The second is the group stretches outside of Resident Services. This one is interactive and allows you to use either motion or button controls. You just follow the prompts on the screen and try to keep up with the other islanders. Luckily, though, you won’t be the only one that stumbles; islanders may fall behind sometimes, too, and it’s adorable to watch them catch up. These little boosts to the islander interactions make you feel closer to your islanders, and that’s what Animal Crossing is all about!