A Day on Moonacre in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Today marks 15 weeks since the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and as I write this, I’ve logged 570 hours in-game. It’s been a wild time in lockdown, but at least my virtual island is thrivin’! When the previous title in the series was released, I was officially partnered with Nintendo to produce a diary series about New Leaf, and I thought I’d emulate that — unpartnered, sob! — today.
If you haven’t already discovered the Animal Crossing hype for yourself, New Horizons is a perfect gateway into a world where adorable animal villagers dwell. You take control of an island, building it up from the bottom, with the opportunity to upgrade a house (and actually own one, haha), catch bugs and fish to fill a museum, make friends, and more. I’ve waxed lyrical about why these games mean so much to me already, so let’s dive in to a day on Moonacre, my humble island.
Floating atop a glistening gem-like ocean in the Northern Hemisphere lies Moonacre, a natural, time travel-free place where civilisation has begun to plant roots. Whilst villagers are beginning to craft their own stamp on Moonacre, much of the island remains untouched; wild with forest flowers and nature, abundant in magical corners and winding waterfalls and streams. There’s always a fleur-filled, bookish nook to be found and settled into, on Moonacre.
Every morning, Mish starts the day by heading straight back inside her house (honestly Nintendo, please give us the option of starting the game in our rooms…) to get changed. Whilst I might not be wearing swish outfits IRL, Mish is incredibly well-dressed. I have a whole channel in my Discord server where we all share outfits, and I love it. It’s like old-school blogging.
Next, I hop over the stream to pick up my mail at the newly instated Post Office! I’m obsessed with these apothecary drawers (MO-3W6P-Q5SR-8RV2) and I think they work so well here. As ever, this area is a work-in-progress — I’d like to add the scattered papers and a little bureau.
I then get on with island errands. My first port of call is a beach sweep, to grab my daily DIY message bottle, clear the shells (and stash them for DIYs!) and grab any star fragments if I’ve been to a meteor shower party. We host these through the week over on Discord! I adore the slow-living aspect of Animal Crossing, there’s no right or wrong way to play, and it forces you to go slowly.
Then, I work my way around the island to chat to all of my villagers. This helps to boost your Friendship Level, helping you to potentially get their coveted Villager Photo! Top tip: you’ll get a bonus point for the first villager you speak to. I always visit Fauna first; she’s my top girl! Later, when I play in the evening, I’ll circle around again to give everyone a gift, but I do generally just chat to everyone whenever I play.
Don’t forget to check Nook’s Cranny in the morning (8am-12pm) and the afternoon (12pm-10pm) because turnip prices will fluctuate. The best prices tend to be between Tuesday and Thursday, and, again, we share all the best prices in the Discord server. I like to stock up on the unlimited goods to gift to villagers.
And then over to Able Sisters’ at lunch! I rarely have the chance to play for long stretches at a time; instead, I go clothes shopping on my lunch break. This is another great chance to stock up on villager gifts! I like to use this site to check the ‘best’ gifts.
Over to the neighbourhood bakery! I created this adorable zone a week or two ago, and I like to think it’s where the villagers can come to grab a vegan croissant and tea before they head out on their errands. You can sit on a blanket on the beach to enjoy your pastry, or wander over to the Hobby Club and sketch your sweet treats before you scoff them.
A spot of flower farming doesn’t go amiss on Moonacre. You’ll need flowers of all varieties and colours for a number of DIY crafts, so it’s good to have at least one spot on your island to do this. Moonacre Farm is my pride and joy, where I’m currently breeding, or attempting to breed, purple hyacinths. A little greenhouse sits just over the stream.
By night, you can visit the Moonacre Marketplace. There’s a Flea Market, a snack corner, a cataloging zone and more to explore. Or, head to Moonacre Café and Restaurant!
Lastly, you can wrap up a day on Moonacre at the beach spa for a delicious soak before retreating back to the Moonacre Campsite. I very recently terraformed this area, and it’s now home to a climbing wall, hopping hiking trail, and with a huge outdoors lounge area, where you can cook your fish catches as you listen to the radio. Oh, and Zell lives just above; he’ll keep you safe.
I hope you enjoyed this little visit to Moonacre. You’ll find all of the Custom Design IDs in my Instagram Highlights. Please join my Discord server too for all things Animal Crossing, and to hang out with us all. (Honestly, it’s just a dream to hang out with you all on there!)
