Over Thanksgiving, in airport terminals and underneath dinner tables, we were playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. Nintendo’s adorable, gentle game about making friends and having them over for parties has brought everybody to a more soothing, happier world, at least until you sell your soul to Tom Nook. But, hey, you can always make it more soothing, right?
- Make friends, with both other players and animals. Beyond filling requests for your animal buddies, just take some time to talk to them; it builds their affection for you, although not as much as fulfilling their requests. Similarly, making friends with other players makes it easier to go through the game in a multitude of ways, such as getting into Shovelstrike Quarry without Leaf Tickets or getting Friend Powder, so say hi.
- Pick up everything. These animals being who they are, there’s constant demand for, well, everything. So if something’s grabbable, get it. It’s better to have it in your pockets than have to go somewhere else on the map to get it.
- The map tells you when you’ve fulfilled a requirement. On the map, you’ll notice the animals in each area are listed off, and that there may be a checkmark next to them. That means you’ve got the stuff they want. Head on over and make friends!
- Don’t be shy about selling from your Market Box. Ruthless capitalism simulator that Animal Crossing is, you can sell stuff to other players for Bells, and you should. You’ll have more success selling small quantities of things people regularly need or are only semi-rare, rather than listing the ultra-rare stuff. Not everybody cares about your 30,000 Bell rock, but everybody needs peaches.
- Build your campsite out quickly. Adding, and upgrading, tents takes a lot of time. It’s worth it, because it allows more of your buddies to show up and hang out, not to mention lets you upgrade your friendships, so get it done early.
- Experiment with your stuff. Nintendo carefully designed the game to be fun to fiddle with. Closets, for example, have photos on the back so you can build walls. As you build goodies for your campsite, take the time to rotate them and see how they fit
Any tips or tricks of your own? Let us know in the comments!