Animal Crossing Beginner Goals

Now that you have completed your Arrival day, what should you be focusing on first? This can be a tricky thing to organize yourself in doing since you can pretty much do whatever you want on your Island. Having a guideline on main Goals can help you out with your progress, and you can do other Activities on the side. Here we’ll discuss things you can set as your main objectives.

Pay off your debt

When you start off on your island, Tom Nook has provided you with an itemized bill. Since you don’t have Bells to start with, he will then ask you to pay through the Nook Miles program. Your main goal first is to pay off your debt with 5000 Nook Miles, this covers your first housing loan and travel fare.

In order to earn Nook Miles, use your Nook Phone by pressing ZL. Select the Nook Miles+ app and then you’ll be provided with a list of Activities that you can complete. As you have completed an objective, a ribbon that says “Get Miles” will appear and you can press A to claim your Miles+.

As you earn more Nook Miles, you’ll get more tasks that you can complete. Do as much tasks as possible and you should gain 5000 Nook Miles+ soon that is enough to pay off your debt. In doing so, you’ll will then unlock other features in the game. Take note that Nook Miles can be used for other things as well, so earning them is a good daily task.

Learn to Fish and catch Bugs

One of your tasks for earning Nook Miles is learning how to catch Fish as well as catching Bugs. To start, you can head to Resident Services and take up Tom Nook’s DIY Workshop. You’ll learn skills in order to create your own items so make sure to gather the following:

Flimsy Rod: 5x Branches

Flimsy Net: 5x Branches

Use the Workbench in order to create your Tools. Once you have them, you can access them from your inventory to hold. With the materials needed above, you can create your rod and Net.

Fishing: Make sure to hold your Fishing Rod and look for a body of water that has a shadow in it, this is a Fish that’s swimming around. Press A to cast your line and wait for the fish to nibble. You’ll hear a sound with a plop once they bite, so press A to reel them back in. You can display fish on your home if you want.

Catching Bugs: Make sure to hold your Net when you’re near a Bug. Press A to catch it and you can place it in your inventory. Some bugs easily get spooked off so you can slowly approach them instead of running.

Give the Fish and Bugs to Tom Nook once you have enough in your inventory. You’ll unlock the Critterpedia app. Eventually as you provide more creatures, you’ll gain access to the Museum by helping a villager named Blathers. Once you create the Museum, the specimens that you provide can be used to display your collection.

Dig up fossils

Once you have submitted fish and bugs to Tom Nook, Blathers will live on your island and he'll dream of opening a museum one day. Aside from fish and bugs, you'll be able to now dig up fossils. You'll learn how to use a Vaulting Pole to cross rivers, as well as using a Shovel.

If you see any places on the ground that has a crack in it, try to dig it up and hopefully you'll get a Fossil. Fossils can be donated to Blathers, and he can provide you with information about it. As you get more, you'll eventually be able to place them in the Museum once it opens and have an exhibit.

Clean up your Island and sell items

You’ll need Bells as you progress through the game. When starting off, you can pick up a lot of things including rocks, weeds, fruits and more. Thankfully, you can sell these items for Bells and the amount that you earn will add up.

Interact with Villagers

One of the tasks for earning Nook Miles as well is interacting with your Villagers. You’ll get to learn more about their personalities, and you can even gain gifts from them.

You can also learn Recipes for learning DIY items. These will come in handy since some recipes can be used for decorations, or some are useful items that can help with your Island life.

Upgrading your Home

Once you have completed paying off your debt, you can upgrade your home from a tent into a house. Construction time will take one day, and you can use your and decorate it with furniture, wallpaper, and more. Your space will expand and you'll be able to have different lighting options, as well as roof colors. As you keep progressing your home, you'll be able to unlock more items that can provide you with different designs that you can try out.