How Do You Know You‘ve "Beaten" Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
As any island representative will tell you, there‘s no credits sequence or final boss to definitively beat in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The joy comes from the open-ended life simulation gameplay, not rushing to an end. However, experienced residents know there are milestones that signify progress along the journey.
So let‘s delve into the key goals to strive for on your island paradise! As a gaming content creator with over 200 hours across the Animal Crossing series, I‘m here to help assess your progress so far and offer guidance on what to achieve next.
Finishing the Museum Collection
For many island reps, completing the museum collection for each category—bugs (80 total), fish (80 total), fossils (67 total) and art (43 total)—is deeply satisfying. As a longtime fan, I still remember the pride I felt donating my final giant trevally to finish the fish wing!
| Category | Total Items |
|---|---|
| Bugs | 80 |
| Fish | 80 |
| Fossils | 67 |
| Art | 43 |
It takes patience and dedication to catch every migratory bug and fish. I‘d recommend always having your net and fishing rod on hand!
For fossils, using Nookazon to monitor what you still need can be helpful.
And when hunting art, be sure to verify redd’s stock with Blathers’ reactions before purchasing to avoid forgeries!
But fully completing the museum is a huge accomplishment. Having every exhibit hall proudly on display, from majestic coelacanths to the sunset-hued Great Wave painting, is an island decorator’s dream!
Upgrading Your House Fully
Now, we all need somewhere to store those rare fish and bugs! Upgrading your house to its maximum size shows you’ve settled in for the long haul on your island.
As the famous capitalist racoon himself, Tom Nook, will happily explain, there are four total house expansions. The max size is 24 x 24 = 576 square feet of cozy living space!
| House Size | Rooms | Cost (Bells) |
|---|---|---|
| 16 x 16 | 6 rooms | 98,000 |
| 18 x 18 | 7 rooms | 188,000 |
| 20 x 20 | 8 rooms | 348,000 |
| 24 x 24 | 10 rooms | 2,498,000 |
With six expansions and a total cost of over 5 million bells, gaining this real estate doesn’t come easy! As your island flourishes, upgrading to that double bed instead of a sleeping bag shows how far you’ve come.
Once you have all 24 x 24 of dignity and grace, feel free to channel your inner interior designer! Having every piece of furniture in the catalog lets you change styles easily.
Maxing Out Your Nook Miles Achievements
Beyond pure bells, every inflated Tom Nook real estate payment cumulates in Nook Miles too. This alternate currency tracks key achievements across:
- DIY recipes crafted
- Bugs, fish, sea creatures caught
- Fossils assessed
- Fruit harvested
- Tools broken
- And more!
The final Nook Miles total caps out at 297,680 from all possible milestones.
As your resident gaming tipster, I highly recommend checking what milestones you’re close to as you play normally. Pursuing ones nearly in reach is satisfying! Need just 10 more fish to hit that next 500 caught threshold? It’s raining; go grab your rod!
Each category goes up to rewarding thresholds. For example, catching 3,000 bugs and 2,500 fish maxes out those areas.
Compared to the regular grind, targeting specific milestones gives me renewed motivation. That Nook Miles ticket to hunt rare hybrid flowers or commission a new PWP feels sweeter too!
Nook Miles turn into useful rewards, so pursue milestones diligently!
Owning All Furniture and Clothing
Once you have a fully upgraded mansion, it’s time to deck it out in style with a complete furniture and clothing catalog!
Between crafting, limited events, Sahara’s carpets, Redd’s art, and Nook Cranny offerings the total unique pieces comes to 2,866 for furniture and 3,137 clothing options.
Yes, I have meticulously tracked each distinct addition through web apps like VillagerDB. For true completionists, this is vital!
Of course with variations that tally just skyrockets up. My closet currently has 7,546 clothing articles registered thanks to color swapping! And I’m still hunting down rare variants like the blue dreamy sweater…
If you want to take the full catalog plunge, be strategic about buying limited seasonal items as they appear. Build connections to trade luxury furniture like elaborate kimono stands. Schedule clothing cataloging sessions with friends!
While supremely challenging, walking through a fully fleshed abode and having any fashion choice at your fingertips makes the effort oh so worth it.
Achieving Island nirvana With a 5-Star Rating
The final hallmark of an established island is attaining that coveted 5-star rating!
As island designer extraordinaire Leif will describe, ratings come from:
- Villager houses
- Placed furniture
- DIY decorations
- Flowers and trees
- Fences and paths
With eight starting villagers and over 1,500 furniture pieces placed, your island can shine as a trendy oasis.
Based on feedback from Isabelle, curate furniture vignettes, plant flowers en masse, and slot public works projects like fairy tale streetlamps along paths to wow the reviewers.
Once your island oasis hits 5-stars, golden roses may bloom! And the Lily of the Valley flower signifies your land’s glory.
A pristine island isn’t just about appearances either. Hidden stats judge appropriateness of decor too! So be creative, but keep things family friendly.
Achieving 5-stars takes real dedication. But for those pursuing island designer greatness, its fruits are sweet.
Setting Your Own Goals
While all these milestones track concrete achievements, I find the real charm of Animal Crossing comes from choosing your own goals beyond a score.
Will you breed expansive orchards of rare purple windflowers? Compose tunes in various K.K. Slider genres? Design sweeping vistas and Instagram-worthy scene?
After playing over 200 hours, I’m still finding engaging goals like completing my golden tool set and collecting villager photos.
The horizons stay open ended. Let your creativity run wild!
And if you ever need inspiration, the Animal Crossing community churns out exciting ideas daily. Peruse #ACNH hashtags!
What journey will you chart across your island? The destinations stay thrilling.
So while there’s no credits to trigger, hopefully this gives you ideas for achievements to aspire towards! Let me know what goals you’re chasing.
And if you found this guide helpful for navigating Animal Crossing: New Horizons so far, stay tuned! I’ll be releasing more tips for flourishing on your island soon.
