Unlocking Features in Animal Crossing: New Horizons with amiibo: A Guide
Animal Crossing: New Horizons amiibo and amiibo cards can significantly enhance your island experience. If you have a collection of Animal Crossing or even Zelda-themed amiibo, you’re in for a treat. There are three primary ways to utilize them in the game, and they also work with the Happy Home Paradise DLC. Not only do these adorable figures add charm to your gameplay, but they can also aid your progress. Here’s a breakdown of how amiibo functionality works in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
To start, the main method for using amiibo is through the campsite, which you can unlock by speaking to Tom Nook after Resident Services upgrades from a tent to a building. Once the campsite is established, you can use the Nook Stop machine in Resident Services to invite villagers to visit using your amiibo and amiibo cards. You can even use Zelda-themed amiibo to bring Animal Crossing characters like Mineru and Tulin to your island, along with unlocking Zelda-themed items in the Nook Shopping section. However, special characters like Resetti or Digby can’t be invited to camp, and Isabelle is tied to Resident Services, so she can’t join either. Regular villagers, on the other hand, can be invited, making amiibo cards particularly useful.
When a character arrives at your campsite, you can chat with them. They’ll typically request that you craft a souvenir using an Animal Crossing DIY recipe for them to take home. Completing this task brings you closer to the chance of inviting them to move to your island permanently. You’ll need to invite them multiple times before they consider relocating, and you can only invite one character per day. This is the only way to selectively choose which characters move to your island, as other villagers will arrive randomly or appear on islands accessible via Nook Miles Tickets.
You can also engage with your amiibo collection through Harvey, the laid-back dog who hangs around Resident Services in the early game. He’ll inform you about his island, aptly named Harv’s Island, which you can visit anytime. Once there, you’ll find that Harv’s Island is actually called Photopia, where he runs a photography studio. Inside, you can use your amiibo and amiibo cards to summon lifelike versions of characters for photoshoots.
While this feature is somewhat limited, it’s a fun way to interact with your favorite characters, and traveling to Harv’s Island is free—no bells or Nook Miles required. Plus, the day after your visit, you can purchase a poster of any character you invited to Photopia from the ‘Special Goods’ section of Nook Shopping, which you can display in your home.
If you’ve made significant progress in upgrading your museum, you can unlock The Roost café. On the left side of the café, you’ll find a yellow amiibo phone on the wall that allows you to invite villagers and special characters for a coffee, provided you have the correct amiibo or card. They might even bring along friends or family for a group outing.
Once you’ve upgraded Resident Services, you can also focus on improving your island rating to unlock additional features, such as the Animal Crossing Hotel. And if you have an amiibo villager living on your island, you might want to know how to evict a resident if needed.
