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Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (iOS/Android) Tips & Tricks – Getting Started

Animal Crossing’s first smartphone-based adventure is finally here in Pocket Camp for iOS and Android. To celebrate we’ve collated a few handy hints and tips to get your campsite up and running in a jiffy.

Whether you’ve played every Animal Crossing title since the original back in 2001 or you’re completely new to the series, we’re here to help you through the early stages of Pocket Camp – the first mobile title in the series. AC:PC has been a long time coming; initially delayed by Nintendo so that they could focus on fellow mobile offering Super Mario Run, much to the chagrin or the series’ passionate and avid fanbase, however, after a soft launch in Australia, players the world over can finally enjoy this charming new mobile game.

Funny faces

As ever in an Animal Crossing game, you get to design your villager. It’s more direct than previous titles, rather than relying solely on innocuous questions to sculpt how they’ll look, you can simply choose hair and eye colour and style as you wish. Want to jump straight into the gameplay though? Simply tap the shuffle icon in the top right of the screen during character creation to make a mismatch villager to take control of your campsite in a flash.

Reinventing yourself

If you’ve started playing and you’re not happy with the look of your villager, you can always edit their look at any time by tapping ‘more’, ‘settings’ and selecting ‘edit character’.

You’ve got a friend in me

The aim of the game is to attract new guests to your campsite. To do this, explore the various areas of the map, talk to the animals you meet and find the items they require to up your friendship rating with each of them. When the time is right, talk to them to invite them to your campsite. They’ll provide a list of items that they expect to be on-hand before they agree to make the trip, but once you’ve satiated these tricky customers once, you can invite them back time and again.

Mail time!

When you complete quests for the animals of Pocket Camp you’ll earn yourself a ton of items and bells that jump straight into your pocket, as you progress through the game, however, you’ll also achieve a whole host of goals. You can check your goal progress by tapping the Isabelle icon in the top right, but once you’ve claimed your prizes for completed goals, you still have to actually pick them up.

For some reason, they’re pushed to your mailbox and left waiting there for you to claim. To access your mailbox, tap the slide-out menu icon in the top right and then tap the mailbox icon that appears within it. You can collect items up to 30 days after you hit your goal, after which they’ll dissappear. So don’t forget!

Tips from the tabby

If you’re stuck, unsure what to do next, find Rosie the friendly feline. She’s considered a celebrity in the world of Animal Crossing and always loves a bit of gossip. That said, she’ll happily make time and lend a hand if you need a little direction.

Storytime

When meeting animals you’ll often have the option to ask them to ‘tell me [you] a story’, say ‘let’s talk’ or simply ask ‘what’s the latest?’. In return, they’ll usually dish out some timely tips on what might be best to do next.

Beginner’s luck

If you’re still unclear on the mechanics of Pocket Camp, luck has it that there’s a beginner’s guide brimming with insights into the game’s inner workings. To access it, travel to the Market Place on your map and chat to Isabelle, she can point you in the right direction. Alternatively, you can access it at any time tapping the ‘More’ button on the menu bar, followed by the ‘Misc’ button where you’ll then see the option for the Beginner’s Guide.

Fast fruit

Whenever you harvest fruit from trees you’ll notice that there’s then a cooldown period before they can be harvested again. This is usually a few hours but if you want some fresh fruit immediately, you can use a bag of fertiliser to speed things up.

Red, the colour of friendship

Whenever you see red text when chatting with the many animals of Pocket Camp, choose those dialogue options to guarantee raising your friendship level and nabbing some sweet items in the process.

Catching up with visitors

Whilst green tick marks over animals marked on your map mean you’ve got the necessary items to turn in a quest and reap the rewards, AC:PC doesn’t notify you when the same is true for visitors currently hanging out in your sweet campsite. Make sure to check in with them all periodically to up your friendship yet further and nab more materials or bells.

Log-in lolly

Playing the game each day guarantees you additional Leaf Tickets and other items, log in for ten consecutive days in a row and you’ll earn a special paint job for your camper, courtesy of the gents over at OK Motors. The game counts one log-in per 24-hour period, resetting at 6 a.m. each day and any items collected will then appear in your mailbox.

Feng Shui

If you’re most at home building and arranging furniture around your campsite it’s important to know that different items possess different attributes that appeal to different animals. Place the right items down to appeal to certain guests and raise your friendship level even higher.

You can check which category (cool, cute, natural, sporty etc.) each piece of furniture possesses by tapping on it in the crafting menu and see which animals like which styles based on their profiles, found in your Contacts.

Inviting the devil in

There are a wealth of characters sprinkled throughout the world of Pocket Camp, many of which are familiar faces. Two of the series’ most memorable members are travelling musician K.K. Slider and the devious financier, Tom Nook.

Whilst you’ll meet K.K. Slider the moment you first start the game, you’ll need to craft his stool, which at launch is only available for a limited time, after which he’ll hang out at your campsite and jam out on the regular.Meanwhile, it should come as no surprise that Tom Nook is the one in-charge of AC:PC’s in-app purchasing options, the crafty son of a gun. Like K.K. you can summon him to your camp in a similar manner, by crafting his own special seat. Similarly to the stool, it costs 250 Leaf Tickets – a princely sum worth considering before dropping on a single item, especially one that actively invites Tom Nook into your sanctum.

Paying your way

If you don’t have all the necessary materials to make an item that you can otherwise build you can use additional Leaf Tickets on top of the item’s base price to pay Cyrus to build it anyway.

Lights out

You can switch the lights on your camper on and off, simply step inside and tap the lightbulb icon on the right to toggle them.

I wanna play!

If you’ve read this and you don’t yet have Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, first I’m a little confused as to why you’re here, but secondly go download the game right now from the App Store or the Play Store, it’s free!

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