Items are a necessity in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Without them you wouldn’t be able to achieve goals within the game. Different items are required for different goals. Even if you aren’t too concerned with completing the in-game goals, you still need items to complete various tasks of your own within the game. 

There are many different varieties of items within the game, such as clothing, recipes, bells, furniture items, and much more. Since there are so many different items available, it’s obvious that fans would find favorites. Depending on the type of item, there are also many different ways to acquire them. Some can be bought from the local store, some need to be given to you by your neighbors, and others can be given to you from special NPC characters within the game. 

Without items, you wouldn’t be able to change your wardrobe, collect special wildlife, decorate your home, or even complete simple tasks within the game. You need items to help you complete gameplay. Knowing how to obtain specific items and the best way to utilize them can help your gameplay in the end. 

20. Villager Photo

A few villager photos hanging in a home.

The villager photo is an item that everyone playing the game eventually strives to get. This item is not something that can be obtained in the very beginning of the game. This item is a photo of a particular villager that is given to you by that villager. Most fans have their select favorite villagers. These are usually the villagers that most fans strive to get the photo of. However, some fans strive to collect the photos of every villager in the game.

This item is mainly used for aesthetic purposes. Most players use the photo to decorate their home. However, some just like to obtain this item just to be able to have it in their inventory as part of their collection. The photo can be stored in the player's storage, placed in your home, or hung on the walls of your home.

Tips:

• Place on the wall of your home
• Place on a table or counter in your home
• If placed in your home while that specific villager in the photo is currently living on your island you will receive more HHA points.

How to get the villager photo: 

You must become best friends with the specific villager you are wanting the photo of. Once you have become best friends with the villager, they will give you their photo as a gift. You can become best friends quickly by talking to that villager every day and giving them their favorite gifts every day.

19. Forest Life

Forest Life Album Cover.

Forest Life is a song by the famous singer in the game, K.K. Every Saturday K.K. will come to the players island to sing a requested song starting at 6pm. This particular song happens to be a favorite of most fans because it represents the title song from the original game, Animal Crossing on the GameCube.

This song brings back the nostalgia from the original game for so many fans. Having this tune playing in your home or around the island can help bring back so many memories for the die hard fans. Even if you haven’t played the original game, or heard any of the original tunes, it is still a great song to have playing and has a pretty catchy beat.

Tips:

• Store the song in your stereo to play in your home
• Place a stereo outside to play the song around the island
• Hang the record version in your home for some cool wall decor.

How to get Forest Life:

After 6pm on a Saturday, talk to K.K. at your town plaza. When asked if you’d like him to play something, request a specific song and give him the song title “Forest Life”. When he’s done playing the song live, he will give you a copy of it.

18. Gaming Desk

Gaming desk, pink theme variation.

The gaming desk is a furniture item in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This particular item is more of a favorite than others mainly because it is a newer item that was not released in older games. A lot of gamers have a similar set up in their own homes and find it to be a nice touch to add to their in-game home as well. Although you cannot actually play games on it, it is still a cool item to own.

No matter the vibe you are going for in your home, this particular furniture item will match any theme. It has 8 different color variations to fit any theme. However, there are other items that match with this particular item's theme such as the gaming chair and other pieces of the gaming set. It will also make a great gift for certain villagers.

Tips:

• Place in a room with other furniture items from the gaming set for points with the HHA
• Gift to a villager that loves this item for a higher friendship level with that villager
• Place in your basement or attic for a “Gaming Den” theme.

How to get the Gaming Desk:

The gaming desk can be purchased from Nook’s Cranny for 63,600 bells.You can also order this item from Wardell at the Happy Home Paradise Island office for 47,700 Poki.

17. Gold Turtle Figurine

The shiny gold turtle figurine.

The gold turtle figurine is a small golden statue of a turtle. Its only 2 purposes are warding off the bad luck that has been predicted to you, and to use it for decoration in your home. Placing this item in your home will get you more points from the HHA.

If you talk to Katrina and she predicts bad luck will come your way, this statue can help ward that off. Aside from that, it is just a pretty piece of furniture to add to your home. Depending on the theme of your island, you could also place it outside.

Tips:

• Place it outdoors near your museum as a nice eye catching piece of art
• Place it in your home to get more HHA points
• Give it to a villager for extra friendship points 
• Sell it for 780 bells

How to get the Gold Turtle Figurine:

When you are talking with Katrina and she predicts bad luck for your character, you can pay her to ward off the prediction of bad luck. If you choose to pay her to do so, she will send you a gift in the mail the next day which could have the turtle figurine or another piece of furniture included in it that you can only get from her.

16. Stormy-Night Wall

The stormy night sky wallpaper.

The stormy-night wall is a wallpaper that you can use to decorate the rooms in your home. It’s one of the more popular wallpapers in the game due to the fact that it is one of the few wallpapers that is animated. It makes it look as if it is storming in the home it is decorated in. This particular wallpaper can be seen in the homes of Baabara and Tasha. 

You can use this wallpaper to decorate your home and bring the stormy weather into your home. This beautiful wallpaper is animated with pouring rain, dark cloudy skies, and various strikes of lightning. This item can bring a dark dismal feel to any room. 

Tips:

• Place it in a room with outdoor furniture to fit the outdoor theme and have a unique home.
• Gift it to a villager for friendship points
• Place it in your basement to add a  creepy vibe to your basement

How to get the stormy-night wall:

This wallpaper can be bought from Sahara for 3,600 bells from Harv’s Island or 3,000 bells for a chance to receive it from her while she’s visiting your island. Sahara can be found wandering your island on a random day of the week where she will give you a random special wallpaper and flooring for 3,000 bells each. She will also be at Harv’s island once you unlock her stand there and she will offer various special wallpapers and floors that you can purchase from her. 

15. Decayed Tree

All four variations of the decayed tree.

The decayed tree is an item you can craft using a workbench. In order to craft this item you will need the DIY recipe for it. This item makes a great addition to a spooky theme. It would pair perfectly with the stormy-night wall mentioned above. This item is a tree with no leaves, basically looking dead. The item can be customized 4 different ways to match different themes.

You can use this item to decorate the interior of your home if you’re going for an outdoor look. You can also use this item to decorate your island as well. Doing so will give you an extra rating on your island if you’re trying to get 5 stars. This item is mainly used for decoration and has no other purpose other than being able to be gifted to a villager.

Tips:

• Place outside on your island for more island rating points from Isabelle 
• Gift to a villager that loves this particular item for more friendship points
• Place inside your home for extra HHA points

How to get the decayed tree:

You can get the decayed tree by obtaining the DIY for it and crafting it on any workbench. You can get the DIY from a smug villager crafting at a workbench or from a message in a bottle written by a smug villager. 

14. Spider Crab

Someone caught a spider crab!

The spider crab is the largest crab on earth. It looks like a giant spider, which makes it a very popular item in the game. It is also a very rare item within the game, making it even more popular to most fans. This item has become the most popular diving creature in the game. Even with it being one of the rarest diving creatures, fans try hard to obtain this item for many uses.

The spider crab has many uses. Other than it being an item required to be donated to the museum for the museum completion, you can also use it as decoration. You can place it inside your home or outside on the island. Catching this creature will also add it to your critterpedia. 

Tips:

• Donate it to the museum to further complete the museum collection
• Place it on your island to show off what you’ve caught
• Place it in your home for an indoor aquarium vibe

How to get the spider crab:

You can get the spider crab by diving in the oceans anytime during the day between March and April. You will also need to have caught at least 80 sea creatures before the spider crab will even show up.

13. Brewstoid

An up close image of the Brewstoid, check out those details!

The brewstoid is a gyroid that resembles Brewster. Brewster is the NPC pigeon who owns and works at the cafe in the museum. The brewstoid is the most popular gyroid in the game because it is the only gyroid that resembles a character within the game. It is also one of the more rare gyroids to get.

The brewstoid is mainly used for decoration. However it can also be used to help bring a musical tune to your home or island. Not only does it look cute, but it also plays a recurring sound. If placed with other gyroids nearby, you can create a fun and unique tune. 

Tips:

• Place in your home on the wall for a cute shelf decoration
• Place in your home around other gyroids to make a unique tune
• Place on the island for a cute aesthetic with a tune

How to get the brewstoid:

In order to obtain the brewstoid you must sit down and have coffee in the cafe 50 times. After 50 times of sitting down to coffee, Brewster will give you the brewstoid as a gift for supporting his cafe so much.

12. Pipe

The pipe displayed on the island around other Mario items.

The pipe is a Mario Bros. item that was introduced in the 1.8.0 update. This item was a part of the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The pipe is based on the warp pipe from the Mario series. In order for the pipe to work, you must have two placed on the island. 

The item is used to warp to another area on the island. You can place one pipe on one end of your island and place another on the opposite end. When you enter one of the pipes, you will exit from the other pipe. If you place more than two pipes on your island, you will exit from a random pipe other than the one you entered. It is best to only have two.

Tips:

• Place one one the upper half of your island and one on the lower for quicker access to a farther away area
• Place one on Crazy Redd’s beach and one near a more traveled area for quick and easy access to Redd’s.
• Place them behind objects such as trees and larger pieces of furniture to make a hidden entrance.

How to get the pipe:

The pipe can be ordered from Nook Shopping. The cost is 5,000 bells and will be sent to your mailbox the next day.

11. Crescent Moon Chair

Just a happy villager sitting on a crescent chair.

The crescent moon chair is a crescent moon shaped chair with a star shaped pendant hanging from the top that can be crafted. This chair is part of the star series. This item has 7 different variations so you can change the color to fit your particular theme. This item has become very popular because of its unique and cute design. The various color options also make it a popular item.

The crescent chair is mostly used for decoration and aesthetics. You can place it in your home or outside on the island. You can even gift it to neighboring villagers for more friendship points with that particular villager. Although the chair does not necessarily glow in the dark, it does however look as if its glowing or lit up. 

Tips:

• Place the item on a ledge with other star series items for a unique stargazing overlook
• Place the item in your home with a dark wallpaper and floor for a glowing like appearance
• Gift the item to a villager for more friendship points

How to get the crescent moon chair:

You can obtain the crescent moon chair by crafting it once you have learned the DIY. You can obtain the DIY from Celeste randomly when she is visiting your island one night.

10. Pirate Treasure Crown

A happy villager wearing the pirate treasure crown.

The pirate treasure crown is a popular clothing item that can be worn on your character's head. This item is popular mainly because of its unique pirate theme. It is a dark silver crown with red and green jewels around it. If worn with the other few pirate themed clothing items you can have a full pirate themed clothing set. 

This item can be worn or displayed. Most people choose to wear it with the other pirate themed clothings. However, others like to put it on display near a few of the other pirate themed furniture pieces for a treasure cove theme on their island or in their home. This item can also be used to help fit a specific theme that Label may ask for when she is visiting.

Tips:

• Wear on your character's head for a cute pirate themed outfit
• Place in your home among other pirate themed furniture items for a treasure cove theme
• Display outside on your island on the beach for a wrecked pirate ship theme

How to get the pirate treasure crown:

You can obtain the treasure crown randomly from Gulivarrr when he washes up on your beach. Gulivarrr will ask you to dive for his lost communicator. Once found and returned to him, he will mail you a gift the next day. This gift has the chance to be the crown as well as other items that you can only get from him.

9. Candy Skull Mask

Just two friends wearing the candy skull mask.

The candy skull mask is a wearable item in the game. It has 3 different color variations that you can acquire. With these different variations, you can match it with any outfit.  This mask is based on the traditional masks that would be worn during the Day of the Dead holiday. 

Since this is a wearable item in the game, the character can put the mask on and wear it around. Even though it is wearable, you can also display it in your home or outside on your island as well. This item would make a great addition to a specific themed room in your home. 

Tips:

• Display it in your home in a pirate or art themed room for HHA points
• Wear it around town to make an outfit unique
• Hang it on your wall for a cool wall ornament in your home

How to get the Candy Skull Mask:

The candy skull mask can be obtained from Guliver once you’ve helped him. Guliver can be randomly found lying on your beach. He will ask you to help dig up 5 communicator parts. Once done and given to him he will then mail you a gift the next day. This gift has a chance of being the candy skull mask along with other gifts only obtainable from him.

8. Stonehenge

The famous Stonehenge placed on the island.

The Stonehenge is a furniture item that is made to resemble the historical landmark in England. This item became a fan favorite due to its unique look. Adding this item to your island will also help you accrue an additional 0.5 development points towards your island's rating. 

Even though most players choose to place the item outside on their island, it can in fact be placed inside your home as well. A villager named Tucker has the item placed inside his home.. If you choose not to place the item anywhere you can still keep it in your storage in case you change your mind later. 

Tips:

• Place it on your island near your museum for an added outdoor museum piece of your own
• Place it in your home with other famous artwork for a museum themed room
• Place it in your storage if you’re not ready to use it, as it is a harder item to obtain 

How to get the Stonehenge:

The Stonehenge can be given to you randomly from Guliver. Once you’ve helped Guliver he will mail you a random item that you can only get from him. This has a chance to be the Stonehenge. 

7. Gyroid

Lots of variations of the gyroid placed on the wall.

The gyroid is a fun furniture item that can be placed almost anywhere. There are many different types of gyroids in the game. Each gyroid has their own unique look and name. The gyroids will move and make noises in a rhythm making them a very unique and fun item in the game. If music is playing nearby they will sync their movement to the music. 

Gyroids can be placed on walls in your home, on other furniture items in your home, outside on your island, or just on the floor in your home. Aside from being able to be placed throughout your home and island, you can also store them in your storage for safekeeping or collecting. After all, there are many different variations of them to collect. 

Tips:

• Place in your home around other gyroids for a musical enjoyment
• Place on your island for outdoor rhythms
• Store in your storage to collect them all

How to get the gyroid:

You can obtain the gyroids two different ways. They can be dug up from star shaped dig spots after a snowy or rainy day. They can also be picked up as fragment pieces off the beach and Captain’s islands. If you bury the fragment pieces on your island and water them, the next day you can dig up a full gyroid. 

6. DIY Recipe

This villager just learned a new recipe!

The DIY recipe is one of the most popular items in the game. You need them in order to be able to craft certain furniture and clothing items. DIY recipes were introduced in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Once you have learned a specific DIY recipe, you can then bring the needed resources to a workbench to craft that item. 

There are 781 DIY recipes currently in the game, not including the newly added cooking recipes. Each recipe is a different item that can then become craftable. Players will collect and learn these recipes in order to be able to craft their favorite pieces of furniture or clothing items. Once learned and crafted, those items can then be placed, worn, sold, or saved as needed. 

Tips:

• Acquire your favorite DIY pieces first
• Learn the DIY as soon as you receive it so you don’t lose it
• Sell or share extra DIY recipes that you have already learned 

How to get DIY recipes:

You can get different DIY recipes in different ways depending on the specific recipe. Certain recipes can only be obtained from a certain personality type villager when they’re at a crafting bench. Others can be obtained from any villager at a crafting bench. You can also get them from balloons, message bottles on the beach, special NPC’s during holidays, from NPC’s in the Happy Home Paradise add on, fishing,  Nook’s Cranny, Nook Shopping, or the Nook Miles Shop. The best way to find out how to obtain the specific DIY you’re wanting is to look up that item since there are many ways to obtain all the different types. 

5. Coelacanth 

This player caught the popular Coelacanth!

The Coelacanth is a fish that can be caught in the game. This fish has become popular as it is one of the hardest and rarest fish to catch in the game. This particular fish only comes out when it’s raining, making its already rare appearance become even more rare. It is able to be seen all day and any season, but it still must be raining. 

Most players focus on catching this fish so they can donate it to the museum to complete their collection. Other players like to display it in their home to show off their catch. You can also display the item in a tank outside on your island as well. This would make a unique outdoor walk through aquarium addition to your island. 

Tips:

• Donate the first one you catch to your museum so you can work on your completion faster
• Display it in your home to show others your hard work
• Display it on your island with other rare sea creatures to make a unique walk through outdoor aquarium 

How to get the Coelacanth:

You can catch the Coelacanth by fishing in the sea on any island any time of day and any season during a rainy day. It must be raining in order for the fish to appear. You must also have already caught at least 100 fish in total before he will appear to be able to be caught. 

4. Elaborate Kimono Stand 

All five variations of the elaborate kimono stand.

The elaborate kimono stand is a purchasable furniture piece in the game. It has become very popular as it is one of the more expensive items to purchase in the game. Its unique look has made it very popular with fans. This item has 5 different color and style variations so you can match it with multiple different themes in your home or on your island. 

This item can be placed in your home or outside on your island. Most players place it in their home with imperial style furniture to fit their theme. Others have placed it outdoors with bamboo furniture they’ve crafted for a unique outdoor look. You can also give the item to a friend as a gift for extra friendship points. 

Tips:

• Place in your home with imperial style furniture for extra HHA points 
• Place outdoors with bamboo furniture for a better island rating
• Sell for 55,000 bells if you need money

How to get the elaborate kimono:

You can obtain the elaborate kimono by purchasing it from Nooks when it is available. It cost 220,000 bells to purchase the item. You can also purchase it from your catalog once you’ve picked up the item from somewhere at least once. 

3. Crown

This villager is trying on the crown before making such a big purchase.

The crown is a very popular clothing item in the game. It is also one of the most expensive items in the game, so it is not easy to obtain. Even though it does not have any special abilities when worn, players still save up just to be able to get this item. While this crown is more for females to be worn as there is another crown version fit for a king, this particular small design makes it wanted by everyone. 

Since it is a wearable head piece, most players choose to wear it. Other players like to display it in their homes just to show they were able to purchase it. You can also give this item as a gift to a villager and they will wear it as well. This item can be displayed indoors or outdoors. 

Tips:

• Wear it, you’ll look like royalty
• Place it in your home to show it off
• Give it to a special villager to make them the king or queen of the island 

How to get the crown:

The crown can be purchased from the Able Sisters shop for 1,000,000 when they have it available. It will be available randomly as there is no set time or day it becomes available so keep checking the shop! 

2. Nook Mile Ticket

The Nook stop list where you can trade for a Nook mile ticket.

The Nook Mile Ticket is a very special item in the game. It’s an item that all players will eventually need. This ticket lets you go to other islands to get resources for your island. When you have an empty real estate plot on your island that has not been claimed yet, you can use the ticket to visit a random island and try to find a villager to move to your island. You can use as many tickets as you want a day, but it does cost. 

These tickets are only used for travel. You can drop them and it will display a ticket on the ground, however it does not count as furniture so Isabelle will count it as trash lying around for your island rating. The same goes for your HHA rating in your home if you drop it on your floor. It is best to use it just for traveling to the other islands as it is intended. 

Tips:

• Use at the airport to travel to a special island to find a new villager
• Use at the airport to travel to an island for resources such as wood or fruits 

How to get the Nook Mile Ticket:

You can get this item from the Nook stop by trading 2,000 Nook miles per ticket. The ticket will immediately print once redeemed and you can use it immediately at the airport. 

1. Lily of the Valley

A happy villager who finally got the lily of the valley on her island.

The Lily of the Valley is the most popular item in the game. It is an item that every player wants and every player strives to get. It isn’t impossible to obtain, but it is harder than most of the other items and is a very rare item. The Lily of the Valley is a rare flower that only grows on your island once you’ve reached a 5 star island rating. 

Since this flower is a more rare flower, most players will dig them up once they’ve grown and place them in special areas around their island. This item cannot be placed in your home unfortunately, so you’ll just have to show it off outside. This flower does not produce hybrids so you won’t want to destroy it if you can help it, as they don’t grow often and you can’t grow more yourself. 

Tips:

• Place it somewhere you think is special on your island
• Place it in a flower bed with others as they grow to create your own lily of the valley garden

How to get the lily of the valley:

This item will randomly appear on your island in a random location once you have reached a 5 star island rating. You can check with Isabelle at the town hall to see what your rating is at and how to improve it. 

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