After getting teased of what is to come to Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the season, the first Summer Update is finally here, essentially giving players the ability to swim on waters and catch aquatic life underneath.
[Announcement]
The #AnimalCrossing: New Horizons free Summer Update – Wave 1 is available now! Download the update and dive in today! #ACNH pic.twitter.com/AhSbn0fmvc— Isabelle (@animalcrossing) July 3, 2020
The open seas of the island are already made accessible for everyone to enjoy. But it is not necessarily accessible from the get-go. Being a feature unique with the Summer Update, players must be running the game in its latest version first.
Get the Summer Update
If yours are not updated already, simply connect your Switch to the internet, press start on the ACNH icon, and choose update.
From there, you will receive a pair of snorkels and masks from Nintendo as a special gift. But this is not the complete getup that will let you swim, yet. You would also need a wet suit to complete the gear and enjoy the island’s seawater.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you could snag a wet suit. You can either choose to purchase it via the Nook Stop, but opting to this will require a day for the item to arrive. Instead, get instant access to the suit by buying it off directly at the Nook’s Cranny for a measly 3000 bells.
Take Your First Dive
With the update in place and the needed attire equipped, players can now literally jump from any corner of the island and dip into the waters. In addition, to merely explore the seas, players are also given a bit of space to explore. This means having a wider area to venture across and dive into in order to get a broader perspective of the isle.
Having to bask in the seawaters is indeed part of the update’s employ. However, there is also a major use to it aimed at every completionist in the game—to catch marine life.
Indeed, players can expect to spend some time in waters surrounding the island trying to catch sea critters for the museum. But these are not those fishes that players are already able to get their hands on previously. The side-quest entails an expanded list of marine fauna, including anemone, sea star, and garden eels.
Lastly, the update also introduces the mermaid craft set which grants players the ability to create seawater-themed furniture and items. To take advantage of this feature would also require constant interaction with Pascal.
Pascal, however, will only give you the recipes you need by trading off scallops.
Image used courtesy of Nintendo/YouTube Screenshot