Animal Crossing update adds new rewards, changes NPC visits Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Animal Crossing update adds new rewards, changes NPC visits Are ya winning, sunfish? News by Emma Kent Contributor Updated on 3 Jul 2020 7 comments The first wave of Animal Crossing's summer update was released earlier today, but it only took a few hours for dataminers to dive into the code and discover some new secrets. Thanks to the new NPCs introduced in the update, players will be able to earn some new items and DIYs by helping either pirate-themed Gulliver or Pascal, the red sea otter. As hinted in the update trailer, there's a whole bunch of pirate and mermaid-themed items, which some dataminers have kindly put into some neat tables: First look at the new Mermaid? Furniture set and the materials required to craft them! No one else has these pictures and information yet, you got it here first~?Datamine: Alexis#8717, @astronomyfortwo, @rocklamp #ACNH #AnimalCrossing #AnimalCrossingNewHorizons pic.twitter.com/yEgve5wPuO- 𝕪 𝕦 𝕖 小月 ； (@yuecrossing) July 3, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings New Pirate Items from Gulliver!!!! from r/AnimalCrossing To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings While the selection is quite limited, there are also a couple of new seasonal items that can be purchased from Nook Shopping, including a summer solstice crown, winter-solstice sweater, and some rather lovely bamboo grass. Something a little less expected is a change to the NPC visiting timetable - as found by seasoned Animal Crossing dataminer Ninji. The main difference is that Leif, Saharah and Kicks are no longer guaranteed visitors every week, meaning that you should get a more "even spread" of visitors to the island. Ninji also observed that Nintendo is actively tinkering with a save data backup function, something it had previously promised to implement post-launch. Oh, and apparently you can now buy multiple items from Saharah at once - thank goodness. here is the tea on visitor NPCs in #ACNH 1.3.0 (summer update, wave 1)in summary: Leif, Saharah and Kicks are no longer guaranteed every week, meaning that you should now get a far more even spread of visitorsGullivarrr (pirate Gulliver) can appear if you've bought a wetsuit pic.twitter.com/0gvi74xPll- Ninji (@_Ninji) July 3, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Oh fun, the new #ACNH update adds some incomplete stuff related to save data backup. Doesn't seem to be accessible yet (all the text for it is in Japanese, completely untranslated in other regions) but it shows they're at least working actively on it- Ninji (@_Ninji) July 3, 2020 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Meanwhile, the community has already been experimenting with the new swimming mechanic, which can be activated by purchasing a wet suit from Nook's Cranny (or redeeming it with Nook Miles Points). Players are working on perfecting their second-level dives, taking part in synchronised swimming routines, and collecting all sorts of weird and wonderful sea creatures from the ocean floor. We did a bit of synchronised swimming this morning from r/AnimalCrossing To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Some players have discovered it's possible to dive off the pier at the entrance, however, so if you've blocked off some of your island to visitors without securing the beach, you could end up with some unwanted guests. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 10 Latest Articles Preview Football Manager's new Console edition is the best you'll get without a PC Getting Touch-right. Splatoon 3 Amiibos will be out next month Ink-coming! 3 Fans think Phil Spencer's shelf is teasing the Xbox Game Pass streaming box UPDATE: Xbox confirms old Keystone prototype. 59 Modder dives into Demon's Souls files following PS5 jailbreak, discovers fabled Ring of the Chieftain Who knows what's nexus? 3 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store