After several years, Animal Crossing: New Horizons just got a massive update with a ton of new, free content. While there is also a new Switch 2 upgrade available, New Horizons 3.0 is a free update for players on Switch and Switch 2. And it adds plenty of exciting new gameplay elements, including something players have wanted for a while. Thanks to the newly added Slumber Islands, you now have extra islands to test out your decor ideas without needing to wipe your main home base.
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Whether you’ve been playing Animal Crossing daily or are just coming back thanks to the update, the Slumber Islands are brand-new to everyone. Though the basics are pretty straightforward, it’s always helpful to have a little guidance when it comes to learning new mechanics in Animal Crossing. So, if you’re curious about what those new Slumber Islands can do and how they work, I’m here to walk you through it. Here’s what you need to know to get the most out of Luna’s Slumber Islands in New Horizons.
How to Get to the Slumber Islands
First, the Slumber Islands are not to be confused with Dream Islands. However, you will need to have unlocked Luna’s Dream Islands to access the new sandbox mode. The original Dream Islands are available once you receive a Luna Bed as a gift in the mail, usually prompted by upgrading from a camping cot to a real bed. You don’t actually need to use the Luna Bed to access the Dream Islands and new Slumber Islands, however. If you prefer to stick with your current aesthetic, any Animal Crossing bed in your own home will work.
Before you can go to the Slumber Islands, you’ll need to get a new letter from Luna in addition to the Luna Bed. This letter explains that there’s a new area in the dream world she wants to show you, and getting it is the key to unlocking the Slumber Island feature. If you haven’t gotten the letter yet, you may need to make sure you’ve accessed the original Dream Island feature before. You will also need an active Nintendo Switch Online membership to use this online feature. The letter will come with the mail delivery at the start of a new day, so it may take some time to unlock the Slumber Islands.
After you get the letter from Luna, you should be able to visit the Slumber Islands. To begin your journey, head to your bed and interact. When the dialogue prompt pops up, use the “It’s slumber time” option. This will take you to the sandbox mode, where you can actually edit the islands, unlike the static Dream Island mode. If you do want to visit a Dream Island, you can still get there using the “I want to dream” option, like you did before.
What You Can (And Can’t) Do with A Slumber Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Once you have unlocked the Slumber Islands, you can create up to 3 new dream worlds that can be freely decorated without altering your original island. Unlike the old Dream Islands, which are just an offline copy of your existing world, these are fully customizable. When creating your first Slumber Island, you’ll be able to choose from small, medium, and large maps for your new space. Then, you can freely terraform and design it just like you would your main island, all without changing your home base.
Though you can collect items and interact with the world on a Slumber Island, nothing you do here is “real.” In other words, anything you catch won’t be in your inventory when you wake up. So, it’s really mostly a place to try out new decoration ideas or meet up with your friends in multiplayer to decorate together. The main difference is that, unlike on your main island, your friends can actually help decorate and terraform with you on a Slumber Island. So, it can be a fun, different way to play Animal Crossing together.
That said, if you want to collect items to progress your game, the Slumber Islands aren’t going to be a good fit. If that’s your goal, it may be better to visit your friends’ real island using Dodo Airlines instead.
What do you think of the new Slumber Islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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