July 3 marks the first wave of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ summer update, and with it comes a whole bunch of new features, including swimming and diving, a new category of critter to find, new visitor interactions, and a new DIY recipe set. Here’s everything new to Animal Crossing this week and how to dive in.
Swimming And Diving
The biggest new feature from the update is the ability to swim and dive in the ocean around your island. We have a full guide on how to get a wetsuit and swim, so check it out to get started.
Catching New Sea Creatures
Swimming and diving on your island opens up a new world of wildlife to find and collect. There are 40 sea creatures you can catch, all categorized in their own “sea creature” label in your Critterpedia. You can also donate them to Blathers at the museum.
Pascal Is Here!
Pascal is a new visitor you can meet while swimming around your island. He’ll trade you DIY recipes for scallops and sometimes reward you with pearls, a rare crafting item.
Mermaid DIY And Clothing Recipe Set
There’s a new mermaid-themed DIY recipe set you collect and craft. Pascal will trade you recipes for scallops and sometimes give you pearls, which you can use to craft the recipes. Other crafting materials required for the set include shells and other items you can find along your beach, like coral.
New Gulliver Interactions
According to Nintendo, there’s a new Gulliver interaction. Gulliver will now sometimes appear on your shore wearing pirate-themed clothing. Nintendo’s press release states, “Offer him a helping him and he’ll send a special reward to how his gratitude.” We’ll let you know what this is once we find out.
The next summer update hits Animal Crossing: New Horizons this August.
GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.