DIY

DIY is a new feature to the Animal Crossing Series, introduced in. The player, upon receiving their Nook Phone, will be able to find the DIY Recipes app on the home screen. This allows the player to catalog the DIY Recipes they receive, as well as the materials in their inventory. This app works with any DIY Workbench and allows the player to bookmark recipes, track which recipes they have crafted, and which crafted items are already in their pocket.

Initially, Tom Nook allows the player to use his DIY Workbench, which is located at Resident Services. Upon interacting with it for the first time, Tom Nook teaches the player the basic mechanics of crafting. Tom Nook also teaches the player the DIY recipe to make their own workbench. The player has the option to craft at the workbench at Resident Services, or their own workbench; each workbench allows access to the player's DIY Recipe catalog.



Materials
Materials are natural resources that can be found around islands. The player can obtain raw materials from hitting rocks, shaking trees, and fishing around the player’s island as well as Mystery Islands. Additionally, the player can obtain Star Fragments after wishing on a shooting star during a Meteor Shower. These resources can be crafted into items from DIY Recipes or sold to Timmy or Tommy, though crafted items sell for more Bells than raw materials.

There are also seasonal materials that are only available at certain times of the year. While some of these are available all season long, others can be event based.

Recipes
Recipes are the largest part of the DIY system. The DIY Recipes allow the player to actually craft items. The player doesn't get many DIY Recipes to begin with, having only received a handful from Tom Nook after taking the DIY workshop. As the player progresses, they will encounter more methods of obtaining recipes. The player can receive recipes in the mail, from villagers on the island, buy them from Timmy or Nook's Cranny, or through Nook Miles +. The player may also find a Message Bottle on the beach containing a DIY Recipe inside. Fishing trash out of the ocean and rivers will cause the player to think up new recipes, as will picking up enough of any type of seasonal item during certain seasonal events.