Your Ultimate Guide to Completing the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Museum
There's a special kind of pride that comes from walking through the halls of your very own Animal Crossing: New Horizons museum. What starts as a humble tent blossoms, under your dedicated care, into a magnificent institution teeming with life, history, and art. For many players, achieving a 100% complete museum is one of the most rewarding long-term goals in the game. It’s a testament to patience, persistence, and a deep appreciation for the natural world and culture Blathers so passionately curates.
If you're staring at those empty plaques and glass tanks, wondering just how to fill every last one, you've come to the right place. This comprehensive checklist and strategy guide is designed to be your one-stop resource for tracking every fossil, fish, bug, and piece of art you need to donate. We'll not only list what you need but also share pro-tips on how to find them efficiently, all while keeping the experience fun and engaging.
Let's get started on your journey to creating the ultimate cultural center on your island!
Understanding the Four Wings
Your museum is divided into four distinct sections, each with its own unique set of challenges and donation requirements.
- The Fossil Exhibit: This is often the first wing players complete. Fossils are dug up daily on your island, making them a consistent source of new finds. The key here is persistence and identification.
- The Fish Exhibit: This wing requires you to master the art of fishing across all seasons, times of day, and weather conditions. It’s a test of your timing and knowledge of the island's aquatic life.
- The Bug Exhibit: Like fishing, bug catching is seasonal and time-sensitive. From common butterflies to elusive beetles on remote islands, this exhibit demands a keen eye and a steady net.
- The Art Exhibit: Arguably the trickiest wing to complete, this relies entirely on the shady dealings of Jolly Redd. Authenticity is the name of the game here, requiring a sharp eye for detail to spot forgeries.
Now, let's break down each section with a detailed checklist and acquisition strategy.
The Fossil Wing: Unearthing Prehistoric Secrets
There are 73 fossils in total to donate. The great news is that, unlike fish and bugs, fossils are not seasonal. You can find any fossil on any day of the year.
- Checklist Strategy: Instead of listing every single fossil (like Ankylo Skull, T. Rex Torso, etc.), the most effective method is to dig up your four to five daily fossil spots every single day. Take any unidentified fossils you find to Blathers for assessment. He will tell you the exact name of the fossil and whether it's a new donation or a duplicate.
- Pro-Tips for Fossil Completion:
- Donate First, Sell Later: Always have Blathers assess your fossils before selling the duplicates. You never know when you'll uncover that one last piece for the T. Rex!
- Use Your Nook Phone Catalog: The "Critterpedia" doesn't track fossils, but you can use your Nook Phone's Nook Shopping app. If a fossil is listed there, it means you've had it in your inventory before. Cross-reference this with what's on display in the museum to identify your missing pieces.
- Trading is Your Friend: If you're missing one or two stubborn fossils after months of searching, consider trading with friends or through online communities. Someone else's duplicate is likely your missing link!
The Fish Wing: Mastering the Art of the Catch
This wing requires you to donate 80 different fish species. This is where seasonal creature availability in Animal Crossing becomes crucial.
- Key Strategies for Catching All Fish:
- Understand Spawn Conditions: Pay close attention to a fish's shadow size, location (river, pond, sea, pier), and time of day. Using fish bait is absolutely essential for targeting specific pier fish like the elusive Tuna and Giant Trevally.
- Time Travel Consideration: If you're open to it, time traveling (changing your console's clock) is the most direct way to hunt for out-of-season fish. If not, patience is your greatest virtue.
- Focus on "Fin-icky" Catches: Some fish are notoriously rare. Keep a special eye out for:
- Stringfish: A large river shadow in clifftop rivers, available December-March (Northern Hemisphere).
- Coelacanth: A huge sea shadow, but only when it is raining or snowing, all year round.
- Golden Trout: A medium shadow in clifftop rivers, available March-May & Sept-Nov (NH).
- All Pier Fish: The Mahi-Mahi, Giant Trevally, Blue Marlin, and Tuna all require copious amounts of fish bait thrown off the pier.
The Bug Wing: A Net-Worth of Insects
With 80 bugs to catch, the bug exhibit mirrors the fish wing in its reliance on time-sensitive bug catching strategies.
- Key Strategies for Catching All Bugs:
- Location, Location, Location: Bugs appear on flowers, trees (shaking and stumps), on the ground, flying, on rocks, and even on rotten turnips.
- Tree-Stump Wonders: Some of the most valuable beetles, like the Goliath Beetle and the Horned Hercules, only spawn on palm trees. This makes mystery island bug hunting tours incredibly valuable. Clear a mystery island of everything except its palm trees, and scare away common bugs to increase your chances of spawning rare beetles.
- Slow and Steady Wins the Race: When approaching valuable bugs, especially on trees, hold down the A button to sneak with your net raised. Release only when you're close enough for a guaranteed catch.
- Watch the Weather: Some bugs, like the Snail, only appear on rocks during rain.
The Art Wing: Navigating the Treacherous Waters of Art Authenticity
This is the final frontier for most museum curators. There are 43 genuine pieces of art to donate, all acquired from the fox merchant, Jolly Redd. Your success hinges on your art authenticity verification skills for Redd's shop.
- Key Strategies for a Complete Art Collection:
- Learn the Forgeries: Redd always sells one genuine piece and three forgeries. Before you buy, pull out your phone and compare the piece to a reliable online guide. Look for subtle differences: eyebrows, trinkets, facial expressions, or objects that are added, missing, or changed.
- Visit Frequently: Redd's visits are random. Check the secret beach at the back of your island every day. If he's there, make a beeline for his trawler.
- Patience is a Virtue: Duplicates are inevitable, and some pieces, like the "Wild Painting Left Half," are incredibly rare. Don't get discouraged. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
- Trading is Almost Essential: Due to the random nature of Redd's stock, trading genuine art with other players is the most reliable way to acquire all genuine paintings and statues without waiting for years.
Putting It All Together: Your Museum Completion Mindset
Completing your museum is not a race. It's a long-term project that unfolds in real-time, encouraging you to check in with your island through every season. Here are some final thoughts to keep you motivated:
- Celebrate the Milestones: Did you just catch your last shark? Donate your final trilobite? Celebrate it! These small victories make the journey enjoyable.
- Embrace the Community: The Animal Crossing community is vast and generous. Don't be afraid to ask for help, trade duplicates, or open your island for others when Celeste is visiting or a rare fish is in season.
- Enjoy the Process: The true joy of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons museum completion journey isn't just the golden plaque you get from Blathers (though that is a nice touch!). It's the memories you make along the way—the shock of reeling in a massive Oarfish, the frustration of scaring away a Scarab Beetle, and the satisfaction of finally spotting a genuine Valiant Statue on Redd's boat.
So grab your shovel, fishing rod, and net. Your perfect museum awaits. Happy collecting
