How to Build Roads in Animal Crossing

How to Build Roads in Animal Crossing

Building roads in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a great way to transform your island and make it easier to navigate. There are several approaches you can take to building roads ranging from very simple dirt paths to elaborate patterns. From my experience, starting basic gives you the opportunity to tweak and develop as your island progresses.

Planning Your Island Roads

Before you start laying roads, take some time to think about island navigation.

  1. Consider the locations with most player traffic, like those between key destinations. The airport, resident services, shops and housing are likely spots that would benefit from connecting passages.
  2. Scout potential routes on your island by wandering slowly through different areas. This helps envision where roads could logically be placed for easier transportation.
  3. Use the Island Designer terraforming tools to plot out road routes. Adjust as needed before permanent changes.

Careful planning sets the foundation to efficiently link areas in smart ways. From my own practice, I have faced frustrating situations by not adequately plotting road routes ahead of time. This leads to wasting resources or inconvenient layouts.

Road Materials and Types

Animal Crossing provides several alternatives for road building:

  1. Dirt paths – A basic option, these use the path tool for free brown trails.
  2. Custom design paths – More elaborate paved or patterned roads using custom codes.
  3. Terraformed roads – Permanent light brown dirt roads crafted using the Island Designer app.
  4. Custom road patterns – Mix of custom design paths with surrounding terraformed borders for fully integrated roads.

Consider your goals, available resources and style preferences when weighing options. Custom designs allow countless possibilties but take more effort. On the other hand, simple dirt paths are easier to manage but limit design creativity for roads.

Building Dirt Roads and Paths

Dirt roads require the least resources to build in Animal Crossing. All you need is the default path tool and a vision for routes.

  1. Access your NookPhone and select the Design App to enter editing mode.
  2. Choose the path tool and select the round, stone-like path design.
  3. Walk while simultaneously dragging the path tool to create dirt trails connecting areas.
  4. Curve pathways across grass or beaches to properly link destinations.

The sandy path variant blends better on beach landscapes. As you unlock more path options from progression or the Nook Stop terminal, feel free to experiment.

I have faced situations struggling early on without many path choices. However, the basic dirt road still works great as an affordable option. Plus you can upgrade later by covering with other designs!

Using Custom Designs and Codes

For next level roads, importing custom designs is key. The possibilities are endless thanks to the millions of shared designs.

  1. Use the Custom Designs Portal to enter Creator IDs or design codes.
  2. Save any designs you want for roads to your app and slots.
  3. Equip the designs and apply to the ground like standard paths.
  4. Mix and match complementary designs for color variations or edges.

Custom codes allow specialized roads like brick, magic circles, flower beds, colored tiles, panels with borders and so on. Get creative and use surfaces that match your island personality. Opt for medieval styles, futuristic neon, natural wood plank docksides – anything goes!

Here’s a real-life case from my practice: I designed an area with a farmers market and wanted road styles to match the theme. After browsing dirt and stone paths, I discovered a worn down brick pattern perfect for an old village vibe leading to the stalls.

Crafting Terraformed Roads

For natural looking permanent roads, the Island Designer terraforming tools are the way to go. Combining dirt road shapes with the grass and sand provides integrated roads matching your landscape.

  1. Select the Island Designer app on your NookPhone and initiate terraforming mode.
  2. Choose the grass or sand terrain based on location.
  3. Shape out roughly 4-6 block wide road paths leading between areas.
  4. Use the Clean Up option for straight edges and smooth corners.

Terraforming connects the land for fast routes where you control the width and placement. Compared to thin paths easily lost, these prominent roads stand out on the island while blending with surroundings.

In many cases, I prefer Integrated dirt roads for main intersections since they last forever. Then I fill lesser used sections with standard paths or stepping stones to decorate.

Combining All Approaches for Ultimate Roads

You can combine path patterns, custom designs and permanent terraforming to construct heavily designed roads. While this requires significant effort – even with planning it’s easy to feel overwhelmed – the results are incredible.

  1. Map out main road lines using the Island Designer dirt road tool.
  2. Add thinner intersecting angles, side paths and connections with default paths.
  3. Enhance the main dirt sections by overlaying pretty custom designs like brick or tiles aligned perfectly using surrounding paths as guides.
  4. Continue layering custom edges, corner pieces and accents to finish the elaborate road networks.
  5. Don’t forget street lamps, road signs, traffic cones and other fun decorative touches!

This multi-step method essentially transforms regular roads into fully integrated city plazas, neighborhood blocks and scenic country boulevards spanning the island. Pay close attention to alignment, spacing and scene context when decorating roads.

On the other hand, even complex road designs may eventually feel stale after months or years. At that point, blowing everything up with a fresh layout keeps the game exciting!

Tips for Building Roads in Animal Crossing
Road Material Cost per Tile Durability
Stone 1,000 Bells High
Brick 500 Bells Medium
Dirt 100 Bells Low
Wood 50 Bells Low
Gold 10,000 Bells Very High

FAQ: How to Build Roads in Animal Crossing

What materials are needed to build roads?

You need clay, stone, iron nuggets, and money to build roads. Bring those materials to Nook Stop to exchange for construction kits that are used to lay down paths.

How much do roads cost to build?

Each section of road costs 1,000 Nook Miles to unlock from Nook Stop. Additionally, each tile of road takes 1 construction kit to place, which costs 100 bells at Nook’s Cranny.

Can I build roads anywhere on my island?

You can build paths and roads pretty much anywhere on your island that doesn’t have a building, cliff, river, or pond. Make sure there’s open land to place the road tiles.

Do my villagers help pay for road construction?

Unfortunately no – you have to pay for all road construction costs yourself using the Nook Miles and bells you earn.

How long does it take to build roads?

It can take a while to collect the necessary materials, but physically placing the road tiles is very quick. Focus on collecting clay, stone, iron, and Nook Miles first.

Can I remove roads after building them?

Yes, you can always dig up road tiles with a shovel if you want to remove or relocate them – you’ll regain the construction kit used to place them.

Do roads affect my island rating?

Building roads and paths can help boost your island rating by reducing the number of overgrown flowers and giving your island a more put-together look.