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Nintendo secretly removes DIY loopholes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons with 1.11.1 hotfix

By Zachary Roberts
Modified Aug 19, 2021 18:30 GMT
DIY recipes can be acquired for all manner of items in Animal Crossing. (Image via Nintendo)
DIY recipes can be acquired for all manner of items in Animal Crossing. (Image via Nintendo)

DIY recipes are a big feature in Animal Crossing. They're one of the premier ways of crafting items, many of which won't be obtainable without these recipes.

There are multiple ways to acquire DIY recipes, including interactions with villagers, purchases, balloon gifts and more.

The 1.11.1 update brought a number of seasonal changes and bug fixes, including modifications to DIY mechanics in Animal Crossing. Most bug fixes and other new items were disclosed, but it seems Nintendo may have sneakily changed a few aspects.

Here are all the new changes to DIY added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Hidden changes to DIY recipes in Animal Crossing

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DIY recipes have been used in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as somewhat of a plot device. There is a story mode, and many DIY recipes are only accessible through making in-game progress.

However, some players were selling these previously inaccessible recipes which meant that newcomers could simply avoid playing the story mode.

Nintendo put an end to that in its most recent update. Now, DIY recipes cannot be taken from other players' islands. They'll disappear before returning home, so there's no chance of selling them.

The change has affected over 70 DIY recipes. This also puts an end to the "Treasure Island" phenomenon in which players were hosting islands with the sole intention of giving away or teaching these DIY recipes, including the ones for the Golden Axe, campfire and other valuable items.

Golden tools like the Golden Axe are difficult to acquire and very valuable.(Image via Nintendo)
Golden tools like the Golden Axe are difficult to acquire and very valuable.(Image via Nintendo)

These don't involve physical DIY recipes that can be taken home, because they are learned. Players learned these recipes by progressing in the game, but there is no physical DIY card for such items.

However, there are ways to circumvent Nintendo's intended process. Hackers can still get whatever DIY recipes they want, though this indubitably violates Nintendo's plan for the game.

For most players, this DIY change doesn't have much effect. Only those who were circumventing the process are affected because from hereon, in-game progress can only be achieved through legitimate means.