Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is the first mobile entry in Nintendo’s long-running simulation series. As in previous Animal Crossing games, players will be tasked with collecting bugs, fish, and fruit and then delivering them to animal requesters in exchange for …
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is the first mobile entry in Nintendo’s long-running simulation series. As in previous Animal Crossing games, players will be tasked with collecting bugs, fish, and fruit and then delivering them to animal requesters in exchange for rewards and improved friendships.
One of the main goals in Pocket Camp is to craft furniture and amenities that will attract animals to your campsite. The basic components of most crafted objects are resources like Wood, Steel, Cotton, etc. which are earned regularly through completing campers’ requests. However, you’ll often also need a specific type of Essence to complete a project, especially in higher level recipes.
While Essences might seem hard to come by initially, there are quite a few ways to earn them:
There are four types of Essences—Cool, Cute, Natural, and Sporty—which are related to the different personalities of the animals in-game. When you level up your friendship with a camper (by completing their requests and talking to them), they’ll reward you with Bells and their specific type of Essence. So, for example, Goldie will give Natural Essence while Apollo will give Cool. You earn at least one Essence on almost every level up, so improving friendships is a steady way to collect extra Essences.
One of the biggest differences between animals assigned to your campsite and campers out and about on the islands is their response to chats. When you’re given the second dialogue option with lines like “Let’s talk,” or “What’s the latest?” or “Tell me a story!” in red text, campers that are not at your campsite will simply say a line of dialogue and then earn a couple of friendship points.
Animals that are stationed at your campsite, however, will often give you a reward in response to this prompt. Sometimes it’s simply Bells or standard resources like Wood, but occasionally they will include an Essence. And while campers on the islands only have this dialogue option once per three-hour rotation, you can chat with the animals at your campsite about once every 40 minutes, providing a lot more opportunities for gifts and Essences.
Isabelle has a list of untimed, larger Stretch Goals for you to work toward, many of which offer Essence as rewards. If you complete all of her Stretch Goals, you’ll end up with 56 Cool Essences, 36 Natural, 26 Cute, and 26 Sporty.
Isabelle also offers a set of three Timed Goals that resets at the end of every day. If you complete the goals before the day ends, you’ll receive their reward. There is usually at least one Essence award included in this group, although it’s typically for only one bottle at a time. To view your current Timed and Stretch goals and collect any rewards, simply tap on Isabelle’s face in the upper-right corner of the screen.
There are currently two log-in bonuses available that offer a new prize each day you play. There is one Cool Essence and one Natural Essence available on this punch card after you play enough days total. If you want to check your current login status, tap “More” on the bottom toolbar and then “Misc” and “View Log-In Bonus.”
The Quarry in the northern part of the map is available if you get five friends to lend you a hand or if you spend 20 Leaf Tickets. You’ll receive Bells for breaking rocks in the Quarry, as well as one bonus reward. The type of reward currently available in the Quarry is visible in the icon floating above it. This reward can be more Bells, standard resources, or Essences. In the image above, Cute Essence is the current bonus reward.
The Quarry reward changes with each three-hour map rotation, so you can wait until you see the Essence you want before entering. Sometimes the icon background is a sparkly gold color instead of white, which indicates an even larger prize.
