TL;DR
- Two inventory upgrades available via Nook Stop costing 5,000 and 8,000 Nook Miles respectively
- First upgrade adds 10 slots (30 total), second adds final 10 slots (40 total capacity)
- Resident Services building upgrade required for second expansion opportunity
- Strategic Nook Miles spending prioritizes house loan before inventory improvements
- Advanced organization techniques maximize efficiency for extended gathering sessions
Managing your carrying capacity effectively becomes crucial early in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as you begin gathering essential resources. The game’s extensive crafting system requires collecting numerous materials, which rapidly consumes your limited pocket space during initial exploration phases.
New players frequently encounter storage constraints while harvesting resources like weeds, capturing aquatic and insect specimens, gathering fruit varieties, and accumulating various discovered items. This limitation presents significant gameplay challenges during the critical first weeks of island development. Fortunately, the game provides two distinct inventory expansion opportunities that effectively double your starting carrying capacity through strategic Nook Miles investments.
Your initial pocket expansion becomes accessible immediately after starting the game, requiring 5,000 Nook Miles at the Nook Stop terminal. However, experienced players recommend addressing your initial housing loan with Tom Nook before committing to inventory improvements. Securing residential property accelerates overall island development progress while simultaneously providing dedicated storage space for items you don’t need to carry constantly.
This first enhancement introduces an additional row to your inventory interface, increasing total capacity from 20 to 30 available slots. The strategic sequencing of these early-game investments significantly impacts your efficiency in resource gathering and item management during the foundational phase of island establishment.
The second and final inventory upgrade becomes available only after completing the Resident Services facility transformation from temporary tent to permanent building. This structural upgrade unlocks numerous new Nook Miles redemption options, including the ultimate pocket expansion priced at 8,000 Nook Miles.
This premium upgrade provides the maximum inventory configuration of four complete rows, delivering 40 total storage slots. The substantial capacity increase enables extended fishing expeditions, marathon bug-catching sessions, and convenient carrying of crafting materials for spontaneous DIY projects during island exploration.
Seasoned players develop sophisticated resource management strategies to maximize their expanded inventory efficiency. One common mistake involves carrying excessive quantities of common materials when a smaller stockpile would suffice. Implement a regular storage management routine where you deposit non-essential items before embarking on major gathering activities.
For extended fishing or bug-catching sessions, plan your route to include periodic stops at home storage or utilize the Class Guide organizational principles for categorizing your catches. The Complete Guide to inventory management recommends prioritizing rare specimens over common varieties when space becomes limited during collection activities.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons News And Guides
Action Checklist
- Pay off initial 5,000 Nook Mile housing loan to unlock home storage
- Purchase first pocket upgrade (5,000 Nook Miles) for 30-slot capacity
- Complete Resident Services building upgrade requirements
- Acquire final inventory expansion (8,000 Nook Miles) for 40 slots
- Implement organizational system using home storage for optimal efficiency
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