How to Get More Pearls in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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Get more pearls fast in ACNH on Nintendo Switch with this easy guide

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: October 2, 2023

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Getting Pearls

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Using Pearls

Are you looking for pearls in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? With the new summer update, you can now dive into the ocean for deep sea creatures and rare items. Pearls are hidden at the very bottom of the ocean floor, and you can locate one by diving towards small black shadows. This wikiHow guide will show you how to find and get pearls for crafting or selling in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Things You Should Know

Pearls can be found in the ocean and are represented by a small circular shadow with slow, straight bubbles.
Equip a wetsuit, and then press "A" next to the ocean to start swimming.
Look for small black shadows. Press "Y" to dive underwater and touch the shadow.

Section 1 of 2:

Getting Pearls

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1
Go into the ocean. To swim in Animal Crossing, you'll need to obtain a wetsuit from Nook's Cranny for 3,000 Bells.^{[1]
X
Research source} You can also purchase a wetsuit using Nook Shopping in your NookPhone, or you can redeem a wetsuit in the ABD machine in Resident Services.
- Equip the wetsuit by selecting it in your inventory. Once you're next to the ocean, press A to enter it.
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Look for small black shadows. These little shadows indicate something underwater. You'll see different shadow sizes; these represent different sea creatures. Pearls will always be a small shadow, a little bigger than the size of your character's hand.
- You'll also see bubbles beside the shadow. The bubble patterns of pearls tend to be more straight than zigzag. Additionally, the bubble speed of pearls will be very slow compared to sea creatures.
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3
Press Y to dive underwater. Make sure your character is just above the shadow when you dive. Once your character touches the shadow, the item will automatically be picked up.
- As pearls are rare, it's very likely you'll pick up small sea creatures many times before getting a pearl.
- If the shadow moves, swim faster by tapping A to catch up to it.
- If you dive for medium shadows, you may catch a Scallop. In some cases, the otter Pascal will ask for the Scallop in exchange for a pearl, a DIY recipe for the Mermaid set, or an outfit piece from the Mermaid set.
There is no limit to how many pearls you can obtain in a single day. However, you can only trade with Pascal once per day.

Section 2 of 2:

Using Pearls

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The popular Mermaid set requires plenty of pearls to craft. This set was also introduced in the summer update. You can check how many pearls you need for a recipe at any craft table.
If you're always low on Bells, farming pearls can be a good way to make more money. At 10,000 Bells a piece, you can easily pay off your loan or build structures on your island.