What are the Best Starting Fruits in the Game? 

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the best starting fruit is simply the player's choice. The one that aligns with your island’s aesthetic. Each fruit has its own unique charm that can fit your personal taste.

Why is it important to start with the right fruits?

The initial fruit serves as the cornerstone for your island's aesthetic canvas. The appearance of the fruit has the potential to set the vibe for your island's overall look. You are automatically given a random starting fruit with your new island. If you hate it, you can keep restarting the game until you get one you’d prefer!

Beyond aesthetics, fruit trees yield valuable materials for crafting, including the fruit itself, wood, and tree branches. Planting a variety of fruit trees ensures a diverse resource pool for your DIY projects.

In the early stages of the game, selling fruits are one of your first ways to accumulatebells. Selling these fruits becomes a means to repay the debt owed to the infamous crook- Tom Nook! Once you’ve settled your debts,, fruits become a permanent financial boost to help you acquire desired items and clothing.

Fruits are a long-term investment given they take approximately five days to grow into harvestable trees. Once harvested, the fruit regenerates every three days, allowing for a consistent income stream. Strategic planning is essential to maintain a steady flow of the in-game currency.

As your island expands, the layout of neighborhoods, parks, and scenic spots becomes crucial. Fruit trees contribute significantly to these designs! You could strategically place your apple trees to make an orchard near your villager’s cozy cabins. Or dip your toes into the tropics with coconuts lining the beach. Choose wisely to elevate the charm of your island.. and why not aim to collect them all?

Selecting the right fruit at the beginning is not just about gameplay advantages; it's about crafting the narrative of your island's story.

 6. Oranges

Official  image of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons orange.

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, oranges serve as both a crafting material and a cooking ingredient. The fruit can even be replanted to create an orange tree!

These consumable items provide the player with energy when consumed, enabling actions such as tree relocation or rock-breaking. It's worth noting that up to 10 oranges can be stacked together for convenient storage.

Why Are Oranges a Great Starting Fruit?

• They sell for 100 Bells (if it is your island's native fruit) and 500 Bells if it is not.
• Can be used to craft orange jelly, and orange smoothie, which will give a player full energy when consumed. 
• Total amount of oranges needed to craft all craftable orange items: 94.

Orange Stats: 

• Can be eaten for powerups- eating 10 oranges will fill your energy bar. 

5. Pears 

Official image of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons pear.

Pears, like the other fruits, can be utilized for crafting, cooking, planting and eating! 

They  bring an unmatched vibrant, juicy appearance that really complements the rustic look of a more natural island. 

Why Are Pears a Good Starting Fruit?

• Fans claim they are rarer to randomly spawn on your first playthrough of the game. 
• There are 26 craftable recipes that require pears!
• Pears have a unique distinction as the native fruit for the in-game sisterly personality type villagers

Pear Stats:

• When you eat 10 pears, you will receive 10 energy. If you move a tree, or break a rock, you lose one energy. 
• They sell for 100 bells if they are your native fruit, 500 if not. 

4. Peaches 

Official image of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons peach

Peaches are considerably more aesthetically pleasing than the orange or pear, hence its higher ranking on this list! They fit in great with the fairy-core,princess-core,cherry blossom, and other pink island themes that fans know and love.

They shine for their versatility. Like other fruits, they serve as crafting materials and cooking ingredients as well.

Beyond utility, peaches foster trading opportunities, as players exchange them to diversify their fruit collection. Overall, peaches play a key role in enhancing gameplay, aesthetics, and social interactions.

Why Are Peaches a Good Starting Fruit?:

• Planting peach trees adds a lovely aesthetic charm
• Consuming peaches provides an energy boost
• Selling peaches generates extra income, especially if they're not native to the island.

Peach Stats:

• Consuming 10 peaches will create a full energy bar, which helps with moving trees and breaking rocks!
• Peaches sell for 100 bells if they are your starter fruit, or 500 if they are not!

3. Apples 

Official image of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons apple.

As someone who has been playing this game for a long time, apples are personally my most desirable fruit. There is nothing more classic than the look of an apple orchard.

Apples are your ticket to a DIY extravaganza! These scrumptious orbs not only sprout into adorable apple trees when planted but also double as a power-packed snack. 

Munching on these doesn't just satisfy your in-game cravings; it magically grants you the energy to uproot trees or demolish rocks. And the best part? You can stack up to 10 of these fruity power-ups, turning your inventory into a delicious arsenal of energy-boosting goodness! Get ready to snack, craft, and conquer!

Why Are apples a good starting fruit?:

• You can cook 16 foods out of apples.
• You can craft 5 pieces of furniture with apples. 
• You can craft an apple outfit consisting of a dress, hat and umbrella!

Apple Stats:

• They sell for 100 as a native fruit, and 500 otherwise. 
• In Happy Home Paradise, this fruit is unlocked for use in designs in a vacation home request for: Apple,  Big Top,  Blaire,  Cheri,  Mott,  Skye, and  Tangy.
• Can be stacked into ten, and provides 1 energy point per apple.

2. Cherries   

An official image of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons Cherry.

Cherries bring a pop of flirty red to your virtual orchards. Did you know that like the other fruits,cherry trees can be harvested multiple times a week, making them a perennial source of fruity goodness for players? 

Additionally, these virtual cherries have a hidden talent – when consumed, they provide a burst of energy to help players perform superhuman feats like relocating trees and breaking rocks with gusto. So, next time you pluck a cherry in the game, remember you're not just picking a fruit; you're tapping into a powerhouse of fun and functionality!

Why Are Cherries a Good Starting Fruit?

• They give the player bragging rights, as they are one of the more aesthetic options.
• Cherries also are lucrative to sell to Nooks Cranny, and even more amongst other players via trading!
• Cherries are a great resource for crafting and cooking!

Cherry Stats:

• Cherries can be stacked in 10s. 1 Cherry provides the player with 1 energy!
• Cherries can be sold for 100 bells as a native fruit, and 500 bells each if they are foreign to your island!
• If you have 91 cherries in your possession, you have enough cherries to craft every cherry item in the game!

1. Coconuts 

Official image of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons coconut.

The top-ranking tropical treat holds its position for several reasons, and rightfully so! Coconuts stand out as the sole fruit that doesn't naturally appear on your home island, requiring players to acquire them through trades with fellow players or by exploring mysterious islands! While technically it is not a “starting” fruit, it should be the first fruit you purposefully add to your island!!

Why Are Coconuts a Good Starting Fruit?

• It completes the island look. What kind of beach doesn’t have a palm tree bearing coconuts!?
• It sells for more bells than other native fruits.
• It has fewer recipes surrounding it, but they are much more interesting!

Coconut Stats:

• Coconuts, like other fruits, can be stacked by 10, and eaten for energy!
• There are only 9 recipes that call for coconuts. 5 are food, and the rest are furniture.
• In Happy Home Paradise, you unlock coconuts when completing a vacation home request for  Big Top,  Cole,  Del,  O'Hare,  Octavian,  Rory, and  Zoe.

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