Tips for Having Even More Fun in Disney Dreamlight Valley

Ever since I got my hands on Animal Crossing: New Leaf way back in 2014, I've become obsessed with decorating! This is a big reason why I've amassed almost 800 hours in Disney Dreamlight Valley: I spend way too much time trying to make everything pretty. Thanks to this, I've gathered some tips on how to have more fun in-game and make The Valley and Eternity Isle feel alive. Without further ado, let's begin!

Build Restaurants, Shops, or Coffee Shops... And Make ‘em Work!

Unfortunately, this one will only work if you've got A Rift in Time because you'll need Ancient Machines! If you do, you'll want to get the highest level of the Ancient Cookers and find a place where you'd have a restaurant or coffee shop. Since Gameloft offers tons of different House options, you'll surely find a few! Once you do, go ahead and have fun decorating it, and allow yourself to be creative. I, for example, have one in Dazzle Beach to honour Stitch, a coffee shop in The Plaza, and even a Mulan-inspired one in Eternity Isle.

Once you've spruced everything up, choose a meal to cook (it doesn't have to be high-value, either; you can just choose any you like!) so you can sell or eat for Energy! This way, you'll need to return occasionally to pick them up.

Build Sustainable Ways to Earn Star Coins

I am terrible at grinding for money or sticking to boring duties just for currency. Thanks to this, I didn't have as many Star Coins as I wanted... until I started using farms (and shops/restaurants, as mentioned above)! This one is a bit more fun and useful, as aside from keeping you stocked up on important ingredients, you also get to build a farmhouse and even invite Wall-E to join you!

The only downside? You're going to need a lot of space. I chose the Sunlight Plateau as my area, as the grass' colour reminds me of Autumn, and the best crops to farm for Star Coins are Pumpkins (thankfully)! This one doesn't require A Rift in Time, but having the DLC makes it much easier because you can use the Ancient Gardener. If you do have it, you can select any level of the glorified sprinklers, but I suggest using the biggest one for the most profit! I also advise you to pick up and plant the crops/seeds yourself to save Mist, but you can just go ahead and automate the whole thing. Since Eternity Isle gives you access to more crops, you can also consider planting Pineapples, Turnips, and/or Ruby Lentils, all of which are great for profit! Alternatively, if you don't mind constantly picking up and planting, Cabbage is a great option, too.

If you don't have the DLC, that's okay — you'll just have to remember to water your plants! That's one of the great things about Pumpkins: they take several hours to grow, so you won't need to be constantly anxious about their growth stagnating. This will offer tons of fun decorating and make you rich in-game in the long run! What's not to love?

Go Out of Your Comfort Zone and Challenge Yourself!

It's easy to become stagnated and lazy in games like Disney Dreamlight Valley. It happened to me with Touch of Magic and Dreamsnaps: I was too lazy to learn how to properly make clothes and furniture, and I would only put effort into the weekly challenge if I cared about the theme! Thankfully, my mom also plays the game, and we urge each other to try out stuff all the time. Now, I love getting new motifs because it means I get to make more backpacks! And if you need some help with inspiration or excitement, there are great communities you can join, such as reddit and Discord! While I don't talk or do much in these groups, I do scroll through them every once in a while to see what everyone's up to and what their opinion is on the latest Dreamlight Valley happenings.

Use Houses as Beautiful Storages

One of the problems I had was that I love a lot of the different Houses you can buy, but I never wanted to make any of them my main one because I like the one I have in the place I have it and how I have it decorated. After a while, it occurred to me: I could place the other Houses around The Valley and Eternity Isle, spruce up their exterior and interior, and then hide chests in them! Now, I use the Fairy's Bloss-hometo store my flowers, Belle's Cottage for crops and seeds, and the Nightmare Castle for gems, among many “beautiful storages”!

This isn't just a great way to avoid ugly storage rooms and challenge you to decorate in different styles: it also makes it easy to populate different biomes with tons of Houses and Disney character homes!

One of my recent favourites was making Prince Eric's Ship a "Gentlemen's Club", where I used all sorts of fancy schmancy furniture to make what I imagined would be a very high-class, private relaxation club for gentlemen to hang out and be chivalrous... Oh, and I store my fish there. But you can make just about anything: a monster hotel, fairy restaurant, Disney-themed coffee shop, a princess hangout, etc. Your imagination is the limit!

Find Your Style of Playing

Last but not least, it's easy to forget that everyone plays differently; my mom and I are like the Sun and the Moon when it comes to Dreamlight Valley! While her areas are mostly empty, mine are filled to the brim; she skips dialogue, I unabashedly roleplay and dress up for the occasion; she constantly changes her outfit, and I am terrible at changing anything ever... the list goes on. Don't be ashamed to make the experience yours! Try role-playing, min-maxing, hoarding, daily missions, automation, decorating... There are many ways to play the game, and the only thing that might be standing between you and fun is how much you let loose and relax. I like role-playing and making stories in my mind when I'm decorating, making sure that every item I place is there for a reason. My mom? She likes using a theme and staying within that limit! It takes a while, but you'll find yourself eventually.

That's all the tips I have for now! I hope this helps you find your love and passion for Disney Dreamlight Valley.