Pandora Island - Hard Mode

[Mistaqua]

I was recently browsing Youtube since I had fallen into another gaming rut and found the posted rules for NintenTalk's hard mode challenge. I love challenges of all kinds, so I decided to give this a try. This will be just a quick post to add some personal accountability (I'm a chronic resetter) so that I commit to this run! I only just set it up during my lunch break, so I'm not far at all. My two starting villagers are Hamlet and Muffy. I don't love or hate either of them, so it's a nice, blank slate. I got a green airport, apples, and mums. I plan to stick pretty consistently to the rules with a few tweaks/exceptions, especially since I don't plan on attending any weekly flea markets. I'm so excited to start this, and I'll post an official day 1 report sometime soon!

 

[Mistaqua]

Pandora - Days 1–2

Howdy! I'm back with news from Pandora. Here's my starting map. My villagers are rerolled, meaning I'll have to get both of their pictures before letting them go. Just fine with me!

I plan on putting my house back in the cove near the waterfall, but for now, it's next to the beach for a lovely view. I decided to time travel a little bit, just to get through the first few days of starter stuff. I set up the museum and shop, but from this point forward I'll be flowing with real time!

Yesterday, the day of love, was also dear Muffy's birthday. After a quick stretching session and doing the daily tasks, I headed over to her house where she and Hamlet were celebrating. Luckily I had gotten a dandy hat from a balloon or something earlier, so I was able to give her a proper present. She looked thrilled! I always love seeing a villager celebrate a birthday, and seeing it so soon into this playthrough was really fun.

That night after an evening stretch session, I was pleased to find that there was a meteor shower going on! I've been getting extremely lucky! It was just a light one, but I wished on the few stars that flew by and knew that good things were in store. This has been so fun and has already challenged me to play in ways I normally don't! I can't wait to see what else is in store and continue to have a blast here on Pandora.

That's all for now! See you next time~

 

[Mistaqua]

Pandora - Day 3

Just a quick little update with some fun, nighttime pictures! Leif was in town today, so I was able to buy a ton of flowers, shrubs, and (most importantly) crops using the money I've saved from all my diving. That adds another task to my daily to-dos, watering these carrots to ensure I get a full harvest!

I set up all my crops in an out-of-the-way spot on top of a cliff, and even took the time to set up some flower breeding spots around the island. One of my goals for this island is to get all the different hybrids, including golden roses and lilies of the valley. Because I had extra camellia shrubs, I did a little bit of landscaping around my house to give myself a little "yard". This isn't the final place I want my house, so I didn't go too hard, but it does look nicer (apart from the bug hoard, of course).

I also was able to work on and finish all three housing plots under the beautiful aurora borealis that happened to be out. Our neighbors should start moving in today; I can't wait to see them! I checked the signs to see who's moving in. I of course got Drago and Poppy, who I scouted on mystery islands. My auto-fill peppy was Rosie, which I am thrilled about! We're going to have a diverse group of faces on my island, and I can't wait!

Speaking of neighbors, Muffy actually asked me to do a little game with her while I was out running errands. I've played this game a fair amount of hours, but this was the first time I've ever done a treasure hunt with a villager! It was not too hard and very cute; my prize was a shirt I can't wear (some kind of jersey, I believe), but I cared more about the friendship with Muffy than the prize itself. She also requested that I catch her a sea bass later that night. That birthday friendship boost must have been massive for her to already have so many tasks for me to do! I have mixed feelings about that. Faster friendship is good because I'll get her photo sooner, but that also means she'll be allowed to leave sooner. She may look a bit like a dead victorian child (no judgment, you do you Muffy), but I really like the gothic aesthetic combined with the sisterly personality.

Anyway, that's all for now. I might take a break from posting for a couple of days since it will be slow with the three villagers moving in. If anything major happens, I'll be sure to let y'all know, though!

 

[Mistaqua]

Pandora - Days 4–5

Hello! Quick weekend update and lots of pictures. Today the last of the three new neighbors moved in, and Tom Nook announced that tomorrow they will be upgrading the town hall! So, I thought an update was in order before we say goodbye to the last tent on the island.

Two nights ago I was pleased to find Wisp floating about on the island. It was super late and I was just about to go to bed for the night when I spotted him. I was so thrilled! I chose to take an expensive reward since my catalog is so scarce, and he gifted me with a den desk. It's lovely! My house looks like a thrift shop right now, but when I get my life together I'm sure it will have a nice place in the front room or something.

Yesterday was fairly busy. Rosie moved in, and I spent the majority of my time running around trying to catch all the bugs, fish, and sea creatures I can during this time of year. I want to finish the collections as soon as I can.

In my quest, I was finally able to snag a stringfish. I was super relieved because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to catch one without using a Nook miles island. If you recall, my island is laid out in such a way that there are no rivers/waterfalls on the very top level. I had read conflicting information online, with some saying you can only catch them on that tippy-top level and other sources saying the second level is fine as well. I'm here to confirm, you can catch them on the second level, even if you don't have a third-level waterfall above it!

After all that, I found Celeste! I was so happy to have another light meteor shower, but I was even more excited to get the star wand recipe from the cute owlet. I set up some outfits purely to help keep my storage clear.

I know today isn't technically through so I haven't included it in the day count, but I simply had to share this picture of Drago admiring the koi in the museum. He may look a bit scary, but I think he's so sweet and unique~

Anyway, that's all for now. Talk to you next time, and have a lovely rest of your weekend!