"Is this Bad Luck or Am I Doing it Wrong?"- the Story of a Girl Trying to Get a Villager Out 😒

[Hoosker]

I am seriously at my wit's end at this point...
I'm trying to free up a plot to welcome Erik on to my island hopefully later today. All 10 of my villagers are loved and adorable, but I'm ready for some fresh faces at this point.
My plan of action has been to get photos from the select few villagers I'm willing to let go before I let them move out and display them in a cute place on my island.

So Fauna and Stitches have given me their photos, and Marina is close. I figured my odds are pretty good of getting one of them to ask to move out to free up this spot for Erik- BOY have I been wrong!
I've been TTing to get one of them to ask to move for over a day now. My method is to get to a day where there's a thought bubble, then TT one day forward at a time from there until the thought bubble moves to a villager I want. I've started a conversation a couple of times with the thinking villager and then immediately closed the game just to make sure they're really wanting to move.

Fauna, Stitches, and Marina have ALL had the thought bubble 1-2 times each today using this method, yet EVERY time I get excited and talk to them, they aren't actually moving... They just want a new greeting, or have some item to give me or something and I am OVER it. haha
I really don't understand how my other villagers (who I mostly also have high friendship with) are consistently asking to move, but the exact 2 or 3 that I WANT to move are not cooperating!!

I genuinely want to know- am I missing something here? Is there any ingame logic to why they sometimes ask to move and sometimes give you clothing? Or is this just terrible luck? I'd love to hear your stories of stubborn villagers to make me feel better.

 

[mermaidshelf]

That must be so frustrating! I use the same method and eventually I get the villager I want out. I'm wondering if now that they're at the highest level, it's harder for them to move out? I'm not sure because I haven't reached that point with any of the villagers I wanted to move out yet. I would love to see data on that

 

[Hoosker]

That must be so frustrating! I use the same method and eventually I get the villager I want out. I'm wondering if now that they're at the highest level, it's harder for them to move out? I'm not sure because I haven't reached that point with any of the villagers I wanted to move out yet. I would love to see data on that

It's maddening. Definitely a cure for the sadness I feel for letting them go.

But exactly! That's what I'm wondering... I had always heard that which villagers ask to move is random, and not impacted by friendship level, but after doing this I'm starting to wonder...
Also- Marina's smug face after I give her her 100th gift and she gives me an ugly sweater in return instead of her photo is driving me crazy as well. hahaha

 

[mermaidshelf]

It's maddening. Definitely a cure for the sadness I feel for letting them go.

But exactly! That's what I'm wondering... I had always heard that which villagers ask to move is random, and not impacted by friendship level, but after doing this I'm starting to wonder...
Also- Marina's smug face after I give her her 100th gift and she gives me an ugly sweater in return instead of her photo is driving me crazy as well. hahaha

Your post made me curious so I did some research.
According to Ninji's Twitter, as of the update in 1.2.0, the friendship level does affect it slightly! You were right!

https://twitter.com/x/status/1265341727310860290

The villager the game chooses is random but the higher the friendship level, the lower the chance but it's not a big change, from what I understand.

 

[maria110]

I always have bad luck getting the correct ones to move.

 

[coldpotato]

Oh noo it really is frustrating isn't it? I swear there are some villagers that, no matter how long I try they will not get the wanting to move thought bubble! I almost lost my mind TT day by day for around 6 months in game, getting trolled over and over by thought bubbles until I just gave up and decided to use an amiibo. The last few villagers I tried to move out I've had this same bad luck.

 

[Serabee]

From my experience, friendship level seems to play a very small role. Honestly it's mostly luck.

My tip is- DON'T talk to them. Just keep going forward a day and, if the one you want has a bubble, talk to them and hope it's 'cause they want to move. It won't always be, though. I've found sometimes, instead of a moving bubbles, I get the new greeting or catchphrase or whatever bubble. But you just gotta keep trying until you get lucky.

 

[JemAC]

I feel your pain with trying to get the right one to move out, I left my game too long when Marina moved out and she got replaced by Bertha, not awful but not someone I wanted so I did the same and TT'd to a thought bubble and kept moving it one day forward. A whole day I did this and Bertha never got a thought bubble, in the end I agreed to let Beau leave as I had his photo and then the next time I tried to kick Bertha she got a thought bubble really quickly and has now moved out. Hopefully you get some luck soon with yours and the right one opts to move.

 

[JKDOS]

I've read the newest villager to move in will never ask to leave. Could this be the case for you?

 

[Flicky]

I feel ya! Yesterday, I wanted to get a new villager in having obtained everyone's photos. Decided to TT a bit. First villager to request his leave? Hamlet, a permanent resident. Tried again, he wanted to leave again. Then, Audie, another permanent. Eventually I did get someone to leave (Anabelle) using the 'forward 15 days, look for a thought bubble and forward 1 day if there isn't anyone' method. Did work, but took longer than the 5 day max the guide specified.

Hopefully you'll get the villager out soon!