The Animal Crossing: New Horizons update is finally here! While Brewster and the Roost were the focus of the September Direct, we received so much more than just a coffee shop and a well-loved NPC in the announcement.
Along with new items, cooking, and so many more details, Nintendo added a merchant's village to Harv's Island. With this new addition comes plenty of recognizable faces, including the mysterious Katrina, who has been an Animal Crossing staple from the beginning. So, who is Katrina, and what role does she play? Let's look into the crystal ball and find out.
Who is Katrina?
Katrina is Animal Crossing's resident panther. This navy blue big cat is a stereotypical fortune teller, usually spotted wearing a robe, headdress, and gold bangles. Also, her birthday is on Oct. 28. Since the first Animal Crossing title, and likely in New Horizons, her skill is telling fortunes for a small fee.
Depending on the game, the price ranges from 50-500 Bells for a fortune. Katrina will also offer other spooky services, like charms or removing curses for a not-so-small fee. Believe it or not, Katrina's fortunes can actually impact your game, or at least they have in the past.
Fortunes can have various effects. Specific villagers may become more drawn to you or avoid you altogether. You may also find yourself very lucky, receiving unexpected bells and rare items. Other times, the outcome is very unlucky, and you'll fall flat on your face. It's also possible that absolutely nothing willl happen. Your mileage varies depending on Katrina's prediction. You can determine by what she says during the prediction.
If you want to obtain her poster, you can also use her amiibo card; that is, if you can find it.
Unlocking Katrina in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Katrina is here...well, sort of. Despite his laid-back attitude, Harvey has been hard at work, planning his dream project, and Katrina is a part of it. Here's how to unlock the mysterious fortune-teller.
- Boot up Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and head over to the airport. Make sure you have at least 100,000 Bells on you.
- Talk to Orville and select, I want to fly!
- Select Harv's Island.
- When you arrive, Wilbur will let players know that Harvey isn't in his typical spot.
- Head down the new path under the arches, where you will find Harvey chatting with a new NPC, Harriet.Source: iMore
- Harvey will let you know his plan about opening up a Merchant Village, but he needs some funding. With the help of his friends, an army of Lloid gyroids, you can donate funds to bring merchants to the island.
- Head to the lower-left corner and you'll spot a Lloid accepting donations for a mysteriously accurate fortune-teller.
- Pay the 100,000 Bells. Lloid will thank you for your contribution and tell you that he will send off an invite for the new merchant.
- Now, you play the waiting game.
- The next day, check back at Harv's Island and Katrina's shop will be open!
Now you can have your fortune read by the mysterious Katrina! Something to keep in mind before you buy is that you can only purchase one merchant spot a day! So, if Katrina isn't a priority over some other merchants, consider going with one of them first.
What can Katrina do?
Now that you have the mystifying puma, what can she do? Well, she can tell your fortune for a fee. Like other Animal Crossing titles, you can head to Katrina for all of your fortune-telling needs, and she can predict how your day will go. Of course, she'll do so with a bit of flair.
For the price of 1000 Bells, Katrina will predict your luck for the day, or she will reveal your compatibility with another villager. Not too bad if you're trying to collect all those personal photos. But, it's not all good. Sometimes Katrina will predict bad luck, which can affect your game. However, you can pay 10,000 Bells to have the curse removed and Katrina may even send you something should you fork up the dough. Her services are available from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Katrina's predictions
Katrina's skill is both beneficial and hurtful, depending on the outcome. When approached, she'll give you the option to predict your luck for the day or check your friendship with one of your villagers. You can select either option, but you can only do one per day.
Friendships
If you elect to check on your friendships, Katrina will give you a list of villagers to choose from. Your results will depend on how much you've interacted with the villager you pick. If you haven't talked with them or they are new, chances are the bond will be low or just okay.
If you regularly bond with a villager, Katrina will likely tell you that your bond is strong. If Katrina tells you that the bond is strong, that means you're best friends! If your friendship isn't so great, Katrina will offer to strengthen the bond for a crisp 10,000 Bells.
Getting lucky
If you decide to go for luck instead of friendship, there are plenty of other mysterious effects that may befall you. A luck fortune can affect your luck with Belongings, Bells, Friendships, or Health. Just like real luck, it could go both ways, so be wary when you buy in. Your fortune can either improve or diminish with some rather wacky side effects. Here are all the effects of Katrina's fortunes.
Good Luck
| Fortune | Improves |
|---|---|
| Luck with Health | Stamina meter doubles after eating |
| Luck with Friendship | Friendship with random villager increases |
| Luck with Bells | Earn more bells from balloons, shaking trees, money rocks, and glowing spots |
| Luck with Belongings | Obtain rare items from villagers, seashells appear more often, and tools don't break |
Bad Luck
| Fortune | Diminishes |
|---|---|
| Luck with Health | Character will randomly trip, and food stamina is halved |
| Luck with Friendship | Friendship with random villager decreases |
| Luck with Bells | Won't find gold nuggets / Earn fewer bells from balloons and shaking trees / No money rocks and glowing spots |
| Luck with Belongings | Villagers are less likely to sell or give you items, seashells will not appear as often, and gyroids will not appear on Boat Tours |
Don't worry too much if you get a bad fortune — that is, if you have Bells to spare. Katrina will wipe the bad energy for a mere 10,000 Bells, but that's not all! If you shell out the money, you'll be fine and you might get a gift from the mysterious puma the next day. Players can get the following items:
- Gold Turtle
- Horseshoe Door Decoration
- Mini Dharma
- Power Stone
So, it's not all bad. It may be worth the bad fortune if you want to collect them all!
The future looks bright
November is a month full of promise. And now that the update is finally here, we just have to wait for the new Animal Crossing: Happy Home Paradise DLC. Animal Crossing fans will have plenty to do. Just remember, the crystal knows all, and bad times... are just times that are bad.
Your future looks bright!
Grab this series 4 amiibo card and snag a Katrina poster in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Just be wary, as this card is rare. Excercise caution when buying.
