Animal Crossing's Redd The Art Dealer -- Here's How He Works In New Horizons

The 1.2.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is live, introducing a batch of new additions like the botanical merchant Leif and activities to celebrate Nature Day. One such addition is Redd the art dealer. Here's how he the sneaky fox works his scams.

Redd's role in the Animal Crossing economy is to sell artwork and sculptures out of his shop, which is now a seafaring vessel called the Jolly Redd. Some of his artwork will be genuine masterpieces you may recognize from art class, while others will be forgeries. Your job is to suss out which ones are the real deal and purchase them so they can be donated to the museum, which will open a new art wing once you donate your first piece.

In New Horizons, Redd seems to show up the day after you talk with Blathers about opening a new wing of the museum dedicated to fine art. You'll know when he appears in your town, because Isabelle will mention a shady character in the morning announcements. His ship will be docked in the private beach on the northern side of your island, but you can find him wandering by himself. At first he'll offer a piece of art for an absurd price of 498,000 bells, which you have no choice but to refuse. Then he'll offer it for a more reasonable 4,980 bells, and you can accept it and donate the art to the museum. This will open the museum's art wing. After that he'll mention plans to use his ship as a showroom.

In the previous Animal Crossing game, New Leaf, forged artwork would have some noticeable cosmetic distinction from the real artwork, so your knowledge of art history (or Google Image search savvy) could help you determine which ones are real. Redd would only let you purchase one item per day, and he would send the item to your mailbox rather than giving it to you directly. This made shopping at Redd's a treasure hunt for the genuine article among the forgeries. The fake pieces of artwork were their own collectible item as well, which aren't useful for museum donations.

The latest update also introduces Leif, who sells lawn and garden items and will purchase your weeds for an inflated price, and Nature Day activities that give you bonus Nook Miles. For whatever reason this was also accompanied by a note from Nintendo that bank interest rates have been lowered. For more details check out the full patch notes.