The major appeal of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the social aspect, allowing players to visit friends without ever having to leave the comfort of their home. Players can pick up their belongings and travel to a new island, designed and owned by their friend, and hang out with them amongst the fruit trees and residential houses.
When visiting a friend, there are certain things you can do on their island and certain things that you can but probably shouldn't — or at least ask first.
10 Usually Okay: Picking Native Fruit
Each island has native fruit, assigned at the start of the game. It grows there on its own and is easy to acquire for the person on the island.
Chances are if you pick a few of your friend's native fruit, they're not going to be too mad about it — it's easy for them to get, after all. If you're struggling to get some pears and your friend has hundreds of them, take a few back to your own island and plant them.
9 Bad: Taking ALL The Fruit (Especially Non-Native)
It's a good idea not to take lots of the fruit and leave their trees bare. If the fruit you're taking is non-native, then you should definitely ask first. If it took your friend a long time to get oranges and you go around collecting every orange on their island when they didn't want you to, they're probably not going to invite you back.
8 Usually Okay: Picking Some Flowers
If there are a ton of flowers on the island, and you have a recipe for a flower crown you've been dying to use, then chances are it's fine to pick some. If you pick some flowers, they'll regrow within a few days, so it should be no problem for you to take some home.
You might want to ask first, just in case, especially if there aren't many around.
7 Bad: Digging Up Flowers Without Asking
Although picking flowers is usually fine since they regrow, it's not the best idea to whip out your shovel and start digging them up to replant them on your own island — unless your friend gives you permission, of course. Digging them up means they'll no longer regrow on the friend's island, and the whole plant will come with you.
Fortunately, only those marked as best friends can dig on a friend's island, so you don't have to worry about people doing this to you.
6 Usually Okay: Picking Up Dropped Items
Often, friends like to leave gifts on each other's islands. If someone drops something next to you and runs off, they probably weren't just littering the ground — it's a gift for you!
The exception to this is if they drop it so they can pick up something else. Then, chances are their pockets were full and they were just making room.
5 Bad: Leaving Without Saying Goodbye
When you're leaving the island, make sure to hit the right trigger and leave a message to say you're leaving. Regardless of whether you're next to your friend or not, they'll see the message. Like leaving any social situation, it's just common courtesy to say goodbye rather than make a quick exit.
4 Usually Okay: Catching Common Bugs
If you're on a friend's island and there's a common butterfly or dragonfly, it's probably okay to whip out your net to catch it.
These butterflies and dragonflies are found on pretty much every island, and constantly respawn every time you enter and leave a building. Your friend — especially if they have an established island — shouldn't be too worried about losing too much of these, especially since they aren't worth many Bells.
3 Bad: Catching Rare Bugs
It might be a different story if a tarantula pops up though — or any rare bug worth a few thousand bells. Your friend technically owns it, as it's on their island, so they should be given first dibs in catching it.
Of course, you might have a super nice friend, they might tell you to go ahead.
2 Usually Okay: Fishing
If you've brought a fishing rod along for the trip, it's probably fine to cast it in the river or the ocean and see what bites. Unlike bugs, it's probably fine to keep whatever you catch, since you couldn't exactly tell what you were casting the rod in for.
1 Bad: Hitting Rocks Without Asking
Rocks spawn on islands a limited amount. From these, you can get stones, clay, iron nuggets, gold nuggets, and even straight bells! While this is pretty awesome, it's bad etiquette to start purging your friend's island of rocks since there aren't a lot of them — especially if you get the money rock, which will shoot straight bells. If you need clay, stone, etc., it's a better idea to purchase a Nook Miles ticket and head to different islands and have a look. These materials are rarer than the different types of wood.