The Nook Miles feature is one of the coolest additions to the latest rendition of Animal Crossing. It offers an alternative form of currency that offers a slew of neat new items, flair, and additional terraforming features. It's also a sort of achievement system, as players are incentivized to knock out various tasks, which can be viewed through a convenient in-game app.
Though there's quite a list of neat and practical items to obtain, Nook Miles aren't exactly easy to come by. Even if many are obtained at once, it's pretty easy to burn through several at once, given how many assets can be bought with them - and occasionally rebought.
This list will highlight 5 of the best things to spend Nook Miles on, in addition to those that probably aren't worth shelling out for. The main focus will be practical items versus those that aren't - though the fun decorative flair won't be left out either.
10 Not Worth It: Wind Turbine
For something that costs 4,000 Miles, one would think that NH would offer something a little more exciting or dazzling than a relatively plain wind turbine.
In fairness, it does come with the rather neat gimmick of spinning - ever-so-slowly. And it could perhaps make for a nice centerpiece for a farm or garden. Really though, there's a myriad of neat-looking items to pick up over this, even when it comes to power-generating mechanisms (solar panel).
9 Buy: Bell Voucher
As it happens, NH allows players with excess Nook Miles - or those seeking to make a quick buck - to convert some of those Miles into Bells.
This is a valuable feature, not just because they're unlimited, but because of the nice exchange rate. A mere 500 Miles will convert directly to 3,000 Bells, which can add up quite quickly if bought in bundles. Unfortunately, the lack of an ability to buy in bulk means it'll be a bit cumbersome to make a lot off of them at once. Still, it's certainly worth picking up at least a few at a time and pawning them at Nook's Cranny.
8 Not Worth It: Customizable Phone Case Kit
Sleek phone cases can be fun in the real world - though in the virtual realm of NH they can feel somewhat pointless.
Sure, this allows you to spruce up your phone, but given how small the phone model is in-game, it's a rather underwhelming visual. Add the fact that the 1,800 Miles purchase is a single-time use, and that you need to wait an entire day to get it in the mail, and suddenly this just doesn't seem worth it. Those who are artistically inclined and enjoy drawing custom images may find something of value out of it, but for the rest - the word "meh" comes to mind.
7 Buy: Nook Miles Ticket
Along with the Nook Miles feature itself, another fun addition to NH is the ability to venture to the unknown terrain of Mystery islands via Mystery tour flights. To initiate this, simply purchase a Nook Miles ticket for the reasonable asking price of 2,000 Miles.
Though it may seem a tad steep given this is the cost of a single trip, these island getaways usually prove quite fruitful - both in the literal and figurative sense. Not only can valuable exotic fruit be had in abundance, but players also have the chance to mine for additional resources, catch rare fish/bugs, and even recruit a new villager.
6 Not Worth It: Robot Hero DIY Kit
In addition to offering items directly, the Nook Stop machine also provides a slew of DIY recipes that can be purchased. Some of these have the novelty factor or cheap price that makes them arguably worth the investment. It also helps that you obtain these recipes immediately, versus the items that take a day to arrive in the mail.
Yet, at least one of these DIY items comes with a price and a few hurdles that aren't quite worth the investment.
In addition to the already-steep 5,000 Bells required just to get the recipe, it's also not easy to craft the actual robot. This includes 30 Rusted parts (obtained by helping Gulliver), 10 coveted Gold Nuggets, 1 Gold Armor, 1 Rocket, and a whopping 90 Iron Nuggets.
5 Buy: Street Lamp
It might seem simple on the one hand, yet the Street Lamp makes for a pretty cool item to buy relatively early on in NH. It not only looks nice, but it comes relatively cheap at only 1,000 Nook Miles. It also acts as a nice compliment to a building or alongside a road. On top of this, there's at least a slight practical element to it as well, as it offers a subtle, but nice-looking light source in the evening hours.
4 Not Worth It: Teacup Ride
It's a pretty well-known fact to most NH fans that most of the items available have a limited interactive element - if it has one at all. This even includes something like the Teacup ride, which certainly looks as if one would be able to hop in for a quick carnival ride. But alas - it turns out this is just a deception, which is a shame given the pretty steep price tag of 5,000 Nook Miles.
But hey, at least it plays some whimsical music and spins around.
3 Buy: Stone Path
The ability to terraform one's island is one of the more significant and enjoyable milestones in NH. A couple of abilities are available from the offset, including the ability to lay down a dirt path. In addition, players are given the chance to invest in a handful of other features, including the ability to add and subtract to cliffs.
One of the best to get early on though - especially given its price - is the stone path. It's both aesthetically pleasing and cheap, coming in at just 2,000 Nook Miles. It's a pretty versatile look that tends to look nice in just about any theme or setting.
2 Not Worth It: Silo DIY Kit
Though this DIY kit comes at a cost fairly cheaper than the aforementioned Robot, it's still hard to justify the 3,000 Miles asking price. While it's a fair bit easier to craft than the Robot, it still requires a decent amount of resources itself. Not only this, but it's not exactly the most visually-appealing design aside from being the centerpiece of a farm setting.
If a tower-esque object is what you're looking for - the lighthouse makes for a far more visually-dazzling building.
1 Buy: Waterscaping Permit
Remember those ridiculously-priced bridges that can be built by talking to Nook? The ones that cost roughly 100,000 Bells at the least? Well, those will thankfully be a thing of the past upon unlocking terraforming.
Waterscaping, in particular, is an ability that should be prioritized. It'll allow you to essentially craft infinite bridges to your heart's content. Though the 6,000 Miles price might seem a bit high, it's well worth the investment in the end.