Wave 1 of the two-part summer update has finally been released for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Players who eagerly dove into the ocean with the introduction of diving and swimming, are now also encountering the philosophical red otter, Pascal.

Originally introduced in Wild World, Pascal is a thoughtful red sea otter known for roaming the waters (or "the one connected sea," as he calls it) and handing out rare, often mermaid-themed, items. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, island-dwellers will be able to meet Pascal by swimming in the ocean once they've downloaded and installed the July 3 update.

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Pascal is found swimming in the ocean, so players hoping to meet him will need to equip themselves with a new wetsuit and head for the beaches. While facing shore (or on the edge of a dock), hit the A button to begin wading through the water and into the ocean. Once out and about, swimmers will notice an occasional stream of bubbles floating up to the surface - this signals the presence of a sea creature. Players should hit Y while swimming over the bubbles to dive underwater for the creature. In this case, players should be on the lookout for nothing but Scallops.

new horizons pascal

Scallops are Pascal's absolute favorite treat, so much so that he'll trade players valuable items for them. While some island secrets are a bit more elusive, to meet Pascal for the first time, players simply need to find a Scallop. Some players are noting that Pascal does not come meet them, despite finding a Scallop - this occurs when a player's inventory is full. If a player's inventory is full when they collect a Scallop, then Pascal will not appear. Players should simply clear some space in their inventory, then return to the ocean and find another Scallop.

Pascal will only appear for islanders once per day, but he will visit regardless of other island guests, like Celeste. After greeting players, Pascal will offer them a reward for their Scallop (regardless of the total amount of Scallops in their inventory). This reward can range from DIY recipes for the Mermaid Series of items, to mermaid-themed clothing, to the rare pearls needed to craft mermaid DIYs. As a cute touch, players can also follow alongside Pascal as he swims away from their island, eating the traded Scallop.

Given the long list of features included with the July 3 patch, players have a good deal of re-discovering to do on their islands. Islanders will surely keep busy with the addition of sea creatures and beloved characters, like Pascal, but nonetheless, fans anxiously await the re-introduction of other missing features, like Brewster's coffee shop. Although the gradual release of gameplay elements helps keep the game fresh, it's understandably frustrating to know that developers are withholding existing, desired, features, for the sake of money.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Switch.

MORE: Animal Crossing: New Horizons July Update Patch Notes Reveal All The Changes

Source: Eurogamer