Villagers playing in Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Northern Hemisphere can say goodbye to tarantulas until the fall. However, all is not lost for those who make most of their bells off of bug collecting, as the aggressive little eight-legged jerks will be replaced by the equally mean scorpion.
Tarantulas have been a cash critter for player since the release of New Horizons. Ringing up at 8,000 bells from the Nook boys and 12,000 bells from the bug aficionado, Flick, these arachnids are worth the risk of being bitten. Tarantulas —and their southern hemisphere counterparts, scorpions— are the only critters in the game who will attack villagers if spotted. Starting May, scorpions will replace tarantulas for northern hemisphere players, and vice versa: May will bring tarantulas to the southern hemisphere and shoo away any lingering scorpions.
Other than the significant cash out, catching a tarantula—or three, if you’re looking to get a model commissioned by Flick—tonight will be the last chance to log this specimen into the Critterpedia for the next seven months. These hemisphere-specific creatures don’t appear when there are visitors on your island, so even if you have an opposite hemisphere hook-up, there’s no way to get them once they’re gone.
With one night left in tarantula season, it might be time to cash in some of those Nook miles for a mystery island tour. Tarantula farming on mystery islands could be the best last ditch effort players have for stuffing their pockets with thousands of bells worth of livestock. But don’t stress too much! Luckily, scorpions are nearly identical to the tarantula in price, spawning windows, and locations. You’ll still be able to get rich off bug-catching.
While it might have been nice to have an actual break from killer bugs between the hours of 7pm and 4am instead of just a critter switch, New Horizons completionists will be one step closer to finishing off their museums and Critterpedia.
Tarantula season will end at approximately 5am on May 1st, so don’t wait if you’re still on the search for a furry arachnid that thirsts for your blood.
