Navigating the May Day Maze in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The latest update to Animal Crossing: New Horizons brings an exciting event called May Day. This event allows players to celebrate the hard work they’ve put into their islands. Tom Nook has organized the May Day Maze as a way for players to participate and collect various items. From May 1st to May 7th, players can explore the maze and uncover all the island’s treasures. Let’s dive into how you can take part in this event and successfully navigate the maze.

How to Access the May Day Maze

On May 1st, when players log into the game, Isabelle will direct them to visit Tom Nook in Residential Services. There, Tom Nook will inform players about the May Day Ticket available at the airport. This ticket grants access to an island specially designed by Tom for players to explore. However, only one ticket is available, and players won’t be able to return to the island once they leave. The May Day Ticket will take players to a unique themed island unlike any other in the Mystery Tours.

After speaking with Tom Nook, players should head to the airport. Orville, the airport attendant, will mention the May Day Ticket reserved for the player. Choosing the “I want to Fly” option will present the opportunity to use the May Day Ticket, similar to visiting other mystery islands. It’s important to note that players don’t need to worry about the items they’re carrying because Orville will take all of them. To fully explore the island and the surprises Tom Nook has prepared, it’s essential to have no items in hand and embark on the adventure alone.

Understanding the May Day Maze

The May Day Maze covers the entire island, except for the beaches. Hedges, rocks, trees, and bushes block the players’ path, making it challenging to navigate. The main objective is to explore the entire maze, collect all the goodies, and meet Rover at the end. Without any tools, this task may appear difficult. However, players will find useful items, tools, and supplies throughout the island to aid in their progress. Clever resource management is key to unlocking all the island’s rewards.

Players can restart the maze at any point if they feel they made a wrong decision or want to change their strategy. To do this, simply use the in-game phone and request rescue services to return to the beginning of the island. However, keep in mind that using this service will remove all the items already found, requiring players to collect them again.

May Day Maze Walkthrough

If you’re having trouble finding your way through the maze and collecting all the items, here’s a walkthrough to help you out:

At the maze entrance, grab the shovel. Ignore the shrubs to the left and instead dig up the shrub near the tree on the left, obtaining a single fruit. Eat the fruit, then dig up the tree blocking your path.
Move towards the small gaps and jump across two of them. Head left and cross another small gap to retrieve a tree branch. Proceed down and across two more gaps, leading to a series of holes with three tree branches, one stone, and a Worn Axe. Note that the Worn Axe will break after three uses.
Armed with the axe, jump back across the gaps while moving up and left to reach the top-left corner of the maze. A tree stands in the way of two more fruits and another tree branch. Chop down the tree (the axe will break), and collect the fruit and tree branch. Then, head right to the right side of the map, where you’ll find three pieces of wood that need to be collected.
After picking up the wood, return to the top-left corner of the maze, then move down and right to the location where you gathered the three branches. From there, jump down across the leftmost gap to discover a rock. Eat a fruit and break the rock with the shovel, allowing you to collect an iron piece. Don’t eat the last fruit or dig up the tree yet; leave it for later.
With the iron in hand, head back to the right, go up and left across a gap until you find the middle of the maze. Jump right across three gaps to reach another rock. Use a second fruit to break the rock, then move down and find another fruit below. Eat one fruit, dig up the tree at the bottom-left, and access a DIY workbench.
Utilize the tree branches and stones found to create a Flimsy Axe. Upgrade the Flimsy Axe to a regular Axe using the three pieces of wood and one iron nugget you’ve gathered. Now equipped with a strong axe, return to the middle of the maze and chop down the tree obstructing access to the two fruits. However, resist the temptation to eat these fruits just yet.
Once you’ve collected the fruits, move right across three gaps towards the area where you previously gathered the three pieces of wood. Cross to the left side of the maze. Upon reaching the top-left corner again, move down and right to the location with the three gaps. Jump down across the leftmost gap, where you found the iron nugget and tree blocking the way.
Use the strong axe to chop down the tree. Proceed to find another fruit. By now, you should have three fruits in your inventory. Save them for later and continue past the last three trees. Instead of eating the fruit, chop down the trees one by one. There’s enough space between each tree to allow continuous chopping. Sit on the stump, slide to the empty spot, stand up, and chop down the next tree. Preserve the fruits for collecting the final treasures on the island.
Once you’ve passed all the trees, a path will lead you to Rover! Speak with Rover, and he will reward you with a May Day Prize.
After conversing with Rover, don’t exit the island just yet. Instead, dig up the shrub near Rover to collect four Bell Vouchers. Then, dig up a few more shrubs above Rover. Run across the top of the maze and head down to the far-left beach. There, you’ll encounter three giant rocks blocking the path to five more Bell Vouchers. Now, you’ll need to eat the three remaining fruits. Consume them and break the three rocks hindering your way. This will enable you to collect all the prizes on the island.
To complete the island, dig up the shrubs along the bottom to get back to Wilber. Remember to manually return rather than using rescue services to avoid losing your items and starting over.