What are Tools in Animal Crossing? This is one of the basic elements of the game where your Villager will require tools in order to do some tasks such as gathering resources. Tools have limited uses and they’ll break eventually. There are 6 tools that can be broken, while two are permanent items.
So how do you unlock tools in the game? After you have finished your arrival day, head directly to Tom Nook by going to Resident Services. He’ll be holding a workshop for you in order for you to learn how to create your own DIY Recipe items.
Once the tools have been unlocked, you can craft them through the Work Bench. By default, you’ll learn basic tools which provides “Flimsy” versions. These tend to break quickly so you’ll have to upgrade them eventually. There are also tools what do not break. You'll learn new versions later on that have higher durability. Also, you can purchase tools directly at the Shop for bells if you do not want to craft them.
There are tools that you can get right away after completing the DIY workshop, while there are other tools that will be provided to you as you progress through the game. Here is the list of tools that you can get:
Tool | Function |
---|---|
Axe | Used for chopping trees. You can get Wood, Softwood, and Hardwood. Trees can also be cut down into stumps if you use a stronger Axe. |
Fishing Rod | Used to catch Fish and other aquatic creatures. You can use the Fishing Rod at rivers, river mouths ponds, the ocean, the sea, and above cliffs near water. |
Net | Used to catch Insects and other critters. The specimens that you find can be donated to the Museum, added for display, or be sold at the Shop |
Shovel | Used for digging cracks on the ground for Fossils, digging holes for planting, removing tree stumps, and hitting rocks for Stone, Clay, Iron Nugget, and Gold Nugget |
Watering Can | Used to water Flowers and seeds to let them flourish. This prevents flowers from wilting or drying out, and it helps promote growth. |
Slingshot | Used to shoot down Balloons that are carrying presents. There will be instances where items are floating around and you’ll have to pin them down in order to get them. |
Vaulting Pole | An unbreakable item, this lets you jump across rivers or bodies of water between land. It’s useful for navigating your Island if you don’t have access to a Bridge. |
Ladder | An unbreakable item, this is used to climb land that are on higher ground. This is used if you do not have the capability to construct steps yet. |
What is the Tool Ring? This is a feature that you can learn when redeeming Nook Miles. This provides you with a shortcut for up to 8 tools. Pressing up on your D-Pad will bring up the tool ring and you can assign which tools are in rotation. Purchase “Tool Ring: It’s Essential!” for 800 Nook Miles in order to learn it.
Aside from the Slingshot, Vaulting Pole, and Ladder, the rest of the tools that you have start off as Flimsy versions. This means that after some use, your items will break. Tools can be upgraded in order for you to have more durability.
In order for you to craft better tools, you’ll need to learn a new Recipe for them. You can purchase the “Pretty Good Tools Recipes” from the Nook Miles Redemption section of the Nook Stop for 3000 Nook Miles+. Once you have learned the recipes, you can convert your Flimsy tools to better versions.
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