Do you need help acquiring a shovel in the Animal Crossing New Horizon (ACNH)? No worries, as you are at the right place where you will get complete guidance on unlocking the Shovel. Not only will you learn to unlock tricks, but you will also see the crafting knowledge of different types of shovels, which is available in the game as well as with the upgraded version.
Actually, the Shovel is one of the five main tools in the ACNH game that you can utilize to gather items and shape the world around you. It is also used for other purposes such as digging up fossils and money, mining or destroying rocks, uprooting trees, and planting flowers.
Apart from its worth, you have to earn your first Shovel in New Horizon, which may take a little time. Then, you need to craft it after a few days on your journey. So, move to the next section to see how you will get all the three types of shovels: Flimsy Shovel, The Shovel, and the Golden Shovel.
How to Craft a Flimsy Shovel
To craft a Flimsy Shovel, you will need five pieces of hardwood, which you can get by hitting trees with an axe. When you hit the trees with an axe, they drop three types of wood. Among them, hardwood seems the darkest in color.
Here is another way to get Flimsy Shovel. That is, when you unlock the museum and clear your first loan, then you can talk to Timmy and Tommy about constructing the Nook’s Cranny store. From there, you can purchase new Flimsy Shovels for 800 bells whenever you like from the Nook’s Cranny Store.
Upgrade Your Flimsy Shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Unlike other Flimsy tools, the Flimsy Shovel is pretty brittle, and you can only use it 40 times before it breaks down. But if you want something long-lasting, then you will need to upgrade it into a Shovel. So, you can get the crafting recipe for the Shovel at Resident Services from the Nook Stop Kiosk. Then, purchase the Pretty Good Tools pack for 3000 Nook Miles, and you will get DIY recipes for all the upgraded tools like stone axes, Shovels, fishing rods, axes, nets, and watering cans.
However, you will need one iron nugget and a Flimsy Shovel to craft a Shovel. It means that each Shovel you make will last about 100 times as long as the flimsy version, so make it twice as strong. In contrast to Flimsy Shovels, regular Shovels are unavailable from Nook’s Cranny, at least not in the beginning. Hence, the Shovel is considered an excellent tool for several reasons. Because they are used for digging fossils, planting stuff, and more. So, start crafting as soon as possible.
Craft a Shovel in ACNH
Like most tools in New Horizons, you can get your first Shovel by crafting it. Initially, it would be best if you fetched the museum curator, Blathers, to your island to get the crafting recipe. Briefly, you can craft your first Shovel by donating five bugs or fish to Tom Nook.
At that moment, he will provide you with a spot to set the museum, and then Blathers will give you a recipe for a Shovel. This will allow you to craft it at any time you want. Hence, when you speak to Blathers, he will provide you with two crafting DIY recipes:
- One is for the Vaulting Pole.
- The other one is for the Flimsy Shovel.
How to Buy an Upgraded Shovel in Animal Crossing
When you build Nook’s Cranny in the beginning, they will only sell Flimsy tools. But if you upgrade the shop, they will start selling Colorful, Outdoorsy, and Printed items, which are as durable as upgraded tools. So, you need to hit a few milestones to open these tools at Nook’s Cranny:
- Nook’s Cranny Store has to be open for at least 30 days.
- You have to earn a total of 200,000 Bells at the shop.
- Moreover, Mabel needs to open her shop in front of Resident Services at least once.
The last requirement seems a little bit confusing, but not much. Hence, when you build the Nook’s Cranny Store, the seamstress Mabel will visit to converse with Timmy and Tommy. Then, she will come randomly once a week in front of the Resident Services building to vend clothes. Hence, she has to visit at least once to upgrade Nook’s Cranny Store.
So, when you fill up all these goals, Isabelle will state in her announcement that the Nook’s Cranny is upgraded. However, the renovation will take a whole day, but once they are finished. You can purchase an Outdoorsy, Colorful, or Printed Shovel for 2500 bells.
Unlock a Golden Shovel in Animal Crossing
The Golden Tools were extremely rare items in earlier times, and you can only earn them after finishing a major mission. For example, to unlock the Golden Shovel: New Leaf, you need to purchase 50 bags of fertilizer from Lei’s Gardening Store. Thus, you can only get one per save file.
However, the Golden Tools are a bit less rare in New Horizons. But when you get the crafting recipe, you can get as many as you want. Though, earning the crafting recipe takes some work. So, you have to help out Gulliver the seagull 30 times to unlock the Golden Shovel crafting recipe in New Horizons. By chance, Gulliver emerges on your island’s shoreline after being knocked unconscious.
Thus, when you coordinate with him, he asks you to search out five missing parts of his broken communication device. However, you can search for these missing parts buried along the shoreline. Therefore, dig them up with your Shovel and return them to him. Hence, whenever you help out Gulliver, he will send you a special present the next day. As a result, when you assist him 30 times, he will mail you a crafting recipe for the Golden Shovel.
The specialty of the Golden Shovel is twice as durable as the regular Shovel, lasting for about 200 uses. Hence, you will need a shovel and a gold nugget to craft it. So, you can find gold nuggets by striking rocks around the town with a shovel or axe. Every time you have to strike a rock, there is a one-percent chance that a gold nugget will pop out.
Final Words
Sometimes, you get stuck in a game, but there are tricks to solve your hurdle. Similarly, as you may know, the Shovel is extremely important in Animal Crossing. But earning it appears to be a little difficult, but not impossible.
So hopefully, the above knowledge regarding the Shovel is worthwhile. You can easily craft or upgrade multiple shovels in Animal Crossing. So, enjoy the game and let us know which type of Shovel you like in the comment box.