How to Make a Shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Mining, digging, planting, you name it. These are only a fraction of what you can do with a shovel at your disposal in Animal Crossing New Horizons. The tool is an integral part of the game, so you need to make one be able to gather and shape the world around you.
Thankfully, the game gives you an option to buy one outright as you progress in the main campaign, but you’ll have to craft one yourself at the Workbench if it’s your first shovel. The step-by-step guide in this article will help you simplify the process, so keep reading to find out how to make a shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
How to Craft a Shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Starting the game on a new island and with a new character comes with its challenges, but the NPC Tom Nook is always at your beck and call to give you a soft landing. You’ll be able to craft a shovel in Animal Crossing New Horizons once you’ve completed the following processes:
- Tom Nook, whom you can find at the Resident Services building, asks new players to donate five bugs or fish in the early stages of the game. You can learn how to fish in Animal Crossing here. Once you’ve met the requirements, he’ll hand over a Tent Kit for Blathers
- Pick a spot for Blathers using the Tent Kit, and a museum curator will spring up there the next real-world day
Quick Note: You can reduce the wait time by adjusting your Nintendo Switch system time.
- Next, visit Blather’s tent and help him out with the fossils digging. He’ll reward you with the recipe for a Flimsy Shovel, which is the weakest type of shovel in the game.
- The recipe for Flimsy Shovel is five pieces of hardwood. You can learn how to get hardwood in Animal Crossing New Horizons here. Once you have the required amount of hardwood, hit the DIY Workbench and craft the shovel.
How to Upgrade Your Shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The Flimsy Shovel will suffice for most of the things you’ll do as a starter, but soon you’ll get tired of how easily it breaks after a few uses. An upgrade is your best bet when this frustration starts to set in.
You’ll need to purchase the Pretty Good Tools kit to upgrade to a standard Shovel. The good thing is this kit also unlocks a standard, sturdier iteration of the core tools in the game, including a Fishing Rod, Stone Axe, Net, Axe, and Watering Can.
You can hit the Workbench to craft the standard Shovel once you get its recipe, which is a Flimsy Shovel and one Iron Nugget. Speaking of Iron Nuggets, you can get one by hitting rocks on your island with an axe or shovel.
Final Notes
And that’s how to make a shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Relatively easy. If you’re interested in buying a shovel outright instead, you can check our guide on how to get a shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
