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By Victoria Nguyen•Last Updated April 24, 2025

Mastering the Shovel DIY in Animal Crossing: New Horizons – A Complete Guide

Introduction: The Importance of the Shovel in Animal Crossing

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons , the shovel is one of the most vital tools you’ll acquire. It’s essential for digging up fossils, planting trees, mining for resources, and reshaping your island. Yet, unlike some basic tools, the shovel isn’t immediately available. Understanding exactly how to unlock the shovel DIY, craft your first tool, and upgrade it efficiently is critical for progressing as an island resident. This guide breaks down every step, offers real-world advice for new and returning players, and addresses common challenges in obtaining and using the shovel DIY recipe.

Section 1: Step-by-Step – How to Get the Shovel DIY Recipe

Getting your first shovel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons involves a specific sequence of actions. Unlike the net or fishing rod, you cannot simply buy or craft the shovel right away. Here’s how you can unlock the DIY recipe for the shovel:

1. Start Your Island Journey Upon arrival, Tom Nook will introduce you to the basics and invite you to participate in the DIY for Beginners workshop. Early on, you’ll be able to craft the flimsy net and fishing rod, which are necessary to gather resources [1] .

2. Donate Critters to Tom Nook Catch bugs and fish with your new tools. Tom Nook will ask you to bring him five unique specimens. As you donate, he’ll soon mention his friend Blathers, the museum curator, and propose inviting him to the island [1] .

3. Set Up Blathers’ Tent Once you’ve donated five critters, Tom Nook will give you a kit to place Blathers’ tent on your island. Choose a location, then wait until Blathers arrives the next day [2] .

4. Speak to Blathers for DIY Recipes Visit Blathers in his tent. He’ll request further donations but, crucially, will also give you the DIY recipes for the flimsy shovel and the vaulting pole . This moment marks your first opportunity to craft a shovel [2] .

Section 2: Crafting Your First Shovel – Materials and Process

With the DIY recipe in hand, you’ll need specific materials to craft the flimsy shovel. Here’s how to proceed:

Required Materials:

5 pieces of hardwood (gathered by hitting trees with an axe)

Access a DIY workbench, select the flimsy shovel recipe, and craft your new tool. The flimsy shovel is your entry-level digging tool, but it will break after a limited number of uses [3] . However, it’s also a component needed to craft more durable shovels later.

Real-World Example: Many players find themselves short on hardwood early in the game. If you’re running low, try visiting friends’ islands or using Nook Miles Tickets to gather more resources from mystery islands.

Section 3: Upgrading Your Shovel – From Flimsy to Durable

Once you start using your flimsy shovel, you’ll notice it wears out quickly. Upgrading to a standard shovel will make your life much easier. Here’s how to do it:

Unlock the Pretty Good Tools Recipes After your island progresses and Resident Services upgrades to a building, you can use Nook Miles to purchase the “Pretty Good Tools Recipes” pack at the Nook Stop kiosk for 3,000 Nook Miles [1] . This unlocks the recipe for the standard shovel.

Crafting the Standard Shovel:

1 Flimsy Shovel
1 Iron Nugget (mined from rocks using your shovel or axe)

Iron nuggets can be scarce at first, so be sure to hit every rock on your island each day. If you run out, consider visiting other islands with Nook Miles Tickets.

Alternative Approach: If you prefer not to craft, you may buy shovels from Nook’s Cranny when it’s available, but crafting remains the most reliable method early on [4] .

Section 4: Unlocking the Golden Shovel

The Golden Shovel is a special tool with enhanced durability and prestige. It’s not available through normal progression and requires a specific challenge:

To unlock the Golden Shovel DIY recipe, you must help the character Gulliver on your beach a total of 30 times. Each time you find Gulliver washed ashore, dig up his communicator parts and return them. After the thirtieth rescue, Gulliver will mail you the Golden Shovel DIY recipe. Crafting it requires:

1 Standard Shovel
1 Gold Nugget (rare, obtained from rocks)

Because this is a long-term goal, many players focus on maintaining a supply of standard shovels for day-to-day use and treat the Golden Shovel as a bonus achievement [4] .

Section 5: Common Challenges and Solutions

It’s typical to encounter a few hurdles on your way to acquiring and upgrading your shovel:

Challenge 1: Not Enough Hardwood or Iron Nuggets You may run out of hardwood or iron nuggets before you can craft the shovel. To counter this, shake and chop trees daily, and don’t forget to use Nook Miles Tickets to visit additional islands. Every new island provides more opportunities for gathering resources.

Challenge 2: Multiple Players on One Island If you are not the primary player (i.e., not the first player who started the island), you may need to ensure the first player has completed the necessary museum donations before you can access the shovel DIY. Once the museum is built, other players can speak to Blathers for their own recipes [5] .

Challenge 3: Waiting Periods Animal Crossing operates in real-time, so you’ll often need to wait a full day after inviting Blathers before you can access his tent and the shovel recipe. Patience is part of the experience, but you can use this time to collect resources and plan your island layout.

Section 6: Using Your Shovel – Practical Applications

Once you have your shovel, you’ll find it opens up many gameplay possibilities:

Dig up fossils and buried items
Plant and transplant trees and flowers
Mine rocks for resources like iron, clay, and gold nuggets
Bury bells to grow money trees
Break rocks (when you eat fruit) to redesign your island

Each action will reduce your shovel’s durability, so always keep an extra or the required materials handy to craft a new one as needed.

Section 7: Advanced Tips and Alternatives

Resource Management: To maximize your resources, avoid breaking rocks (by eating fruit) unless you need to relocate them; hitting them multiple times will yield extra materials.

Visiting Friends: You can trade resources or crafted tools with friends online. If you’re struggling to gather materials, consider joining Animal Crossing communities or forums for resource swaps and collaborative play.

Alternative Tools: While the shovel is irreplaceable for certain tasks, remember that the axe and vaulting pole are also necessary for full island exploration and development. Unlocking these alongside your shovel will streamline your progress.

Conclusion: Building Your Island with Confidence

Unlocking the shovel DIY in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a key milestone that unlocks deeper gameplay and creative opportunities. By following these step-by-step instructions, gathering resources efficiently, and using practical strategies, you’ll ensure your island adventure is both productive and enjoyable. Remember that the game rewards patience and exploration, so take your time and enjoy the journey!