Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) Guides

Golden Tools: How to Unlock Golden Axe, Shovel, Watering Can, Slingshot, Fishing Rod, Net

The Golden Tools are the highest tier of tools you can craft in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and can be unlocked by completing various tasks. In this guide, we’ll tell you how to unlock and craft every Golden Tool in the game.

Can Golden Tools Still Break in New Horizons?

Even though Golden Tools may be the highest level of tools you can craft in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, they can still break eventually with enough use like all other tools in the game. Of course, they do last longer than other lower-tier tools, so keep that in mind.

This includes the Golden Axe, which can now break, unlike previous Animal Crossing games where the Golden Axe had unlimited durability and would last forever.

Every Gold Tool Requires Gold Nuggets To Craft — Don’t Sell Them!

As you’ll learn in the sections below, every Golden Tool item requires a Gold Nugget crafting material in order to craft them! You’ve likely come across a couple of these so far in your Animal Crossing: New Horizons adventures and we highly recommend you hang onto them.

You can get Gold Nuggets as a very rare random chance from hitting rocks each day with your shovel or axe. We believe there is a higher drop rate for Gold Nuggets when hitting rocks on mystery islands using Nook Miles Tickets, but that’s not certain at this time.

While it may be tempting to sell them at 10,000 Bells a piece, you’ll surely regret that when the time comes to craft fun late-game items like Golden Tools and special furniture.

How to Unlock Golden Axe

The Golden Axe D.I.Y crafting recipe can be unlocked in Animal Crossing: New Horizons after breaking 100 axe tools. That’s right, you’ll need to break a total of 100 axe tool items to unlock the Golden Axe!

It’s worth noting that this can be any type of axe, so if your goal is to unlock the Golden Axe as quickly as possible, then the fastest method would be to break 100 Flimsy Axes as they have the least durability and will break sooner.

How to Craft Golden Axe

Once you have unlocked the Golden Axe crafting recipe, it can be crafted using the following materials at any workbench:

• 1 Gold Nugget
• 1 Axe

How to Unlock Golden Shovel

The Golden Shovel D.I.Y crafting recipe can be unlocked in Animal Crossing: New Horizons after meeting Gulliver on your island and helping him out with his broken NookPhone 30 different times.

You can meet Gulliver when he randomly washes up on your beach shore and you wake him up. After waking him up, he will ask you to help repair his NookPhone by collecting 5 Communicator Parts hidden in the sand on the beach. Use your shovel to dig up the parts and return them to Gulliver.

How to Craft Golden Shovel

Once you have unlocked the Golden Shovel crafting recipe, it can be crafted using the following materials at any workbench:

• 1 Gold Nugget
• 1 Shovel

How to Unlock Golden Fishing Rod

The Golden Fishing Rod D.I.Y crafting recipe can be unlocked after catching every fish creature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons at least one time. Check the Fish section of your Critterpedia app on your NookPhone to keep track of which fish you have caught so far.

How to Craft Golden Fishing Rod

Once you have unlocked the Golden Fishing Rod crafting recipe, it can be crafted using the following materials at any workbench:

• 1 Gold Nugget
• 1 Fishing Rod

How to Unlock Golden Net

The Golden Net D.I.Y crafting recipe can be unlocked after catching every bug and insect creature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons at least one time. Check the Bugs section of your Critterpedia app on your NookPhone to keep track of which bugs and insects you have caught so far.

How to Craft Golden Net

Once you have unlocked the Golden Net crafting recipe, it can be crafted using the following materials at any workbench:

• 1 Gold Nugget
• 1 Net

How to Unlock Golden Watering Can

The Golden Watering Can D.I.Y crafting recipe can be unlocked after reaching the Five Star island rating in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. A few days after you have upgraded Resident Services into the  Town Hall, you can speak with Isabelle to inquire about the current star rating of your island.

How to Craft Golden Watering Can

Once you have unlocked the Golden Watering Can crafting recipe, it can be crafted using the following materials at any workbench:

• 1 Gold Nugget
• 1 Watering Can

How to Unlock Golden Slingshot

The Golden Slingshot D.I.Y crafting recipe can be unlocked after shooting down at least 300 balloons in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

After you’ve shot down enough balloons, which you can track by checking the “It’s Raining Treasure” Nook Miles goal, be on the look out for a special Golden Balloon to fly across your sky!

Generally speaking, the Golden Balloon tends to appear for the first time soon after you hit the 300 Balloons shot down milestone. If you spot it, shoot it down and a present containing the Golden Slingshot DIY Crafting recipe will drop!

Does The Golden Balloon Reappear?

Don’t worry if you miss the Golden Balloon the first time you spot it in your game because it will reappear eventually. This can definitely take some time though and we’ve heard reports of taking as long as a few days time.

How to Craft Golden Slingshot

Once you have unlocked the Golden Slingshot crafting recipe, it can be crafted using the following materials at any workbench:

• 1 Gold Nugget
• 1 Slingshot