Having the right tools is crucial when playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As the Resident Representative of the island you call home, you're in charge of all the project developments that happen during the day. This means you'll have to do a lot of exploring and handy work in order to build bridges, houses and furniture for you and your fellow island residents.

Like previous Animal Crossing games, New Horizons gives players a variety of tools to make their jobs easier. Over the course of the first few days, your toolbox will grow. These tools will help you gather materials, customize your island and even open up otherwise inaccessible parts of your island. Here are some of the best tools in the game and how to acquire them.

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Axe

An axe is one of the first tools you'll get in New Horizons, and it is also one of the most important. Many of the projects you'll have to complete to develop the island require wood, meaning you'll need to chop a lot of trees. Simply shaking trees with your hands will only yield tree branches (and the occasional wasp), so you'll need an axe to get the big stuff.

However, like other tools in New Horizons, your axe has a finite number of uses, so you'll want to learn to craft one so you can replace yours when it inevitably breaks. To get the crafting recipe for the axe, you must donate two creatures (either bugs or fish) to Tom Nook. You can get these with your net and fishing rod, which you receive earlier in the game. As a reward for your contributions, Nook will reward you with the Flimsy axe recipe.

As the name "Flimsy axe" suggests, this isn't a particularly sturdy tool. Later in the game, you will be able to get upgraded tools, like the Pretty Good Tools Recipe kit, which you can purchase with your Nook Miles at the Nook Stop.

Vaulting Pole and Shovel

Large parts of the island aren't accessible at first due to the river that cuts through the middle of the island. Luckily, Tom Nook and his friends can help with that. Again, this will require you to continue to donate bugs and fish. After you donate five to Tom Nook, he'll call his friend, Blathers, who'll come to the island with plans to open a museum. You'll get to choose where his tent will go and, the day after you set it up, Blathers will appear. Upon speaking to him for the first time, Blathers will give you the recipe for the vaulting pole and flimsy shovel.

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The shovel is a classic Animal Crossing tool that allows you to dig up fossils around the island. Blathers will be able to identify what the mysterious fossils are, and they can be donated alongside bugs and fish. Like most of the other tools, the shovel can be upgraded for increased durability.

The vaulting pole is a new addition to the series that allows you to leap over rivers, opening up more of the island to exploration. Unlike most other tools, the vaulting pole does not break down after a while, so you can use it as much as you want without worry.

Ladder

The last, and arguably the best, tool you'll acquire in New Horizons is the ladder. Like the vaulting pole, this tool is new to the series and will allow you to access even more of the island. The ladder gives you the ability to climb up cliffs and explore the higher elevations of your island.

The ladder comes along a few days later in the game after you've completed the following tasks: paying off your initial debt to build your new home, helping Tom's nephews (Timmy and Tommy) build their shop and building a bridge to help fellow villagers explore the island.

After the bridge is built, Nook will give you three housing plots for incoming residents to place around island. Each house requires three pieces of furniture for its interior and exterior. One of these requires flowers that can only be found on the higher parts of the island. This is when Nook will call you and give you the recipe for the ladder. Like the Vaulting Pole, the ladder doesn't break, so you can use it as much as you want.

Next: Animal Crossing: How To Unlock Isabelle In New Horizons