Character digging up a fossil

Animal Crossing: How to Get a Shovel


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Shovels have numerous uses in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You’ll need to know about the different types of shovels and how to obtain them if you want to get digging and planting around your island.

Table Of Contents

    What Are Shovels Used For?

    Shovels have various uses in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Some shovel uses include digging up fossils, digging up stumps, burying money to grow a money tree, digging up parts for Gulliver, planting flowers, digging up manila clams, and burying pitfall traps.

    How to Get Your First Shovel

    At the beginning of the game, the process to get a shovel is a bit different. To get your very first shovel, you’ll need to donate five fish or bugs to Tom Nook. This will prompt Tom to have Blathers give you the crafting recipe for a Flimsy Shovel.

    How to Get Every Type of Shovel

    Shovels at Nook's Cranny.

    You’ll want a different type of shovel depending on how much time and bells you’re willing to spend. Some shovels have more durability than others, and some are simply more stylish. Additionally, some shovels can be crafted while others can only be purchased. Check out the table below to figure out which shovel is right for you.

    Type of ShovelDurationCraftableWhere to get recipeRecipeCustomizablePurchasableCost
    Flimsy Shovel

    via Fandom

    Flimsy Shovel40 usesYesFrom Blathers5x HardwoodNoYes800 bells
    Shovel

    via Fandom

    Shovel100 usesYesFrom Pretty Good Tools Recipe book (3,000 miles at Nook Stop)1x Flimsy Shovel, 1x Iron NuggetYesNo-
    Golden Shovel

    via Fandom

    Golden Shovel200 usesYes (only after helping Gulliver 30 times)From helping Gulliver 30 times1x Shovel, 1x Gold NuggetNoNo-
    Printed-Design Shovel

    via Fandom

    Printed-Design Shovel100 usesNo--YesYes2,500 bells
    Outdoorsy Shovel

    via Fandom

    Outdoorsy Shovel100 usesNo--YesYes2,500 bells
    Colorful Shovel

    via Fandom

    Colorful Shovel100 usesNo--YesYes2,500 bells