Rocks have been a part of the Animal Crossing series since the beginning. While these natural objects had few uses in the Japanese-only Animal Forest and the GameCube Animal Crossing, the purpose of them has expanded as the series has grown. While it’s technically possible to progress through New Horizons without ever touching a rock, you’ll be severely limited in the objects you can craft, bugs you can collect, and bells you can earn. The uses of the rocks are endless.
It’s time to fly off to your Deserted Island and do a little exploring; Here is everything there is to know about rocks in New Horizons.
10 Rocks Are Scattered Around Your Town
Every New Horizons town will contain a total of six rocks. They are scattered in random places and vary slightly in shape, however, this does not affect their uses.
To interact with a rock, you will need to equip either a shovel or an axe. If you’re not happy with where a rock is located in your town, there’s a way to change it…
9 You Can Destroy Rocks
In New Horizons, players can break rocks. To do this, they must first eat a piece of fruit to gain strength. And next, they must hit the rock with an axe or shovel. When rocks are destroyed, a new one will appear somewhere on the island every day until there are six rocks in total.
Each rock’s new location is random.
8 You Can Get Ore By Hitting Rocks
The main purpose or rocks in New Horizons is to provide players with ore. Five of the six rocks on an island will contain ore every day. When a player hits one of these rocks with an equipped tool, the ore will come out.
Players should continue to hit rocks in succession because they will produce more ore over a roughly 10-second span. Rock materials include clay, iron, and stone, all of which can be used to craft certain objects including upgraded tools. If players are extra lucky, they might even find gold.
7 Sometimes Gold Is Hidden In Rocks
Gold nuggets are the rarest item you can find inside of rocks. They appear randomly when a player hits a rock. Though gold nuggets sell for a whopping 10,000 each, you’ll probably want to hang on to them to later create golden tools.
While golden tools can still break, they are the most durable items of their kind. While you’ll have to unlock the ability to craft golden items by completing tasks like maxing out the museum and destroying 100 axes, the recipes will come eventually.
6 You Can Get Up To Eight Items Out Of Rocks
Remember when we said that hitting a rock in succession will produce more items over a brief period? Digging holes or placing objects behind you will ensure you collect eight items out of a rock every time.
To collect the maximum number of materials, you’ll also want to make sure the spaces around the rock are clear of any items including weeds. Next, equip a shovel and hit the rock continuously.
5 Rocks Can Be A Part Of A Special Event
Yes, there is one other type of item that can come out of rocks on certain occasions: special event items. Though Nintendo is yet to release its full list of upcoming Animal Crossing events, we’ve already seen rocks become a central part of one.
During Bunny Day, players were required to scout out six different types of eggs by doing things like fishing, shaking trees, and shooting down balloons. One type of egg, the Stone egg, could only be found after striking a rock.
4 You Can Find Bugs Under Rocks
While most bugs can be found out in the open, there are three species of bugs that can only be found after a player strikes a rock.
Pill bugs, centipedes, and house centipedes are known to creep out from under rocks during certain times of the day and year. If you’re on the search for one of these bugs, be ready to quickly equip your net after hitting a rock.
3 There Is A Money Rock Every Day In Your Town
If five rocks in your town provide ore every day, what is the sixth one for? Money, of course!
Every day on the island, a different rock will contain bells instead of ore. Like the ore rocks, you’ll want to hit this rock quickly and dig holes behind you to collect all eight bell disbursements. The total amount of bells with equal 16,100.
2 You Can Find More Rocks On Other Islands
If you hit all five ore rocks in your town during the day and still need more resources, you can travel to another island in hopes of discovering more. Doing so will require a Nook Miles Ticket (which will set you back 2,000 miles), so make sure the trip is worth it to you.
Though the setup of the islands will vary, you will usually find at least three rocks on a Mystery Island Tour.
1 There Are Money Rock Islands
If you’re extra lucky, you’ll find something far more valuable than ore on a Mystery Island Tour: bells.
A certain type of island that spawns on rare occasions features a piece of land that is covered in rocks. Each one will produce bells when hit with an axe or shovel, so be prepared to collect it all and feel rich.
NEXT: Animal Crossing: 5 Reasons Tom Nook Is A Predatory Loan Shark (& 5 That He’s On Your Side)
