There is a lot to explore in Animal Crossing, not only on your island but in mystery islands and also on boat cruises! There are also lots of items that you can take from your island! If you love shaking trees, planting flowers, or even digging for Gyroids (this is my personal favorite), there are lots of things that you can do to pass hours away when playing. When you are out on your daily adventures, you may find yourself in need of some Iron Nuggets; this is an important time for you then, as Iron Nuggets are an essential item that you will definitely want to know more about!
Bottom Line Up Front
Iron Nuggets can be gained from striking stones with the axe or the shovel. The best way to get as many Iron Nuggets as possible is to turn around and dig a hole right behind you, one to the left and one to the right. This means that once you strike the stone once it doesn’t push you back with the force of the strike and make you step forward to strike again, as it is only by hitting in rapid succession that you can get the maximum of eight Iron Nuggets. If you run out of Iron Nuggets on your own island, you can visit a friend or a mystery island using the airport; you can also use the boat cruise in the latest update to New Horizons!
What are Iron Nuggets Used for?
Iron Nuggets are needed for a variety of things as you progress, like nice furniture and decorations as well as key milestones, so you will want to be in constant supply of Iron Nuggets; I would recommend collecting them as soon as possible and would even go as far as to say that every time you pass a rock with the appropriate resources, you should collect Iron Nuggets and keep them in the storage in your home.
The Key Requirements for Nook’s Cranny
Nooks Cranny is a critical shop and one of the most important and exciting milestones when you first start into Animal Crossing New Horizons. Nooks Cranny sells a range of new items every day, which is super exciting because each day, you can go into Nooks Cranny and see what new exciting items are in stock. Sometimes you can get some really exciting stuff (like a tarot set and crystal ball for my witchy queens and kings), while other things just may not be your style and not worth buying.
Nooks Cranny also carries essential items at all times, such as replacement tools like a shovel, fishing rod, and net. Nooks Cranny also always carries a range of flowers and seeds if you want to make your island look extra fabulous! So you can see why it’s so important to get Nooks Cranny up and running!
If (like me) you are now super eager to create Nooks Cranny, you will need 30 Iron Nuggets, and so you need to get stuck in to get things moving!
How do I get Iron Nuggets?
To get Iron Nuggets, you will need either a shovel or an axe, and then;
- Open your inventory and select your shovel so that you can hold it in your hand.
- Face the opposite direction to the rock that you want to hit and dig a hole in the ground on either side of you (this works because if you have ever hit a rock before, you will notice that the force of the hit pushes you back a bit; if you dig these holes this will prevent you from bouncing back when you hit the rock – so if you are unsure where to dig the holes hit the rock once first and you will see where to dig)
- As fast as you can possibly do so, hit the rock as many times as you can with your shovel; if you manage to get all the hits in that you are able to, you will get eight pieces of material. (Which could be Iron Nuggets)
While you do this, you will see Iron Nuggets come out of the rock and land around you; these look like stones but with black crystal-like peaks on top of them! Then you simply need to go and select the Iron Nuggets, and they will move into your inventory.
It is important to note, however, that when you try and get Iron Nuggets, the stones can also give you clay, stone, and gold nuggets, and there is no guarantee on which you will get!
How to get Iron Nuggets on Your Own Island
Iron Nuggets are found by hitting rocks that can be found scattered all over your island. You can take a nice walk all over your island and interact with every rock that you find in order to collect maximum Iron Nuggets.
You can hit each rock on your island to the max once every day, so I would recommend doing this consistently so that you can keep a constant supply of Iron Nuggets in your storage, as they can be hard to find when there is time pressure.
How to get Iron Nuggets on Other People’s Islands
It is possible that you can collect all available Iron Nuggets on your own island, which, given how important they are for certain crafting recipes, you may not be able to go without!
If you do find yourself in this position, there’s no need to panic; you can visit the terminal inside the town hall on your island and select the shopping option. When you do, you can then choose to spend your Nook Miles in order to get a Nook Miles ticket. However, you will need 2,000 miles in order to purchase one Nook Miles ticket.
If you are in need of Nook Miles, you should use your resident phone to check what the Nook Miles daily quests are so that you can maximize how many Nook Miles you earn! Once you purchase your Nook Miles ticket from the terminal, you can take it to the airport on your island and select ”visit other places” by speaking to Orville, and you can then visit a mystery island.
Make sure to clear out your inventory when you go so you take as much home with you as possible as there may not be a lot of Iron Nuggets, but there could be other exciting items that you want to bring home. You definitely do not want to forget the shovel either!
It is important to note that the Mystery Tour feature is only available in Animal Crossing New Horizons.
How to get Iron Nuggets on a Cruise
In the updated version of Animal Crossing New Horizons, there is a boat docked at the beach, which is commanded by Kapp’n; this is really just a boat version of Nook Miles and mystery tours. If you want to go on a cruise to a mysterious island, you will need 1000 Nook Miles for one ticket. The key difference between this and using the airport is that you are limited to one cruise a day with Kapp’n regardless of how many miles you have.
The rest is very much the same; leave what you can at home so you can have the freedom to bring home whatever items you are interested in, and for sure, do not forget to bring your shovel.
Getting Iron Nuggets When you Visit Your Friends
You can use the airport on your island to go and visit some of your friend’s Islands to get some Iron Nuggets from their rocks, there is no limit to how many islands you visit on a day, so this can be a good last resort.
Getting Iron Nuggets by Luck
It is also possible that the balloons which float around the island can contain some Iron Nuggets, so always carry your slingshot with you and be sure to have a good aim! You can also potentially get Iron Nuggets as gifts from other villagers!
FAQ’s
Question: Can you Buy Any Iron Nuggets in Animal Crossing?
Answer: Unfortunately, Iron Nuggets are still not available to purchase in Animal Crossing, although this may change in the future!
Question: What Can I Use Iron Nuggets for in Animal Crossing?
Answer: The first and primary use of Iron Nuggets in Animal Crossing is that you will need 30 Iron Nuggets to make Nooks Cranny. You can also use Iron Nuggets to create essential tools such as the axe, shovel, and net. You also need Iron Nuggets to make the DIY Workbench which is essential if you want to make any further items later!
Question: Where Can I Find Iron Nuggets in Animal Crossing?
Answer: You can find Iron Nuggets in Stones, although they are not always guaranteed! If you strike the maximum times and do so correctly, each stone can give you eight pieces of clay.
Summary
So as you can see, there are so many ways that you can find Iron Nuggets! My recommendation is to always explore all the options to get Iron Nuggets so that you can keep a steady and healthy supply of them in the storage within your home, as you will need these fairly often for the crafting of tools and furniture items. Each time that you do get Iron Nuggets, be sure to use the technique mentioned where you dig two strategic holes behind you to maximize the output every time!
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