Trust us, you'll want this straight away.
The Tool Ring allows you to quickly swap between tools using a radial menu and in this guide we’ll explain how to unlock it.
If you’ve played Animal Crossing: New Horizons for a little while, you’ve probably noticed how much of an effort swapping between your tools can be. It’s pretty infuriating if you just want to crack on with utmost efficiency, but find yourself rummaging through your pockets every few seconds.
Well, there are a couple of ways to combat this. Initially, you can press the the left and right directions buttons to swap between your tools, but eventually you’ll have the option to purchase the Tool Ring – now this thing, this thing is an absolute game-changer.
Below we’ll take you through the process of obtaining the Tool Ring to unlock quick changing tools and items in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
How to unlock the Tool Ring in Animal Crossing New Horizons
Without further ado, here’s a rundown of what you’ll need to do.
How do I quick change tools?
Right off the bat, there is a way to cycle through your tools at the beginning of the game, but it’s not immediately obvious and pretty easy to miss. To do so, press right or left on the D-Pad, or press down to stow your item. You can set up your pockets in such a way that it’ll cycle through your tools in a certain order. Simply place your items in the top row of your pockets in order of priority. This will help you keep track of what item is coming up next in your cycle when pressing right or left.
More essential Animal Crossing: New Horizons guides
- 1. Nook Miles – Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to get Nook Miles fast
- 2. Bells – Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to get Bells quickly
- 3. Reset Island – Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to reset your island and delete your save
- 4. Play with friends – Animal Crossing New Horizons – How to play with friends
- 5. Daily Checklist – Animal Crossing New Horizons – Daily Checklist guide
How do I get the Tool Ring?
The above option gets the job done, but it’s not ideal. If you really want to boost your productivity and feel far more comfortable swapping between your tools, you’ll want the famed Tool Ring. But how do you get hold of it?
To kick things off, you’ll need to unlock the Nook Miles Redemption program by raising 5,000 Nook Miles for the first time. To complete this task, simply go about island life, catching fish, weeding, picking up fruit, and basically anything and everything else.
Once you’ve got hold of 5,000 Nook Miles, head back into the Resident Services tent and talk to Tom Nook to cash them in.
Tom Nook will upgrade your Nook Miles account, so now you’ll be able to access the Nook Mile Redemption option at the Nook Stop terminal. If you’ve got a remaining 800 Nook Miles, head into its menu and select the “Tool Ring: It’s Essential!” option to purchase it.
As soon as you leave the terminal, your character will automatically learn how to use the Tool Ring. Press up on the D-Pad to see it, and use your joy sticks to select the tool you want to use.
You can rearrange item placement on the Tool Ring by pressing [X] to remove or register a tool.
