Getting Those Pesky Iron Nuggets
Alright, let’s talk about iron nuggets. I remember needing a ton of them early on, especially for getting the shop built. It felt like a real grind at first, but I figured out a pretty solid way to speed things up. Here’s basically what I did, step-by-step.
First thing, I made sure I had the right tools. You need either an axe or a shovel. Doesn’t really matter which one, just grab one. I usually went with the shovel, felt more natural for hitting rocks, you know?
Stocking Up for the Trip
Then, the most important part for doing it fast: Nook Miles Tickets. I headed straight to the Nook Stop terminal in Resident Services. You gotta redeem your miles for those tickets. I always tried to grab a few at a time, maybe 3 or 4, just so I wouldn’t have to run back immediately if the first island was a dud.
Island Hopping Time
With tickets in my pocket, I trotted over to the airport. Talked to Orville, told him I wanted to fly using a Nook Miles Ticket. Off I went! The destination is random, which is part of the fun, but also why you might need a few tickets.
The Rock Smashing Technique
Okay, landed on the mystery island. First rule: DO NOT EAT FRUIT before hitting rocks. If you eat fruit, you’ll smash the rock in one hit, and you only get one measly resource. We want multiple hits for maximum nuggets.
Here’s the trick I learned that really works:
- Find a rock.
- Clear the spaces around it – weeds, flowers, anything that might block items from dropping.
- Now, stand facing the rock. Dig two or three holes behind you with your shovel. Like, right behind where you’re standing. This stops you from getting pushed back too far with each hit.
- Then, just start whacking that rock with your shovel or axe as fast as you can! Bam, bam, bam.
You should be able to get up to 8 items out of a single rock before it stops giving stuff. Usually, it’s a mix – stones, clay, maybe some gold if you’re lucky, and of course, the precious iron nuggets.
Rinse and Repeat
I just went around the whole mystery island, hitting every single rock using that hole-digging technique. Once I cleared the island of its rock resources, I headed back to the airport on that island, talked to Wilbur, and flew home.
If I still didn’t have enough iron (which happened sometimes, especially needing 30 for the shop), I just grabbed another Nook Miles Ticket and did the whole process again. Flew to another island, hit all the rocks carefully, came back. It’s a bit repetitive, sure, but honestly, it’s way faster than waiting day by day for your home island rocks to respawn their goodies.
Doing this, going on maybe 2 or 3 island trips, usually got me all the iron I needed pretty quickly. Way better than just relying on my own island’s few rocks each day. So yeah, that was my method. Get tickets, fly out, dig holes, smack rocks (without fruit power!), repeat. Worked like a charm for me.
