How to Get a Ladder in Animal Crossing: New Horizons – In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, exploring your island fully is part of the charm of island life. However, early on, you’ll encounter areas that are hard to reach due to cliffs, and without a ladder, they remain out of reach. Fortunately, getting a ladder is straightforward if you follow a few steps in the game. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get a ladder in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, covering the requirements, the process, and a few extra tips for making the most of your ladder.

Why the Ladder is Important in Animal Crossing

The ladder is a crucial tool for your island adventures because it’s the only way to access higher elevations at the start of the game. Your island is divided into different levels, and without the ladder, you’re confined to the ground floor. Climbing to these elevated areas unlocks more land to explore, plants to gather, and new areas to decorate, making it essential for island development.

Additionally, some types of flora, such as hyacinths, lilies, and windflowers, only grow on higher tiers. So, if you want to collect all the available flowers or fully decorate your island, getting the ladder early on is essential.

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting a Ladder

Step 1: Settle on Your Island and Progress Through Initial Tasks

Once you’ve arrived on your island, Tom Nook, the friendly raccoon who runs the island, will give you various tasks to help you settle in. During the first couple of days, you’ll focus on essential activities like:

• Collecting resources (such as branches, stones, and fruit).
• Crafting initial tools like the Flimsy Axe and Fishing Rod.
• Building and furnishing your tent or house.

These first few tasks set up your character and establish the basic gameplay cycle, where you gather resources, meet new islanders, and gradually grow your island community. During this phase, you won’t have access to the ladder just yet, but completing these tasks is vital for unlocking it later.

Step 2: Invite New Villagers to Join Your Island

To progress toward unlocking the ladder, you’ll need to invite new villagers to your island. After the first day or so, Tom Nook will ask you to help find space for new island residents. Once the Resident Services tent is set up, Tom Nook will give you the option to invite new villagers by crafting a few housing plots. These new residents are a sign that your island is growing, and more villagers mean new opportunities for your island to expand.

You can invite villagers in several ways:

• Use Nook Miles Tickets to visit other islands and invite villagers you meet.
• Wait for campers to visit your campsite.
• Invite amiibo villagers if you have the compatible amiibo figures.

After you place the first three housing plots and have your first three villagers on the way, you’ll be getting closer to the ladder.

Step 3: Craft Bridges and Set Up Villager Homes

Tom Nook will eventually assign you the task of setting up new homes for the villagers you invited. During this step, he’ll ask for your help in building a bridge. Building a bridge is important because it allows you to cross rivers, which is another form of expanding the accessible parts of your island.

Once the bridge is complete, you can proceed to set up the homes for the new villagers. These homes will require furniture inside and outside, which you’ll need to craft or find. After you’ve placed the required furniture for all three houses, Tom Nook will announce that the new residents will soon arrive on the island. This is the trigger you need to unlock the ladder recipe.

Step 4: Obtain the Ladder Recipe from Tom Nook

After you’ve completed the housing tasks, the next day, Tom Nook will send you the DIY recipe for the ladder. Check your in-game mailbox or speak to Tom Nook at Resident Services, and you’ll see a notification that a new crafting recipe has arrived.

With the ladder recipe unlocked, gather the necessary materials to craft your ladder. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 Wood: Gathered by chopping trees with your axe.
• 4 Hardwood: Also collected by chopping trees, but it’s a bit less common than regular wood.
• 4 Softwood: Another variation of wood gathered by hitting trees.

Once you have all the required materials, head over to a crafting table (found in Resident Services or crafted by you) and build your ladder.

Tips for Using Your Ladder Effectively

Carry Your Ladder Everywhere: The ladder is a portable tool, and you’ll need it anytime you want to access cliffs or high elevations. Until you unlock ramps or inclines later in the game, the ladder will be essential for reaching all areas of your island.

Upgrade to Permanent Inclines: Once your island becomes more established and you unlock the ability to build inclines, you can reduce the need for a ladder. Building inclines allows villagers and visitors to access higher elevations without carrying a ladder.

Use the Ladder to Find New Flora: As mentioned earlier, certain flowers only grow on higher elevations. Now that you have the ladder, explore the cliffs on your island to find rare flowers and plant them in different parts of your island for decoration.

Look for Fossils and Resources: Cliffs often hide valuable resources like fossils, and accessing these higher tiers means more items to collect each day. Digging up fossils and finding rocks to hit for materials can give you an advantage as you continue developing your island.

Expanding Your Island’s Accessibility Beyond the Ladder

While the ladder is indispensable in the early stages of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you’ll eventually want to enhance your island’s accessibility and aesthetic. Here are a few long-term steps to take after you’ve unlocked and used your ladder:

1. Building Inclines

Inclines are permanent structures that allow easy access to cliffs without needing a ladder. Once Resident Services upgrades to a building (instead of a tent), you can start construction projects. Talk to Tom Nook to select from different incline styles, each of which has a cost. Though inclines require significant Bells, they’re worth it for creating a well-designed island.

2. Terraforming for Customized Landscapes

Once you unlock the Island Designer app on your NookPhone, you’ll gain the ability to terraform, meaning you can create and remove cliffs, rivers, and lakes as you wish. With the Island Designer app, you can shape your island to have fewer cliffs or add specific elevation areas where you want them. Terraforming gives you full control of the landscape, which is especially helpful if you have a specific theme or design in mind.

3. Bridges for Streamlined Movement

Just like inclines, bridges allow you to cross rivers without needing a vaulting pole. Bridges add convenience and aesthetic appeal to your island, especially when placed in scenic areas. They’re an excellent investment to save time moving between sections of your island.

Final Thoughts on the Ladder in Animal Crossing

The ladder is more than just a tool in Animal Crossing: New Horizons; it’s a key to unlocking the full exploration of your island. By completing tasks for Tom Nook, crafting the ladder, and using it effectively, you’ll enjoy a more rewarding island experience. As you advance in the game, you’ll eventually have the chance to replace the ladder with inclines and terraforming options, but in the early days, it’s indispensable for gathering resources, finding new flowers, and designing your island layout. Enjoy exploring every corner of your island and happy fishing, farming, and crafting!