Ladders are an incredibly useful item in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They allow you to access the elevated areas of your island. It’s there that you’ll find more resources including trees, rocks and flowers. You’ll also get more building space in general. Unfortunately, you won’t get ladders until you’ve completed a few early game quests.
This guide was created during the first week of Animal Crossing: New Horizons release on the Nintendo Switch. Depending on when you’re reading this guide, some thing may be different due to future updates. However we’ll always try to come back and update these guides! For more of our Animal Crossing: New Horizons Guides & Best-of lists, make sure to check out our dedicated area here!
How to Get Ladders
Ladders are crafted, and act as a tool instead of a furniture item. You won’t be able to obtain them until you’ve built the shop for Timmy and Tommy (and it’s finished its construction phase).
After the shop is built, Tom Nook will ask you to set up some homes for some new arrivals, and give you the DIY recipe for new items including the Ladders and Bridge. So if you aren’t up to that point yet, sadly you’ll just have to wait.
To get a Ladder, head to the crafting station and open it. Look for the Ladder, you’ll need to have 4 Wood, 4 Hardwood and 4 Softwood in your inventory, all of which can be obtained from trees on your island by using an axe.
Once you’ve crafted the ladder, it will go into your inventory as a tool items. Head to an elevated area that you want to climb, and choose the ‘Hold’ item on the ladders. Don’t try and place or drop them, as that’s not how they work.
With the ladders in your hand, approach the wall and press A. Your character will place the ladder, and you can climb up or down, picking them up as you please.
