Check out this Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH) guide on how to move rocks & create a rock garden! Includes rock garden pattern, fossil spawn rules, & how to force rock spawn!!
Table of Contents
| Island Design Related Articles | |
|---|---|
 Wedding Hall | Island Design Ideas |
| Residential Area | Orchard |
| Japanese-Style Town | Flower Bed |
| Street Market | Hot Spring |
What Is Spawn Manipulation?
The Process Of Fixing The Spawn Location Of An Object
Spawn Manipulation is, in short, a way to force an in-game object to spawn in a location of your choosing. In this case we're dealing primarily with Rocks and Fossils, so this can help you concentrate all of these in one place, drastically reducing your movement time and making gathering far more efficient! Prioritize moving whatever is most important to you first!
A Time-Consuming Process
Before undergoing this process, it's important to note that this method requires a lot of time and effort. You'll have to cover the entirety of your island in custom designs and cut down all trees, so this isn't something that can be done quickly. Either try to do it all in one go when you have time, or do it steadily over time.
Spawn Manipulation - Objects & Time Required
| Object | Method | Approx. Req. Time |
|---|---|---|
| Rocks (Fossils) | Cover your entire island with Custom Designs | 8-10 hours |
| Trees (Furniture) | Reduce the number of trees on your island to 7 | 1-2 hours |
| Bottles | Place furniture or fences on the beach | 3-4 hours |
How To Move Rocks and Fossil Spawns
Overview
① Prepare a Custom Design (anything is ok)
② Cover the ground on your entire island with it
③ Remove the Custom Design on the spot where you want to move rocks
④ Wait until 6 rocks spawn there
⑤ Once the rocks spawn, remove the Custom Design from the spots where you want to place fossils|
⑥ Set all the Custom Design tiles to transparent and you're done!
① Prepare A Custom Design (Anything Is Ok!)
In order to move rocks to a location of your choice, you'll first need to have a Custom Design ready. This design will be made invisible at the end of the process, so its appearance doesn't matter! Make something that stands out and is easy to spot!
Check Out How To Use Custom Designs Here② Cover The Entire Island With It
▲We chose to cover up our island with the face of the lovely Gorilla villager, Al!
Once you've got your Custom Design, cover the entirety of your island with it! Don't leave a single empty space! You're mainly going for spots that aren't taken up by buildings or furniture. If weeds or a fossil could spawn there, you need to make sure it's covered! Don't forget to lay these tiles on cliffs as well!
Break Rocks While Laying Tiles
Your island will have a maximum of 6 rocks on it at once. In order to move these rocks and fix their location, you'll need to break the existing rocks first. While you're laying down your custom tiles, use that opportunity to also smash existing rocks and also collect all fossils.
> Rock Respawn Timing Guide③ Remove The Custom Design At Your Desired Spot
Once you've finished laying down the custom tile all over your island, the next step is to force rocks to spawn. Rocks will spawn on tiles that aren't covered by Custom Designs once the date changes! Note that weeds also respawn with this exact timing, so make sure to clear out 2 additional spaces just in case.
④ Make 6 Rocks Spawn
Repeat the above steps until you've got 6 rocks in the exact spaces you want them. This will take many days to do, so you'll almost certainly need to use Time Travel.
⑤ Remove Custom Design To Make Room For Fossils
▲Open up more spots to make room for weeds
When you get your 6 rocks in place, it's time to move on to fossils. Fossils spawn in the same way as rocks, so you'll need to remove the custom design on the ground first! However, you'll definitely get weeds here too, so try to open up a slightly larger space, like a 3x3 grid as indicated above.
⑥ Make All Remaining Custom Designs Invisible
▲In the process of disabling and making the Custom Design tiles we laid down transparent
You definitely won't want to leave your entire island covered in Custom Designs, so as a final finishing touch we recommend going around and manually making every tile transparent! This way, you'll be able to see your ground as it normally is.
Careful When Spamming The Y Button
Note that making a custom design transparent does not mean the tile is a regular floor. When pressing the Y button while collecting items, you might accidentally remove the custom design tile, causing fossils and weeds to spawn there again.
Your Quarry Is Done!
Finally, you can fence off your newly-built quarry in such a way that will keep you in place when hitting the rock! This is really useful because it saves you from having to dig two holes every time you hit a rock.
How To Manipulate Tree (Furniture) Spawns
Create Trees That Drop Furniture
By fixing the spawn location of trees, you'll also be able to produce trees that drop pieces of furniture! Every day you'll be able to find two pieces of furniture in trees, so this is highly recommended for people trying to collect furniture. This process can be done in 1-2 hours, which is relatively fast!
How To Manipulate Tree Spawns
① Cut down all trees on the island (except fruit trees)
② Buy 7 tree saplings from Nook's Cranny
③ Plant 5 of them
④ Wait until the trees grow
⑤ Once they're fully grown, plant the remaining 2 trees (furniture will drop from these)
⑥ Once they're fully grown, you're done!
① Cut Down All Trees On The Island
In order to manipulate the spawn location of trees, you'll need to first cut down all regular (non-fruit) trees on your island! You'll need to cut down both coniferous (cedar) and deciduous (regular) trees, so stock up on Axes and Shovels!
② Buy Tree Seeds At The Shop
This can be done after cutting down all trees, but you will need to buy 7 tree seeds from Nook's Cranny! Both coniferous and deciduous trees are suitable here, so just choose whichever you prefer.
③ Plant 5 Of Them
▲Example tree layout
Once you buy 5 seeds, plant them immediately. These 5 trees shouldn't be shaken at all going forward, so putting them somewhere out of the way is also an option, as is surrounding them with fences.
④ Wait Until They Grow
You'll need to wait until the 5 trees you planted are fully grown. Trees typically take 5 days to fully mature, so if you're not averse to using Time Travel, consider doing that.
⑤ Plant The Remaining 2 Trees
Plant the final 2 trees after the first 5 are fully grown. These will be the two trees from which furniture drops, so place them near your house or in an easy-to-get-to area.
⑥ Shake Them And Collect Your Furniture!
Once the 2 trees are fully grown, give them a shake! If furniture falls out, you're done! If you get money or a wasp's nest, you might have missed a tree somewhere on your island, so check again.
Check Out A List Of All Furniture HereHow To Manipulate Bottle Spawns
Bottle Spawn Manipulation Process
- ① Decide which beach you want bottles to spawn on
- ② Prepare a lot of furniture or fences
- ③ Place said furniture/fences on the water's edge
- ④ Wait until the next day
① Decide On A Beach
First you'll have to pick which of the beaches on your island you want shells and bottles to spawn on! This is important because you'll be collecting these every day, so try to pick something close to your house.
② Prepare A Lot Of Furniture / Fences
A Floor Light, costing 2200 Bells, for sale at Nook Shopping
| Required Amount | 120 ~ 135 pieces |
|---|
You'll need to get a lot of items ready to act as "spawn blockers". This is because you actually can't place Custom Designs on tiles which are by the water's edge. Floor Lights are a good choice here because you can walk on top of them, meaning they won't get in your way while fishing!
③ Place The Furniture On The Shore
Once you've got all the furniture necessary, place it all along the water's edge! Remember, you need to cover up all tiles touching the water, so make sure to double check carefully when laying down furniture! If you drop an item and it doesn't fall on the water's edge, that means you've effectively covered up the right tile.
④ Check For The Bottle The Next Day
After placing all the furniture on the shore, change the date and check the following day. All your clams and bottles should be concentrated on the one beach area you left alone - this will save you a lot of time in the long run!
Island Design Related Articles
| Custom Design & QR Codes | |
|---|---|
| How To Use The Custom Design Tool | |
| Path & Floor Designs | Sign Board Designs |
| QR Code Maker Tool | |
| Other Related Links | |
|---|---|
| Tree Repositioning | Beach Bottle Spawns |
| Best Island Layout | Island Designer Tool |
| How To Make Waterfalls | House Customization |
| List Of All Furniture | List Of All Fences |
