Welcome to the Tip and Tricks page. Here you will find various tidbits of information that you might find useful while playing Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. Got a tip or trick of your own? Submit it to axawebsite@megadoomer.com with a subject line of "TIPS AND TRICKS" and you'll be set to go!

Problem: Oh no, I just bought a fake painting from Redd!

Solution: Don't panic too much. If you make a point of talking to Lyle at the beginning of the week you can buy insurance from him. Starting the second week, Lyle will send you money when you buy forgeries from Redd.

Submitted by turtleky00212

Problem: Help! I was connected via wi-fi to a friend when I needed to walk away. When I came back I was surrounded by holes and I don't have a shovel. My friend has left the town. What do I do?

Solution: No problem. You don't need a shovel to fill in holes in this game. If you use the B button, you should be able to kick dirt in the holes.

Special thanks to *Hen* for the inspiration for this question, correction by AbigorBot.

Problem: Redd says I need a password to enter his tent. Where on earth do I get it?

Solution: One of the villagers in your town will tell it to you. Talk to all of them until they cough it up. Don't worry, if you forget the password you will be able to talk to that animal for as long as Redd is visiting to get it.

Problem: Can I hit rocks for money the same way I did in Animal Crossing for the Gamecube?

Solution: Yes, you can. Once a day you will be able to strike a random rock in your town with a shovel to earn bells. Unlike the Gamecube version, the rock does not turn red when you strike it, so you have to watch for the bag of money popping out of the rock. Strike the rock repeatedly with the shovel as fast as you can to earn additional bells. To increase your accuracy and total bells, dig two holes behind you in a V shape before you strike a rock. The holes will keep you from being pushed back upon impact, and will also decrease the amount of time it takes to strike the rock again.

Submitted by zenywolf and swordlust.

Problem: My dresser is full, and I need places to store extra items!

Solution: You can create additional players to hold items. Each player gets his or her own dresser space. Four players can share the same cabinet and access different items on different players.

Submitted by swordlust, clarified by Dazey.

Problem: I got stung by a bee and there's no medicine at Nook's!

Solution: Not a problem at all. In fact, there's no reason to buy medicine for personal bee stings whatsoever. Bee stings go away when you restart the game. Next time you're shaking trees and surprised by a bee, just save the game, restart, and ta-da--sting is gone!

Submitted by swordlust.

Problem: I'm afraid to use wi-fi because I might lag out and lose my progress.

Solution: Not a problem. The host can save the game for everyone by pressing start. This takes a few seconds, but it's always a good idea to do immediately after an in-game trade or after obtaining a signficant item while wi-fi is being used. Visiting players can request that the host save the game by pressing start. This produces an automatic message that says "I want to save!"

Submitted by pleasehelp1991.

Problem: How do I get the golden shovel?

Solution: The shovel doesn't grow on a tree this time around, but you still have to plant it. Bury a shovel in the ground and leave it for 24 hours. It's a good idea to place a pattern around where you planted the shovel to make sure you or someone else does not dig up the shovel by accident. When a day has passed, dig up your shovel and it will have turned to gold.

Problem: How do I get the floating presents?

Solution: First, you need to acquire a slingshot. These can be bought from Tom Nook. When you see a package floating overhead, equip the slingshot and run to the top of your town. When the balloon is directly overhead, shoot a pellet at it and the balloon should pop. Be careful not to shoot the present over water, else you will lose it.

Problem: Is there a fast way to complete your catalog?

Solution: If you have access to a wi-fi connection and a friend you can trust, share items. After collecting items that you've acquired in the course of the day, visit a friend's town and drop them on the ground. You only have to pick an item up for it to be added to your catalog. Return the items when you're done and save your progress. This is a good trick to do with rare items, such as the snowman furniture.

Problem: Are there places to look for furniture in the game after all the villagers have gone to sleep?

Solution: Yes, there are. As in Animal Crossing (GCN), two trees in your village will have a furniture item in it. Shake non-fruit bearing trees to find the hidden item. Also, animals will dump used items in the recycling bin. Check it regularly (especially after recently giving them presents--they toss the old stuff) to find various items inside. Another place to check is the lost and found. Talk to Booker to see if he has found any lost items. You can take whatever you like from him.

Problem: How do I get the golden slingshot?

Solution: To get the golden slingshot you need to shoot down 15 floating presents and the 16th present will be a yellow balloon with a golden toolbox attached. The easiest way to get it is to stand in the center of your town and have your character facing upwards with your slingshot equipped. Every 10 minutes at the fourth minute (:04 :14 :24 ect.) a balloon might come, and by standing in the middle of town you will be able to quickly run to the left or right (depending on which way the wind is blowing). If you don't want to stare up at your top screen for 10 minutes just turn up the volume as loud as it can go and fold your top screen so your DS makes a 90 degree angle (so you can be doing something else) and whenever you hear the WHOOSH sound (wind blowing) that's the sign to look at your DS and see the balloon in the sky. Because you are in the middle of your town if the balloon is going to the right or to the left you can follow it and not lose it! The golden slingshot allows you to shoot three pellets at once, making it much easier to shoot down packages.

Submitted by Don Pianta and corrected by Michael Le and Ferris Anwar.

Problem: I ordered from Nook, but it seems like it takes FOREVER to get here.

Solution: To receive mail earlier, invite someone over to your town. All of your mail will arrive as soon as a visitor enters your town.

Submitted by Tibex.

Problem: I hate my inventory background.

Solution: If you drag a shirt or pattern to the lower left hand corner of their respective pocket, you can set that shirt/pattern as the background design of your inventory. The first time you do this you should receive the big dot shirt (the current background image) as a freebie.

Problem: I STILL don't have any room for my items!

Solution: If you still don't have room for your items in your house, you can always save them in letters at the post office. Just drag your items to empty received letters and head to the post office where you can ask to save a letter. You can retrieve letters as you need them.

Submitted by araknidkid.

Problem: I've seen the shooting stars at night, but I'm not sure if you can interact with them.

Solution: Shooting stars appear in the night sky. Their appearance is heralded by a twinkling sound. If you see a shooting star in the sky, press the A button quickly. If you are fast enough, your character will clasp its hands together and pray for a gift. The next time the mail is delivered, there should be a present from "Wishy the Star."

Submitted by araknidkid.

Problem: I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CATCH THE STUPID BEE!

Solution: Catching a bee is actually much easier than it seems. Shake trees until a bee's nest falls out of one. As soon as you hear the noise that indicates that the nest has fallen, quickly switch to your inventory. Equip your net and watch the pattern of the bees as they swarm around your head. At some point, the bees circle wider--in particular, directly in front of your face rather than above your head. When you have a good sense of the timing, drop your inventory and swipe your net as soon as the bees fly in front of you. As an additional bit of information--if you are afraid you can't switch to your inventory fast enough, shake trees while carrying an umbrella. Bees cannot attack you while you keep the umbrella spinning.

Major kudos to Squirtle for figuring this one out.