Collect the ores from the mines (though sometimes you can get them from random rocks). Always make sure you upgrade your watering can if there’s going to be a rainy day tomorrow, as you can’t use them for a day while they’re being worked on (less important in winter, when you usually don’t have crops to water). Just keep in mind what you’re plan is for the next day - don’t plan to go to the mines, but trade in your pick axe, for example.

If you want to break open bigger things (for instance the wooden stumps and bigger rocks on your farm) you’ll need to upgrade to the iron tools.

If you're upgrading your watering can, make sure the next day is either the last day of the season (28) or a rainy day, because if takes Clint a whole non-festival day to upgrade any tool

Waiting until winter to upgrade the watering can is what I tend to do because I don't have anything to water.

You'll need a steel pickaxe to break up the boulders on your farm. Copper axe takes care of the stumps, steel axe takes care of the logs. I have found that the order in which I upgrade these doesn't really matter.

If you can wait, do it in the winter. It was nice to not have to worry about needing certain tools the next day.

Get copper, iron and gold, then go to clint the blacksmith and get him to upgrade your tools

At the anvil! You smelt ore into bars are the furnace, and you craft a whole new tool at the anvil. Instead of upgrading your old tool into a better one, you craft a whole new tool once you have enough bars. I typically sell my old tools but I keep the previous watering can tier since you can have multiple watering cans that have separate water storage, so you can fill a bunch up and water your crops without having to go back and forth.

OP are you wearing the Peasants Gauntlets or whatever they are called? Those increase the damage of your tools. I haven’t tested it but I would assume that those may cause you to mine in one hit.

I haven't even considered upgrading tools, ores still take 3 hits for me. With the recent patch that expanded fishing the devs mentioned in the patch notes that you might need a better rod to catch all the fish.

I have 18 atr and a lvl 1 pickaxe and I 1 hit the mines and rocks

Seems to be a side-effect of the armour perk under endurance called The Best Offense. Started happening as soon as I took that perk.

I heard it's "The Best Offense" armor perk under Practicality. You might want to see if you have that.

A lot of the youtubers are minmaxing to a short term goal, like finishing the community center, so fully upgrading their tools would hold them back. If you play for years, it's kind of crazy not to fully upgrade them. Someone said the watering can doesn't need to be fully upgraded because of sprinklers, and yeah, there's truth to that, but when you get to the point of having several stacks of every type of ore, why not do it anyway?

I upgrade everything. And enchant it, if possible.

The only real drawback is the time without the tool. You end up with more metal bars and money than you can use, anyway.

I do it just so everything matches 😅 But especially the axe and pickaxe it’s just so much more convenient. Once you’re a couple years in it’s not a crazy expense, and I usually just save up and do all mine in the winter.

Yup! Worth having the hoe and watering can upgraded for every spring. Just starting to work on upgrading the trash can and panning pan more.

You likely already have the standard watering can. In your post you said you “fixed” your watering can. You don’t fix a makeshift watering can as the makeshift tools don’t have durability. If you fixed your watering can as you said, it would have to be standard at the very least.

Maybe you already upgraded to that one, double check which rod you have in your inventory. If it is indeed the correct rod, then it might be a bug unfortunately.

Well just look in inventory which watering can you have. Cause clearly you don't have the makeshift one 😅

My only guess is maybe you have the watering can in your hand while upgrading. I assume you have a makeshift water can just it’s not showing up for upgrades.

In my case, the first tool I max upgrade is the Pickaxe, a gold pickaxe is enough to save you a lot of time in breaking stones and ores in the mines. Also by having an upgraded pickaxe, helps you in collecting ores faster and easily, which you'd used to upgrade the other tools.

I only have my watering can at copper level, because I invested the ores I found using the pickaxe in crafting sprinklers. Upgrading axe is ideal also, cuts trees fast without draining much energy.

Upgrading your wood axe gives you access to another part of the map, so that was always my priority. Upgrading other tools just makes things easier/faster.

Getting pickaxe to steel early is a huge help (and gold soon after). I try to snag a copper watering can as soon as the weather gives me the all clear, since you end up planting a lot your first summer and fall if you want to make plenty of cash early. I like to shoot for the steel axe as soon as possible so I can get in the secret woods early on; the daily source of hardwood is great to get rolling so you can afford some of the pricier upgrades and buildings. Then I upgrade the hoe last, just for convenience lol

I've never upgraded my watering can actually. I put my efforts into sprinklers and focused on the Ax until I could get hardwood and the pick axe.

Unfortunately you have to upgrade them to each tier before going to the next. Copper then steel ext. I wish the same thing my dude.

Summers quiet good because of storms two days of rain so take it on the day before and you don’t have to worry about your crops for two days

You go to the workench and scroll the categories all the way to the left. There will be a tool section

You need to level up first. If you get to a certain level, the npcs will reach out to you to talk to them and the blueprints will be available. You can get the exquisite tools by reaching level 9 (if i remember correctly) so keep cutting tree, foraging, mining, hunting, and fishing to level up. I recommend going to the phoenix shrine and dragon shrine if you have enough renown. The phoenix shrine upgrades your bonus per focus (i don't remember what it's called) but i think it helps you level up more. the dragon shrine raises your focus' capacity. also don't forget to repair your tools if you have standard tools and above otherwise they'd go back to their previous state.

• Pickaxe to copper then to steel (gets me around fastest, lets me mine quicker)
• Watercan upgrade so I don't tire as quick
• Hoe upgrade x2 for faster garden layout
• Axe upgrade to go get hardwood
• Hoe to iridium, pickaxe to iridium
• Water can, axe, trash can up to iridium eventually

Golden scythe shows up in there somewhere, I forget where

Pickaxe then Watering Can then Axe then Hoe.
Seeing some of the comments makes me remember that some people might not realize the true purpose to upgrading watering cans and hoes.

I’ve only ever upgraded my pickaxe and then axe to iridium

pickaxe, axe, hoe, idc much about watercan, i never use it unless at vocano dungeon 🤕

Pickaxe > axe > watering can > hoe