Tool Upgrades
Village in the Shade Tool Upgrade Guide
Tool upgrades are one of the most important long-term investments in Village in the Shade because they reduce repetitive work, improve daily efficiency and unlock higher-tier mining progression.
This page stays separate from the crafting hub on purpose. Crafting covers machines, processing and production systems. Tool upgrades covers the Anvil, molds, metal tiers, material routes and the best order to strengthen your main tools.
The current documented metal path is Basic to Copper to Steel to Gold to Meteor Iron, with the five main work tools following that route and the Sickle currently treated differently.
Last verified: August 10, 2026. Some tool, mold and metal-tier names are working English translations from the currently released Japanese-language version.
Upgrade status
Upgradeable Tool Tiers
Verified
Copper Tools
Verified
Steel Tools
Verified
Gold Tools
Verified
Meteor Iron Tools
Verified
Anvil Required
Verified
Upgrade Molds Required
Verified
Pickaxe Priority
High
Axe Priority
High
Watering Can Priority
High on large farms
Exact Material Cost per Tool
Still being verified
Tier names
Japanese names retained
Tool Upgrade Path
The Main Metal Route Is Clear
This is the first thing most players want to know, so it belongs immediately under the hero.
Upgradeable
Which Tools Follow This Path?
Current released-game databases support the five main work tools as the clean standard upgrade chain.
The Sickle is currently listed separately without the same Copper-to-Meteor-Iron metal chain, so this page does not pretend the databases are more complete than they really are.
Quick Answer
How Do You Upgrade Tools?
Progress far enough to unlock construction, build an Anvil, get the required Mold, mine ore, smelt it into ingots and then upgrade the tool at the Anvil.
- Progress far enough to unlock construction
- Build an Anvil
- Obtain the required upgrade Mold
- Mine the required ore
- Smelt ore into ingots
- Use the Anvil to create the upgraded tool
Tool Tiers
What Are the Tool Levels?
The page uses Steel for the second tier while noting that the underlying Japanese terminology still creates a localization wrinkle.
Tool List
Current Upgradeable Tool List
The five main farm and work tools all currently show the full metal ladder in released-game databases.
Which Tool First?
Upgrade the Tool That Removes the Biggest Bottleneck
This section is more useful than a single long essay because different playstyles create very different first-priority upgrades.
Best Overall
Pickaxe
Usually the strongest first upgrade because it improves the same mining loop that supplies later tools, machines and sprinklers.
Wood and Building
Axe
A high-value early upgrade when wood, charcoal, buildings and machine construction are your main bottlenecks.
Large Farm
Watering Can
The best early choice when watering is consuming most of your morning and stamina before the rest of the day even begins.
Field Expansion
Hoe
Useful earlier if you are redesigning crop layouts, building many ridges or treating farming as the primary progression path.
Rice Paddies
Plow
More specialized than the others, but worth raising if paddy farming is central to your current plan.
Upgrade Material Route
Know the Floor Before You Start Mining
This page should hand players a clean material route and then push them to the full mining guide for deeper Quarry planning.
Copper
21F
The natural first upgrade tier. Copper appears from shallow Quarry floors and is the easiest metal to route into your first serious tool jump.
Iron
61F
The Iron-based progression feeds the second documented tool tier. The page uses Steel for the tool tier name, while noting the localization wrinkle.
Gold
101F
Gold is too useful for advanced upgrades, machines and sprinklers to dump for quick money unless your next major upgrade is already secured.
Meteor Iron
111F
The deepest documented standard upgrade tier and the current top end of the main farm-tool metal path.
Unlock Route
Tool Upgrades Depend on More Than Ore
The most common mistake is treating tool upgrades like a simple ore purchase rather than a small production chain.
Build an Anvil
Current guide data says advanced tool upgrades are made through the Anvil, built through Kisuke's construction service rather than the ordinary workbench.
Get the Correct Mold
Tool molds are tier-based and sold through the General Store as progression opens them, with early player testing also reporting a Spring Copper Mold mail reward.
Mine and Smelt Ore
Raw ore is not the final upgrade material. Mine Copper, Iron, Gold or Meteor Iron, then process the metal into ingots before upgrading tools.
Use the Anvil
Once the station, mold and ingots are ready, the tool-upgrade flow continues through the Anvil rather than through normal base crafting alone.
Pickaxe First
Why the Pickaxe Usually Wins
Its value compounds because it accelerates the exact system that supplies future upgrades.
- Current released-game guide data says stronger Pickaxes reduce the number of hits needed to break rocks.
- A stronger Pickaxe also unlocks access to more valuable ore types.
- That creates a compounding loop of faster mining, deeper ore access and faster future upgrades.
- For most balanced and mining-focused players, the Pickaxe remains the strongest general first upgrade.
Axe and Watering Can
The Two Main Reasons Pickaxe Does Not Go First
Axe matters when wood and construction dominate; Watering Can matters when your farm is the real bottleneck.
Axe
- Wood remains important for buildings, furniture, machines, fences and charcoal fuel.
- A stronger Axe improves constant background progression work rather than only one niche system.
- Because mining also leans on Charcoal and Furnace fuel loops, better woodcutting still helps metal progression indirectly.
Watering Can
- Current guide data says Watering Can upgrades expand the area watered at once.
- Player reports also say upgraded Watering Cans can switch patterns, which explains why the range can appear to shrink temporarily.
- The Watering Can jumps in priority when watering consumes most of the morning before any other task can begin.
Special Cases
Hoe, Plow and Sickle Need More Specific Context
These tools matter, but they should not be forced into the same generalized first-priority advice as Pickaxe, Axe and Watering Can.
Hoe
Usually later than Pickaxe, Axe and Watering Can, but worth moving up when you are mass-expanding fields, using many ridges or continuously redesigning crop zones.
Plow
Specialized around paddy cultivation such as Rice and Wasabi. Raise its priority only when paddy work has become a true daily bottleneck.
Sickle
Current data does not show the same Copper-to-Meteor-Iron metal chain. The Sickle currently appears to improve more through skill-based stamina support instead.
Bow and Flashlight
These are listed separately in current tool databases and should not be forced into the same metal-tier table just to make the page look more complete.
Best Upgrade Order
Recommended Tool Order by Playstyle
This is the practical ordering layer players usually search for once they understand the metal tiers.
Watering Can vs Sprinklers
Spend Metal on the Right Watering Solution
Tool upgrades and sprinklers compete for some of the same progression materials, so this decision matters more than it first appears.
If your field is still small, the Watering Can usually wins first. If you have a large permanent crop layout, Sprinklers can save more daily labor than another early watering upgrade.
Why Can't I Upgrade?
Check the Whole Tool-Upgrade Chain
This block is designed for exact-answer searchers who have ore in inventory but still cannot see the upgrade option.
- Do you have an Anvil?
- Do you have the correct Mold?
- Is the required ore tier unlocked?
- Did you smelt the ore into Ingots?
- Are you looking at the correct crafting station?
- Did you sell the material you actually needed for the next tier?
Tool Upgrades and Skills
Metal Upgrades and Shrine Skills Are Separate
The strongest setup is tool upgrades plus the right support skills, not one system replacing the other.
Mining
- Pickaxe upgrades
- Mining Technique
- Ore Vein Discovery
Farming
- Watering Can and Hoe upgrades
- Ridge Technique
- Sprinklers
Woodcutting
- Axe upgrades
- Tree-cutting yield skills
- Charcoal and construction loops
Common Mistakes
Most Upgrade Problems Are Planning Problems
This page deliberately avoids inventing a full 5 tools by 4 tiers cost table and instead focuses on the verified mistakes players actually make.
- Upgrading every tool equally instead of removing the biggest bottleneck first
- Selling upgrade ore too early
- Forgetting the required upgrade Mold
- Looking for higher-tier tool upgrades at the normal workbench
- Trying to mine deep ore with a weak Pickaxe
- Ignoring Furnace infrastructure
- Forgetting Furnace fuel
- Upgrading the Watering Can but using the smallest watering pattern
- Overinvesting in watering tools after full Sprinkler automation
- Assuming the Sickle has Copper, Steel, Gold and Meteor Iron tiers
- Selling Tourmaline without considering Improved Sprinklers
- Assuming every upgrade only saves stamina in the same way
Recommended Route
Use a Route, Not a Mechanical Sequence
Upgrade whichever tool is currently costing the most time, stamina or progression, while still respecting the Pickaxe's compounding value.
Balanced Playthrough
- Basic Pickaxe to Copper Pickaxe
- Copper Axe or Watering Can
- Push deeper into the Quarry
- Steel Pickaxe
- Steel Axe or Watering Can
- Gold Pickaxe
- Gold versions of the tools you use most
- Meteor Iron Pickaxe
- Finish remaining high-value upgrades
Early Game
- Mining-heavy: Pickaxe, Axe, Watering Can
- Farming-heavy: Watering Can, Pickaxe, Axe
- Balanced: Pickaxe, Watering Can, Axe
Mid Game
- Advance Pickaxe
- Improve Watering Can or Sprinklers
- Improve Axe
- Upgrade Hoe or Plow only as needed
Late Game
- Prioritize tools you still use manually
- Pickaxe stays highly valuable for deep mining
- Axe stays relevant for ongoing wood loops
- Watering Can falls if the farm is fully automated
Checklist
Tool Upgrade Checklist
A compact checklist works better here than a giant cost table because the most common blockers are progression-state issues rather than arithmetic.
Before upgrading
- Build or unlock the Anvil
- Obtain the required tier Mold
- Check which tool is your real bottleneck
- Mine enough ore
- Keep Furnace fuel ready
- Smelt the required ingots
- Avoid selling needed upgrade materials
Priority check
- Mining too slow? Pickaxe
- Need lots of wood? Axe
- Watering takes too long? Watering Can
- Expanding fields? Hoe
- Expanding rice paddies? Plow
Before selling ore
- Do I need it for my next Pickaxe?
- Do I need it for Sprinklers?
- Do I need it for machines?
- Do I have a reserve for future upgrades?
Verification
Confirmed, Cross-Checked and Still Being Tested
This guide is high value already without pretending the exact cost matrix is fully verified.
Strongly supported
- Higher-tier tools exist.
- The documented tier progression is Copper to Steel to Gold to Meteor Iron.
- Watering Can has all four upgraded tiers.
- Hoe has all four upgraded tiers.
- Axe has all four upgraded tiers.
- Pickaxe has all four upgraded tiers.
- Plow has all four upgraded tiers.
- Sickle is not currently listed with the same metal-tier upgrade chain.
- Tool upgrades improve work efficiency.
- Pickaxe upgrades reduce rock-breaking effort.
- Stronger Pickaxes unlock access to more valuable ores.
- Watering Can upgrades increase watering coverage.
- Upgrade molds are part of the tool-upgrade system.
- Molds are available through the General Store.
- Anvil is used for advanced tool crafting.
- Copper, Iron, Gold and Meteor Iron come from Quarry progression.
- Ore can be smelted into ingots.
- Sprinklers provide a separate watering-automation path.
Cross-checked with player material
- An early Copper Mold can arrive through Spring progression.
- Watering Can patterns can be switched rather than permanently losing upgraded range.
- Tool upgrades become one of the main early progression bottlenecks.
- Players may obtain some equipment before the corresponding normal crafting route is fully established.
Still being verified
- Exact material cost of every individual tool upgrade
- Exact cash cost of each upgrade
- Whether molds are reusable or consumed
- Exact first shop date for each mold tier
- Exact day of the early Copper Mold mail
- Exact stamina reduction by tool tier
- Exact Hoe area improvement at each tier
- Exact Plow area improvement at each tier
- Exact Axe hit-count changes by wood type
- Exact Pickaxe hit-count table for every ore tier
- Whether every tool must be upgraded sequentially
- Exact old-tool consumption behavior
- Final official English names for Steel or Iron-tier tools and molds
FAQ
Tool Upgrade FAQ
Short answers for tiers, molds, Anvil access, ore routes, Sprinklers and the Sickle question.
Build an Anvil, obtain the appropriate upgrade Mold, mine and process the required metal, then use the advanced crafting system to create the higher-tier tool.
Current released-game data lists Copper, Steel, Gold and Meteor Iron after the basic tool.
The current database lists upgraded Watering Cans, Hoes, Axes, Pickaxes and Plows through Meteor Iron.
The current farm-tool database does not list Copper, Steel, Gold or Meteor-Iron Sickle variants. A Shrine skill instead reduces Sickle stamina consumption.
The Pickaxe is the strongest general first upgrade because it improves mining efficiency and helps unlock the materials required for later upgrades.
Upgrade it first if daily watering is consuming too much of your time or stamina. Current guide data confirms higher-tier Watering Cans provide wider watering coverage.
Current guide data says molds used for advanced farm tools are sold at the General Store.
Player testing reports an early Copper Mold can be received by mail during Spring progression, while later molds are also sold through the General Store.
Current guide data identifies the Anvil as the workstation for advanced tool crafting.
Current mining guides recommend 21F for Copper, 61F for Iron, 101F for Gold and 111F for Meteor Iron.
No. Advanced crafting uses processed metal materials, and current data confirms these metals are produced as ingots through the Furnace.
Yes. Current guide data says it requires Coal or Charcoal.
Not necessarily. Prioritizing Pickaxe, Axe or Watering Can can create more value than spreading your first materials evenly across every tool.
They solve the same problem differently. Watering Can upgrades are flexible, while Sprinklers automate permanent farm areas. A combination of both is usually best.
Higher-tier tools improve work efficiency, but current public guides do not provide a reliable universal stamina-reduction percentage table for every tool.
Sources
What This Tool-Upgrades Guide Is Based On
Exact upgrade costs, mold consumption rules and tool-by-tool efficiency values are not published here unless they can be reliably verified from released-game data.
- AppMedia farm tool database
- AppMedia mining guide
- AppMedia farming guide
- AppMedia recommended shrine skills guide
- AppMedia processed materials database
- GameCap tool upgrade guide
- GameCap quarry and mining guide
Written by: Village in the Shade Guide Editorial Team
Last updated: August 27, 2026
Sources: Official publisher and storefront pages, released-game research and linked source notes.