Axe

An Axe is a tool that chops down trees to remove them. In, only one axe is available and it is unbreakable. However, in all subsequent games, standard axes have a limited number of uses and will degrade with every use before shattering.

Usage
An axe can be swung at trees, which will fall after three strikes. Striking this tree can cause any object on the tree to fall, including fruit and beehives. Cutting down a tree results in a stump which must be dug out using a shovel. Swinging an axe when there are no surrounding obstacles results in the player swinging and missing. Attempting to strike a villager with an axe will result in the axe either missing or simply bouncing off of them. Axes used in any game after Doubutsu no Mori have a limited number of uses before shattering, requiring them to be replaced. As an axe degrades, its inventory icon becomes more visibly distressed with a crack appearing to become increasingly larger. Axes can also be used as a substitute for the shovel to hit rocks to find insects, Bells and ore. This will also quickly degrade the axe, however.

More advanced variations of the axe are available; a Silver Axe is more durable, and the Golden Axe is quicker to use and unbreakable. In, the Rental Axe available from Lloid on Tortimer Island is also unbreakable, despite appearing otherwise identical to a standard Axe. Finally, in New Leaf, the Silver Axe and Golden Axe can create special designs on the stumps left behind after felling a tree.

In Wild World
From onwards, the reward for having a Perfect Town is changed to the Golden Watering Can. The Golden Axe is now obtained through other means.

In City Folk
introduces the Silver Axe, which is unbreakable. The Golden Axe continues to be unbreakable but will now also swing much quicker than the other axes.

In New Leaf
changes the effects of the Silver Axe and Golden Axe, which can now produce unique designs on tree stumps. The Silver Axe is no longer unbreakable and will shatter after many more uses than a standard axe.