Handiness

Stuff breaks. But when it does, it’s usually inconvenient. Sims with the Handiness skill are suddenly valuable folks to have around. The Handiness skill is good for repairing broken objects, and can even ensure against future calamity.

• Acquire by: Take Handiness Class, Read Handiness Book, Try to Repair an Object
• Development tools: Handiness Skill Books, Tinkering with Objects, Repairing an Object, Upgrading an Object

Development Benefits

Once the Handiness skill has been acquired via a course or a book, Sims can further develop it at home by either Tinkering with objects or attempting to Repair a broken object, such as a stove, stereo, dishwasher, or toilet. Any mechanical or electric object has the potential to break after every use. When an electrical object breaks, it typically smokes or sparks. A broken toilet is clogged and refuses to flush. When this happens, the Repair interaction becomes available.

When the Repair option is selected, a handy Sim will start working on the object. Depending on the level of the Handiness skill, the Sim risks getting electrocuted by the object. This causes the Singed moodlet, which drops the overall mood. (Remove this moodlet with a bath or shower.) The higher the Handiness skill, the less chance the Sim will be shocked while repairing the object.

This is the risk of trying to fix an electrical object when the Handiness skill has not been adequately developed.

A repaired object is not back to 100 percent. Once an object breaks, it has started its steady downhill slide. The chance of a repaired object breaking again goes up. The more it breaks and is repaired, the higher the chance of repeat breaks until the object finally goes absolutely kaput and must be replaced.

Upgrading

Once the Handiness skill reaches level 3, the Sim learns the Upgrade interaction. Upgrading lets a Sim add a new effect or function to an existing object. This is not a universal interaction once learned. Subsequent levels after earning the Upgrade interaction unlock extra upgrades that the handy Sim can install. Upgrades can provide many benefits, from making an object unbreakable or self cleaning or fireproof to strictly improving it, for instance the stereo’s speakers can be improved to produce a bigger Enjoying Music moodlet.

At level 3, a Sim can add a self-cleaning upgrade to objects that get dirty, such as the stove or refrigerator. At level 6 of the skill, Sims can upgrade any mechanical/electrical object so that it is unbreakable with the Prevent Breakage interaction. This upgrade takes time, but doing so helps develop the skill. Success with these upgrades is not guaranteed. If the upgrade fails (there’s a small chance of this happening) then the object is either broken beyond repair or gets dirty and must be cleaned. Finally, at level 10, the Sim gets a membership card to a guild. Build Mode objects are then 25 percent off.

Skill Challenges

• Electrician: Electricians have repaired at least 10 electrical objects. The experience gained means they will never be electrocuted by an electrical object again.
• Plumber: Plumbers have repaired at least 10 plumbing objects. They are so good at repairs that plumbing objects repaired by them never break again.
• Tinkerer: Tinkerers have finished at least 10 unique upgrades on household items. Installing the “Unbreakable” upgrade on multiple objects only counts as one unique upgrade, so it helps to experiment with different upgrade options! Tinkerers never fail when upgrading objects.