Four types of traps await in the tombs or other mysterious buildings: fire, electricity, steam jets, and poison darts. All four of these traps can cause real harm to Sims who carelessly move through a tomb.
Some traps are hidden. Others are quite visible, appearing as a series of holes on the floor or even repeatedly going off as ample warning.
For example, a fire trap will often belch flames on a regular basis to let your Sim know that the other side of a room will be difficult to reach, but probably contains something valuable. After all, traps are rarely laid for sport. They are for protection.
A Sim who spots the trap in advance will normally refuse to cross it, even if you click on the opposite side and try to order the Sim to “go here.” However, if the trap has failed or been disarmed, the Sim will have no problems crossing it.
You can actually spot a hidden trap in advance by having your Sim inspect a suspicious-looking area. If the Sim successfully discovers the trap, the trap appears on the floor in regular view—but it is armed. Now what?
Sims can attempt to disarm traps, but this is a risky proposition. Just click on the trap and choose the Disarm command.
While the Sim is working on disarming the trap, a green status gauge appears above their heads, just as if they were reading a book. When the gauge reaches the top, one of three things happens.
There is a random chance that the trap will go off while the Sim is attempting to disarm it, thus frightening the Sim (and earning the Fear moodlet).
Should the Sim successfully disarm the trap, the trap is now ineffective and can be walked over without worry. If the trap cannot be disarmed, a short message tells you that you need to find another way around.
If a trap cannot be disarmed or you don’t want to risk trying to disarm it, you can use the Attempt to Cross interaction. If the trap is just visible on the floor, the Sim will attempt to slink between the holes.
If the attempt fails, the trap goes off and the Sim suffers the consequences of that particular trap.
Should you Attempt to Cross an active trap, one that is going off in regular intervals, you have a greater chance of making it, but these traps can still be tricky. However, certain conditions thwart the effects of a trap.
For example, if you attempt to cross a fire trap, soaking your Sim in water at a nearby dive well will make them impervious to the flames.
Another way to disarm a trap is to push one of the giant statues that you use to trigger floor switches on top of a trap. The weight of the statue disarms the trap (but only the trap the statue is on—not an entire series of traps) and allows the Sim to safely pass over it.
Fire
Fire traps are one of the most common. This trap emits huge pillars of flames from holes. Sims caught in fire traps catch on fire.
Similar to the effect of a kitchen fire, the Sim goes into panic mode. If your Sim is on fire, look for any nearby water to put out the flame. A dive well is perfect. Steam jets traps will also put out the flames. Once the fire is extinguished, the Sim gets the Torched moodlet.
Sims can get through a fire trap by soaking themselves in a dive well first. As soon as the Soaked moodlet is present, they are drenched and can slip through the trap without harm.
If the fire is raging while they move through it, the Soaked moodlet disappears. If the fire trap is off when the Sim tries to cross it, they keep the Soaked moodlet and the puddle of water from their feet disables the trap.
Electricity
The electricity trap looks very similar to the fire trap except that it crackles with blue sparks when it goes off. If the Sim is in a normal state, the shock will just singe them (they receive the Singed moodlet).
These electrical bolts will shock a singed Sim into unconsciousness, giving them the Knocked Out moodlet. While knocked out, the Sim is vulnerable to other things, but if they are exploring with another Sim, hopefully that Sim can protect them.
Steam Jets
This trap shoots hot blasts of steam through its holes. Soaking your Sim doesn’t do much to disable this trap because it is water-based itself. If your Sim is caught in the steam jets, they get Soaked. (But at least the trap can put out flames or remove the Singed moodlet.)
This is the weakest of the traps and easiest to cross. Sims won’t even get the Fear moodlet from the steam jet trap.
Poison Darts
This trap is pretty darn devious. Sims who get caught in it by surprise or who attempt to cross the trap and fail are poisoned by the little spears. The Sim then stumbles backward and passes out.
While Knocked Out, the Sim lies on the floor, helpless. Definitely attempt to disarm this trap however you can—using a statue to block the vents is always the best solution.