Rock climbing has been taken out of the gym and into the world of Mt. Komorebi, thanks to The Sims 4: Snowy Escape. Previously the climbing skill was only available through Fitness Stuff, using the rock climbing wall. Now Sims can use their skills to climb actual mountains. However, there are a few things you need to know about how the skill is used outside of a gym.
This guide will show you the rock climbing wall locations in each of the Mt. Komorebi neighborhoods as well as preparing you to climb the mountain itself. It also offers tips and tricks so you can build your rock climbing skill quickly and easily, as well as a rock climbing cheat if you're the impatient type. Just make sure you take your time when climbing the actual mountain or the results could be fatal.
Where To Climb
The climbing skill from Fitness Stuff is the same skill as you'll find in Snowy Escape so if you want to prepare inside you can simply use a climbing wall. However, rock climbing outside in Mt. Komorebi has some unique interactions and preparations that can increase your chances of success.
There are three rock climbing walls located in Mt. Komorebi; two in Yukimatsu and one in Senbamachi. These are the neighborhoods with hiking trails and climbing the walls will enable you to use different routes as well as access new places.
Yukimatsu
The beginner climbing wall in Yukimatsu is located near the bunny slope and you pass by it as you walk up to the hiking trails.
From the Onsen simply walk forward towards the ski lift and slopes and carry on until the bunny slope is on your right. You should see the walls on the left, behind the notice board. Climbing them will offer a new way to get over to the hiking trails but it's not very beneficial.
To find the intermediate slope you need to use the ski lift. Sims who are skiing do this automatically but you can do it manually. Simply go to the ski lift building and then click on the "travel to top" option to take you to the top of the slopes.
Once here the climbing wall is obvious as there's nothing else except the slopes themselves. However, you can explore further once you've climbed the wall as at the top of it is a marker that you need to examine during the Mountain Summit social event.
Senbamachi
In Senbamachi the climbing wall is a little more difficult to find since it's hidden off to one side of the Bamboo Forest. However, you can still easily walk to it and don't need to use the hiking trail.
From the park, head towards the Bamboo Forest and over to the entrance on the left. You can walk up this path and then take a left by the public toilets and follow the path along. You'll quickly see the walls in front of you. Climbing them takes you to a small public garden.
Preparing To Climb
Sims who are in a focused mood will have a higher chance of success and the game offers a few ways to improve this further using preparations.
The first and easiest preparation is to purchase climbing gear for $50 using a computer. This will appear in your inventory and you can then click on it to equip it, giving you some fetching blue gloves and shoes that may (or may not) disappear after you remove them. If you have issues with the equipment staying visible permanently then you may need to remove the climbing gear from your inventory as this is a current bug at the time of writing.
You can also do two types of condition checks. The first is to check the weather conditions on the mountain at the notice board. This will tell you if there are icy conditions or incoming blizzards that will affect your climb. Sims can also assess the conditions of the individual wall to see a popup telling you the chances of success.
You'll also need to keep an eye on your climbing gear as its condition will deteriorate as you use it, so make sure you check it periodically by hovering over it in your inventory as part of the pre-climb routine. If it is damaged you can simply select the option to repair or replace it.
To increase your focus you can unlock the pre-climb stretch ability at skill level three and chalk hands at level four. Both of these will give you a +1 Focus buff for four hours.
The success level pop-up from assessing the wall takes into account your skill, gear, mood, the weather, and any preparations you make, so do these before you assess.
Skill Levels
As with any skill, different levels will offer extra boosts. Here's what you can expect at each skill level:
- Level One - Can climb small walls and purchase and equip Rock Climbing Gear.
- Level Two - Unlocks snow goggles and courageous climbs on small walls. You can also build skills slightly faster using the breaking point climbing session option.
- Level Three - Gain a focus boost from the pre-climb stretch ability. You'll also be able to research hand hold techniques on the computer and attempt to climb medium walls.
- Level Four - Chalking your hands offers an extra focus boost. You'll also have more climbing options on medium walls.
- Level Five - The climbing suit is unlocked and medium walls now offer breaking point climbing sessions. If you equip the climbing suit in Create-A-Sim you'll notice that it matches the climbing gear.
- Level Six - You can now attempt to climb the tallest walls. This is the minimum skill level required to attempt to climb the summit of Mt. Komorebi.
- Level Seven - Sims can climb cautiously on tall walls. They will be able to craft energy bars out of apples and cherries for a quick hunger and energy refill on the go. The crafting ability has a six-hour cooldown.
- Level Eight - Sims can now practice on tall walls. We recommend this skill level before attempting the social event to reach the peak.
- Level Nine - Courageous climbing on tall walls is unlocked. Sims can also craft protein bars from blackberry and strawberry. These also have a (separate) six-hour cooldown to the energy bars and also give energy and hunger boost. In addition, Protein bars also reduce your hunger and energy decay, locking them at 85% for three hours.
- Level Ten - Sims at the peak of their skills can coach others and offer them tips.
As always there is an option to give yourself a little boost in skill with this rock climbing skill cheat. After enabling testing cheats simply type:
stats.set_skill_level major_rockclimbing x
where x is the desired skill level.
Dangers
Sims can die from falling off rock climbing walls and the higher the fall the greater the risk. If you attempt a difficult climb at a low skill level, without proper equipment and preparation, or in bad conditions then the chances of falling are increased.
The first fall is likely to get you a debuff but if you carry on then don't expect to come back from the expedition since death by falling is the second new death type in Snowy Escape.
Once you've built up your rock climbing skills you can use your knowledge to tackle Mt. Komorebi itself.