Handiwork – Skill progression & money guide (Level 0 → Level 10)
In my rotational play I’m testing different money-making skills with Zois dedicated to a single skill. Since I noted everything down for future reference, I’m sharing my Handiwork observations here.
Settings: 96-minute day
Quick Summary
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Handiwork is one of the most lucrative skills (together with Painting), mainly because Premium Tools unlock very early (Level 2) and sell for good profit.
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Ordinary tools sold from inventory usually only give you the craft cost back (no profit). Market Stand can add profit, but costs time and isn’t guaranteed.
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Premium tools can be sold directly from inventory for strong profit, even if you buy materials.
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Best “stable” money maker: Gold Premium Pickaxe (fast craft, high margin).
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Jewel Watering Can / Jewel Rake are usually not ideal for profit farming because raw diamonds are rare and margins are weaker than premium pickaxes.
Craft timings (baselines)
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Crafting a tool: ~16–18 min
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Gem cutting: ~19–20 min
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Jack-o’-Lantern crafting: ~20 min (but very low skill gain compared to tool crafting)
Leveling speed (time to level up)
Handiwork leveling time is not consistent; it swings a lot depending on level and what you craft.
| Level-up | Time to level up | Tools crafted (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 0 → 1 | ~1h25 | 5 tools | Ordinary tools only |
| Level 1 → 2 | ~1h40 | 6 tools | — |
| Level 2 → 3 | ~1h00–1h10 | 4 tools | Premium tools unlock |
| Level 3 → 4 | ~2h00–2h20 | 7 tools | — |
| Level 4 → 5 | ~1h25 | 4 tools + 1 gem cut | — |
| Level 5 → 6 | ~3h30 | 12 tools | Jewel can/rake unlock |
| Level 6 → 7 | ~3h30 | ~10–12 tools | Lanterns tested (not representative XP) |
| Level 7 → 8 | ~4h50 | 17 tools | — |
| Level 8 → 9 | ~2h15 | 8 tools | — |
| Level 9 → 10 | ~6h30 | 23 tools | Longest stretch |
Unlocks by level (with craft/cut costs)
Level 0 (ordinary tools + first gem cut)
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Ordinary tools available:
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Stone Pickaxe, Wooden Fishing Rod, Basic Watering Can, Stone Rake
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Craft cost: 200 Mew each (no additional materials)
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Gem cut: Round (cut cost 10 Mew)
Level 1
- Gem cut: Oval (cut cost 15 Mew)
Level 2 (big milestone)
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Premium Tools unlock: Premium Pickaxe + Premium Fishing Rod
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Craft cost: 300 Mew each (plus materials)
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Materials: 2× twig + 2× ordinary rock + 1× metal (Copper / Iron / Silver / Gold / Raw Diamond)
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Level 3
- Gem cut: Pear (cut cost 20 Mew)
Level 5 (Jewel tools + Square cut)
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Jewel Watering Can + Jewel Rake unlock
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Craft cost: 300 Mew + 2× twig + 2× ordinary rock + 1× raw diamond
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Inventory sell value: 600 Mew each
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Profit note: usually not great for farming profit (raw diamonds are rare; margins weaker than premium pickaxes)
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Gem cut: Square (cut cost 25 Mew)
Level 7
- Gem cut: Heart (cut cost 30 Mew)
Level 9
- Gem cut: Star (cut cost 40 Mew)
Level 10
- Gem cuts: Kitty Paw + Noble (cut cost 50 Mew)
Premium Tools: costs, sell prices, and profit tables
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Premium craft cost: 300 Mew
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Common materials: 2× twig + 2× ordinary rock
- If bought: twig 1 Mew each + rock 1 Mew each → 4 Mew total
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Ore prices (if bought): Copper 4 • Iron 8 • Silver 25 • Gold 65
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Raw Diamond: not buyable; “raw value” = 300
Premium Pickaxe (inventory sale)
| Metal | Ore cost (buy) | Total cost if buying material (300 + 4 + ore) | Inventory sell | Profit (buy material) | Profit (gather everything)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 4 | 308 | 350 | +42 | +50 |
| Iron | 8 | 312 | 500 | +188 | +200 |
| Silver | 25 | 329 | 900 | +571 | +600 |
| Gold | 65 | 369 | 1200 | +831 | +900 |
| Jewel (Raw Diamond) | — | — | 3000 | — | — |
*“Gather everything” here means you count only the 300 craft cost as your expense (no purchased ore/twigs/rocks).
Premium Fishing Rod (inventory sale)
| Metal | Ore cost (buy) | Total cost if buying mats (300 + 4 + ore) | Inventory sell | Profit (buy mats) | Profit (if you gather everything)* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 4 | 308 | 250 | −58 | −50 |
| Iron | 8 | 312 | 300 | −12 | 0 |
| Silver | 25 | 329 | 400 | +71 | +100 |
| Gold | 65 | 369 | 600 | +231 | +300 |
| Jewel (Raw Diamond) | — | — | 1500 | — | — |
Practical takeaway
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Gold Pickaxe is the best “buy everything and sell from inventory” money printer (~+831 Mew per craft).
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Fishing rods are weaker margins: Copper/Iron rods can be zero/negative if you buy materials; Silver/Gold rods are okay but still behind pickaxes.
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Jewel tools look huge, but raw diamonds are scarce—so they’re great when you have a lot of diamonds, not a stable farming baseline.
Gem cutting: value multipliers (with % increase)
Gem cutting takes ~19–20 min and costs Mew. Based on the measured value changes, gem cuts behave like fixed multipliers (the % increase stays the same even for more expensive gems).
Cut multipliers (per cut type)
| Cut | Cost | Multiplier | % increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | 10 | ×1.05 | +5% |
| Oval | 15 | ×1.05 | +5% |
| Pear | 20 | ×1.10 | +10% |
| Square | 25 | ×1.20 | +20% |
| Heart | 30 | ×1.30 | +30% |
| Star | 40 | ×1.40 | +40% |
| Noble | 50 | ×1.50 | +50% |
| Kitty Paw | 50 | ×1.50 | +50% |
Kitty Paw sanity check (different base gem values)
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Base 80 → 120 (+50%)
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Base 90 → 135 (+50%)
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Base 300 → 450 (+50%)
Break-even (simple rule)
A cut only pays for itself if the value increase is larger than the cut fee. Rough break-even base values:
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Noble / Kitty Paw (+50%, cost 50): worth it if base value is over ~100
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Star (+40%, cost 40): worth it if base value is over ~100
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Heart (+30%, cost 30): worth it if base value is over ~100
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Square (+20%, cost 25): worth it if base value is over ~125
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Pear (+10%, cost 20): worth it if base value is over ~200
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Round (+5%, cost 10): worth it if base value is over ~200
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Oval (+5%, cost 15): worth it if base value is over ~300
Practical takeaway: For low-value gems (base ~80–90), most cuts aren’t great for profit. Cuts become attractive once you start finding higher base-value gems—especially the +50% cuts.
Jack-o’-Lantern crafting (low XP, mostly cosmetic)
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Takes ~20 min but gives very little skill gain compared to making tools.
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Masks unlock by level:
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Level 0: Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 10; needs pumpkin)
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Level 1: Large Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 20; needs large pumpkin)
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Level 2: Glowing Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 30; needs rare star pumpkin)
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Level 3: Gem Jack-o’-Lantern Pumpkin Mask (cost 40; needs gem pumpkin)
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Best strategy (leveling + money)
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Level 0–1: craft ordinary tools to level (no profit via inventory sales).
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From Level 2 onward: switch to Premium Pickaxes asap for both XP and money.
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If you buy materials, Gold Pickaxe is the best consistent profit/time (≈ 831 Mew profit per ~17 min).
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Market Stand can add profit, but costs time and sometimes nothing sells.
. I play in family rotation as well and I’m going to use your Handiwork list.