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Expertise System
May 12, 2026 at 02:23 PM
Initial version (2026-05-12): created Expertise System article covering daily upgrade choice, multi-job mechanic, Application Points, and career-domain crossover.
The Expertise System in Paralives is the mechanic that drives daily progression inside any Careers job. After each successful workday, a Parafolk earns an upgrade choice; the player picks one of three branches to apply. Over time, this daily decision shapes a Parafolk's earning power, transferable resume, and non-monetary work perks. The same system also governs how the launch build evaluates job applications and multi-job scheduling, so it touches every Parafolk who holds an active job.
Expertise sits alongside other progression systems in the launch build. It is separate from Skills and Knowledge skill bars, separate from goal-driven personality progression in Goals, and separate from the wants-driven Personality Point loop in Wants System. Where skills measure raw ability and personality points measure character growth, expertise measures career-specific accomplishment that the launch build can carry across job changes.
Every successful workday triggers an upgrade prompt at the end of the shift. The Parafolk's career panel surfaces three semi-random options; the player picks one to apply. Two Parafolk holding the exact same job will usually see different options on any given day, which keeps two parallel careers from feeling identical.
Option | Effect | Trade-Off |
|---|---|---|
Rank Upgrade | Increases the per-shift salary by raising the job's rank tier | Adds no transferable expertise; benefit is limited to the current role |
Expertise Upgrade | Adds or improves an expertise; raises salary slightly | Smaller salary bump than a Rank Upgrade, but the expertise carries to future job applications |
Extra Upgrade | Grants a non-monetary perk such as faster skill gain, better workplace relationships, or improved mood at work | Does not raise salary directly |
The three branches are not mutually exclusive across a Parafolk's career arc; over weeks of work, a household can mix the choices to shape outcomes. Players who optimize for short-term income lean on Rank Upgrades. Players who plan to switch jobs lean on Expertise Upgrades to load up portable resume credit. Players who want a more comfortable Live Mode pick more Extra Upgrades for the quality-of-life perks.
Each of the 11 confirmed Careers domains has its own rank ladder and expertise pool. Expertise earned in one domain typically applies most strongly when applying for another job in the same domain, but some expertise is broadly useful across multiple domains.
Domain | Example Rank-Up Path | Example Expertise Unlock |
|---|---|---|
Art | Climbing rank tiers as a Gallery Curator at a named venue | Visual composition expertise usable on future Art applications |
Education | Climbing rank tiers as a Teacher at a school | Classroom management expertise usable across education roles |
Fitness | Climbing rank tiers as a Coach at the gym | Endurance training expertise usable across fitness roles |
Food | Climbing rank tiers as a Cook at a cafe | Ingredient mastery usable on future Food applications |
Healthcare | Climbing rank tiers as a Nurse | Patient-care expertise usable across healthcare roles, including a later Doctor application |
Maintenance | Climbing rank tiers as a Janitor | Equipment-handling expertise usable on maintenance applications |
Management | Climbing rank tiers as a Manager at a named workplace | Team coordination usable across management roles |
Music | Climbing rank tiers as a Musician | Performance expertise usable across music roles |
Science | Climbing rank tiers as a Researcher | Lab procedure expertise usable across science roles |
Service | Climbing rank tiers as an Office Administrator at SuperGamezPlus Inc. | Customer-service expertise usable across service roles |
Software Development | Climbing rank tiers as a Software Engineer | Engineering expertise usable across software roles |
The named workplaces in the table above (Bloom, Headlines, the Museum, SuperGamezPlus Inc., schools, and cafes) are the confirmed anchors for the various domain ladders. Within any domain, multiple jobs may exist at different ranks, and the Expertise System tracks progress for each Parafolk separately.
When a Parafolk applies for a new job, the launch build uses an Application Points score rather than a single skill check. The score is calculated from the Parafolk's relevant Skills and Knowledge levels, their prior work experience in the same domain, and the expertise they have unlocked through previous Expertise Upgrades. If the total meets the job's threshold, the application is approved automatically.
This makes expertise valuable far beyond the current job. A Nurse who chooses Expertise Upgrades over Rank Upgrades earns less per shift in the short term, but builds a stronger resume for an eventual Doctor application. Because the Doctor application threshold is high, a Nurse who has not built any expertise may not qualify for the role even after years of ranking up.
A Parafolk can hold multiple jobs simultaneously when the schedules do not conflict. Each job tracks its own expertise progression independently. A Parafolk who works as a Cook in the morning and a Waiter in the evening accumulates Food-domain expertise from the Cook shift and Service-domain expertise from the Waiter shift, with both pools available on future applications.
Some jobs cross-list across domains. A Waiter, for example, may contribute Application Points to both the Food and Service domains, illustrating that some roles straddle the dividing lines. The Expertise System still tracks each domain's pool separately, but cross-listed jobs effectively double-dip when it comes to building Application Points.
The daily upgrade choice is only offered after a successful shift. Performance is measured against mood, relationships, and skill progress during the workday. A Parafolk who shows up exhausted, who has poor relationships with coworkers, or who avoids skill-building tasks during the shift may not earn an upgrade for that day. Consecutive poor shifts can stall progression entirely until performance improves.
Mood matters in particular. The Vibes system, the Emotions framework, and the Needs System all feed into the daily performance score. A Parafolk who walks into a shift hungry, tired, or socially drained will produce worse outcomes than one who arrives well-rested and emotionally stable.
The Expertise System is moddable through the official Modding and Steam Workshop toolkit. Modders can adjust the pool of available expertise, change the rank-vs-expertise vs extra branching weights, define new career domains, and remap existing ones. Players who find the default progression too fast or too slow can install a balance mod that shifts the Expertise System without affecting the rest of the launch build.
The Expertise System is confirmed for the May 25, 2026 Early Access launch. The daily three-option upgrade prompt, the Application Points scoring, the multi-job tracking, and the named workplaces anchoring each domain are all part of the Day 1 build. Active follow-to-work gameplay is not part of the launch; on-the-job activity remains a rabbit-hole shift, with the Expertise System surfacing only at the end of each successful day. Active workplace gameplay is one of the post-launch additions tracked in Roadmap and Planned Features.
