Many things are happening in the world of the Sims. EA recently announced The Sims 5 after footage of the game was leaked online, and the The Sims 4 base game became free to play. If you’re like me, you downloaded The Sims 4 almost immediately after the announcement and have spent the past week diving into everything this zany game has to offer.
I’m not exactly a Sims newbie; in high school, I played many hours of Sims 2, Sims Medieval, and Sims Freeplay. However, with my love of all things Animal Crossing and Elder Scrolls, I thought the Sims was a gaming franchise of my past, one I could look back on with fond and funny memories of Sims chaos. I should’ve known though—you never outgrow the Sims.
Now, I’m not just playing Sims 4 but I’m also sharing some random tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way. Some of my tips and tricks require the many expansion packs and additional content available for the game, so I’ll specify under each trick what content pack you need. With that out of the way, let’s dive into five random tips and tricks to living your best Sim life.
Skip the work grind—marry rich!
This first tip is a tried and true method for raking in thousands of simoleons with little effort. Find a sugar daddy or sugar momma (each world in The Sims 4 has one or two wealthy families), preferably who is single, but if your relationship with them is high enough, you can convince them to leave their spouse. I find that playing as a romantic flirty Sim gives a huge boost in the romance department, so it shouldn’t be too hard to win over the sugar daddy or momma of your dreams, move in with them, and boom: lots of money and a big house.
This method can be done in the base game without the need for any expansions. However, if you own the Get Famous pack, Del Sol Valley is perfect because of the celebrities who call this Hollywood Hills-inspired lot home. I usually set my Sim sights on Thorne Baily who has one of the nicest pre-made houses in the game. It doesn’t take too much flirting and uh…woo-hooing to convince Thorne to leave his wife (sorry Octavia). By the end of my Sim’s third day in the game, she was already married to Thorne and living her best life in Del Sol Valley.
Play as a vampire—-no, really!
I’ve made no secret of my love of vampires, so The Sims 4: Vampires pack is a must-have among the troves of additional content available for the game. Vampires are interesting in The Sims 4 because they’re fairly over-powered once you start unlocking several of their abilities, like the ability to influence the emotions of the Sims around you, the ability to enter any house regardless of the time of day, and the ability to travel as a bat or in super-speed mode. Vampires also don’t have the same needs as regular, mortal Sims, and you can even turn off vampires’ need for social interactions and mortal activities like bathing the more powerful of a vampire your Sim becomes.
One of my favorite things to do in the The Sims 4 as a vampire is to focus on leveling my Vampire Knowledge, writing, and painting skills. The writing and painting skills give players a passive income the more they write and paint, so you don’t have to worry about getting a job in the day. The careers of entertainer and freelancer are also perfect for the vampire. Vampires can stay awake for several days at a time, as long as you don’t overuse your powers. But if you do, call one of your mortal friends, turn on your allure, and your Vampire Sim never needs to worry about running out of a steady stream of plasma ever agaij. I like to combine my vampires with my first tip. I usually have my vampires seduce a wealthy Sim (this is very easy to do once you unlock the ability to influence emotion) so I never have to worry about Simoleons to afford my vampire nightlife.
The other thing to consider with vampires is how quickly you can level your Sim and all your skills. The Master Vampire Aspiration (found in the Knowlege Aspiration category) comes with the bonus trait of Quick Learning. Players can also unlock more bonus traits as they progress through the game. The Night Owl trait gives Sims a boost to their learning levels at night, which perfectly suits the vampire lifestyle. Combine Quick Learner with Night Owl, and your vampire Sim will be leveling up those skills in no time.
Befriend a Scarecrow
For this tip, you need the Seasons pack, which is one of the most popular of the Sims 4 packs. Not only does Seasons affect the weather and holidays, but the pack comes with an unusual item—-a scarecrow named Patchy the Straw Man that you can purchase from Build Mode. At first glance, Patchy is a normal scarecrow, but after you examine him, he reveals he is alive. Get to know Patchy a bit and build up your relationship over time, and Patchy will help your Sims with their gardens. Patchy also interacts with the player’s home and their families. His traits and aspiration are randomized, but his assistance in the garden is very helpful, especially for the larger gardens with lots of crops.
When Creating a Sim, Pay Close Attention to Your Bonus Trait
When you are creating a Sim, you choose their Aspiration, which drives much of the gameplay and provides an outline for what your Sims life will look like. Players can choose aspirations like fame, fortune, romance, knowledge, and many others. Each aspiration comes with a bonus trait. The Knowledge aspiration, for example, comes with the Muser trait, which gives Sims better skill gains while they are inspired. The Romance aspiration comes with the bonus trait of Alluring, which means your Sim has a better chance of flirting and seducing other Sims.
Aspirations can be changed at any time, but the bonus trait always stays the same—unless you use cheat codes (cas.fulleditmode wink wink). But if you don’t play with cheats, make sure you choose the aspiration that comes with the bonus trait that will be most helpful for you. For example, I recently decided to play as a Vampire painter Sim, so I selected the Knowledge aspiration when I was initially creating the Sim. Once I started the game, I changed my aspiration to Creative to best suit my painter Sims’ true goals, but the bonus trait stays the same no matter what aspiration I choose.
Make Money Throwing Things Away
The NanoCan Touchless Trash Can is one of the hidden gems of The Sims 4. The item’s description reads: “The next generation of trash disposal, this hands-free bin replete with smart tech and odor filters converts organize waste into fuel, rendering the entire unit self-sufficient.” When you purchase this handy and futuristic little trash can, your Sims will use it to throw all their garbage and will get money back in return. It’s only ten Simoleons, but the amount increases the more Sims you have living in your household. If your Sim family has eight members, you’ll make $80 every time you throw something away.
The NanoCan Touchless Trash Can costs $1,500 Simoleons, but it’s a worthy investment and you’ll make your money back in no time at all.
I hope you have a blast playing The Sims 4. For all things pop culture and the Sims, check out my website and stay nerdy!
Mack's Musings 