By Just as in real life, the digital characters in the realms of The Sims 4 possess needs that must be satisfied; otherwise, they will not find happiness and adverse events may unfold. Potentially something truly catastrophic, like perishing. Thankfully, fulfilling your sims’ needs isn’t overly complicated—our digital inhabitants are less intricate than real humans. Nonetheless, a bit of understanding can make a significant difference. Below, we will explore how these needs function and the best ways to meet them, whether through activities your sim engages in or through lifelong rewards that permit you to disregard them entirely. Let’s begin.
The Sims 4 Needs overview
Hunger
- Solution: consume food
- Related perks: Hardly Hungry and Forever Full
If a sim fails to eat, hunger will set in. Should they neglect eating until their hunger meter is fully depleted, they might face starvation or, if a child, be taken away by Social Services and placed with a new family. Given the high stakes involved, hunger is the sole need that must be prioritized at all times, as neglecting it can result in a sim’s demise. So, ensure your sim eats.
There are two rewarding perks that simplify managing hunger: Hardly Hungry (4,000 reward points) significantly slows the rate of hunger depletion, while Forever Full (10,000 reward points) ensures that hunger never decreases naturally.
Energy
- Solution: rest, consume caffeine
- Related perks: Seldom Sleepy, Never Weary
One of the more frustrating elements of existence is the perpetual need for sleep, and your sims are no exception. They require rest, and fatigue will hinder their performance, slow skill acquisition, and elevate injury risk during certain activities like rock climbing. To rejuvenate your energy meter, sleep is the best answer. A quick caffeine fix can provide a temporary boost, but ultimately, sleep is essential. Vampires have additional rest methods: coffin naps and dark meditation.
Luckily, the consequences of this need are relatively low—if your sim’s energy is fully depleted, they’ll merely collapse temporarily, with only a minor moodlet as a consequence. However, there is a significant risk: if a sim runs out of energy while swimming, they could drown.
There are two aspiration rewards associated with energy: Seldom Sleepy (4,000 points) lessens energy depletion and Never Weary (10,000 points) completely eliminates the need for sleep. A fully upgraded vampire will also not require sleep unless to restore their vampire energy.
Bladder
- Solution: use the restroom
- Related perks: Steel Bladder
After consuming food, your sim’s waste must go somewhere, preferably a toilet—using the restroom will fully recharge the bladder meter. The main risk here is your sim having an accident, which leads to messiness, odors, and embarrassment.
The Steel Bladder reward (2,000 points) slows the rate of bladder depletion. The Hardly Hungry and Forever Full perks also assist, as this need only diminishes when your sim eats—no bathroom breaks are needed if they don’t eat. Alternatively, the Shameless reward (2,000 points) ensures your sim is unaffected by accidents.
Hygiene
- Solution: shower or brush teeth
- Related perks: Antiseptic, Forever Fresh
As your sim goes about their activities, they will gradually accumulate dirt and odors, especially after vigorous endeavors like workouts or other intense actions. Bathing will immediately remedy this need, and your sim can also enhance hygiene somewhat by brushing teeth or washing hands. If the Laundry Day pack is installed, they must also clean their clothes, which get dirty like their bodies.
Two aspiration rewards can help with hygiene: Antiseptic (3,000 points) slows the hygiene meter’s decline, and Forever Fresh (8,000 points) guarantees bathing is unnecessary.
Fun
- Solution: engage in enjoyable activities
- Related perks: Carefree
Just like humans, your sims need to engage in pleasurable activities to stay sane; if not, they may become anxious and irritable. However, the solution is straightforward: your sim just needs to partake in something enjoyable. From gaming and playing with pets or kids to sports and hobbies like fishing or working out, the opportunities are nearly endless, provided your sim enjoys the activity. You can check or choose your sim’s preferences in Create-a-Sim if uncertain.
You don’t need to overthink this one, as allowing your sim to act autonomously usually leads them to take care of this need instinctively. Seeking enjoyable activities appears to be the natural inclination for autonymous sims.
If perpetual fun isn’t your goal, the Carefree aspiration reward (2,000 points) ensures your sim will not experience tension, thus avoiding the effects of a low fun meter.
- Resolution: converse with other sims, or the toilet
- Associated perks: Independent, Needs No One
Sims are remarkably social entities, much like humans, and interacting with others plays an essential role in their existence. If your sim’s social meter drops too low, they will become extremely unhappy and despondent until they engage in conversation with someone. Although stepping outside and interacting face-to-face with other sims, or inviting them over to socialize is the most straightforward option, there’s actually no requirement for physical interaction—communicating with others online or through social media will also enhance your social meter. For those wanting to take a more introverted approach, your sim can obtain the talking toilet from build mode, forming a friendship with it and foregoing interactions with others entirely.
The Independent lifetime reward (2,000 points) enables your social need to diminish at a much slower rate, while Needs No One (5,000 points) will eliminate this requirement altogether.
Vampire Weaknesses
- Resolutions: carry an umbrella, and consume plasma from sims, fruits, or plasma packs
- Associated perks: Tamed Thirst, Sun Resistance
Vampires possess two distinctive needs that ordinary sims do not: They require plasma from other sims (this substitutes for hunger), and they must avoid direct sunlight to prevent suffering and eventual demise. The sunshine issue is easy to manage—just carry an umbrella, and your vampire sim will use it when venturing outdoors in daylight.
Consuming plasma is more intricate, as drinking from other sims is typically frowned upon, even though it doesn’t genuinely harm them—and if your sim becomes overly thirsty, they will temporarily turn feral and attack another sim impulsively. If you’re unfazed by reputation loss, go ahead, but if you’d like your sim to maintain favorable relations, there are two alternative, harmless plasma sources: purchasing plasma packs online and gathering plasma fruit from a plasma tree. Plasma trees flourish in Forgotten Hollow, and you can use a plasma fruit to cultivate your own trees.
The vampire skill tree has perks that can permanently resolve these vulnerabilities, though it may take time to unlock them. Tamed Thirst, a top-tier vampire skill, will ensure your sim never suffers from thirst repercussions. Sun Resistance is a fourth-tier skill with three levels that grant your sim the ability to walk in daylight.
Mermaid Hydration
- Resolution: drink water, bathe, swim
- Associated perks: Forever Fresh
Even in their human guise, mermaids must remain wet due to their hydration need, which takes the place of hygiene for this type of sim. Yet, since this uses the hygiene meter, your mermaid sims won’t perish from dehydration but will experience great tension and frustration, hindering their unique abilities. Thankfully, this can be effortlessly resolved: Mermaids can increase their hydration through any water-related activities, excluding hot tubs. Therefore, swimming, bathing, or drinking water will suffice.
The Forever Fresh perk, which permanently resolves your hygiene requirement, will also positively affect mermaid hydration.
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