I don’t know if it is because I am stressed with finals approaching, or if I have been watching too much Kelsey Dangerous, but I have been on a Sims kick for months. As someone that has all but two expansion packs, I feel I can share with you my top 3 favorites and top 3 that I would recommend to people who don’t know where to start. As a little side note, I know packs are expensive, but the Sims, twice a year (maybe more), has sales where all packs are 50% off. I look out for these sales and do the majority of my shopping then because you get two packs for the price of one, just wanted to put that out there to any fellow bargainers or anyone looking to save money.
Get To Work
I feel like this is on all the must-get expansion packs from every Sims player, so it’s only fair that I include it, and there is a reason this pack has made it to all those lists. I feel like this is a great first pack. This pack allows you to do so much and create storylines. You can enter your sim into a career and go to work with them. There are many different careers from being a doctor to being a mad scientist. It is really interesting and fun to try and improve your skills each day and progress in your field. As someone who mainly stuck to using the sims only for building for a while, this pack helped me explore gameplay and have more fun with the game.
Discover University
Similarly, the Discover University pack allows you to follow your sim through degree completion. There are two universities to choose from and each university has different degree options. I think this pack is so unique and such a great addition to the sims. You can even join clubs and sports teams at the university you enroll in. Moreover, before you even get to university there is the option to have your sim apply for scholarships which I think brings a more realistic element to the game for my fellow college students out there. Something that I like to do is to send my sim to university to get a degree and then send them to work using the Get to Work Pack. I think these two packs go hand in hand and with the degree, you get a sign-on bonus and better pay! The one backlash I heard from this pack is not being able to change the dorms but this is easily fixable with cheats. First, make sure cheats are on by hitting control shift c and typing ‘testingcheats on’ into the box. Then type ‘bb.enablefreebuild’ this cheat allows you to build and remodel lots that you do not own. Happy dorm decorating!
Cottage Living
This is the Sims 4 newest expansion pack and is a little different from just following your sim through work or college. I adore this pack. If you are a cottage care bestie, then this is the pack for you. The clothes and furniture in this pack are too cute. Not to mention we finally have farming which I think is the biggest appeal to this pack. If you like games like Stardew Valley, try the Cottage Living pack as you can become a master gardener as well as bond with your farm animals. The gameplay interactions in this one pack are just endless. For my more advanced Sim friends, this is, in my opinion, the best world to try the rags to riches challenge as you can complete odd jobs for the townies.
I hope these insights into some of the packs were helpful and you find as much joy in them as I. Happy gaming!