The Sims 4 Archaeology Skill

Excavating Relics and Digging Up Profit

The Sims 4 Archaeology Skill Guide
The Sims 4 Archaeology Skill - Find Artifacts and Create Ancient Relics

A key feature of The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure Game Pack is the new Archaeology skill. This lets you get the most of your adventures, and even helps fund the cost of your rental in Selvadorada by providing a way to make money. A good Archaeologist should have no trouble returning to the jungle. Master the skill and you'll gain a few handy abilities, along with the chance a number of powerful artifacts.

How to: Archaeology Cheats
Press Control + Shift + C then type testingcheats on and press enter. You can now set your skill level with stats.set_skill_level major_archaeology x (fill in 1-10) - we also have a full listing of Skill Cheats and a master list of Cheats in The Sims 4

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The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure Archaeologist Gameplay Guide

A full guide to the Sims 4 Jungle Adventure's Archaeology skill and all its abilities - from dig sites to excavations and surveys, you can find ancient Omiscan treasures and verify the authenticity of artifacts. Also introduces the relics system - tops and bases, which produce strong magical effects that benefit your Sims.

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Getting Started: Find Artifacts

The Sims 4 selvadoradian culture skill
At any time, you can be attacked by the Selvadoradian jungle's awful insects. Take supplies with you and be sure to brush up on Selvadoradian culture to sometimes dodge the awful creatures you encounter.

While Sims may want to use a low level Archaeology manual to get a few early levels, most time spent leveling Archaeology is better used excavating dig sites in the jungle, exploring the temple, and actively using the skill to authenticate and uncover artifacts. Leveling it doesn't take very long, but establishing an artifact collection can! To learn about jungle exploration, see Exploring The Jungle and The Temples.

The ideal mood for Archaeology seems to be focused, though you won't have an easy time maintaining that mood while out in the jungle. Instead consider collecting artifacts and uncovering them at home or back at the rental. Though the archaeology table is portable, you may have an easier time skilling if you can get your Sim Very Focused in a comfortable setting while they learn.

At first you can only excavate dig piles, but will later learn far more useful abilities that help you to complete the two new collections in Jungle Adventure: Ancient Omiscan Artifacts and Omiscan Treasures. A portable Archaeology Table can be purchased from the vendor in Selvadorada, at the marketplace (on the bit of land in the bottom right of the map).

Archaeology Skill Unlocks

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The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure searching for places to dig
Survey for Dig Piles is a very powerful ability, especially when coupled with Designate Dig Site.

  • Level 1 - Sims start out with the ability to excavate dirt piles.
  • Level 2 - Study Art and Artifacts for Historical Insights interactions allow you to gain more archaeology skill in a way that doesn't involve getting dirty. Study for Historical Insights can make your Sim focused about 50% of the time.
  • Level 3 - Authenticate Artifacts interaction becomes unlocked at the Archaeology Table.
  • Level 4 - Survey for Dig Piles becomes available.
  • Level 5 - Artifacts can now be Analyzed, along with treasures and fossils. Elements can be extracted from metals and crystals at the Archaeology Table.
  • Level 6 - Establish Excavation Site becomes available, allowing multiple Sims to work at one Excavation Site.
  • Level 7 - Sims can Refine Crystals at the Archaeology Table. Refined Crystals are used in the production of Relics.
  • Level 8 - Allows your expert Archaeologist to write an Archaeology book at the computer. This MAY help your other Sims gain Archaeology skill faster, but we've yet to test it. It looks like this manual may take a Sim all the way to level 8, as opposed to having to read three books.
  • Level 9 - Sir Vincent Skullfinder of the Simsonian Institute will now randomly mail your Sim packages with artifacts that need authenticated.
  • Level 10 - Increases the odds of finding high quality artifacts. The Archaeologist can now instruct others by giving an Archaeology Lecture.

Uncovering & Authenticating Artifacts

The Sims 4 artifacts in Jungle Adventure
Artifacts are distinct from treasures - the former require a Sim skilled in Archaeology.

While excavating, your Sim will come across artifact-shaped dirt clumps. These can be gathered and uncovered at the Archaeology Table. This ability later leads to Authenticating artifacts. Sims of extremely low Archaeology level can have artifacts sent away for authentication, but getting a few levels allows them to do it themselves. Most artifacts you find are not dirt covered, but merely need the eye of an Archaeologist to determine if they're the real deal.

Artifacts have three rarities: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. They may additionally be counterfeit or genuine. Finally, the genuine artifacts have a few grades of quality, up to excellent. When you have a real rare artifact of excellent quality, it's quite a unique find. Many trips to the jungle, expeditions and dig sites will need to be set up to find a full collection of high quality artifacts.

Surveying for Dig Piles

The Sims 4 Jungle Adventure searching for dig sites.
Surveying allows you to spawn a dig site in the area near your Sim.

At level 4, you get the ability to survey for dig piles. This cool skill will let your Sim search the area and may make dig piles pop up nearby. If you try it and don't get a failure message, it means that it worked. Multiple attempts in the same area can work as well. If you get nothing but errors in an area, move on a distance and try again. It isn't wholly necessary but certainly feels better than clicking the ground in one spot, over and over. After successfully finding a dig site, you will find the ability has a cooldown though it seems to vary at time (up to 4 hours). I've had it work multiple times in a row, then block me out for a long time. Regardless, the odds of success do ramp up with higher skill levels. Note that this ability only works when you click on natural earth, though the piles can pop up anywhere in the vicinity.

Establish Excavation Site

The Sims 4 - Excavating as an Archaeologist
Establishing a dig site allows your Sim to get 5x as many items from an excavation spawner.

This ability has no cooldown, and greatly increases the rate you'll find artifacts. If your Sim family is vacationing, it can let the group work together to excavate artifacts, allowing you to get more than the one treasure you find in a dig pile. It does indeed work - with two Sims, I found a total of five instead of just one artifact, though one was a fossil - so you can certainly find fossils as well as artifacts while excavating. A solo explorer will also find more artifacts using this ability, though it may take longer. I found the same number with one Sim as I did with two. It is worth noting that you seem to not only find higher quality relics, but also more of them from excavation sites inside the temple. Also you occasionally fill find them already established!

Refining Crystals

The Sims 4 refining crystals to make relics
Crystals, once refined, can be used to produce Relics. The rarity of the crystal determines its power.

At level 7 Archaeology Skill, Sims can produce Refined Crystals at the Archaeology Table. This requires your Sim to have a crystal. Crystals are a part of the base game (guide). Their relation to Jungle Adventure is that they are required to form relics. The rarity of crystal you use during refinement is all that matters - Common, Uncommon, or Rare. The rarer the crystal, the more powerful the impact of any Relic produced with it.

Relics, Blessings and Curses

Relics are powerful artifacts Sims can assemble from a base, top, and crystal. There are 9 possible types with three rarities (based on rarity of crystal you use), so 27 possible combinations. As you explore the world, you will occasionally find them - they're far more rare than artifacts and likely to be found in the treasure chest at the end of a temple. If you get cursed by a relic you made, you can head to the statue in the market of Selvadorada. There's a statue of a girl with a basket - pay a fee and the curse can be removed. Otherwise, a local may be able to help so long as you have bone dust.

A guide to relics can be found here.

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Comments (2)

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New
Boomcatsays...
I can't for the life of me figure out how to write the archaeology guidebook on the computer. I followed the instructions for the aspiration and went to "write" but there is no option to write a skill book even though there should be. My writing level is 5, and I do have the option to write a fitness manual, but no archaeology. Is anyone else having this issue?
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Admin
Playlotsays...
Your sim has to have L9 Archaeology skill then the option to write an archaeology book becomes available on the PC under 'write'.
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Boomcatsays...
She is level 10 archaeology, and like I said I did go to computer>write, there is no option.Sad
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Admin
Playlotsays...
ok well if there is no write>skill book>Guidebook to Archaeology option available try selling the PC and replacing it with a new one. Also delete the localthumbcache.package file from your The Sims 4 folder before launching your game. If that doesn't fix it then maybe you've discovered a new bug in which case making a bug report will help bring it to the devs attention. Make sure you've tried everything and in a new game without mods or cc though before making a bug report. Just cheat your newly made CAS sim to the correct skill level and aspiration level to be able to test. I will just add, it is all working as normal in my games.
Making a Bug Report
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Jacobsays...

This should have been a CAREER (or career branch) not a skill. This is why it took me a while to find information on it on this site.



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