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The Sims 4 Collecting Guide

Collectible Lists and How to Find Rare Types

Metals, Crystals, Trophies, and Fossil Collections are found by Digging

The Sims 4 Base Game features 13 types of Collectibles that can be gathered by Sims. Each of them are found in different ways, so each deserves its own Guide with lists to help you figure out what's missing. Here you will find the basic information on how to collect each of these, how many there are and where/how rares are found, and a link to in-depth information on prices for every type of collectible. As Expansions and Game Packs add more types to Collect, I'll gradually expand this list so that it always remains helpful for players who want to find everything.

Not Every Collection has a link - this is because the page doesn't exist yet! This section is being prioritized until these are all finished. Thanks for your patience!

Game Pack Additions - Outdoor Retreat adds Insects to the game.

General Collecting Tips for Rocks and Plants
While other types of Collections are completed at home or via Fishing, travel, etc. the biggest burden a Collector faces is completing the Metals, Fossils, Crystals, and MySims Trophies collections. All four come from the same Rocks, and Elements are harvested by sending off Metals and Crystals, so there is a huge variety and thus low chance of you finding one you are missing. Finding more and more of these is necessary to polish off these Collections. Some plants must be found in the wild and introduced to your garden, so these tips apply to those as well.

• Collecting Starts at Home - There are spawners in every Neighborhood. Before you set out to look in other areas, check around the homes in your own Neighborhood. By the time you are done elsewhere, these may have respawned.
• Pause the Game - For Rocks and Plants, there's no need to have your Sim aging while you the player are looking around for collectibles. Scan the borders of an area then look toward the middle for spawners you may have missed. Looking from another angle can help as well, because there will always be trees, bushes, and houses in the way. There are not many spawners on actual homes' lots, but rather around them, so use this knowledge to help you save time.
• Run a Pattern - Look around several Neighborhoods as your Sim's Energy allows. You can pause the game and watch for the sparkles of plants, the shapes of rocks, and gather at least a few collectible items from each Neighborhood you visit.
• Day by Day - Spawners create items in an area about once a day. Head to Neighborhoods you haven't yet explored, and certainly visit the areas of Sylvan Glade and, with Level 10 Handiness, Forgotten Grotto. These areas have a higher chance of Rares, and some items will ONLY spawn there.
• Visit the Parks - Oasis Springs' Park has had up to 8 dig spots for me on a visit, and there are usually several in Willow Creek as well.
• A Nature Aspiration Helps - Selecting any of the Nature Aspirations at Sim creation will give you the Collector Bonus Trait, which will make finding Rares a little more likely. This is helpful, but not required.
• Know the Collections - Some Collections, like Space Prints and Aliens, can be completed without ever leaving your home lot. Microscope Prints requires minimal travel. Others like Gardening will require you to gain at least level 5 in a Skill, and others higher. The list of Collections below includes the Skills necessary to complete them and how Rares are found, so this should be helpful if these tips aren't!

Sims 4 Collections List

Aliens: 10 Collectibles
Aliens are found via the Rocket Science Skill's adventures in space. Do enough of these missions, and you're sure to finish this Collection in due time. It is a bit harder than Space Rocks, given there are 10 types, and is likely to take longest of the two, simply because of the need to find more of them. Rocket Science is a Skill that takes some time and money investment, as Rockets aren't cheap, so you should do this with some other source of income to keep your bills paid! All Dead Aliens produce a Confident aura when placed in a room with the Aura Enabled, while living ones contribute to a room's Decorated bonus.

Crystals: 20 Collectibles
Crystal are found while digging up rocks, spread around each Neighborhood. Each Crystal you get gives off an Energized Aura, which can be helpful to place near Fitness equipment to help your Sim gain that Skill faster. These may take a while, as you must travel to various neighborhoods to get them, and wait on Rocks to respawn. The tips above will likely be of help to you. Crystals will help finish the Microscope Prints collection via taking samples, as you can analyze them to get Rares. You'll also need to occasionally 'Call Geo Council about Sample' to determine the Elements a Crystal is made of, and consider whether sending it in for $20 to possibly get one of those Elements in the mail to complete that Collection.

Elements: 15 Collectibles
Collecting Elements means digging up rocks for Metals and Crystals, then sending them in to the Geo Council to have an Element send to you via Mail. Each Element will cost you $20 to get, as you must ship it to the Geo Council. Clicking them in your inventory will let you call the Geo Council and find out what Elements the Crystal or Metal are made of. The Element you get in the mail is based on the Elemental composition of the Metals/Crystals you send in. You get one of the two or three Elements from each sample you send in, so it may take multiple tries on a single item to get the Element you're missing. Naturally, if a Crystal is made of an Uncommon and Rare Element, you are more likely to get the Uncommon.

Fish: 22 Collectibles
Look to our Fishing Guide to learn more about catching all the types of Fish in the game. Completing the collection requires a trip to Forgotten Grotto, so you'll need level 10 Handiness. Knowledge of Fishing Spots and Bait the fish desire will help you polish off the Fish Collection with ease!

Fossils: 15 Collectibles
Found via Digging, then carefully extracting them from Limestone by clicking it in the Sim's Inventory. The Fossil you get is random. You will have to dig up many rocks in order to finish this Collection. Taking Samples from Fossils can help you finish the Microscope Prints Collection. Fossils give off an Environment bonus, contributing to the overall Decorum score of the area in which they are placed.

Frogs: 25 Collectibles
While all Frogs may be found via searching in Logs, Water Pumps, and caught at Ponds, the Rares can be a challenge to find due to the low chance of them being caught. To compensate for the rarity, players may take Frogs they have found and breed them to produce a new type of Frog. This is doable every so often, and Frogs aren't lost in the process. Check out our Guide to learn about Frog Breeding so you can get the Rare types you're missing. Each time you Breed two frogs, you'll have a 25% chance of it being the missing type, so long as you breed the right kind. All Frogs provide Environment +3, so serve as decent Decor for your Sim's home.

Gardening: 32 Collectibles
In order to complete this Collection, players will have to invest heavy time in Gardening. Getting all of the plants requires you to know Grafting Combinations that produce the rare and uncommon plants that aren't found in the world. You will need to take cutting from plants that are not ready to harvest, then graft those to plants at home in order to be efficient. The link leads to the Gardening Skill guide, where you can learn all you'll need to know in order to find these.

Geodes (Get to Work Expansion Pack): 6 Collectibles
Geodes are found on the planet Sixam, a hidden area included in the Expansion Pack. Each has an environment rating of 3. You can find these either via leveling Rocket Science to 10 and upgrading the rocket to enter wormholes, or reaching a high level in the Scientist Career.

Insects (Outdoor Retreat Game Pack): 21 Collectibles
Collecting Insects requires a keen eye, more so than any other type. Insects are found throughout the Forests in Granite Falls, Outdoor Retreat's Vacation area. While there, you can find flying and crawling insects. Each spawner will produce different types of insects depending on the time of day. Some types can only be found during the daytime, while others are available at night. A visit to the Deep Woods, where the Hermit lives, will give you a better shot at finding some of the rarer flying insects. Insects in terrariums give a Decorated bonus to a room, contributing to its overall score.

Metals: 20 Collectibles
Metals, like Fossils, Crystals, and MySims Trophies, are found via Digging up rocks. Rares could be anywhere, so the only way to finish this is to scour neighborhoods, parks, and Sylvan Glade/Forgotten Grotto to give yourself the chance to dig up enough to finish it. Because of the possibility of these other types, Metals and Crystals can be quite difficult to complete. On the plus side, you're working on four Collections at once (Five with Elements). You can call the Geo Council about a piece of Metal to determine the Elements it is comprised of, and spending $20 to send it in will give you a chance of up to three Elements arriving in the mail the next day. Metals give an Environment bonus, contributing to the Decor of a room when placed in the game world.

Microscope Prints: 12 Collectibles
Microscope Prints are found via using the Microscope, with or without a slide to use. To use a slide, you need to take a sample from a Crystal, Fossil, or Plant. While out Collecting, take samples for your Microscope from wild Plants. This can be done safely without destroying them. Six of the Prints can be obtained without Slides, but you'll get a much better rate of Uncommon types while using Slides. In order to get the hardest to find prints, you must take samples from Crystals, Fossils, and Plants and analyze them. You are able to do this every few hours, so only need one type of Crystal and Fossil to get the Rares. It is simply faster with more objects from which to take samples. Microscope Prints give off a Focused Aura when placed and enabled.

MySims Trophies: 20 Collectibles
MySims Trophies are found in Capsules, which are occasionally unearthed while digging for Metals and Crystals. Opening them from your Sim's Inventory will yield Common to Uncommon types, while Rares are unlikely. You will also sometimes find Treasure Maps while digging. Each Treasure Map gives you a shot at a Rare. These are consumed when you select a rock and 'Dig for Treasure'. This is the only reliable way you'll find all of the Rare MySims Trophies. These Trophies can give off a Playful Aura when placed in the game world.

Postcards: 14 Collectibles
Postcards may be collected by finding Pen Pals on the Computer and requesting them. Simply go to the Socialize menu on the Computer, then Find a Pen Pal. After several hours, check for responses. You may get a Pen Pal from Bridgeport, Sunset Valley, or other locale. Then, write to that Pen Pal. After a short time, you can ask for a Postcard from that location. You may have a number of Pen Pals at once, and it may take several tries asking for a Postcard to get one in the mail (especially for the Rares). When displayed in the home and with auras enabled, these can make Sims Inspired. They are thus perfect for Writers, Artists and Chefs to have in their respective work areas. Postcard corkboard may be purchased that will allow you to organize these on the wall, and with all 14 you will get an Inspired +2 Aura in that work area.

Space Prints: 15 Collectibles
This requires you to purchase an Observatory for your Sim's home lot. Finishing the Space Prints collection will naturally level your Sim's Logic Skill via using the Observatory. Doing this while Focused may yield better collecting results, while also leveling Logic faster. In order to finish it, you simply need to use the three different types of Observatory interactions - Observe the Sky, Stargaze, and Search for the Truth. Each type of Print comes from one specific interaction. Space Prints, when placed on a wall, can give off a Focused aura should you enable it by clicking.

Space Rocks: 4 Collectibles
As with Aliens, Space Rocks are found via the Rocket Science Skill and adventures in space. Do enough of these missions, and you are sure to get all 4 types of Rock. It may take a number of missions, because there is quite a variety. Thankfully, many of the rewards are random so while you may not have found one on a previous trip, the same mission may award you a Rare Space Rock. These Rocks help decorate a room, giving off an Environment bonus.

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