Cottage Living Guide! Here is my guide to new features in the Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion
You can also find handy Cottage Living Cheats
I have much more to come, since you can actually write a few guides about this pack!
Cheats for Cottage Living! - Here are Sims 4 Cottage Living's main cheats
Cottage Living Guide! Here is my guide to new features in the Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion
The Sims 4 Rewards Traits List
Store Satisfaction Costs and Reward Mechanics for Seasons
Press 'G' then click the Present to open the Rewards Store
Rewards in Sims 4 Come in Two Types: Single-Use Potions and Permanent Traits
Satisfaction Points
Satisfaction Points are the Sims 4's Lifetime Happiness, where Rewards are like the Sims 3's Lifetime Rewards. Getting Satisfaction is something you should pursue day-to-day by completing your Sim's Whims and pursuing their Aspiration. Read both linked articles to learn more.
The first article provides a lot of tips on saving and clearing Whims, along with how Whims are generated. In short, the first Whim you see above the Sim's head is tied to emotional state and may change, while the other two are randomly generated based on what the Sim has been doing lately. You can elect to delete them at any time, and should make heavy use of this, so that you can pursue Whims that are related to what you'll already be doing with that Sim.
Potions vs Reward Traits
Reward Potions are one-time use, but may be transferred between Sims by dragging from the Inventory to the other Sim. In most cases, unless you have a lot of Satisfaction saved up, the Emotion-specific Potions aren't worth it. Their buffs not lasting very long is the main problem, so their use is very situational. You may occasionally help them get a promotion or Skill up faster using a Potion, but that is about it. Longer durations on these would change my mind, so I hope that Maxis might consider that in the future. Instant Hygiene, Fun, and the Moodlet Solver are exceptions. You are better off saving Satisfaction for the Trait type of Reward. The Satisfaction costs are higher, but the fact that these are permanent is what makes them appealing. Many of the effects are powerful and will change how you play that Sim. It's worth noting that you should use an Elder's Satisfaction to either purchase Potions of Youth to save them from old age or buy up lots of Potions to give to your younger Sims if you don't mind that Sim Dying.
Reward Trait & Satisfaction Cheats
I have a full list of reward trait cheats for The Sims 4 here. It includes nearly every form of trait including personality and bonus traits. We also have a guide to Cheat your Satisfaction Points or finish Aspirations early.
Reward Trait List
| Pic | Reward | Cost | What Reward Does for Sims |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Instant Fun | 100 | Fills the Fun Need to Maximum - this can be helpful after a day of working hard to get the Sim productive again, which is helpful both in working toward Promotions and general Sim life. |
 | Instant Hygiene | 100 | Fills the Hygiene Need to Maximum - very helpful when at the gym and the Sim's mood tanks from being dirty, allowing them to remain Energized and continue the workout at times. |
 | Confident Potion | 200 | Makes Sims Very Confident for 3 hours |
 | Energized Potion | 200 | Makes Sims Very Energized for 3 hours |
 | Flirty Potion | 200 | Makes Sims Very Flirty for 3 hours |
 | Focused Potion | 200 | Makes Sims Very Focused for 3 hours |
 | Happy Potion | 200 | Makes Sims Very Happy for 3 hours |
 | Inspired Potion | 200 | Makes Sims Very Inspired for 3 hours |
 | Sleep Replacement | 400 | Fills the Energy Need to Maximum. I'd never use this - instead get the Moodlet Solver for 100 more to fill ALL needs! |
 | Always Welcome | 500 | Currently bugged as Sims do not react negatively to anything you do when visiting them. When fixed, Always Welcome will let your Sim sleep in others' beds when visiting another household, cook on their stoves, and stay late without the homeowner getting upset. This is usually something only available to Best Friends and Fiancees. |
 | Cold Acclimation | 500 |  Cold Acclimation can protect your Sim from death, but won't quite allow you to wear neutral clothing in freezing weather. What the trait does is change the Sim's temperature from -80 to -60 in freezing weather, or -60 to -40 when it's just 'Cold'. As you can see, in freezing temps the Sim would be under the effects of cold weather instead of enduring freezing temperatures like other Sims. These traits vary in usefulness depending on the world you live in, as some have very different weather. |
 | Great Storyteller | 500 |  Sims with the Great Storyteller Reward are more likely to get the 'Told a Great Story' +1-2 Happy Moodlet for 4h after telling a story of any kind. This is particularly helpful for Group Stories, as these will be successful at helping move relationship bars of multiple Sims at once, and by quite a lot. It's worth noting that the target Sim will also be more likely to get a positive Moodlet from the type of story that was told - Funny making them playful, Fairy Tales making them Happy, etc. |
 | Gym Rat | 500 | Gym Rats do not experience the Hygiene decay other Sims get when exercising, while also enabling their Fun meter to build. It's a very helpful Reward when you are pursing a Career or Aspiration that requires the Fitness Skill. |
 | Heat Acclimation | 500 | Like Cold Acclimation, Heat Acclimation changes the Sim's temperature relative to the air around them. In extremely hot (burning) temperatures, they'll be experiencing 'hot'-level temperatures instead. This makes them uncomfortable, but much less likely to die. At the same time, hot won't effect them nearly as bad. These traits vary in usefulness depending on the world you live in, as some have very different weather. |
 | Moodlet Solver | 500 | You can use this to remove all Negative Moodlets from your Sim, should you need to do this. There are times when Sims are so Angry or Embarrassed that they may die, and this is the best time to buy the reward and quickly drink the potion. Otherwise, there are ways to remove many negative Moodlets or else wait them out. Thus, Moodlet Solver is useful situationally. It's worth noting that this also fills all needs, so for only 100 Satisfaction more than Sleep Replacement, you can fix everything at once! |
 | Observant | 500 | Sims who are Observant merely need to meet another Sim to know all of their Traits. This can be very helpful in making friends, as Sims will react more positively to Socials tied to their interests and more negatively to those they dislike. |
 | Speed Cleaner | 500 | Speed Cleaners clean sinks, counters, toilets, and any other surfaces that get dirty five times faster than other Sims. This can be a great Trait for when your Sim has a large family, although Self-cleaning upgrades are helpful in that instance. You can't do anything about counters getting dirty from cooking, though! |
 | Waterproof | 500 | Wearing drenched clothing makes a Sim uncomfortable. You can change clothes once you reach shelter to make the negative moodlet go away. I rate this trait very low in usefulness until I determine an activity that causes Sims to get wet despite holding an umbrella. The animation when fishing shows no umbrella, but they're still protected against rain. The only time I can see it helping is when you're caught out in a thunderstorm and the umbrella breaks. This trait was not well thought out - but maybe Sims should get wet doing some manual activities outside, to up the challenge a bit and make rain an actual inconvenience. |
 | Insta-Large | 750 | This will instantly make your Sim increase to around max body fat, putting on about 200 pounds. Doesn't seem to affect muscles. You may want this for storytelling purposes, but it's not very helpful gameplay-wise. |
 | Insta-Lean | 750 | Does the opposite of above, reducing a Sim to a trim weight fat-wise. Doesn't seem to affect muscles. For players whose Sims gain weight, this will be useful to quickly get them back to "healthy", although you can certainly accomplish the same with a treadmill and a bit of time. |
 | Mentor | 1,000 | Sims who reach level 10 in certain Skills (Painting, Fitness, Logic, Writing, Handiness, Instruments, Children's Creativity) may Mentor other Sims while they are actively working those Skills (like when at an Easel or Woodworking Table). The Skill Gains are enormous, with a Sim gaining Skill at least 4x faster than normal. This is an amazing perk for Dynasties and Legacies when the older Sims are able to teach the younger the Skills necessary to get promoted or simply advance in their chosen trade. |
 | Morning Sim | 1,000 | The Morning Sim Trait gives 25% faster Skill gains from the hours of 5AM to 12PM. Depending on your Sim's Career schedule, you may prefer Night Owl. Both give a buff for the same number of hours - 7. |
 | Night Owl | 1,000 | Night Owls gain Skill 25% faster from the hours of 8PM to 3AM. Like Morning Sim, Night Owl is a great Trait when you plan your Sim's Skill gains around those hours. |
 | Speed Reader | 1,000 | Speed Readers can finish reading books twice as fast as normal. This does not help with reading Skill books and the experience they give, at least as far as my testing has shown. Two Sims side by side gained skill at roughly the same rate, with one a Speed Reader/Bookworm and the other regular. This Reward Trait simply makes reading books go by faster, meaning more Fun. This is helpful to Bookworms for replenishing that Need and may help them with Whims as well. |
 | Storm Chaser | Storm Chaser makes Sims happy when a storm is happening outside, with a +1 moodlet that lasts as long as the bad weather. They also love being in the thick of it, and get a +2 when there's a thunderstorm. Not super useful unless you do outdoor activities heavily, and may expose you to potential Death by Lightning. | |
 | Free Services | 1,500 | Take this Trait if your Sim will make heavy use of the game's services. This means free pizza and maid services, for as long as that Sim lives. |
 | Marketable | 1,500 | Marketable Sims get a random boost to the value of things they craft that can be sold, such as Paintings and Woodworking Sculptures. It can go anywhere from 10% to triple the usual value, but averages out at double. This is one of the single best Traits for Painters, though it doesn't affect as many things as one would hope. |
 | Potion of Youth | 1,500 | The handy Potion of Youth is used in Ambrosia to bring Ghosts back to life. When used on a living Sim, it will reset their age to the beginning of the current life stage. If used at Young Adult, it will keep them young adult and give them more time until Adult, for example. Sims can be Immortal, barring any accidental deaths, with this Reward. |
 | Stoves and Grills Master | 1,500 | Stoves and Grills Masters can cook food or brew Herbalism potions that give an additional +2 Moodlet for 6 hours, so long as it comes from a stove or grill! This is a great boost and will help Sims get Very Focused, Inspired, or just Very Happy! This is a great Reward Trait to pick for the household cook, assuming a Sim does that as a regular duty. |
 | Creative Visionary | 2,000 | Sims with Creative Visionary have a 20% higher chance to Write Bestsellers and Paint Masterpieces. This is a very good Reward Trait for either of those pursuits. Combine this with Inspired, and your Sim will have a much higher than usual chance, which will raise income substantially - for a Painter, perhaps not as much as Marketable, given its consistent boost. |
 | Entrepreneurial | 2,000 | The Entrepreneurial Reward Trait greatly boosts the rate the Career Performance bar moves. This means faster Promotions, so long as your Sim has also fulfilled the requirements. |
 | Frugal | 2,000 | The Frugal Trait reduces Bills by 25%, making living in a large house or storing many expensive items much, much cheaper. Sims pay higher bills the more stuff they own (even in their inventories), with all values combined. |
 | Heatproof | 2,000 | Makes your Sim completely impervious to the worst hot temperatures. Take this trait only under certain conditions, like if your world is particularly hot and you want to be outside lots during the late spring to early fall, or to make your Sim a God later in a game. |
 | Iceproof | 2,000 | Makes your Sim completely impervious to the worst cold temperatures. Take this trait only under certain conditions, like if your world is particularly cold and you want to be outside a lot during late fall to early spring, or to make your Sim a God later in a game. |
 | Incredibly Friendly | 2,000 | With Incredibly Friendly, Sims will instantly gain about 30% of the Relationship Bar upon meeting a new Sim. This puts them just a few successful socials away from full-on Friends status, thus is quite powerful for making new Friends and any Aspirations related to popularity. |
 | Independent | 2,000 | When a Sim is given the Independent Reward, their Social Need decays at half the usual rate. This is great for Loners! |
 | Shameless | 2,000 | Sims who are Shameless never suffer Embarrassment. This prevents one type of Emotional Death, and helps with certain things like avoiding romantic rejection. |
 | Steel Bladder | 2,000 | With Steel Bladder, a Sim's Bladder Need actually doesn't move at all under normal circumstances, despite the game's description. The only things that drain it are drinks, such as Coffee. Still, even Coffee drains it much slower. If you never use Coffee to gain Energy, Steel Bladder makes a Sim not even need a toilet! |
 | Beguiling | 2,500 | Beguiling is a super-powerful Trait for Romantic endeavors. This trait gives your Sim an interaction found under Romance, "Beguile", which gives a Sim a +60 Flirty Moodlet for 4 hours. That makes them Very Flirty, and also very easy to woo, and maybe even Woohoo! |
 | Antiseptic | 3,000 | Sims who are Antiseptic have their Hygiene Need decay at half the normal rate. Showers are really helpful for Emotional buffs, but this means you can get the buffs even faster because the shower won't take as long. |
 | Carefree | 3,000 | Makes Sims never get Tense. This means Writers won't get Writer's Block at any point (although that is rare at high level Writing). This should allow your Sim to Work Hard every day at work without fear of a Tense Moodlet, meaning they can get Promoted faster than normal - particularly because their Mood won't tank while working hard, which can cause that Work Tone to backfire. |
 | Connections | 3,000 | Sims with the Connections Reward start Careers at level 4, granting all Reward Objects from 1-3 as well. With this Reward Trait, you can jump around in different Careers and gather lots of those items and get Emotional Aura objects to help your Sim at home. It will, of course, help Sims get to level 10 faster as well, meaning they can get the higher level reward objects quickly, which is even better! |
 | Fertile | 3,000 | Fertile simply increases the chance of Twins and Triplets, if you're into the challenge that presents. It's helpful if you are after a family Aspiration, but is situational and depends entirely on your style of play how useful this trait can be. |
 | Great Kisser | 3,000 | For Sims with Great Kisser, Charisma is gained with Kisses. This isn't that useful in itself, but the success rate of Kisses is also much higher. Beguiling might be more useful as a Romantic Reward Trait, but both is even better. |
 | Hardly Hungry | 4,000 | This is one of the best Reward Traits, second to Never Weary. Cooking Food takes time out of a Sim's day, as well as eating it. The appropriately-priced Hardly Hungry makes Sims' Hunger need decay at half the normal rate. |
 | Professional Slacker | 4,000 | As the game description says, Professional Slackers never get demoted or fired from their Job. This means you can miss work without consuming vacation days, any time you like. It may take more time to get Promoted, but your Slacker can enjoy their life and go in for the pay when they need it. |
 | Savant | 4,000 | Savant increases Skill gains by 25%, even more effective when your Sim is in the Ideal Mood. This stacks with Morning Sim and Night Owl, although I would not take Savant early on. I'd rather have Never Weary, as more time in the day is more time for Skilling, period, and raising Skills is not all that Sims do! This one is a bit overpriced, in my opinion. |
 | Seldom Sleepy | 4,000 | This is a good trait that will make your Sim's energy deplete at exactly half the normal rate, giving you more time for activities. However bear in mind it is completely overridden by a later trait (Never Weary). Still, I'd rather grab this earlier to help me complete more aspirations and have more time in between shifts with a career Sim. |
 | Super Green Thumb | 4,000 | After a Super Green Thumb interacts with a Plant, it will stay watered longer, get less bugs, and an increased growth rate. This means you will harvest more from your Gardening efforts and not need to interact with Plants as often. This doesn't affect Evolution rate or growth of Weeds, however. |
 | Money Tree | 5,000 | Gives you a Money Tree seed ( Money Fruit, which may bug out and fail to count toward the Plant Collection List). Money Trees are like all other plants and can be evolved over time to a higher quality level. The tree takes at least 4-5 days to grow but is always in-season. Money trees can spit out thousands of dollars quickly. Enough that if you buy one of these, you'll never worry about money again. They can be duplicated by putting the money tree into the family inventory when there is 'fruit' on it. The extra seeds will be plantable. If you don't want to cheat, however, you can always buy another one for another 5,000 Satisfaction as this reward is repeatable. |
 | Needs No One | 5,000 | This reward, available with the base game, makes your Sim no longer require socialization. At all. The bar won't decay. Compared to others it is not as useful, but is good for later. My reasoning for saying this is that it just doesn't take much time out of a Sim's day to handle the social need when compared to eating, sleeping, and maybe showering. |
 | Re-Traiting Potion | 5,000 | A repeatable reward that gives you a potion that, when drunk, will reset your Sim's traits allowing you to pick three new ones. It's a great reward if you want to change your Sim's focus or shake up their personality to better suit the times. |
 | Forever Fresh | 8,000 | The hygiene need no longer decays. You will miss out on decent shower moodlets, though you can still 'take a brisk shower' to get energized if you like. It won't take as long as if your Sim was completely filthy. My advice is to save up for one of the other high-tiers and take it first... one of the two below. The purpose of locking needs in place is to be efficient and cut time-consuming activities from the agenda. Showering is not nearly as much of a time sink as eating or sleeping. |
 | Forever Full | 10,000 | Take Forever Full and your Sim's hunger need will no longer decay. You will miss meal moodlets, but other things can replace them. I don't know if eating while having this trait might make a Sim gain weight. Let us know in the comments! Regardless, your Sim shouldn't be cooking unless there are others that need to eat. Cooking/eating is much less efficient than other means of getting positive moodlets. |
 | Never Weary | 10,000 | Sleeping is the king of time-wasters, and Never Weary means what it says. Your Sim's energy motive will no longer decay at all. No more sleeping for 6-8 straight hours, but you will not get a moodlet should you have nothing to do and choose to sleep a couple of hours. It doesn't matter though. This is one of the best possible traits to take due to how much time it will save every day. None of the others that lock a motive come close to this reward, and it's hands down one of the strongest picks. With the Never Weary reward, steel bladder and antiseptic you'll save loads of time. |
That sums up The Sims 4's Reward Traits and their mechanics. This list is fully up-to-date as of the Seasons Expansion Pack. If you have anything to add, email carl at carlsguides.com and I may add it to the Reward you describe, assuming it's a tip plenty of people would want to know about!
How You Can Support The Site and Channel
Check Out My Youtube Channel!
We now have a Youtube Channel with over 50 guides in video format to go along with the huge site I've already created. Check it out and consider subscribing if you like my style.
Add Comment
Insert Bullet List
Please enter at least one item.
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Insert Numeric List
Please enter at least one item.
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Item:
Insert Link
Please enter the link of the website
Optionally you can add display text
Insert Email
Please enter the email address
Optionally add any display text
Insert Image
Please enter the link of the image
Insert YouTube Video
Please enter the link of the video
Cottage living
Calling all Blender Users
Blender has been incredibly useful in video production, so I made my own Physics and Simulation Improvement Addon that lumps a ton of unique tools into one compact interface.
Sims 4 Snowy Escape
The Sims 4 Snowy Escape launches November 13, 2020 and my coverage has started. Until I get my review ready, you can learn about the following:
Snowy Escape Cheats
Lifestyles in Snowy Escape
Climb Mt. Komorebi
Sentiments in Snowy Escape
Rock Climbing
Skiing Skill
Snowboarding Skill
Sentiments & Platforms (Free Patch!)
I've released a guide to Sentiments in The Sims 4 & Snowy Escape.
There is a new platform tool in The Sims 4. There's also a new Sentiments system, but it'll take some time to create a guide to that. Players can also use rental lots in any world now by changing lot types of builds in manage worlds.
Best Mods in Sims 4
I've created a massive List of The Best Mods in The Sims 4 that should be very helpful to new players and those who have not yet explored modding and how much it can do for your gameplay.
Secrets and Other New Stuff
New - Secrets I have a new guide to secrets in the game. If you prefer, you can also watch a video about secrets in Sims 4.
Nifty Knitting is now available. Learn all about the stuff pack on my guide page here.
NEW - Nifty Knitting CheatsNew features in the Sims 4 June 2020
The Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle Guide
Eco Footprint: How it Works
Neighborhood Action Plans
How to Cheat in Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
Civil Designer Career
Insect Farms & Bio Fuel
Fabrication Skill in Eco Lifestyle
Juice Fizzing NEW
Traits and Aspirations in DLC
Gameplay Ideas for Sims 4 Eco Lifestyle
Updated
Trait Cheats Updated
Traits List Updated
Aspirations List Updated
Search my Sims 4 Site
Sims Information
Support Us
Readers who use adblock or those who'd like to thank me for my efforts can now pledge $1/$5 monthly via Patreon. This helps a lot with server costs and provides some stability for my business.
Super Sim Checklist + Other News
Super Sim Text + Checklist and Video Guide! Here is my Super Sim Challenge Guide and Checklist to accompany my video guide to making Super Sims in The Sims 4 that you can view on Youtube.
This is inspired by a new series in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to the full playlist!
I now have a guide page to Tiny Living Stuff where you can learn about Murphy Beds, the new death, as well as the lot bonuses you'll receive if you manage to keep the size of your lot down with this new pack's Tiny Home Lot Type.
Let's Play Playlist
New I now have a guide to Making Super Sims in The Sims 4. Look for a text version within the next 72h. It won't have THAT much more info but it will help out as a checklist.
This was inspired by a series, "Let's Play a Super Sim" in which I start at toddler and gradually take on the major bonuses. Here's a link to each part for people who are interested. You can also see the Let's Play as a Playlist on Youtube.
Latest Videos and Guides
- Sims 4 Ultimate Gameplay Tips Video
- Lot Traits Updated for all DLC
- 10 Objects that Add Gameplay to The Sims 4
- 10+ Mods That Add or Improve Gameplay in The Sims 4
- Spells List Updated & Info on Charge
- Around the World of Glimmerbrook
- Sims 4 Realm of Magic is Available Now. Here’s My Opinion On the Pack
- The Sims 4 Realm of Magic Features Deep-Dive
- Tutorial: Using The Sims 4’s New Stair Customization Tool
Discover University Expansion
The Sims 4 Discover University has been announced for November 15 for PC/Mac and December 17 for Xbox and Playstation 4 consoles. Click to learn more about the pack, see my summary of the livestream or read our FAQs below.
- New Career Law Career
- New Video Discover University Review
- New Video The Sims 4 Discover University Super Student
- New Engineering Career - Mechanical or Computer
- NEW Student Organizations (University Groups)
- Gameplay Features Guide (Robotics, Secret Society) Video
- Updated! Discover University Cheats
- Updated: Degrees Guide now also features a Scholarships List
- Discover University Features Guide
- Education Career - Professor or Administrator?
- Research and Debate Skill - Convince Others & Debate Guild
- Robotics and Cybernetics
- The Secret Society of Britechester
Other Guides to Discover University:
New Lot Traits: Study Spot and University Student Hang Out
New: Discover University FAQ: Gameplay Features
New Video The Sims 4 Discover University Gameplay Tips Video
More videos coming soon!
Comments (38)
Why?
n | §5,000 | §10,000
---+-----------+--------
0 | §5,000 | §15,000
1 | §2,500 | §7,500
2 | §1,250 | §3,750
3 | §675 | §1,875
4 | §338 | §938
5 | §169 | §469
6 | §85 | §235
7 | §43 | §118
8 | §22 | §59P.S. Sims has too few graphs. Consider this my open letter to the dev team to add more graphs!
How does the Observant reward trait work? I got it for my Sim, but when my Sim meets someone new, their traits aren't all displayed right away. Thanks!
The reward potions you can purchase are drinks that will appear in your sims personal inventory.
Guide To Cheats
If the points were deducted from your sim but the drink didn't show up then check for any mods you may be using that is causing this to happen. Also you can use the cheat sims.give_satisfaction_points x to restore the wasted satisfaction points.
Cheats Guide
testingcheats on
followed by:
sims.give_satisfaction_points x where 'x' is the amount of satisfaction points you want to give your sim.
so sims.give_satisfaction_points 4000 would give your sim 4000 satisfaction points.
Guide to Cheats