THE SIMS 4 TRAITS GUIDE (7)

LIST OF TRAITS WITH WHAT THEY DO FOR YOUR SIM

The Sims 4's Traits system allows you to pick three Traits for your Sim. This list of Traits is meant to help you decide what would be right for any particular Sim. They are alphabetized by each category they're found in, just as they are in the game. Be aware that your Sim can have more than these three Traits, as you additionally get one for selecting an Aspiration, and each Aspiration you complete gives you a Reward Trait. Stacking Reward Traits and their advantages is key to making a super Sim, along with the Rewards you purchase with Satisfaction. To see information on Aspirations and Reward Traits, click here.

The Traits you choose will help to determine the Whims your Sim gets. If you choose Family Oriented, you'll get more Whims for interacting with your Family. With Mean or Evil, you may have Whims to behave rudely to other Sims. Sims with Ambitious may get bit Whims for getting Promoted. A Sim will also get Whims based on what they've done recently - so if you go to level a certain Skill, you'll start getting Whims for that Skill. Being affected by certain Emotions also plays a role - if a Sim is tense, they may want to vent to another Sim.

EMOTIONAL TRAITS

ACTIVE

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Energized, can Pump Up other Sims, and may become upset if they don't exercise for a period of time. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Lazy. Randomly gives your Sim an Energized Moodlet, which helps with Fitness Skill gains and certain Careers' Ideal Moods. When you've gone more than a day without any exercise, the Sim will get tense. To counter that, Active Sims get Exercise interactions when clicking on the ground, allowing them to do pushups, situps, and stretches any time, anywhere.

CHEERFUL

Game Description: The Sims tend to be Happier than other Sims 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Gloomy and Hot-Headed. Cheerful Sims randomly get a boost to Happiness, which synergizes with other positive emotions like Focused or Inspired. It is a good choice to round out a Sim's Traits, because +Happy can boost you to Very Inspired or Very Energized.

CREATIVE

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Inspired, can Share Creative Ideas with other Sims, and may become upset if they're not creative for a period of time. 

Trait Mechanics: Creative Sims get a random Inspired buff and the above mentioned social interactions. Being Creative makes Sims enjoy the Painting Skill so much that they'll have fun while doing it, which makes it the best Trait for that pursuit. They do get tense after a time with no creativity in their lives, but a quick use of Painting, Writing, or any other Skill that is related to creativity will help them recover. This is an excellent Trait to choose if your Sim will be a Writer, Painter, or pursue the two Cooking Skills. Sims who have the Creative Trait will gain Fun from Painting, while others will not.

GENIUS

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Focused, can Share Ideas with other Sims, and may become upset if they haven't improved their Mental Skills for some time. Gardening, Fishing, and Herbalism do not provide mental stimulation for geniuses, but Logic, Programming, and related tasks do. 

Trait Mechanics: Genius Sims get a random Focused buff and the aforementioned Social Interaction. They get tense after a while of not using Skills that require Focus like Programming or Handiness, although it's easy to fix. It is a very good choice if your Sim will pursue Programming, Video Gaming, or Handiness and helps with Career Branches that have an Ideal Mood of Focused.

GLOOMY

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Sad, can Sigh to other Sims, and while Sad, gain a boost to their Creative Skills. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Cheerful and Hot-Headed. These Sims can share Melancholy Thoughts, and will randomly get a Sad Moodlet. With no other buffs, this can make them Sad at times. While Sad, they can make a Sad Book or Sad Painting. These can be worth a lot of money, but it's not a great trait choice gameplay-wise.

GOOFBALL

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Playful. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Snob. Goofballs get a random Playful Moodlet that can stack with other Buffs to help you get to Very Playful. This is a great choice for a Comedian Sim.

HOT HEADED

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Angry, can Rile up other Sims, and become Angry when targeted with Mischief 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Cheerful and Gloomy. With no other buffs active, the random Angry Moodlet they get can lead them to be Angry. This is actually useful for the Criminal Career's Boss branch, as you need enemies to advance.

ROMANTIC

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Flirty and may become Sad if they don't have any Romantic social interactions for a period of time. 

Trait Mechanics: The random Flirty buff they get can cause them to be Flirty, leading to better Romantic Interactions and unlocking some. This can help a Sim to find romantic partners, or even get Married. Flirty Sims have a higher success rate with romantic interactions.

SELF-ASSURED

Game Description: These Sims tend to be Confident. 

Trait Mechanics: Like other Personality traits, only this one triggers Sims to be Confident at times. Confidence is very helpful to Sims that want to be Charismatic, or in certain Careers to fufill the Ideal Mood.

HOBBY TRAITS

ART LOVER

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets from Viewing works of art and can Admire Art and discuss art in unique ways. 

Trait Mechanics: Art Lovers can Admire Art, which leads them to a powerful +2 Inspired buff that can stack with others to get you Very Inspired. This is a powerful pick for a Painter or Writer, but even a Chef could benefit. All you need is a piece of Art around the house for them to look at, grab the buff, and go about your business working with Skills that benefit from this.

BOOKWORM

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets from reading Books and can Analyze Books and Discuss Books in unique ways. 

Trait Mechanics: Analyzing a Book will give a Sim a +2 Inspired Moodlet for 4 hours. Take the Speed Reader Reward if you get this, and it will hasten the rate Sims Analyze the book, allowing you to get the buff faster. This works well with Art Lover for a Writer/Painter/Chef Sim. However, if I had to pick one, I'd take Art Lover for its faster results.

FOODIE

Game Description: These Sims become Happy and have Fun when eating good food, become Uncomfortable when eating bad food, and can Watch Cooking Shows for ideas. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Glutton. My test Sim did not have fun while eating at all. When she ate Gourmet Cooking, it gave a powerful +4 Happy Moodlet. This greatly boosts Inspired, which can lead to amazing meals and great Cooking Skill gains. With that buff, she got to Very Inspired from just one +2 Inspired "Gourmand" buff. An excellent Trait choice for a Chef.

GEEK

Game Description: These Sims become Happy when Reading Sci-Fi or Playing Video Games, may become Tense if they haven't played much, are better at finding Collectibles, and can Discuss Geek Things with other Geek Sims. 

Trait Mechanics: Geek can help Sims get Focused for using the Programming Skill to Make Video Games or even using Handiness. They'll get a Focused buff after finishing a game playing session with this trait. Based on the description, it's presumable that this increases the likelihood that your Sim finds rare collectibles from digging and finding frogs.

MUSIC LOVER

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets and boost their Fun Need when Listening to Music and become Happy when playing instruments. 

Trait Mechanics: Music Lovers get the Listen Deeply interaction with stereos, which can give them a +2 Inspired buff. A great Trait for any Creative Sim, as it can stack with other things and does not take much listening to get the buff. Naturally, the additional Fun from listening to music is also a big perk. I'd include this with Art Lover and Creative to make the ultimate Painter/Writer/Chef.

PERFECTIONIST

Game Description: These Sims take longer to craft items but tend to make them higher quality, gain powerful Moodlets after crafting a high quality item, and gain negative Moodlets after crafting a low quality item. 

Trait Mechanics: Just as it says, a Perfectionist will work harder to finish things in high quality. The odds of seeing a negative from this Trait are low because of that, and especially so when you have gained some levels in the related Skill. The drawback I see is when you have other means of raising quality, like being inspired - you'll just take longer to make things at high level, when your odds are already good of Masterpieces, high-quality books, etc. Still, you're boosting those odds even further and high quality stuff sells for high Simoleons.

LIFESTYLE TRAITS

AMBITIOUS

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets from Career success, gain negative Moodlets from career failure, and may become upset if not promoted. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Lazy. Sims who are Ambitious will get an 8 hour +4 Happy Moodlet when Promoted. They do suffer some negatives if not promoted, but their Ambitious nature makes it more likely they will perform well on the job and get Promoted faster. At the top level, maintaining job performance is enough. Take this only if your Sim will be in a Career - it's definitely not for the self-employed, as they'll get a +2 Tense Moodlet for being Unemployed.

CHILDISH

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets from watching the Kids Network, become Playful when playing with Children, and become Happy when playing with Children's toys. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Snob, Evil, and Hates Children. Childish Sims get a brief Happiness Moodlet from watching the Kids' Network, and can raise their own Fun and get the Playful buff while playing with Children. Playing with toys raises their Fun need, as well. This is a good Trait for Sims that want a Family, as your Sim will get a lot of joy out of interacting and playing with kids.

CLUMSY

Game Description: These Sims tend to fail more often at physical activities and tend to laugh at failure instead of becoming upset. 

Trait Mechanics: This is primarily a Trait to give your Sim some personality that can sometimes interrupt what your Sim was doing. It doesn't have a major impact on gameplay, as far as I can tell.

DANCE MACHINE (GET TOGETHER)

Game Description: These Sims can't wait to get down, boogie, and party all night! When at venues like Bars, Nightclubs, and Lounges, these Sims can get a burst of energy with the Party Time interaction.

Trait Mechanics: Entering one of the aforementioned venues will give Sims a +1 Happy 'Scoping the Scene' moodlet and can use 'Party Time' to get energized while there. Sims who are dance machines take 'disco naps' which don't seem more effective than normal, just a fun name. They'll grow bored after a time without having danced.

GLUTTON

Game Description: These Sims have a greater negative reaction to Hunger, always enjoy eating, no matter the quality of the food, and will eat Spoiled Food. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Foodie and Squeamish. As stated, this will increase the amount of discomfort Sims get when Hungry. This can save your some money and time if you make group portions and let the Glutton pig out on rotten food. This will mainly just fill their Hunger need, and not give them a buff from great food. It seems to take more than two dishes of spoiled food being around for them to suffer from an unpleasant environment. Given Sims gain weight, you may want to work on the Fitness Skill if your Sim is a Glutton, although there are no drawbacks to Sims being overweight that I know of.

INSANE

Game Description: These Sims can Talk to themselves and have unpredicatable Emotions. 

Trait Mechanics: You may get random emotions with this Trait. The ability to make a Sim talk to themselves can be helpful for filling Social need when no one else is around, but do expect to have to queue this up multiple times to make an impact.

KLEPTOMANIAC

Game Description: These Sims don't mind "borrowing" things from others with a simple swipe, but will get Tense when they have not swiped anything in a while.

Trait Mechanics: One of the more useful traits for gaining wealth, Kleptomaniacs can score objects and minor energized moodlets from stealing. They'll gain a +1 energized moodlet with a successful steal, but cannot take anything else while the moodlet's active. The main draw here is the ability to actually take things from other Sims' homes and community lots when visiting, possibly decorating your own home with them or selling them for profit. Only certain types of objects, like lamps, chairs, paintings, and decorative items can be stolen - not couches, tables, nor items necessary for a lot to function - like a bar - can be taken. If it's not something a Sim can carry, it will be found in the Household Inventory which is accessible from build mode.

LAZY

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets from Watching Tv or Napping as well as from Comfortable furniture, become Fatigued more quickly from exercise, and grow Tense when performing household chores. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Neat, Active and Ambitious. Lazy Sims can Nap on regular chairs to fill their Energy need on the spot. However, it's slow of course. One of the big perks of this is the Happiness boost you get from actually comfortable furniture. It can amplify effects of Inspired, Focused, etc. and help Sims get to Very Inspired. This is particularly of interest to Writers, Programmers, and any Sim that will do a lot of sitting.

LOVES OUTDOORS

Game Description: These Sims can Enthuse about Nature to other Sims and become Happy when Outdoors. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Squeamish. Any Sim that will spend a lot of time outdoors will benefit from this Trait. They will get a +2 Happiness buff from being out and enjoying Nature. This is an excellent Trait for Sims that will be Fishing, Gardening, or doing any other outdoor activity (Collecting) often.

MATERIALISTIC

Game Description: These Sims can Admire and Brag about Possessions and become Sad when they haven't purchased a new item for a period of time. 

Trait Mechanics: Admiring new Possessions can make these Sims happy. Since you'll be buying things fairly regularly as you advance in the game, it's unlikely the negative moodlet will affect your Sim very often. Thus, they're more likely to enjoy the new stuff you buy them from time to time. Just buy about anything, then click admire new possession to get the "I love stuff" Moodlet.

NEAT

Game Description: These Sims become Happy and have Fun when performing household chores, can have a Cleaning Frenzy, and become really Uncomfortable in dirty surroundings. 

Trait Mechanics: Neat Sims do get a small Fun bump when cleaning, but not a significant one. They get a big +3 Uncomfortable Moodlet when around dirty surroundings. When this happens, you can click the Sim and make them go on a Cleaning Frenzy - this is where the true fun is to be had. Afterward, they get an 8 hour Happiness buff from the cleaning.

SLOB

Game Description: These Sims are not affected by dirty surroundings, make household items dirtier faster, and can Rummage for Food in garbage. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Neat and Squeamish. With this Trait, you do not need to worry about Sims being affected by a dirty house. Rummaging for Food in garbage can let you fill the Hunger need on the go. Other Sims will be annoyed by the Slob's effect on the house though, as anything that can get dirty will get dirty faster, causing them to need to clean else suffer unpleasant surroundings. A Slob around a Neat Sim could let the Neat Sim clean up more often, and they would greatly enjoy that process.

SNOB

Game Description: These Sims can Critique Work on low quality items, are bored by "low brow" television, and gain Confidence around other Snob Sims. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Goofball and Childish. Snobs do not like low quality things and will be bored by them (primarily TV - they like the News, but not the Kids' Network). When around other Snobs, they'll get a positive Confidence Moodlet. They enjoy Critiqueing Work on cheap household items and gain a Happiness Moodlet from it. You're more likely to see negatives from this Moodlet than positives in the long run.

SQUEAMISH

Game Description: Squeamish Sims are nauseated by the sight of creepy crawlies, vomiting, violence, and death. These Sims become Uncomfortable around anything dirty.

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Glutton, Slob, and Loves Outdoors. Squeamish Sims get powerful negative moodlets when picking up insects, fishing, and when around the scenarios mentioned in the Game's description of the trait. The negative Moodlets in these scenarios can be so powerful that, say, if a Squeamish Sim is to catch a fish, they will get a +5-10 Uncomfortable Moodlet that overrides everything else and prevents them from continuing the activity. Thankfully, it only lasted an hour but being around these things constantly could be Only take this trait to give your Sim some personality, and when you know they will not need to pursue anything like collecting insects, fishing or live with a Slob.

SOCIAL TRAITS

BRO

Game Description: These Sims can Bro Hug other Bros, gain Confidence around other Bros, become Energized from Watching Sports. 

Trait Mechanics: Gain +1 Happiness when around other Bros via the Hangin' with Bros Moodlet. The Bro Hug and Bro Bump are great for building friendships (or even Romance, as it's not gender-related) with other Bros. My Sim actually got a 4-hour Confidence Moodlet from watching the Sports Channel - it said, "watched other Bros being awesome on the Sports Channel". If it were Energized as the description says, it would be more useful as there are other means of getting confidence but fewer for Energized.

EVIL

Game Description: These Sims become Happy around Sims with negative Moodlets, can Laugh Maniacally and Discuss Evil Plans, and become Angry when interacting with Good Sims. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Good and Childish. Evil does not play as big a role in gameplay as I'd like. It is one of three, along with Good and Bro, that mainly give a buff when you're around someone of the right type. In this case, it's when other Sims are in a bad mood. It goes away when the Sim leaves the area. I was not able to get my Sim to Discuss Evil Plans nor laugh maniacally, even with another Evil Sim and when Confident or Inspired. It's likely they laugh maniacally at random times. The Angry Buff from this is not necessarily a negative moodlet, and can help if you like to be mean with other Sims, but it'll only happen when someone has the Good Trait... so it's not very often. Mean is probably a better Trait than Evil, all around, for a Sim that wants to be bad.

FAMILY-ORIENTED

Game Description: These Sims become Happy around family members, become Sad if they don't interact with family for a period of time, and can Boast about Family. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Noncommittal and Hates Children. This is a good Trait for Sims that will spend a lot of time around Family, and who desire a big Family. They'll get loads of Whims for interacting with Family which can lead to more Rewards. Otherwise, it's not a very powerful Trait.

GOOD

Game Description: These Sims become Happy around Sims with positive Moodlets, can Donate to Charity, become Sad with interacting with Evil Sims, and can Discuss World Peace. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Evil and Mean. This is a much better Trait gameplay-wise than Evil, as well. Sims are more often going to have Positive Moodlets in the day-to-day, so being around a Sim is likely to give the Good Vibes Moodlet, giving +1 to Happiness. Discuss World Peace is a decent interaction, but I was initially unable to find how to Donate to Charity. I did some research and found that it appears on the Computer with Charisma level 3, meaning any Sim can do this. What is different, is that Sims with the Good Trait get an extra 'Did Good' Moodlet from making a Donation. Unfortunately, you can only do this once a day or you'd be able to really help your Sim get to 'Very' good Emotions.

HATES CHILDREN

Game Description: These Sims become Angry around Children, become Tense after Try for a Baby, and can be Mean to Children. 

Trait Mechanics: Get +1 Angry from being around a Child, even if they're rather far away. If you want the ability to be mean to children, this is the Trait for you (heh). This is a Trait to give your Sim some personality and nothing more.

JEALOUS

Game Description: These Sims get Jealous more easily than other Sims. They gain a boost of Confidence from being around their significant other, but get Tense if they haven't seen them recently.

Trait Mechanics: All Sims can get jealous from romantic interactions going on around them, but Jealous Sims are more likely to feel this way even if nothing romantic is happening. While other Sims will have no major reaction to not seeing their SO for a time, the Jealous Sim will grow tense as if worrying about what they're doing. On the flip side, non-Jealous Sims won't get this boost of confidence by being around their SO.

LONER

Game Description: These Sims become Happy when alone, do not receive negative Moodlets when their Social Need is low, become Tense around strangers, and become Embarrassed more often by social rejection. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Outgoing. Loners get +1 Embarassed from Socialization, and +1 Tense when around Strangers. The lack of negative Moodlets from lack of Social Interaction is great for Sims that are homebodies, but the best part is the ability to hole your Sim off in a room and get a +1 to Happiness any time you need it. This can stack with other boosts to help your Sim reach 'Very' Focused, Inspired, etc. Mainly good for self-employed Sims who will spend a lot of time indoors - Sims walking around outside can make Loners tense.

MEAN

Game Description: These Sims become Happy when being Mean or Mischievous to other Sims and become Confident after winning a fight. 

Trait Mechanics: Conflicts with Good. Mean Sims get a 4h +1 Happiness Moodlet any time they use a Mean or Mischief interaction. For Sims that will use the Mischief Skill heavily, this is a good one - especially for the Criminal Career. However, its usefulness is limited. It's better than Evil in that it doesn't have any drawbacks, and you trigger when your Sim will behave that way. Of course, they will be mean autonomously, as well.

NONCOMMITTAL

Game Description: These Sims become Tense after a while in the same job or relationship, become Happy when they Quit a Job or Break Off a relationship, take longer to Propose, and can Discuss their Fear of Commitment. 

Trait Mechanics: Primarily a Trait to give your Sims personality. This one comes with mainly drawbacks, given your Sim might find the right one to Marry and desire to break it off. Noncommittal Sims are not completely against Marriage though, it just takes them higher relationship standing to do so. Two Aspirations come to mind that may slightly benefit from this Trait - Renaissance Sim, in which you will need to achieve a decent level in multiple Careers, and Serial Romantic, where you must have multiple Relationships.

OUTGOING

Game Description: These Sims gain powerful Moodlets from Friendly socialization, have their Social Need decay quickly, and gain more negative Moodlets when their Social Need is low. 

Trait Mechanics: Having the Social Need decay more quickly is not a very good thing, but at least you'll get more Moodlets from pleasant conversations. Social is one of the slowest Needs to fill, so it's going to add to the maintenance your Sim needs to be Happy. However, if you'll be throwing lots of parties and go out to the lounge frequently, this is a great Trait. They will get very lonely without any Socialization for a time.