The Sims 4 recently released a new Highschool Years expansion pack. At the same time, there were some changes in the basic package of the game. The new expansions have been pretty exciting so far, but one of the best expansions is Wants and Fears. Reminiscent of the desires and fears of The Sims 2, this add-on makes idle players even return to the game to check it out. So the questions to be asked now are: What are desires and fears? And how do they affect gameplay? In this guide, we will answer both of these questions. Here’s your Sims 4 guide to wishes and fears.
What are desires and fears in The Sims 4?
Here’s everything you need to know about desires and fears in The Sims 4.
Wants
Desires are like whims in a game. Similar, not the same. This is because desires are more in line with the Sim’s personality and aspirations, rather than just being random. The whims often annoyed most players as they appeared for no reason and did not have a lasting effect on the game. On the other hand, desires are of three types. They are long-term, short-term and reactionary. Your Sim can only have three wishes at a time, and it’s usually one of the three categories.
Long-term desires will remain for a while, even if they don’t take too long to fulfill. Short-term desires are quick and easy to fulfill, and they change quite frequently. Finally, reactionary desires are entirely based on a Sim’s whim and fantasy. This desire is usually a combination of your Sim’s personality and environment. If your needs are small, your reactionary desires will be directed towards satisfying them.
There are also rewards for fulfilling wishes. These rewards come in the form of in-game satisfaction points. You can then spend these points in the Reward Store. But ignoring desire has no real consequences other than developing fear of unfulfilled dreams. And you can’t just click them like Whims, but they change frequently to keep things interesting.
On the other hand, there are desires that you might actually want to fulfill. However, at the moment there is simply no time to do it. You can easily anchor these desires so they don’t roll back. This ensures that these desires do not disappear until you fulfill them.
Fears
In this addition, fears are much more important. Now you can either avoid the cause of this fear, or simply face it. You do not start the game with fear, but develop it as the game progresses. For example, if your Sim is facing a fire that is out of control at some point, they may be afraid of fires in the game.
You can research these fears in your Sim’s information panel. Hover your mouse over a trait to learn why your Sim has this fear and how to overcome it. Depending on your traits, you will either experience certain fears or be free of others. For example, vampires are not afraid of the dark. However, more anxious Sims will be afraid of everything, such as public speaking.
Fears appear next to desires in a more uneven floating cloud, as opposed to the soft cloud that desires are in. You can find out where the fear is focused and then overcome it immediately. Using these fears, you can create more innovative storylines in the game.
List of fears
Here are all the fears you will face while playing Sims 4:
| Fear | Possible triggers | overcoming |
| Be judged | Caused by a sneaky interaction with your Sim | Find out the differences with other Sims |
| to be deceived | Poor woohoo with a partner or insufficient interaction with a Sim’s partner | Talk about relationship fears with your partner |
| crowded places | Be in a crowded area | Be funny in a crowded place |
| barn | Being swallowed by a cow plant | Milking a cow with confidence |
| Death | Certificate of death of a loved one | Discuss the fear of death with other Sims, or give the Death Flower to the Grim Reaper. |
| dead end job | No promotion for a long time | Click on your Sim and select Restore Passion before you go to work. |
| Refusal | Creation of low quality facilities or low labor productivity | Show something you’ve created, or ask for a performance review at work. |
| Fire | Experiencing fire | Fire extinguishing |
| ghosts | Survive a scary encounter with a ghost | Ghost fight |
| Swimming | Survive a scary experience while swimming | Confident sailing for an hour |
| Dark | Survive a scary meeting at night | Feel confident outside at night |
| unfulfilled dreams | Do not fulfill desires for a long time | Grant a wish and then discuss fears with other Sims |
This has been your guide to everything you need to know about desires and fears in The Sims 4.