Wants and fears have been a mechanic in the Sims franchise since The Sims 2. They help add variety to your game by introducing easy-to-complete tasks that your characters complete throughout the day while simultaneously posing challenges to overcome. In The Sims 4, they are similar but have some key differences to note. If you’re interested in learning more, continue reading to find a comprehensive guide to The Sims 4 wants and fears, including a complete list of each fear and how to get rid of them.
Table of Contents
- How Do Wants Work in the Sims 4?
- Spending Aspiration Points in the Rewards Store
- All Fears in The Sims 4 and How to Get Rid of Them
- How to Disable Wants and Fears
The Sims 4 Wants and Fears Guide: All Fears and How to Get Rid of Them
Before diving into fear mechanics, it’s important to touch upon wants and how they work. While not as complex as fears, they’re a fundamental part of the update that pave the way to overcoming your fears.
How Do Wants Work in the Sims 4?
Wants behave similarly to aspirations in that they reward you with satisfaction points you can redeem in the Aspiration Rewards Store. While aspirations are long-term goals that take several in-game days to complete, wants are typically ones that take far less time. They include tasks like talking to certain Sims, visiting a particular lot, or increasing low needs. They are also situational and will update as the day goes on. As you complete wants, you’ll gain points to use in the Aspiration Rewards Store.
Related: How to Age Up Toddlers in The Sims 4
Spending Aspiration Points in the Rewards Store
The Rewards Store provides several helpful items and traits you’ll want to buy to make your life easier. Cheaper ones include instant mood potions, while expensive upgrades allow you to never eat, sleep or shower again. You can save plenty of time by investing in these traits, but it’ll take a while to gain enough points. By fulfilling wants throughout your playthrough, you’ll hasten your progress to accomplishing this in between your aspirations.
Even if you don’t plan on gaining satisfaction points, you’ll still want to fulfill your wants periodically. If you don’t, you risk gaining the Fear of Unwanted Dreams, which negatively impacts your character’s daily life. The next section will touch upon this further.
Related: How to Get Rid of the Unfulfilled Dreams Fear in The Sims 4
All Fears in The Sims 4 and How to Get Rid of Them
While wants are pleasant, day-to-day tasks you can complete in The Sims 4, fears are traits that halt your progress. Much like the real world, they act as obstacles to performing your best, and it’s up to you to overcome them.
Below is a list of every fear you can encounter:
| Fear | Cause | How to Overcome |
|---|---|---|
| Being Cheated On | Not talking to your partner Negative/embarassing WooHoo experience | Talk about Relationship Fears with your partner |
| Being Judged | Someone insulting, yelling at, or performing other Mean interactions with your character | Discuss Figure Out Differences with two other Sims |
| Cowplants | Being eaten by a Cowplant and surviving the experience | Be in a Confident mood and milk the Cowplant |
| Crowded Places | Being in a crowded area with a lot of people | Have positive or funny interactions while in a crowded place |
| Dead End Job | Working a full-time job Not getting promoted | Regain Passion and go to work with a positive result moodlet. |
| Death | Witnessing death Performing dangerous actions | Talk about Fear of Death with elderly Sims or give the Grim Reaper a Death Flower |
| Failure | Creating a poor-quality object Poor job performance | Create an object and Show it Off to someone Go to work and Ask for a Performance Review |
| Fire | Witnessing a fire | Successfully extinguish a fire |
| Ghosts | Having negative experiences with ghosts | Win a fight against a ghost |
| Horses | Having negative experiences with horses (Horse Ranch expansion) | Discuss Fear of Horses with another Sim |
| Swimming | Having a near-death experience while swimming | Be in a Confident mood and go swimming |
| The Dark | Having experience with the Occult while outside at night Sims may also get this while sleeping | Be in a Confident mood and go outside during the night |
| Unfulfilled Dreams | Not fulfilling any Wants | Fulfill any Want and Discuss Fears with other Sims |
If you don’t want to use any of the techniques above to get rid of your fears, you can also buy a Fear-Be-Gone potion from the Aspirations Reward Store.
Related: How to Get Rid of the Dead-End Job Fear in The Sims 4
How to Disable Wants and Fears
Are you tired of dealing with wants and fears in The Sims 4? Did you prefer your game experience before this update? To disable these features, head into your Game Options and go into Gameplay. Tick the “Show Wants & Fears” box off to disable them, and tick the box again if you want to turn them back on.
The Sims 4 is available to play on PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. If you’d like to learn more about the game, check out How to Study Opponents and All Sims 4 High School Years Items Listed or click the game’s tag below to explore our growing content list.
