Just when it started to look like it would never happen, it has: burglars have officially returned to The Sims 4! This came courtesy of the latest free update for the base game, which is available on all platforms. Burglars aren’t the only new addition to The Sims 4 via the update though, as well as the usual bug fixes. Let’s look at everything that this latest update for The Sims 4 base game brought.
Burglars
Let’s start with the biggest update: the return of burglars! Burglars have been a part of The Sims, The Sims 2, and The Sims 3, but until now was absent in The Sims 4. However, these NPCs have sneaked back into the game, for better or worse.
How burglars work in The Sims 4 is very straightforward. The burglar-in-residence is Robin Banks (see what they did there?) At night, regardless of whether your Sim is asleep or not, this mischievous uninvited visitor will sneak onto your Sim’s Lot, accompanied of course by dramatic burglary music! They will then proceed to steal your Sims’ precious valuables before slipping away into the night.
If you do get a visit from a burglar, there are several things you can do to thwart them. Some of these options are dependant on what packs you have installed for The Sims 4:
- Your Sim can call the police and hope they get there in time to stop the burglar and arrest them.
- You can buy the brand-new burglar alarm and place it on your Sim’s Lot. When it goes off, the police will automatically arrive to apprehend the burglar.
- Additionally, the burglar alarm includes several useful upgrades for Sims with a good Handiness Skill, such as automatically calling the police, reducing the chances of it breaking, and it can even zap the burglar to make them drop their stolen goods!
- If your Sim feels brave enough – and strong enough! – they can get into a one-on-one fight with the burglar. Your Sim will have a better chance at overpowering the burglar with a good Fitness Skill.
- Dogs will chase the burglar away, if you have the Cats & Dogs Expansion.
- Werewolves from the titular Game Pack can make the burglar leave.
- If you have Realm of Magic, Spellcasters can make mischief and get payback on the burglar with their magic!
- Servos built from Discover University Expansion can zap burglars, just like the alarm system.
- Is your Sim a Scientist from Get to Work Expansion? Why not put their Freeze Ray to good use!
- Got a vampire on your Lot? They may be tempted to drink the blood from the burglar before forcing them to leave!
These are just some examples, but there are plenty of fun and creative things you can do to get rid of the burglar based on which packs you have.
If you’re not a fan of getting burgled, don’t fear (too much) as these unwanted visits are rare and don’t happen very often. However, if you do want more frequent visits from Robin Banks, you can make that happen with the brand-new Heist Havoc Lot Challenge, which you can assign to your Lot. Be aware that when assigning this Challenge, the alarm system won’t always work, which is supposed to be half the fun!
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- To stop burglars, make sure to buy the trusty alarm.
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- With the new Heist Havoc Lot Challenge, that new alarm might not be so trusty after all.
Tattoo Updates
Since there will be a new Tattooing Skill coming with The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion, it makes sense to make a few tweaks to the existing tattoo options in The Sims 4 base game.
You can now adjust the tattoo’s Hue, Saturation, Opacity, and Brightness for more customization options via sliders. Additionally, tattoos can now be found in categories based on their location on the Sim’s body.
With Businesses & Hobbies, tattoos can be custom-designed and shared. Now with this base game update, tattoos can be shared via the Gallery with the new Tattoos category.
The base game is preparing for the arrival of Businesses & Hobbies with updates to tattoos.
New Jumper and Hoodie
The Sims is still celebrating its 25th anniversary, so naturally, there’s some more new clothing items available in Create-A-Sim. You can get a new jumper and a hoodie, available for all genders.
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- The new celebratory jumper.
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- There’s also a celebratory hoodie.
Build Mode Updates
There’s some new stuff to look out for in Buy/Build mode as well in The Sims 4. To start with, the BlandCo Contemporary base game kitchen set, which includes counters, kitchen islands, and cabinets, has been updated with some new swatches to add variety.
There are also some practical updates for Buy/Build mode that players may find useful. One is that whenever you open Build Mode for the first time, instead of initially loading up Styled Rooms, you’ll see the Objects by Room tab open. As well as this, you may notice that the Dining Room and Study icons have been given a new look to make them more easily identifiable.
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- Buy/Build mode will now open to Objects by Room.
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- These BlandCo counters have been given some new swatches.
Gameplay Updates
Some previously-released packs have received updates to make them more current to the existing game of The Sims 4. There are also some additional base game enhancements.
If you have the Get Together Expansion and like to play with clubs, the club activities have been updated to make sure that all activities from all packs have been included. Examples include viewing collectibles, drinking nectar, playing with pets, flower arranging, and even doing laundry, plus lots more!
Mentoring is a useful feature in The Sims 4, for experienced and skilled Sims to train up others. You can now directly select the object you want to mentor other Sims with to proceed with the act of mentoring. The list of skills available for mentoring has also been updated.
There’s one final update that players should find useful. Do you ever go traveling with your Sim and forget where they are traveling from in the map? With the update, you can now see where your Sim currently is when traveling, marked by an icon showing their portrait on the current Lot they’re at. You’ll never be lost again!
Traveling across maps is made a little easier now you can see where your Sim is traveling from.
Sneak Peek at Upcoming Kits
Yes, more Kits are coming to The Sims 4! It was previously mentioned that three new Kits are arriving in May. However, the official update blog gave us an early look at two new Creator Kits that are coming sometime in April. Keep a look-out for The Sims 4 Sleek Bathroom Kit from Syboulette and The Sims 4 Sweet Allure Kit from aharris00britney!
Bug Fixes
To round this all off, we can’t have a big update for The Sims 4 without the usual bug fixes. These apply not just to the base game, but several packs as well. For full details, make sure to read the official patch notes. Hopefully a bug you’ve been experiencing will be fixed!
SOURCES: Update Official Blog & Patch Notes, Burglar Official Blog
