The latest expansion for The Sims 4, “Enchanted by Nature,” introduces significant new features to the game. These include a new Fairy occult type, alternative ways to live off the grid, and a completely new system for Sims getting sick: Ailments.
Unlike the standard illnesses in The Sims 4, which appear rarely and are easily healed with generic medicine, Ailments represent a new category of affliction that demand specific cures. Alternatively, a magical being with the ability to heal Ailments can provide assistance. Thankfully, Ailments are more troublesome than deadly; they are not severe enough to cause a Sim`s death on their own. However, their effects can be quite disruptive, making it generally preferable to address them promptly.
How Ailments Work
Ailments are contagious illnesses that can be contracted from other Sims, inflicted by a Fairy, or simply develop due to emotional imbalance. The contagious nature is notable; being near an infected Sim has a high chance of causing your Sim to catch the Ailment as well. Interaction with objects touched by a sick Sim can also lead to infection.
Furthermore, being emotionally out of balance, indicated by the new balance meter in the Simology tab, increases the likelihood of your Sim developing an Ailment spontaneously or catching one from another Sim. Conversely, maintaining emotional balance strengthens your Sim`s resistance to contracting Ailments, both naturally and from others. Consider the emotional balance meter as a reflection of your Sim`s immune system strength.
How to Cure Ailments
There are several approaches to managing a Sim`s Ailment. One option is to do nothing and let the Ailment resolve on its own. While this might seem counterintuitive, some Ailments offer positive side effects. For example, “Luck Magnet” makes the infected Sim lucky by drawing luck from nearby Sims, while “Gnome Lure” causes sentient garden gnomes to appear, similar to the Harvestfest event. Although typically annoying, gnomes have a new use in the Enchanted by Nature expansion: Fairy Sims can enchant them with Fairy Dust to bring them to life.
If the benefits of an Ailment outweigh the inconvenience, you can allow it to run its course. Otherwise, there are four straightforward methods to cure an Ailment instantly:
- Use your phone to call a naturopath for a 1,500 Simoleon cure.
- Ask any Fairy Sim to cure the Ailment (note that Fairies cannot cure their own Ailments magically).
- “Manifest” a cure by visiting Moondrop Spring in the Everdew neighborhood of Innisgreen.
- Craft a cure at an apothecary table.
Crafting Ailment Cures
Crafting Ailment cures is a relatively simple process because they require common ingredients that are easily found. These cures are among the first recipes your Sim learns when developing the apothecary skill, typically requiring only skill level 1 or 2, meaning no extensive grinding is needed. This is particularly useful since Fairies, despite being able to magically cure others, cannot use their magic on themselves if they are afflicted with an Ailment.
To acquire the apothecary skill, a Sim simply needs to interact with an apothecary table and select `Study Apothecary Cures`. After a short time, they will gain the ability to craft basic Ailment cures. Reaching level 2 requires only a bit more practice at the table, unlocking the ability to craft the remaining cures.
As these cures are low-level recipes, their ingredients are incredibly easy to obtain through casual foraging in any Sims 4 world (by clicking on grass patches) or by purchasing them directly via an option on the apothecary table. The ingredients are inexpensive, so buying them is a viable and quick option for players.
List of Ailments
- Burning Passion: Makes the Sim very flirty and occasionally causes nearby objects to catch fire.
- Creation Impulse: Results in a Dazed moodlet but improves the Sim`s crafting abilities.
- Emotional Void: Suppresses the infected Sim`s emotions and passively affects nearby Sims in the same way.
- Gnome Lure: Causes gnomes to spawn near the infected Sim.
- Greenie Meanie: Makes the Sim exceptionally good at gardening but also irritable.
- Luck Magnet: Makes the infected Sim lucky by taking luck from Sims around them.
- Simoleon Fever: Causes the infected Sim to occasionally cough up money.
- Sonic Sinuses: Sneezes are powerful enough to break objects, but the Sim gains improved handiness and can fix things more easily.