Traits are the building blocks that create a Sim’s personality in The Sims 4. For a long time, Sims were restricted to only having three personality traits, but in a recent update, adult Sims can now have up to six. These traits help determine how a Sim feels and behaves, what they enjoy and hate, and who they get along with. The Sims 4 fans love this change to the game because now Sims feel more unique. Each one is able to feel more like their own person than ever before.
As Sims grow, learn, and tackle their aspirations, they will adapt new traits. The Sims 4 comes with many traits as a base, but Expansion Packs add a lot of value to these categories. If players are willing to put some additional money into their Sims 4 game, they’ll get a much more fulfilling experience.
Mac and PC players can take their gaming experience to a whole new level with mods specifically made for The Sims 4. There are mods for just about everything in The Sims 4. Some common examples of mods and custom content (CC) are extra hairstyles for the Create a Sim function. Mods can go so much further than simple aesthetic choices, though. There are many mods out there designed specifically to expand the Traits function and make Sims even more realistic. This guide will discuss some of the best and most interesting mods for Sims traits.
What Are The Sims 4 Traits?
Personality Traits, Bonus Traits, Death Traits, and Reward Traits are the four main categories of The Sims 4 traits. Some of these main trait categories break down even further.
Personality Traits:
Personality Traits help craft a Sim’s personality from the ground up. These personality traits will dictate what a Sim decides to pick up as a hobby and how they socialize. Personality Traits are what make each Sim feel like their own person. Without these building blocks, the rest of the traits in The Sims 4 don’t matter.
- Emotional Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Ambitious, Cheerful, Childish, Hot-Headed, Romantic, and Squeamish
- Hobby Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Art Lover, Bookworm, Foodie, Loves Outdoors, and Music Lover
- Lifestyle Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Adventurous, Child of the Islands/Child of the Ocean, Kleptomaniac, Lazy, Overachiever, and Vegetarian
- Social Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Animal Enthusiast, Bro, Cat/Dog Lover, Hates Children, Horse Lover, Jealous, Loyal, Outgoing, and Socially Awkward
- Toddler Traits: Needless to say, these traits can only be exhibited by toddlers. Once they become children, they will have access to regular traits. This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Angelic, Charmer, Fussy, Inquisitive, and Wild
- Infant Traits: Like Toddler Traits, Infant Traits will only apply to a baby. They will graduate to Toddler Traits once they age up. This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Cautious, Calm, Intense, Sensitive, and Wiggly
Bonus Traits:
Once a Sim decides their initial aspiration, they’ll be able to pick a Bonus Trait. This trait helps them achieve their goals. For example, if a Sim chooses Knowledge as their aspiration, they can choose a Bonus Trait like Quick Learner. Quick Learner will allow them to build all of their skills faster, making them better at everything they try to pick up more quickly.
Bonus Traits include (but are not limited to) traits like Animal Affection, Dastardly, Essence of Flavor, Business Savvy, Collector, Relatable, and Eco Master.
Death Traits:
Death Traits, also known as Ghost Traits, are traits that a Sim can develop after they’ve passed away and become a spirit. These traits will develop as a result of how the Sim died and will help determine what sort of behavior and abilities they have as a ghost.
Death (Ghost) Traits include (but are not limited to) traits like Consumed By the Mother, Death By Being Crushed By a Murphy Bed, Death by Embarrassment, Death by Flowers, Death by Killer Chicken, Death by Sunlight, Ghastly Consequences, and Night Wriath.
Reward Traits:
Reward Traits are traits that Sims develop when they complete their aspirations. This category is special because there are technically no limits to how many aspirations a Sim can achieve, so they can technically keep collecting Reward Traits.
- Aspiration Rewards Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Animal Whisperer, Survival Instinct, Kindness Ambassador, Poetic, Muse of the Maker, and Mastermind
- Inherited Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Father’s Winter Baby, Weak/Strong Bloodline, and Greater Wolf Blood
- Infant Reward Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Happy and Unhappy Infant
- Toddler Skill Reward Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Happy Toddler and Top-Notch Toddler
- Child Aspiration Reward Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Creatively Gifted, Mentally Gifted, Practiced Host, Headstrong, and Idea Person
- Character Value Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Responsible, Irresponsible, Good/Bad Manners, Compassionate, and Uncontrolled Emotions
- Satisfaction Reward Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Always Welcome, Observant, Great Storyteller, Inspired Explorer, Night Owl, Independent, and Steel Bladder
- Career Reward Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Critically Connected, Seasoned Gamer, Champion of the People, Eco-Engineer, and Charismatic Crooner
- Food Mastery Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Chopstick Savvy, Spice Hound, and Immortal
- Mountaineer Traits: This category includes trait levels for being a Mountaineer that range from Middling to Expert
- Werewolf-Related Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Werewolf Ally, Friend of the Wildfang, and Friend of the Moonwood Collective
- Temporary Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Temporary Genius, Evil and Mystical Sensing
- Sage Traits: This category includes (but is not limited to) traits like Mischief and Untamed
1. More Traits by Maplebell
More Traits by maplebell does exactly what it claims to do by adding a customized list of additional traits to The Sims 4. Many creators release mods for a single trait at a time, but maplebell decided to release a catalog of new traits in one easy-to-use mod.
Examples of Maplebell’s Traits & Descriptions:
- Daredevil: Maplebell’s Patreon describes this trait by saying, “Daredevils love to be energized and are excited in the presence of danger. For example, if there is a fire at your house they will never freak out. They will usually even get a positive moodlet near the fire. These Sims build the fitness, rock-climbing, skiing, and snowboarding skills much faster.”
- Whimsical: Maplebell’s Patreon describes this trait by saying, “Whimsical Sims love to see beyond life. They see beauty and greatness in a lot. They tend to daydream a lot and just live in another world. Sims with this trait will get the playful emotion easily and they will also be inspired easily. Because of their ability to open their minds up to so many possibilities they also are really good at writing and will develop the skill really fast. Whimsical Sims also enjoy and are good at other creative activities.”
- Hedonistic: Maplebell’s Patreon describes this trait by saying, “Sims with this trait really enjoy the funner things in life. They live simply for pleasure. They want to have fun. A lot of it and do not think about the consequences that might follow. Their fun needs deplete really quickly and fill up relatively slowly. If you have parenthood their responsibility skill will be hard to increase.”
Every Trait Currently Available in Maplebell’s More Traits Mod:
- Serious
- Stoic
- Peaceful
- Daredevil
- Logical
- Whimsical
- Shy
- Grumpy
- Sexist
- Generous
- Sincere
- Endurant
- Unforgiving
- Cowardly
- Cunning
- Hedonistic
- Spoiled
- Judgemental
- Warm-Hearted
- Heartless
- Pompous
2. Vicky Sims’ Inborn Personality Mod V2
Vicky Sim’s Inborn Personality Mod V2 builds on the idea of Inheritance Traits. This is a simple mod that allows parents to pass down their Create a Sim (CAS) traits to their offspring. If one parent has a trait, their child will automatically have a 20% chance of having that trait too. If both parents have the same trait, then the chances that their child will have that trait increases to 40%. This means that if the child successfully inherits a trait, the player won’t have to work on the Sim’s development to obtain it later.
For example, if one parent has the Creative trait, then their child will have a 20% chance of having the Creative trait as well. If both parents possess the Creative trait, then their child has a 40% chance of inheriting the trait.
This mod builds on the concepts the Growing Together Expansion Pack introduced. Growing Together emphasizes the impact of familial bonds and how those family ties help a person grow and develop. With Vicky Sims’ Inborn Personality Mod, children can take after their parents in ways that young Sims never could before.
3. 8 Pack of Child Exclusive Traits by Triplis
There are hundreds of ways to play The Sims 4, but one of the most popular attractions is building a Sims family. Many players love to see their Sims grow, fall in love, and have families of their own, but infants, toddlers, and children are extremely limited. The 8 Pack of Child Exclusive Traits by Triplis helps children feel more unique as they grow. With this mod, players have access to eight additional traits that can only appear in a child Sim. These traits include:
- Bold Trait
- Fretful Trait
- Gigglemeister Trait
- Rocket Trait
- Sensitive Trait
- Sleuth Trait
- Sweetie Trait
- Tattletale Trait
For Sims 4 players who enjoy the family dynamics they can build, this mod is perfect. Players will get to enjoy more interactive children who feel and act more like actual children than the game’s limitations normally offer. It’s the small things that make a huge difference.
4. New Emotional Traits by Kuttoe
The New Emotional Traits Pack by Kuttoe offers players 10 new Emotional Traits that they can apply to their Sims. These traits include:
- Arrogant
- Calm
- Coward
- Daydreamer
- Egghead
- Insecure
- Oblivious
- Perky
- Restless
- Stoic
Some of these Emotional Traits may sound familiar to experienced Sims players. That’s because these traits build on emotions that are already in the game. On the New Emotional Traits download page, kuttoe says that these traits react with moods that already exist in the game, like Embarrassed. They are also extreme versions of some older Sims traits that provide interesting and unique challenges for the Sims. Any Sim can have these Emotional Traits as long as they’re a child or older.
5. Anxiety Trait by Skilynn/Simsbunny19
Skilynn and Simsbunny19 originally created the Anxiety Trait Sims 4 mod. Unfortunately, neither creator has updated this mod in ages, so Brandi_Marie93 decided to update the mod themselves. The current Anxiety Trait mod is available on Brandi_Marie93’s Patreon. They’ve given credit to the original creators, but since they refuse to play The Sims 4 without this mod, they wanted to make sure it continued to be usable.
The Anxiety Trait mod does exactly what the title suggests. It creates the option to give Sims Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). For many players who like to use their Sims 4 gameplay as an extension of themselves, allowing their Sims to have anxiety might make them feel more relatable. With the Anxiety Trait, Sims will face certain struggles that an average Sim would never experience. This trait heavily impacts daily functions. For example, it causes Bladder, Hygiene, Fun, and Energy to decrease faster than a typical Sim. At the same time, things like Hunger and Social decrease slowly.
This mod also puts a lot of emphasis on how people with anxiety cope with their anxiety. For this reason, things like creative and musical skills build faster. Creativity is a common coping mechanism, so these Sims excel in these areas. Other aspects, like logic and social skills, are harder to build. This mod sounds simple, but it impacts every aspect of a Sims life for better or worse. It mimics how real-world anxiety works and it is just one of many mods that introduce mental disorders to The Sims 4.
6. Vicky Sims’ 100 Base Game Traits Pack V2
Vicky Sims’ 100 Base Game Traits Pack V2 is an expansive list of traits that give Sims endless possibilities with all types of traits. This mod focuses on Emotional Traits, Social Traits, Lifestyle Traits, and Hobby Traits.
Vicky Sims’ Traits:
- Emotional Traits: Absent-Minded, Cold-Blooded, Coward, Crazy, Daredevil, Detached, Determined, Diffident, Eccentric, Emotional, Excitable, Gentle, Heroic, High-Spirited, High-Strung, Humble, Hyper, Impassive, Impulsive, Insane, Joyless, Light-Hearted, Melancholic, Moody, Neurotic, Open-Minded, Optimistic, Pessimistic, Practical, Relax, Salty, Sensitive, Serious, Short-Tempered, Smug, Stone-Hearted, Tender, Thrill-Seeking, Timid, Unappeasable, Unpredictable, Unstable, Well-Balanced
- Social Traits: Amusing, Asocial, Barfly, Boring, Captivating, Charming, Comforting, Creepy, Daring, Delightful, Disliking Children, Disliking Elders, Downer, Encouraging, Envious, Extrovert, Fickle, Friendly, Hates Teens, Hostile, Introvert, Mischievous, Motivating, Nerdy, Nurturing, Self-Conscious, Shy, Slow to Warm Up, Sociable, Aromantic, Avoidant, Awkward, Bashful, Cruel, Egotistical, Heartbreaker, Homewrecker, Lovey-Dovey, Obsessive, Passionate, Repressed, Reserved, Silly, Soft, Teasing, Trust Issues, Appealing, Chic, Cool, Cute, Elegant, Hideous, Hot, Irresistible, Likeable, Mysterious, Plain-Looking, Pretty, Pure, Scary, Stunning, Ugly, Untouchable
- Hobbies Traits: Gym Bunny, Homebody, Baby Maker, Analytical, Artistic, Linguistic, Perfect Pitch, Sporty, Talentless
- Lifestyle Traits: Bad-natured, Brilliant, Child of Nature, Clever, Feeble, Kind, Slow-Witted, Smart
With so much variety in this mod, no two Sims will ever feel the same.
7. New Hobbies Traits by Kuttoe
Much like the New Emotional Traits Pack by Kuttoe, the New Hobbies Traits Pack adds eight new Hobbies, Social, and Lifestyle Traits to The Sims 4. Hobbies, Social, and Lifestyle Traits usually dictate what a Sim will do in their free time. That means that this pack targets everyday activities that Sims will participate in often. Since Sims spends a lot of their time on hobbies, they are some of the most important traits in the game. If a player finds themselves bored with their Sims’ simple joys, they could find themselves abandoning the Sim altogether or completely changing them.
The New Hobbies Traits Pack Includes:
- Artisan
- Competitive (Social Trait)
- Horticulturist
- Movie Buff
- Scribe
- Technophobe (Lifestyle Trait)
- Tinkerer
- Worldly
8. Emoria’s Dungeons & Dragons Alignments as Traits
Most Sims 4 custom content creators create mods with The Sims 4 in mind and not much else. There’s nothing wrong with that. After all, these mods should enhance the gamer’s Sims 4 experience. The Sims 4 has a lot of diversity, making the player’s possibilities endless. Custom content creators don’t really need to think about incorporating aspects from other games into The Sims 4 because they already have so much to work with. That, however, is exactly what makes Emoira’s Dungeons & Dragons Alignments as Traits mod so unique.
For Dungeons & Dragons players, they’ll know the alignments off the top of their heads. In Dungeons & Dragons, a character’s alignment dictates what they believe in, how they behave, and what they’re likely to do in different scenarios. These alignments determine if a character is good, neutral, or evil, and how they’ll react to various good, neutral, and evil characters and scenarios.
All Dungeons & Dragons Alignments:
- Chaotic Evil
- Chaotic Good
- Chaotic Neutral
- Neutral Good
- Neutral Evil
- True Neutral
- Lawful Good
- Lawful Evil
- Lawful Neutral
Emoria’s Dungeons & Dragons Alignments as Traits mod turns every single one of these alignments into a Sims 4 trait. These alignment traits will offer Sims different activities and buffs. For example, if a Sim is Chaotic Evil, they don’t feel bad about being evil. They’ll even murder people with no remorse. This unlocks a new greeting that allows the Sim to kill the stranger for XP. Needless to say, not every alignment will offer such intense extremes, but this mod does allow people to be the extremes of good and evil.
9. InsightBond’s Zodiac Signs by Digit Part 1.3
Zodiac Signs dictate personality traits in people. Astrology is a huge part of many people’s lives and whether you believe in it or not, Zodiac Signs do have a tendency to be at least somewhat right. Since the Zodiac is such a huge part of day-to-day life for normal people, it just makes sense to introduce the Zodiac into The Sims 4. That’s exactly what InsightBond’s Zodiac Signs mod does. With this mod, Sims players can add all 12 Zodiac Signs to the game as traits. These signs are:
- Aries
- Taurus
- Gemini
- Cancer
- Leo
- Virgo
- Libra
- Scorpio
- Sagittarius
- Capricorn
- Aquarius
- Pisces
Each of these traits will add certain buffs to the Sims who have it. These buffs will differ for male and female Sims. Since Zodiac Signs impact males and females differently, the Sims’ traits reflect this. This mod also pays attention to sign compatibility, meaning their Zodiac Sign will help dictate whether or not they’ll make a good match.
10. Neurodiverse Sims Mod by Unicornkitty
Unicornkitty’s Neurodiverse Sims Mod is a mod for The Sims 4 that introduces inclusivity and accessibility for neurodivergent Sims. The goal of this mod is to help players with neurodivergent conditions feel included and represented within The Sims 4. That said, the mod also seeks to normalize neurodivergent conditions to players who don’t have such conditions. These options simply exist in the game as they do in real life. For that reason, this mod might be a bit more meaningful than many of the other mods on this list. The diversity this mod adds to The Sims 4 speaks for itself.
This mod offers 8 different neurodivergent conditions that include:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) Lvl 1, 2, & 3
- Dyslexia
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- ADHD
- Fragile X Syndrome
This mod lets Sims research neurodiversity. One of the best parts of this mod is that Sims can get a diagnosis late in life, which can be difficult for real-life adults.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©How to Sims / The Sims Studio / Electronic Arts / Maxis.