Are DLC's a must?

[KoterigeRyan]

I really want to play this game but I always feel like I need DLC's to fully enjoy the game. Is it really worth it?

[Jehane]

DLCs are not a must. Try the base game first, it's free and has been updated a lot so it contains a few features from DLCs as well. It's fun to play without any DLCs at all, most people have done so for months before buying any DLC at all. DLCs are really only worth the money if you play a lot and want to expand your gameplay.

[Coffee Addict]

Originally posted by KoterigeRyan:

I really want to play this game but I always feel like I need DLC's to fully enjoy the game.

thats how they get you, they make you think you need this so you'll hand over all your $, the basegame has plenty of content and mods add even more. game packs can help make the experience more enjoyable but not a single one is required to have fun

[Horns Ablaze]

I don't want to be THAT guy, but I have a different opinion from Jehane and Coffee (they do have a very valid point anyways). When I installed TS4 base I was beyond shocked at how "base" it felt. Felt like playing a sim for one day or one year was exactly the same. There is just so much you can do on those two and a half maps with base game interactions. Got Seasons and the game got a brand new life, but still felt a bit null... Then I went on YouTube and binge watched TS4 content about packs, and realised that yeah, most "nice" features are locked behind DLC. It's not like its "optional", cause if you want a decent experience you need to cash in, but that is the label it gets.

The game needs Seasons, it should have never been cut out to make an Expansion. That was on purpose. Same goes for most packs they have released, it was content that should be base but they gave it a "theme" and packed it as DLC. (Side note, I have no issues with big corps trying to make more and more money, I just don't think EA is ethical about it). Did the game got better for me with DLC? A big BIG lot. Even more with CC and mods, but that's a different pug.

For me the secret was knowing when to stop buying. I needed a lot of packs, but not all, so I cherry picked. So yeah, that's my 2 cents - just sharing how I see it.

(Edit - the answer is yes, for me they are a must)

[Jehane]

Totally agree on Seasons, that should have been basegame, and it's pretty much the only DLC I would consider a must because it adds a lot to the basegame. I think it was the first DLC I got. Either that or City Living, and that adds a few very nice mechanics, too - I just love the festivals :)

For me, getting DLCs kinda happened when I started playing regularly and felt that I wanted to do a little more with my Sims, like making them famous or going to work with them and make them do chores. And at one point I wanted them to have pets - still think horses should have been included with that one, like they were in Sims 3... and I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't make the little buggers take up a job :)

[Paperus]

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[James3157]

For expansion packs must haves are Seasons, Cottage Living (one of the highest rated expansion packs), Get Together (one of the highest rated expansion packs), and Life & Death (highest rated expansion pack), but for that last one important to keep in mind it might take a while before it goes on sale for a 50% discount. To add on top of this list is Growing Together which I enjoy very much overall, it adds more gameplay for all lifestages besides teens meaning its new gameplay features are not limited to only just child sims and younger (although it adds very little gameplay for elders unfortunately), and it seems to be underrated on Steam, but if you are not interested in family gameplay then you might be a little less interested in buying until maybe later. Other expansion packs that are not "must have" but close to it (meaning that it might be a good idea to buy them eventually at some point) are Cats & Dogs and City Living. The other expansion packs besides the seven I mentioned are more optional, but opinions about them vary.

For game packs none of them are must have besides maybe Strangerville (because it is fun, more affordable than expansion packs, and includes a decent sized world for a gamepack), but its occult packs are overall the most popular game packs and whether or not occult packs are a must have is debatable. Also, Parenthood is only a must have if you want to enjoy family gameplay more, but definitely a must have for people to own both Parenthood and Growing Together instead of it only being one or the other.

For kit packs and stuff packs none of them are a must have, but the most popular stuff pack right now is Crystal Creations.

[James3157]

Originally posted by Jehane:

Totally agree on Seasons, that should have been basegame, and it's pretty much the only DLC I would consider a must because it adds a lot to the basegame. I think it was the first DLC I got. Either that or City Living, and that adds a few very nice mechanics, too - I just love the festivals :)

For me, getting DLCs kinda happened when I started playing regularly and felt that I wanted to do a little more with my Sims, like making them famous or going to work with them and make them do chores. And at one point I wanted them to have pets - still think horses should have been included with that one, like they were in Sims 3... and I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't make the little buggers take up a job :)

Get to Work is not a "must have" because it has overall poor reviews on Steam, but it is definitely underrated. I would like to see its ratings go up closer to the 50% range instead of staying in the 40% range. Get to Work for example I think is a better expansion pack than Eco Lifestyle, Horse Ranch, Discover University, For Rent (but it is underrated similar to Get to Work that should have at least mixed reviews instead of mostly negative), and High School Years.

[Xenon The Noble]

I've never played without DLCs. I tried playing Sims 4 when it first came out, but it was terrible.

[James3157]

Originally posted by Xenon The Noble:

I've never played without DLCs. I tried playing Sims 4 when it first came out, but it was terrible.

Basegame is definitely better than when it first came out, but even with mods it would be weird playing The Sims 4 without Seasons especially at least partially (but not the only reason why) because you get cold and hot weather outfits but are mostly useless without this pack. Get Together, Cottage Living, Growing Together, and even Life and Death are not as much "must have" as Seasons when it comes to expansion packs, but I personally think that playing only just basegame is meant more towards people who overall prefer build mode/CaS over actual gameplay at least in the long run depending on if that person playing The SIms 4 is new to this game and how many hours that person has spent playing this game. I do not know exactly as to how long I plan on continuing to buy dlc for The Sims 4, but if at any point I decide I am not going to buy anymore dlc it is because of The SIms 4 seeming to have endless dlc combined with the fact that reinstalling the game could take a very long time if for some reason I decide to uninstall The Sims 4 because of how much dlc I have on my game.

[Michyx]

i prefer having dlc in my game as it can add more to the game like many are saying season is a must which is true and thinking back it was weird not having seasons in my game

[Xeriath]

No, I don’t think that you need to have DLC. If I am honest, I would not play Sims 4 without any occults. I don’t have any interest in playing with *normal* life with the *normal* struggles which we have already in real life.

[James3157]

Originally posted by Xeriath:

No, I don’t think that you need to have DLC. If I am honest, I would not play Sims 4 without any occults. I don’t have any interest in playing with *normal* life with the *normal* struggles which we have already in real life.

To be fair there are plenty of others packs besides those for occults, but besides ghosts (added abilities from Life & Death but are basegame), a few new occults from Discover University (bots and secret society but cannot be randomly generated in CaS), aliens, and mermaids the cheapest occults are from gamepacks.

[Xenon The Noble]

Originally posted by Xeriath:

No, I don’t think that you need to have DLC. If I am honest, I would not play Sims 4 without any occults. I don’t have any interest in playing with *normal* life with the *normal* struggles which we have already in real life.

This. The problem I had with "bust the dust" is that I was thinking "I need to vacuum the floors and dust in real life" and I couldn't enjoy the game.

[Xenon The Noble]

Originally posted by James3157:

Originally posted by Xeriath:

No, I don’t think that you need to have DLC. If I am honest, I would not play Sims 4 without any occults. I don’t have any interest in playing with *normal* life with the *normal* struggles which we have already in real life.

To be fair there are plenty of others packs besides those for occults, but besides ghosts (added abilities from Life & Death but are basegame), a few new occults from Discover University (bots and secret society but cannot be randomly generated in CaS), aliens, and mermaids the cheapest occults are from gamepacks.

Servos are crap. Simbots were crap, Plumbots almost got it right, they should have been npcs added to your household. Aliens were great in Sims 3, and I hate them in Sims 4 because you make spouses and then autonomously one mind wipes the other and viola! Not spouses anymore. I saw that and realized that EA doesn't play the Sims 4.

[James3157]

Originally posted by Xenon The Noble:

Servos are crap. Simbots were crap, Plumbots almost got it right, they should have been npcs added to your household. Aliens were great in Sims 3, and I hate them in Sims 4 because you make spouses and then autonomously one mind wipes the other and viola! Not spouses anymore. I saw that and realized that EA doesn't play the Sims 4.

I disagree about the memory wipe thing, because it is easier to deal with than a divorce if you want an alien to divorce a human sim. Just wipe memory and nobody gets sad moodlets from not being married anymore because of memory being wiped out. Another example to make fun of with alien memory wipe is wiping the memory of the Landgraabs who perhaps deserve to have their memories lost for how they treated Johnny Zest. However, even more disturbing than memory wipe from aliens is the fact that Johnny Zest or his descendants of his could potentially have "incest" with the Landgraabs because of not being recognized in the family tree. Memory wipe Bella or Mortimer Goth as well (but I am assuming that should go to Bella and not Mortimer because she was the one abducted according to cannon of The SIms 2 and 3), because Bella is supposed to be abducted and their children are supposed to be gloomy. With Bella's memory being wiped she will want to move out, because she will not remember Mortimer.