The Sims 4 Cottage Living: New Traits & Aspiration Guide

Presented by EA Game Changers

The Sims 4 Cottage Living Expansion Pack comes with 2 new Traits, an Aspiration and a Reward Trait that you get for finishing the new Aspiration. I’ve gotten a chance to try these out and show you what they bring! Please note that this is not captured on final software and features are subject to change.

New Traits

Animal Enthusiast

These Sims are obsessed with animals, and will seek their company often. They will have an easier time caring for animals and getting closer to them.

Animal Enthusiast Sims unlock a wide array of new interactions for all Animals that come with The Sims 4 Cottage Living. There are lots of new interactions that come with this trait so much that I compared down below what options you get when socializing with a Llama as an Animal Enthusiast vs. a non-Animal Enthusiast:

As an Animal Enthusiast you’ll be able to more enthusiastically interact with your Animals and “Smother them with Love”.

Animal Enthusiasts are also able to show a Dance Move to their animals, as well as pull out a Guitar / Violin and practice their skills while the select animal is listening. Yes, you can play the guitar to your favorite chicken!

With this Trait you’ll often get smaller buff boosts that will make your Sim Happy.

There’s also an interaction exclusive to this Trait that lets you Admire an Animal of your choice. However, I did find this interaction to be a little creepy as my Sim only stared at his Llama for a few Sim seconds. No buffs or anything…

Lactose Intolerant

These Sims will become sick if they eat dairy, but will feel great if they have avoided it for a while.

It’s a tough world out there for Sims with the Lactose Intolerant Trait. Especially since there’s a bunch of recipes in The Sims 4 that contain milk or cheese. To make sure your Sim doesn’t make a mistake of making a meal that they won’t be able to tolerate make sure you hover over a finished meal to see if it’s Lactose Free. Meals that contain Lactose won’t have a tag, however meals that are Lactose Free will contain the label letting you know that it’s safe to eat.

Some recipes that come with The Sims 4 Cottage Living including Milk Bread and Yorkshire Pudding also come with a Lactose Free variant that your Lactose Intolerant Sims will be able to eat without any side effects.

You can of course always take risks! With the Lactose Intolerant Trait Sims can select meals that contain lactose and “Wonder If it’s Worth It”. You’ll get a notification reminding you that your Sim is Lactose Intolerant, as well as a popup saying that your Sim is wondering if some risks are worth taking…

If you decided that yes, you should definitely ignore all the warning signs and eat a lactose meal as a Lactose Intolerant Sim you’re in for a ride. While your Sim is eating a meal they will enjoy while heating, however when they’re finished…

You’ll get an Uncomfortable +2 Moodlet saying that no, it definitely wasn’t worth it. During these 3 hours they will also fart uncontrollably and their Bladder Need will immediately be cut in half.

However, you can still try and push your Sim over the limits by eating a lactose meal again. This time your Sim will get bloated and have their Bladder Need decayed almost entirely, so watch out!

Your Sim will get a positive buff if they stay away from meals that contain lactose for a while. Still, easier said than done!

The Sims 4 Cottage Living also comes with a brand new Aspiration called Country Caretaker that guides you through Henford-on-Bagley and befriending all the Animals!

Country Caretaker Aspiration

Level 1 (Campestral Curator)

• Purchase 1 Cow, Chicken, or Llama on Your Home Lot
• Socialize with a Fox, Rabbit, or Bird 5 Times
• Purchase 1 Garden Patch for Your Home Lot
• Visit Finchwick, Old New Henford, and the Bramblewood Neighborhoods in Henford-on-Bagley

Level 2 (Agrestic Savant)

• Befriend a Chicken, Cow, or Llama
• Place 1 Wild Rabbit Home or Flock of Wild Birds on Your Home Lot
• Fertilize 3 Plants or Oversized Crops

Level 3 (Critter Keeper)

• Give 3 Gifts to Foxes, Rabbits, or Birds
• Craft Animal Treats 5 Times
• Harvest 1 Perfect Quality Oversized Crop
• Forage 5 Items from the Bramblewood

Level 4 (Legendairy)

• Reach Maximum Relationship with a Cow, Chicken, or Llama
• Receive 3 Gifts from Rabbits or Birds
• Win a Competition in Henford-on-Bagley’s Finchwick Fair

Reward Trait – Nature Conversationalist

Nature Conversationalist Sims have improved relationships with animals, allowing their animals to live longer, happier lives. Rabbits and birds will bring them more gifts. And they can interact with plants in unique ways, receiving more yield from harvests. They will also receive free grocery delivery, and, when residing in Henford-on Bagley, a discount on their bills.

With this Reward Trait Sims will be able to provide their animals a longer lifespan than usual by just…well…having this Trait.

I did witness my Sim getting a lot of gifts from Wild Rabbits and Birds with this Trait, as you can also see in the cute screenshot down below:

Another cool thing with this Trait is that you’ll have Free Delivery on Groceries for the rest of your Sim life! Sims with this Trait will also get reduced bills if they’re living in the world of Henford-on-Bagley.