The Sims 4 Balance & Imbalance – All About The Latest Gameplay Feature

The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature Expansion pack introduces two exciting new features that shape the way your Sims live in surprising ways: Balance & Imbalance, and Luck! Whether your Sim is a goody two-shoes or a menace to society, these new systems add new depth to gameplay. Here’s how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage!

What Is Balance & Imbalance?

Balance & Imbalance expresses how a Sim’s mood affects them over time, beyond the moment-to-moment. Negative moods will result in a shift towards imbalance, whereas positive moods will move it back towards being balanced. A Sim’s Balance and Imbalance can have a major impact on their need decay, as well as their Luck.

Balanced

Being balanced is the typical state for a Sim. Keeping your Sim in a positive mood is imperative for them to remain Balanced in life. If your Sim is persistently in a negative mood (low needs) or experiencing negative emotions (sad, angry, embarrassed), they will slip into Imbalance.

There are several ways to keep your Sim balanced:

• Visit a Naturopath (Available under the Home tab on the Phone)
• Meditating in Nature (Unlocked with the Natural Living Skill)
• Crafting and drinking Apothecary Elixirs
• Maintaining Houseplants
• Curing Ailments

Imbalanced

Imbalance is the result of Sims whose needs need more attention and care. They may need to eat more frequently or care for their hygiene more often. All needs (including occult exclusive needs) will drain 25% faster than a balanced Sim. They will also experience slower skill building at 15% slower.

Very Imbalanced

A Very Imbalanced Sim is the result of direct neglect or unfortunate luck in life. Situations such as deaths in the family or losing a job can tip Sims into Imbalance instantly. Sims who are Very Imbalanced are more likely to contract ailments, these can be cured via the Apotercary skill, visiting a Naturopath, or becoming balanced again.

What Is Luck?

The luck system introduced with Enchanted by Nature impacts everything from skill gain and social scores to career progression and meal quality. A Sim’s luck can be viewed in the (now very cluttered) Simology panel. Your current luck will be represented by either a four-leaf clover (Good Luck), a green three-leaf clover (Ordinary), or a wilting desaturated clover (Bad Luck). A Sims’ Luck will refresh at 2 am every day, they can really get out of the wrong side of bed!

The Three Levels of Luck

Check out our handy table below on how luck affects your Sims!

Icon	Affects
	Good Luck
	Collections – Everything collectable by your Sims has a higher chance of being less common/rare, or more abundant. Affects fishing, frogs, fossils, archaeology, feathers, tassels, and more!
	Skill Gain – All skills are gained 10% faster.
	Crafting Quality – All food recipes have a greater chance of being a higher quality. Craftable items on the woodworking bench, nectar press, object fabricator, etc, have a higher chance of being high-quality.
	Crafting Quality – All food recipes have a greater chance of being of higher quality. Craftable items on the woodworking bench, nectar press, object fabricator, etc, have a higher chance of being high-quality.
	Foraging – Sims living off the land will have a greater chance at finding items in greater quantities or rarer quality.
	Careers – Sims are more likely to receive a promotion early.
	Ordinary Luck
	Ordinary Luck has no impact on any actions or outcomes in a Sim’s life. This is the state that your Sims will find themselves in most of the time.
	Bad Luck
	Skill Gain – All skill is gained at 10% less than the normal rate.
	Careers – There is no higher chance of being demoted or fired by Bad Luck.
	Crafting Quality – All items crafted by your Sim will have 30 points in quality removed.
	Social – 20 social points are removed from the benefit of positive social interactions
	Lottery – Sims with Bad Luck are less likely to win the lottery.
	Foraging – Foraging is more likely to lead to common items found, or none.

How to Improve Luck!

Sims don’t need to wallow in self-pity once they’ve had bad luck befall them. There are a number of ways for your Sim to improve their overall luck!

• Spruce Almighty in Sprucederry Grove can help your Sims improve their luck once per day.
• The Great Gnome statue can be appealed to on the Coast of Adhmor.
• Foraging, crafting Elixirs at the Apothecary table, or purchasing a Freezer Bunny foot can all improve luck.

How to Worsen Luck.

A Sim’s luck, much like Balance, is always in flux. Every day at 2 am, a Sim’s luck will refresh. If you want your Sims to experience bad luck, you can do the following:

• Make your Sim Imbalanced or Very Imbalanced
• Purchasing, finding, or crafting a Cowplant Horn will result in worse luck.

How are you keeping your Sims Balanced? Let us know in the comments, and make sure to stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on Enchanted by Nature!