Be careful who you trust, because Sims Scandals and Secrets now travel through the streets, altering relationships, tainting Dynasties, and exposing confidential information with The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy!
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Sims Scandals VS Secrets
Scandals and Secrets bring a whole new aspect of gameplay to relationships for Teens, Young Adults, Adults, and Elders in The Sims 4. Actions now have greater and longer lasting consequences that your Sim won’t be able to ignore. You might want to think carefully next time your Sim wants to mischievously send a letter, absorb an emotion, vandalize a statue, or WooHoo with their Maid.
Sims Scandals are born out of hidden Secrets. A Sim can try to keep their Secret to themselves and Undiscovered until it Fades into Obscurity, but if it is Discovered it could become a full on Sims Scandal. Secrets are triggered by specific actions depending on the Secret. View the table below to learn the trigger for each Secret/Scandal!
| Icon | Name | Description | Impact | Trigger | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Abandoned at the Altar | “Looks like this Sim got cold feet on their wedding day, and left their intended at the altar!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Being left at the altar or leaving a Sim at the altar triggers this Secret. | Medium |
 | Bad Dog, No Biscuits | “Fetch the spray bottle, this Sim has been using their Werewolf powers to scare other Sims!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Scaring other Sims with Werewolf abilities or while in a Rampage will trigger this Secret. | Medium |
 | Ballroom Blunder | “This Sim has certainly caused a stir, dancing with a mere commoner. How ungracious!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. | A Noble Dancing Romantically with a Commoner at a Grand Ball Event will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Bring Me My Brown Pants | “How embarrassing! This Sim has made a mess of themself, it would be horrid if anyone discovered this!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. | Bladder failure will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Clowning Around | “Some Sims are scared of Clowns, but lucky for this Sim, that’s not a problem in this relationship!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige, Increased Success with Prank Interactions. | Being romantically involved with the Tragic Clown will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Daddy Winter | “This year this Sim met someone extra special under the mistletoe. Father Winter is feeling the festive romance!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. | Being romantically involved with Father Winter will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Defaced the Monument | “This Sim defaced the Monument in Bellacorde. The Nobles won’t be happy.” | This Scandal does not have any true impact, but Sims with this Scandal should be careful who is watching when vandalizing monuments. | Defacing the statue in Bellacorde will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Forbidden Friend | “Despite their Dynasty’s differences, this Sim has forged a friendship with a Rival!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Befriending a Sim from a Rival Dynasty will trigger this scandal. | Medium |
 | Forged Family Tree | “This Sim has falsified the records of their family lineage.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Using the Family Tree Tapestry to Forge a Family Tree will trigger this Secret. | Major |
 | Frog Kisser | “Warts and all? This Sim has been kissing quite a lot of frogs in their search for true love.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. Reduced success with Romantic Social Interactions. Other Sims will Mock this Sim in public. | Kissing the Royal Frog too many times may trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Gone Baby Gone | “This Sim has had a child taken away by Social Services.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. Unable to Adobe via the Agency and Trying for a Baby will be less successful. | Losing a Child, Toddler, Infant, or Newborn to Child Services will trigger this Secret. | Major |
 | Grim Lover | “Turns out this Sim likes ‘em tall, dark, and haunting! They are in love with the Grim Reaper.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. | Being romantically involved with Grim will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Ignoble Duel Loss | “This Sim lost a duel against a Commoner! How humiliating.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige and Swordsmanship Duels. Reduced success socially, and high chance of being mocked by other Sims in public. | A Noble losing a Duel to a Commoner triggers this Secret. | Medium |
 | Indecent Employer | “This Sim hooked up with the hired staff! A little unprofessional, don’t you think?” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. Increased success with Romantic Social Interactions. | WooHooing with a hired staff member will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Nasty Little Letters | “Tired of seeing all those loved up couples, this Sim forged a breakup letter to tear them apart!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Using the mailbox to send a forged breakup letter will trigger this Secret. | Medium |
 | Plasma Thief | “Grab your garlic braids, this Sim has been drinking Plasma without permission!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Vampires who Compel Drinks from other Sims will trigger this Secret. | Medium |
 | Public WooHoo | “This Sim got a bit frisky in a public space. Very naughty, and maybe a little scandalous.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige. Increased success with Romantic Social Interactions. | Sims who WooHoo in public will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | Robbing the Neighborhood | “This Sim is the one who has been stealing from the Rich to give to the poor!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | The Sim responsible for Robbing the Rich will have this Secret. | Major |
 | Secret Child | “It turns out this Sim has lied about the parentage of their child.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Becoming pregnant while having the Unfair Affair Secret or Scandal active will trigger this Secret. | Major |
 | Secret Lover | “Shh…don’t tell anyone. This Sim is keeping their relationship a secret.” | This Scandal negatively impacts social interactions, career performance, skill gain speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social and Bladder Needs will decrease at a quicker rate, and this Sim will be Shunned in public. | Having a high romantic relationship with a Sim while in an established relationship with a different Sim will unlock the Become Secret Lovers Romantic Social Interaction. Choosing this will trigger this Secret. | Major |
 | The Shadow Broker | “Looks like this Sim is the secret puppet master behind all the scandalous information circulating.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | The Sim who is the Information Broker will have this Secret. | Medium |
 | Star-crossed Lovers | “This Sim has fallen in love with a loathed enemy. Will her family’s ancient grudge tear them apart?” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Being in a romantic relationship with a Sim from a Rival Dynasty will trigger this Secret. | Medium |
 | Sticky Fingered Filcher | “It turns out this Sim has a penchant for stealing!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. Increased social success with Evil, Klepto, and Shady Sims | Stealing an item triggers this Secret. | Medium |
 | Stolen Hearts | “Looks like the Burglar has stolen something really valuable this time- your heart!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Dynasty Prestige, Increased social success with Kleptomaniac and Shady Sims. | Falling in love with Robin Banks will trigger this Secret. | Minor |
 | To Do Voodoo | “This Sim has been using the Voodoo doll on other Sims, they won’t like finding out their autonomy was turned off!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public | Doing Voodoo on another Sim will trigger this Secret. | Medium |
 | Unfair Affair | “It looks like this Sim is involved in an affair!” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Having an affair will trigger this Scandal. | Minor |
 | Unfair Fairy | “That’s not very peace and love of this Sim. They have been using their Fairy powers to torment others.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | A Fairy Sim using powers to negatively affect other Sims, like Absorbing their Emotions, will trigger this Scandal. | Medium |
 | Very Suspicious Circumstances | “This Sim just got married…then their spouse passed away. How suspicious.” | This Scandal negatively impacts Social Interactions, Career Performance, Skill Gain Speed, and Dynasty Prestige. Social Bladder needs will decrease faster. Other Sims will Shun this Sim in public. | Having a spouse die immediately after marriage will trigger this Secret. | Major |
Got a Secret, Can You Keep It?
In The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy Expansion Pack, your Sim can be a Secret Holder or a Secret Keeper, depending on which end of the Secret they’re on. Each role has different choices they can make.
Secret Holder
Once a Secret has been created, the Secret Holder Sim runs the risk of it being discovered by other Sims. The Secret Holder may be a little more Tense than usual as they try to hide their guilt. To ease their mind, they can confide in a trusted Sim with the Share Own Secret Gossip Social Interaction.
Secret Discoverer
If your Sim has stumbled upon a Secret, they have several different ways they can handle this information. Sell Secret to the Information Broker, Expose the Secret on Social Media, Expose the Secret or Extort the Sim through Malicious Social Interactions, Share the Secret to other Sims through the Gossip Social Interaction.
Sims can be Extorted for Simoleons, relationships at work, Dynasty decisions, and more. If the Secret Holder doesn’t give the Sim what they want, they might just expose their Secret as a Sims Scandal.
Digging Up The Dirt in The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy
Curious Sims who want to innocently learn more about their neighbors, have a handful of ways to scour their world for Secrets waiting to be turned into Sims Scandals.
The easiest way to discover Secrets about other Sims is via the Computer and contact the infamous Information Broker. The Information Broker is willing to sell a Secret for the fair price of only 2,000 Simoleons. If your Sim well versed in the Programming skill by having a skill level 2 or higher, they can also Hack for Secrets about the Sims in their life.
Sims may also discover Secrets other ways, including:
- Gossiping with other Sims through the Ask for Secret About… Social Interaction
- Exploring Secret Passageways
- Talking to Connie Fidential, the Information Broker
- Using the Enchanted Mirror in Bellacorde
- Witnessing a scandalous act taking place
It’s a Scandal! It’s an Outrage!
With The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy, an exposed Secret quickly spirals into a massive Sims Scandal. Scandalized Sims become social outcasts and dynastic disasters as they wander the world with their sad, gloomy, dark cloud hanging above their head as long as their Scandal is active; an ever-present reminder of their shame.
Annoyed by the dark cloud hanging over your guilty Sim’s head? Don’t worry! This can be toggled off by selecting the Sim, and Scandals can be disabled altogether in Game Options.
Own It or Bury It
A scandalized Sim has two options: accept or deny responsibility. Using the Computer, your Sim can choose to Write a Scandal Denial Statement or Write a Scandal Apology Statement. If they write a statement of denial, it may be accepted by the public, or it may enrage them even further. Similarly, the apology statement can be accepted, easing tensions slightly, or denied.
The Notebook
In The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy, all Secrets and Scandals are kept in your Sims’ Notebook, found next to the Phone and Calendar. Depending on the Secrets and Sims Scandals your Sim has or knows, there can be up to four tabs: My Secrets, My Scandals, Other Sims’ Secrets, and Other Sims’ Scandals. From here, you will be able to see the time remaining, severity, and impact of your Sim’s Scandal or Secret.
Have your Sims been caught in any Sims Scandals or dug up any Secrets? What are your thoughts on the Secret and Scandal system in The Sims 4 Royalty & Legacy? Let us know your thoughts below!
