The Sims 4: Get to Work Expansion Pack is the first in the Sims 4 franchise, and it’s a big one. It adds three new careers and a more playable career style, two new skills, and a new lot type, setting a high bar for subsequent Expansion Packs. Here’s everything you need to know about the Sims 4: Get to Work EP.
New Career Mode: Active Careers
The Get to Work EP gives Sims a whole new way to climb the career ladder with an additional vocational mode — Active Careers. Unlike the traditional careers where Sims disappear into a rabbit hole for the duration of their workday, Active Careers give you the choice to follow your Sims to work.
Each of the three new Active Careers — Scientist, Doctor, and Detective — comes with a new location and special career-related tasks.
Scientist
Sims embarking on the Scientist career track can travel to the new Science Lab location. There, they can whip up gizmos and gadgets on the Invention Constructor, discover new elements and analyze samples on the Chemical Analyzer, and synthesize serums on the Chemistry Lab.
Scientist Sims have to make Breakthroughs to advance, which they can do by taking a thoughtful shower, reading a book, and playing chess. Breakthroughs also unlock new inventions for Sims to make, including the Electroflux Wormhole Generator, which transports Sims to Sixam, a secret Alien world.
Doctor
Sims who want to make a difference can join the Doctor career and travel to the new Hospital location. They’ll admit patients, run tests, make diagnoses, offer treatments, and even perform life-saving surgeries to help sick Sims and earn experience and knowledge.
Doctor Sims will have to complete different tasks as they climb the career ladder, such as delivering babies and making house calls to treat outbreaks. Career rewards include new furniture, clothes, and perks like being able to determine the sex of a pregnant Sim’s baby and recover faster from illnesses.
Detective
Detective Sims travel to the Police Station where they can pick up case assignments, analyze evidence on the Chemical Analyzer, compile clues, and process arrested Sims. After two days of on-the-job training, Detective Sims are on their own, traveling to crime scenes to collect evidence, talk to witnesses, and take photos. Other tasks include going on patrol, issuing citations, and making arrests.
As Sims solve more cases, they’ll climb the career ladder and earn special rewards. Detective career rewards include new clothes and tons of furniture, decor, and Build Mode items.
New Location: Hospital
One new Active Career location — the Hospital — is more than just a place to work, though. With Get to Work, pregnant Sims can go to the hospital to have their babies via C-Section, and sick Sims can go to get treated for their illnesses.
New World: Magnolia Promenade
Get to Work comes with a brand new world — Magnolia Promenade. This tiny neighborhood only contains four lots, but it’s big on benefits. That’s because it’s not just any ordinary residential neighborhood; Magnolia Promenade is a retail district.
Retail Store
In addition to the three Active Careers, Get to Work comes with a more entrepreneurial way to make a living. This EP gives Sims the opportunity to own and operate their own retail store. Sims can choose one of the three pre-built stores (if they can afford it) or build their own on the very inexpensive empty lot.
The only requirement for a retail store to run is a cash register. Beyond that, the sky is the limit. Sims can buy premade objects from the Buy Mode catalog and mark them up to flip for a profit, or sell handcrafted items like food, sculptures, paintings, photographs, baked goods, and more.
If you have the Nifty Knitting Stuff Pack, you can list your Sims’ knitted items for sale in a retail store. The Eco Lifestyle Expansion Pack’s fabricated objects are also great products for a retail store, as are flower arrangements made with the Seasons Expansion Pack and cross stitch designs from the Cottage Living Expansion Pack.
As your Sim’s retail store earns money, they’ll also earn retail perk points that they can spend, much like aspiration reward points. These perks make the store run better in various ways, such as by bringing in more customers, increasing restocking speed, and unlocking additional employees.
New Species: Aliens
Get to Work also introduces TS4’s first Occult Sim — Aliens. These Sims have a few unique powers, such as being able to analyze the personality of other Sims, empathize with other Sims, and transmute objects. As in earlier versions of the game, Sims can be abducted by Aliens while using the telescope. If a male Sim is abducted, he can get pregnant with an Alien baby. However, this is not the only way to make Alien Sims.
In fact, there are Aliens walking around in the Sim world already, cleverly disguised as humans. If you’re lucky, your Sim might find out that one of their best friends is secretly an Alien. If you don’t want to wait, though, you can also make your own in Create-A-Sim, along with their human disguise. Finally, Scientist Sims who have built the Wormhole Generator can travel to Sixam in hopes of finding a new Alien love interest.
New Skills: Baking and Photography
But Sims don’t have to be doctors, scientists, or store owners to benefit from the Get to Work Expansion Pack. There are also two new creative skills for Sims to explore in Baking and Photography.
Baking
Get to Work gives Sims one more way to express themselves in the kitchen with the Baking skill. This skill allows Sims to make high-quality baked goods that they can sell to a local bakery, stock in a retail store, or just serve to family and friends for a Happy moodlet boost. At Baking level 3, Sims can decorate their baked goods for even more benefits (and profit). Sims can make everything from pre-mixed brownies to whole wheat bread and lava bundt cake, which sells for over §500.
Photography
Artistic Sims can get creative, too, with the new Photography skill. All a Sim needs to start taking pictures is their cell phone, but they can buy specialized cameras from the Build Mode catalog for more creative control. There’s even a photo studio that enterprising Sims can use to make some money off their new hobby. Sims can hang photographs on the wall, sell them in a retail store, or save them as memories.
Have you tried The Sims 4: Get to Work? What’s your favorite feature from the first Sims 4 EP? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to check it out on PC/Mac, PS4/5, and Xbox One/Series X|S now.
