A Sims 4 player's personality traits chart makes an invaluable resource for in-game storytelling and roleplaying. While The Sims 4 offers lots of DLC content to keep players busy with new activities, the simple act of creating original narratives in the game is still one of the most popular forms of gameplay, even seven years after release.
A large part of The Sims 4's popularity comes from the freedom it offers players to explore their own story ideas within the game world. Players can create custom characters and homes, going on to shape their lives however they choose depending on what their narrative goals are. These can be anything from setting specific life goals for their characters, to putting Sims into ridiculous predicaments, or simply creating a family and seeing where their lives lead. A key part of setting up characters for a story is determining the personality traits the Sims will have, as these will help determine how they go about their everyday life and react to different situations. Sims 4 makes a myriad of traits available to the player, split into four different main categories: Emotional, Hobby, Lifestyle, and Social.
Reddit user natncat recently shared a tier of all the personality traits offered within The Sims 4 as a handy accompaniment to character creation. The tier list is divided into five different sections: traits that add or encourage gameplay, those that are good for storytelling, traits that add positive or negative moodlets, and ones which seemingly have little effect on gameplay. The smallest category is that for those which strongly impact gameplay, like the Kleptomaniac trait or The Sims 4: Eco Lifestyle's Freegan trait. Conversely, the storytelling category includes the most traits, featuring 19 different choices such as Slob, Non-committal, and Dance Machine. The result is a handy chart to help storytellers and roleplayers pick the most useful traits for their Sims.
saw someone do this on the sims 3 sub and i thought it would be fun to rank the personality traits in TS4 from Sims4
It's very interesting to see every trait offered by The Sims 4 laid out into one chart - since the traits are split into different categories within Create-A-Sim, it's easy for players to lose sight of the expansive amount offered to shape their Sims with. Even though the category for adding or encouraging gameplay is the smallest, since many players' main goal while playing is storytelling, the traits within that category can be seen as influencing play style for many in their own way. Of course, a side-by-side comparison has also sparked player discussion about why some traits, like Lactose Intolerant, are even considered elements of personality, but Sims players always have the option of downloading custom Sim traits or mods that expand on the effects of existing ones.
At its core, The Sims 4 is a sandbox game where players can create, play through, and share their original and unique Sims stories. It would be a completely different game without the trait mechanic, as every Sim would more or less behave the same way. Not every fan of the series may have the same playstyle, but a world populated by diverse Sims is essential for any gameplay methodology. While all the traits offered by The Sims 4 may not be on the same level of in-game impact, the system as a whole and the sheer variety offered make creating unique Sims and stories an engaging and creative experience.
Source: natncat/Reddit