For over two decades, The Sims has been a beloved and defining game in the life simulation genre. The original game turns 26 this February, and The Sims 4 has been the main focus since 2014. Over the years, EA has added a lot to the game with 20 major expansions, many of which have been fantastic. Now, The Sims 4 is preparing to launch its most ambitious expansion yet, Royalty & Legacy, and I recently had the opportunity to try it out.
The Sims 4 is getting a new expansion pack called Royalty & Legacy on February 12th. This will be the 21st major expansion for the game, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most content-rich packs in a long time. Royalty & Legacy introduces a noble class to the game, along with a new world filled with existing storylines for players to explore. However, even if you don’t want to play as nobles, you can now focus on building a family legacy that spans multiple generations. I enjoyed trying out the preview version and seeing everything the pack offers, though I did encounter a few minor issues.
Royalty & Legacy Adds a Ton of Potential Drama and Mischief
If you enjoy creating dramatic storylines in The Sims 4, the new Royalty & Legacy pack offers exciting new possibilities. It adds scandalous secrets—the kind Lady Whistledown would write about in Bridgerton—to your game. Your Sims can discover these secrets by searching through trash or even buying them online. Once they have the dirt, they can share it to ruin someone’s reputation or blackmail other Sims. I may or may not have had my Sim accidentally blackmail her future husband when she found out he’s a thief! Not ideal for the father of her future children, but maybe she can change him…
This new pack lets you create exciting stories full of secrets and scandals. When you start or join a Dynasty – any Sim family can be one – you’ll build a family reputation. You’ll choose values for your Dynasty, like loving art or enjoying the outdoors, which will increase your family’s standing. But going against those values – for example, stealing from work if your Dynasty values kindness – will lower your reputation. As you earn Dynasty Points, you can unlock special perks, but those perks will disappear if your points go down.
While building your family’s story, you’ll have the chance to form friendships or feuds with other families in the game. The pack already sets up some exciting relationships, like a long-standing rivalry between the Monty and Capp families. Your Sims can become allies or enemies with any family through how they interact. I quickly made an alliance with the Goths after starting my own family, and it’s been a great benefit so far. This pack really shines in its potential to create a detailed and engaging world, something that’s been missing from many recent Sims 4 expansions.
The New Sims 4 Noble Career Lets You Rule From Home
Even though you don’t have to rule as part of the new Royalty & Legacy pack, I decided to make my Sim a noble to fully experience it! There are several ways to join the Noble Career: you can marry into a noble family, study nobility in a book, purchase a throne, or be knighted by an existing noble. It’s not super exclusive, but you can’t just become a noble overnight. Once you are one, you’ll manage your kingdom from home using your royal throne – you’ll need to buy and place one first! The thrones come in a few different styles that all match the pack’s luxurious aesthetic. I personally put mine outside – I often like to start my Sims’ stories with them building their lives from nothing!
The Noble Career is a good option, particularly if you like working from home. Unlike typical jobs, your Sim doesn’t leave the house – instead, they complete tasks like answering fan mail and issuing royal orders. I found the variety of tasks keeps things interesting longer than some other work-from-home careers. As you advance in the career, you’ll also get more control over your kingdom.
Your choices matter, as they affect how others see you and your standing as a noble. Being too kind to commoners will upset other nobles, while favoring royals too much will alienate the general population. It seems like focusing on ventures that help commoners early in the game is a good strategy, though I found it difficult to strike the right balance. I constantly received complaints from my fellow nobles, and even some not-so-subtle, angry gifts expressing their disapproval of how I treated ordinary people. Hopefully, the game will be better balanced in this area when the full version is released.
I was surprised the preview version didn’t include a new Aspiration to match the Noble Career. While some existing Aspirations, like those focused on family, work well with building a Dynasty, I hoped for an Aspiration specifically tailored to a noble Sim’s career. Without one, my Sim feels a bit lost and struggles with her royal duties, making it hard to keep her happy and effective as a ruler.
Royalty & Legacy Has a Few Potential Snags to Iron Out Before Its Debut
It’s natural for players to be concerned about bugs when a new Sims 4 pack comes out. Luckily, the preview version of Royalty & Legacy ran pretty smoothly for me overall. However, I did spot a couple of potential problems. One recurring issue was Sims neglecting their son, which is a big deal since he’s meant to be the heir! I also saw some old problems continue, like Sims ignoring simple tasks like feeding or bathing their toddler. The young heir often ended up dirty, and the option to give him a bath would sometimes disappear from the action queue for no apparent reason.
Eventually, my Sims did manage to care for their son, but I started having trouble with the new Dynasty Perks feature in Royalty & Legacy. It feels complicated and a bit glitchy. I got stuck at Dynasty Level 2, repeatedly being told I’d reached it, only to be demoted moments later. It would happen even when my Sim was fulfilling Dynasty goals – she’d cook a meal to boost her rank, and then, for no apparent reason, lose progress. If this continues in the final version of the pack, it could become frustrating quickly. I hope the developers can simplify the Dynasty system and make it clearer how to gain levels and why you might be demoted. I suspect my kleptomaniac husband was the cause, but the game’s notifications weren’t specific enough to confirm it.
The new expansion pack brings a lot of fresh gameplay for Sims players to enjoy. It’s especially great for those who like creating detailed and complex storylines. The pack also includes stunning new items for building beautiful palaces in The Sims 4. While there are a few minor issues to fix, this feels like the most significant and ambitious expansion we’ve seen for the game in a long time.
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2026-02-04 23:12