Another new expansion for The Sims 4 has arrived, and Enchanted by Nature shakes up EA’s long-running life sim in some big ways. That includes the introduction of a brand-new Fairy occult type, new methods for living off the land instead of in a house, and–most relevant to this article–an entirely new way for your Sims to get sick, called Ailments.
Where the standard illnesses in The Sims 4 don’t pop up that often and are easily cured with generic medicine, Ailments are a whole new category of affliction that require specific cures–or help from a magical being with the ability to fix Ailments. Fortunately, Ailments are more annoying than dangerous–they really aren’t severe enough to kill a Sim on their own–but their effects can be so disruptive that it’s usually better to deal with them sooner than later.
How Ailments work
Ailments are contagious illnesses that can be caused by catching them from another Sim, being afflicted with one by a Fairy, or by being emotionally out of balance. The contagion factor is real, as hanging out in the same place as an infected Sim has a very good chance of giving your Sim an infection, too. And it’s not just direct contact that’ll get you–as with real illnesses, interacting with stuff that a sick person has touched can get your Sim sick too.
