We’ve wished, we’ve begged, we’ve speculated, and now we’re finally getting them. Burglars are breaking into The Sims 4!
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EA has been having a good time lately, teasing players about Motherlode Season which includes a mysterious hint for something dropping on 25th November. For the past few weeks all we’ve known is this emoji:
👀
Their social media leaked a little bit more info yesterday, and we’re confident now that the thing they’ve been teasing all this time is something players have been asking for for a while. No, not cars! Burglars!
Burglars Are Breaking Into The Sims 4!
This tiny teaser video that was shared on The Sims’ social media sites shows the silhouette of some thieving characters who have been part of the franchise over the last 25 years, accompanied by the sting that played in those older games whenever a burglar appeared on the lot. This sting fades out as the silhouette of the burglar from The Sims 3 appears before returning at a higher and more frantic pitch as a new silhouette gets added.
The first silhouette is the original burglar from The Sims, holding his sack of ill-gotten gains. Then we see the one from The Sims 2 who has their loot bag hoisted over their shoulder. The Sims 3‘s version is stood like they’re quietly creeping around trying to avoid detection. Looking at the final, newer silhouette, this burglar looks even creepier and like they might have something in their lower hand but the obscurification makes it unclear if they’re carrying anything or just being extra shifty.
Other Speculations Relating To Burglars
Simmers initially theorized that Burglars would be part of the upcoming DLC based on a few interesting things we could see in other teasers.
In one piece of media that was released regarding The Sims 4 Businesses & Hobbies Expansion Pack, there was a mysterious figure seen speaking with Antoine Hyde. This figure wears a long trench coat, floppy hat, and chunky boots, and their face appears to be wrapped in bandages. At first some thought this might be the anticipated burglar and simmers were, in a way, kind of right? Later it was discovered that this figure has what appears to be a raccoon tail peeking out of the back of their trench coat.
If you look at some of the upcoming content for the Pack you’ll notice there are a few raccoon themed items such as the stuffed racoon toy and an Infant onesie, not to mention Antoine’s thought bubble above contains a raccoon. We’ve also seen raccoons in previous DLC, such as the Trash Panda costume from City Living and the fake raccoon breed in Cats & Dogs. Raccoons are notorious for being little burglars IRL, often raiding trash and stealing outdoor pet food, so it was reasonable to assume this would be the new burglar NPC. EA likely leaned into this to keep simmers guessing until the big reveal.
If you look back at the short teaser they put out yesterday though, the silhouette is clearly not the trench coat character. Besides, this shady NPC is coming in an Expansion Pack and the teasers never suggested that our 👀 surprise wouldn’t be a base game update. That’s not to say that this mysterious raccoon figure won’t have any special interactions with burglars, though, so we’ll have to wait and see!
How Do I Defend Against Burglars?
Simmers who have experience with any of the older mainline games probably have a bit of trauma related to burglars. Their sting music was very sudden and scary, and simmers were helpless as Buy/Build Modes would disable while the thief helped themselves to other sims’ things. We haven’t been completely devoid of the concept in The Sims 4 though, as the Kleptomaniac Trait has been in the game since 2016.
So, how can your sims protect themselves? Pulling from our knowledge of prior games, there are a few things your sim will be able to do:
- Install a Burglar Alarm! We assume this will be added along with the Burglars as it was in prior games. Placing an alarm in any room with egress (access to the outside) should cause it to go off the moment an unwanted sim enters into the space. In older games you could even put the alarm on an exterior wall so it would sound as soon as the Burglar entered the Lot.
- Call the Police. If they’re adding Burglars and they’ve previously added Firefighters it’s safe to assume EA will add NPC police (separate from those in Get To Work) that can be called via mobile phone. Should you notice a creeper skulking around the Lot, have your sim dial for help and hope that it arrives before the thief escapes.
- Take matters into your own hands (or paws). With the right Traits, your sim might feel emboldened enough to attack the Burglar on their own! With any luck your braver Pets can engage the Burglar as well (if you have Cats & Dogs) and scare them off without incident. Be careful though, if you try to throw down with the thief and lose they’ll get away with your stuff and maybe even take more to add insult to injury.
More on SNOOTYSIMS: Want to know more about what’s coming in Businesses & Hobbies? We’ve got a Gameplay Trailer breakdown!
Prepare And Protect Your Sims
Now that we know for sure that Burglars are joining The Sims 4, you can prepare to defend your Lots from these unsavory beings. Take cues from the older games and make sure to explore everything the game shares regarding these nefarious NPCs, and don’t forget to alarm your home or business to keep them at bay.
Are you one of those simmers who has been clamoring for Burglars? Or are you worried that they’re going to make your game more chaotic? Share your feelings in the comments below. Don’t forget to lock your doors, and safe simming!