The Expanded PlantSims Mod: A Complete Game Changer For The Oft-Forgotten Life State

PlantSims In The Sims 2

PlantSims made their second appearence in The Sims 2: Seasons, where a sim would be afflicted with the condition if they overused pesticides while gardening. Although it was the result of what some would consider “bad” gardening habits, becoming a PlantSim was helpful because sims could then Talk to Plants, dramatically increasing their health and condition. When in this state sims required only Love, Water, and Sunlight which made them very easy to keep happy, though they still were affected by other needs such as Fun which stayed invisible to the player. PlantSims could be cured with a special potion.

PlantSims In The Sims 3

We saw PlantSims return in The Sims 3: University Life where they came to be if a sim ate a Forbidden Fruit or participated in a science experiment, and did nothing to remove the associated “Botanitis Minorous” buff that would attach as a result (this buff gave sims a 4 hour window to prevent the transformation). PlantSims in this iteration only needed to tend to their Water and Energy needs, though they were still affected by things like low hygiene. Their abilities included the ability to Communicate with Plants, Photosynthesize, Absorb Puddles, and send special Flower or Poison Kisses to other sims. There were several ways PlantSims could be cured in this version of the game.

PlantSims In The Sims 4

PlantSims finally made their way to The Sims 4 as a temporary life state through a Challenge Event. Sims once again can be changed via the Forbidden Fruit, however the process of getting one is a lot more involved for this challenge and the PlantSim life state only lasts 5 in-game days. Sims can still be transformed into PlantSims despite the Challenge Event being over, though the game doesn’t make this obvious to players.

This version of PlantSim keeps all their human motives although the Bladder need is replaced with a Water need and the Hunger need is replaced with a Sunlight need. As far as abilities are concerned, PlantSims can Talk to Plants to fill the Social need and absorb their energy for the Sunlight need. With the Cool Kitchen Stuff pack, eating Plant Matter ice cream will give the sim a temporary PlantSim-like appearance, though the transformation isn’t as severe as regular PlantSims and their motives are not affected.

The Expanded PlantSims Mod

Now that we’ve gone over the history of PlantSims, it’s pretty clear that the life stage got severely diluted for The Sims 4. Thankfully the Expanded PlantSims Mod by SpinningPlumbobs not only improves PlantSims in The Sims 4, but makes them so much more interesting than they’ve ever been before!

The PlantSim Life State

With the Expanded PlantSims mod your sims will now permanently maintain the PlantSim life state like they generally would for any other Occult type. PlantSims are now fully customizable, so you can keep the leafy green look if you want or change things out to your preferences. There are even 5 different plumbob designs to choose from!

Sims can become PlantSims in several ways with the mod, including the original method from the PlantSim Challenge. Additionally they can transform with help from mega fauna (more on that later), and even plant a Baby PlantSim Seed to grow one from scratch!

More on SNOOTYSIMS: If you’ve never created a PlantSim before and want to know how, we have a guide on how to do it!

New PlantSim Abilities

PlantSims start off with 5 basic abilities, and can gain more through special Perks. The basic abilities are:

• Absorb Water lets PlantSims absorb water from puddles to fill their Water need
• Commune With Mother Nature is a meditative activity that increases their PlantSim Form Skill
• Sunbathe is a really cool ability that sees your sim transform into a full-on plant, absorbing nutrients from the soil to fill their Hunger and Energy needs
  • With Eco Lifestyle, Sunbathing PlantSims will positively affect the neighborhood’s Eco Footprint
  • The type of plant a PlantSim turns into varies depending on the world they’re in
• Touch Grass has your PlantSim go outside and…touch grass
• Choose Domain allows a PlantSim to choose the season they wish to thrive in, and when that season is active they will gain PlantSim Form Skill at a faster rate and they can summon weather appropriate for their chosen season

As they increase their PlantSim Form Skill, PlantSims will unlock the ability to get Perks. The Expanded PlantSims mod has nearly a dozen new Perks to be unlocked with a whole range of abilities!

• Choloroblast – Blast other sims with chlorophyll to turn them green, and hit them again for even stronger effects!
• Druidic Power – Transform your PlantSim into a Druid, unlocking the abilities to perform Nature Magic and craft a variety of potions.
• Fertilizing Network – In areas where there is a concentration of plants, PlantSims can inject nutrients into the soil to help them all thrive together.
• Floralkinesis – Summon growth from the ground to create “natural” furniture or a giant vine to capture other sims!
• Floral Photosynthesis – This works like the Sunbathe ability but now your PlantSim will transform into a beautiful flower.
• Nymph Allure – Becoming a Nymph allows your PlantSims to give special kisses to boost the recipient’s romantic allure.
• Pheromones – Release pheromones on a group or single sim to affect their mood or incapacitate them completely!
• Phytomutation – Transform plants into completely different plants.
• Spriggan Form – Become a plant-tree hybrid known as a Spriggan which allows them to transform into a tree.
• Subterranean Travel – Burrow into the ground and tunnel to different places like a mole!
• Sunlight Charge – Bank Energy absorbed while outside to use later.

PlantSim Variations/New Occults

There are a variety of different PlantSims that your character can become!

We’ve already touched on the Spriggan Form, which is unlocked with a Perk. These PlantSims will gain a treelike appearance depending on what season it is (or you can choose a specific look for all the time). In tree form they will improve their PlantSim Form Skill and positively affect the neighborhood’s Eco Footprint if applicable. They also look super cool!

If your human sim consumes a Magic Mushroom they will transform into a Myconid which is a mushroom-like creature. Like real mushrooms, they are part of a hive root system and can commune with other Myconids no matter where they are in the world. Myconids have a unique ability called Enthrall which lets them entrance others, giving them the ability to command those they’ve enthralled.

Players with the StrangerVille Game Pack get one additional option with the Expanded PlantSims mod, the Bizarre PlantSim. PlantSims who consume Bizarre Fruit or who are otherwise infected by the Mother Plant can become Bizarre PlantSims, which will turn them a freaky blue color with red eyes and make them averse to sunlight! They can infect other sims with spores, spreading the condition like a disease.

There is one other minor Occult that comes with this mod, the Satyr. Satyrs are a mythical creature, half human and half goat, that are associated with nature, wildness, mischief, music, and sex. In game they will hang out, play music, and dance. If your PlantSim has the Nymph Allure Perk unlocked, they gain extra Fun need when dancing to a satyr’s flute.

Meet Mother Nature

A new special NPC comes to the world of The Sims 4 with this mod, who many of us already know: Mother Nature. Mother Nature is a very powerful being who can bless or curse sims based on their relationship with her and how they treat nature around them.

There are multiple ways to grow your relationship with Mother Nature. PlantSims will passively gain her favor by doing other plant things and can also choose specific actions that strengthen that bond. An object called Nature’s Pathway, which looks like a mystical teleporter with a ring of stones in front of it, allows sims to grow & nurture plants which can then be made into an offering for Mother Nature once they’re fully matured. The offering will be reciprocated with a gift, such as a crystal. PlantSims can also Pray to Mother Nature with the Nature’s Pathway object to increase their PlantSim Form Skill and their favor with Mother Nature.

If a sim with incredibly high standing with Mother Nature offers her a Perfect plant, they will have the option to summon her directly to them with Nature’s Pathway. Sims who have high Mischief Skill and a pan flute in their Inventory can play it at the Nature’s Pathway to summon Pan. Pan is a Satyr and the god of the wild, animal flocks, rustic music, and more. If your sim makes an offering of a Bizarre Plant to Mother Nature, they may not summon who they were expecting…

Mega Flora

The last mainline feature of the Expanded PlantSims mod is a few pieces of mega flora that can be grown from extra special seeds. The Magna Flora plant is a massive flower that sims can talk to and build a relationship with. If your sim is human, once their relationship with the Magna Flora is high enough they can ask it for its pollen which will turn them into a PlantSim! One of the ways sims can interact with this flower is by praising or criticizing Mother Nature, which may have unexpected results!

A Giant Beanstalk can be planted and grown by your characters, and once it’s fully grown sims can climb it and go on a small text-based adventure that may reward them with collectibles or cash.

The final piece of mega flora is one we’ve already mentioned, which is the Baby PlantSim. This plant can be encouraged to grow and flourish by interacting with it, such as talking to it or reading it a Children’s book. You will be notified when the plant has matured at which point your sims can Encourage it to bloom and when it does, you get yourself a brand new plant baby!

Other Tidbits to Know

Here are a few extra notes on things you should know about the Expanded PlantSims mod:

• One other new feature of the mod we haven’t mentioned yet is the Friend Of Nature Aspiration. It can be completed by humans and PlantSims alike, and the associated Reward Trait will allow those who earn it to increase the quality of their plants through mere touch!
• Objects such as the Pan Flute and seeds for mega flora can be earned from Mother Nature by making offerings to her.
• The special named NPCs of this mod each have more than one version, to increase variety and representation.
• Satyrs are currently only able to be made by using TestingCheats and selecting the special cheat menu.
• Although the Bizarre PlantSim needs StrangerVille to work, the rest of the mod is base game compatible and can be played without any DLC.
• In order to get the right “blossoming” look, the default Infant rug will be overridden with a giant flower texture. You can remove this if you prefer the default style.

Final Thoughts On The Expanded PlantSims Mod

With the Expanded PlantSims mod the PlantSim life state goes from a lowly affliction that lasts less than a week and grows it into a full-fledged Occult type that’s just as—if not more—interesting than any of the vanilla Occults! PlantSims now have incredible powers and feel like their transformation is truly life-changing, and we love all the ways the mod folds into already existing gameplay elements such as the Mother Plant and Eco Footprints. Not to mention, the new beings are all absolutely beautiful and created with care, making them as much a feast on they eyes as they are for gameplay.

And coming from someone who rarely plays Occults, I am in awe of how well the mod is made! When I first watched the mod trailer I thought it was trickery made with video editing software instead of in-game footage because of how lovely and detailed the Expanded PlantSims mod is. This is truly one of the best mods I have ever seen, and something that even I want to play with!

What do you think of the Expanded PlantSims mod? Do you have a favorite PlantSim ability or variation you want to try out? How do you think this mod compares to the abilities of PlantSims from older Sims games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments, make sure to get plenty of water and sunlight, and happy simming!

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