How to Mentor in Sims 4

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Erin Jamieson

Erin Jamieson fell in love with Sims because of the lack of consequences. She's always been one to live on the wild side, but Sims allows her to explore all of the possible outcomes from risky decisions she'd never make in real life. That's half of the fun for her!

Latest posts by Erin Jamieson (see all)

• Sims 4 Guide to Gnomes – Ultimate Guide to Appeasing Gnomes - December 22, 2021
• How to Mentor in Sims 4 - December 8, 2021
• Sims 4 Beekeeping Guide - November 20, 2021

I have always loved the Sims franchise because you can influence future generations and shape their lives. From getting your child into a private school in Sims 2 to teaching teens how to drive in Sims 3: Generations, raising sims for a bright future has always been a feature. But one of the most forgotten features of Sims 4 is knowing how to mentor from kids to adults– which can make a big difference in the way you play. 

So much of the marketing about Sims 4 now is about expressing yourself, which is more than ever with the past 2021 Season of Selves campaign and subsequent creator and celebrity spotlights. 

But in Sims 4’s earliest days, it was all about social life and impacting other sims. One of my favorite expansions to date, Sims 4: Get Together, very much embraced this, with its nuanced club’s system. The pack allows you to create your custom clubs, as well as enjoy cafes and some nightlife. Beautiful world and nightlife aside, though, it was the ability to influence other sims’ leisure time with curated and custom clubs that made a difference in gameplay.

Even if you’re playing one of the popular challenges in Sims 4, the truth is that your experience always is more or less about coming across other sims and interacting. But you may not be aware that one of the best ways to influence other sims has nothing to do with expansion pack content and is already in the base game.

In this article, I’ll explain the role of mentoring in Sims 4, why it matters for completing the Successful Lineage Aspiration, and my recommendations for how to mentor sims of any age. I’ll also guide you to some custom mods for PC and Mac players to enrich your mentoring experience.  

How Do You Get Aspirations in Sims 4?

Before I discuss mentoring in Sims 4, it’s important to discuss both aspirations and skills- because both are intrinsically tied to why you’d want to pursue mentoring in the first place. In case you’re new to Sims 4, aspirations are the longer-term goals or dreams your Sim wishes to pursue. Every aspiration can be completed, and you can change aspirations in Sims 4, unlike the lifetime goals of past games. Full aspirations have 10 levels you progress through by accomplishing different tasks and goals, though there are shorter aspirations as well. In many ways, aspirations drive what your Sim does (if you so choose) and are a way to craft a storyline, challenge, and just distinguish your sims’ life from another sim.

You select your aspiration by navigating through Create A Sim. When you load up your game, you’ll see an option to start a new game. Once you select “New Game,” you’ll be directed to create a new sim or sims. The interface is intuitive even for those new to the sims. 

On the left side of your Sim, you’ll see a series of five question marks. This is where you select traits and aspirations. Aspirations are selected by clicking on the largest empty spot, and the subsequent spaces are where you select your traits. 

You’ll see a drop-down menu of all possible aspirations, organized by general category. Hover over each aspiration to read its description and understand the general concept. The base game comes with several aspirations– each of which have bonus traits. You can get more aspirations in Sims 4 either by buying expansion and game packs or by downloading Sims 4 mods for custom aspirations. 

Is it Possible to Complete Every Aspiration in Sims 4?

One feature that a lot of simmers like in Sims 4 is that it’s flexible. You can complete and change aspirations (to change aspirations, edit your Sim in Create A Sim). It is possible to complete all aspirations, especially if you have the base game, but it’s increasingly more challenging as you acquire more aspirations through DLC. Once you complete all levels of aspiration, you’ll receive a reward trait, which is a perk that the Sim will have for life. This is true for all full aspirations you complete. 

Which Aspiration Should I Pick Sims 4?

Selecting your aspiration is up to you, and all swimmers have different theories. Some simmers select aspirations based upon a challenge they want to follow. I like to select aspirations based upon the type of story I want to tell. I make my decisions based upon thinking about what traits complement an aspiration– or make it fun by going against the expected. For instance, I might challenge norms by making a sim pursue a family-based aspiration but have them also be a snob and a bro. 

What are Skills in Sims 4?

Skills are also connected to mentoring. Skills, which have been a mainstay of all Sims games, work more or less the same in Sims 4 as they did in previous games. While I’m not going to discuss all skills, think about skills as building blocks towards your goals. Certain skills are required for promotion in careers, and some skills impact how your Sim interacts with others, and can also be helpful for everyday living, from cooking to fixing broken appliances. 

What are the Hidden Skills in Sims 4?

Hidden skills, sometimes referred to as secret skills, won’t be immediately viewable on your Sim’s profile in-game. You won’t have hidden skills unless you have one or more of the following packs: Sims 4: Snowy Escape; Sims 4: Seasons; Sims 4: Fitness Stuff;  and Sims 4 Discover University. Hidden skills cannot be directly mentored, but must be gained through experience. See the chart above for hidden skills in Sims 4. 

How Do You Improve Skills in Sims 4?

There are several ways you improve your skills in Sims 4. You can often read a book about the topic, though I advise mixing it up. Most skills can be built with objects– for instance, using a treadmill or weightlifting machine will build your fitness skill, while playing chess and looking through a telescope build a logic skill. Certain activities may also improve your skills, such as social interactions, going on a run, and more. And there is one other way to improve your skills more effectively: through mentoring. 

What are Family Aspirations in Sims 4? 

Family-based aspirations have always been among my favorites, from The Sims 2 through the Sims 4. With a family aspiration, you’re pursuing goals that relate to family life. The base game comes with two family aspirations: Successful Lineage and Big Happy Family. If you have Parenthood, there’s also the Super Parent aspiration, while the Vampire Family aspiration comes from the Vampires game pack. Each is, of course, different, but all center around some aspects of family gameplay. 

What are the Best Traits in Sims 4 for Family Aspirations?

The type of family aspiration may slightly change what traits you select for your sims. An obvious choice is Family-Oriented, which provides happiness buffs for hanging out with family members. From there, you have to decide what your goals are. Cheerful and Good sims may make interactions more pleasant. 

 Clean sims feel happy keeping your house tidy. If your Sim is not married yet, a flirty or romantic sim may help them find a spouse but could also pose challenges later on. Outgoing is another trait to consider. 

 Sometimes, I like to make things purposefully ironic and pick opposite traits– like Hates Children or Mean or Noncommittal– which is going to provide a contrast and make the aspiration more difficult to complete. 

What Does Successful Lineage Mean?

Successful lineage is one of the base game family aspirations in Sims 4. The goal of the Successful Lineage aspiration is to raise your children to have success in school and build up their skills. Essentially you’re trying to set your sims’ kids up for success in life. 

How Do You Complete a Successful Lineage in Sims 4?

The successful lineage aspiration is the one most directly related to mentoring in Sims 4. This aspiration has just four main stages, and each has its requirements. See the table below for each aspiration level and step– you’ll notice that you’ll need to know how to mentor a sim to complete the aspiration.

As you can see, the aspiration becomes increasingly more challenging as you progress, as while there are just four levels, it’s going to take you a long time to complete. First, you need to become a parent, then you need to raise that kid through elementary school and high school, and finally top their career. What I like about this aspiration is that unexpected challenges like mentoring can make this a longer-term aspiration vs some newer Sims 4 aspirations. Likewise, it makes for excellent family gameplay and storytelling. 

How Do You Mentor in Sims 4?

Keep in mind that mentoring is essential to complete the Successful Lineage aspiration–but it can be useful for other reasons as well. The point of mentoring is to gain skills through another sim– and you also get to spend some quality time with that Sim, too. However, there is a limit to the benefit: in my experience, it doesn’t make the other Sim learn skills faster. While this may be a glitch, one benefit is that mentoring another sim can be a way for them to be more social and makes for great storytelling. 

The number one thing you need to do: get a sim to a skill level of 10 and buy the Mentor Trait from the rewards store. 

How Do You Get Reward Traits in Sims 4?

Since the ability to mentor comes from the rewards store, you need to know how to get reward traits. By playing and achieving goals, you’ll earn satisfaction points. Completing steps of aspiration and following your Sim’s whims (enable them in your game menu) can both earn satisfaction points. You access the rewards store by selecting the aspirations section of your Sim’s profile. You’ll see a gift icon, which will take you to the store.

Enable Sims 4 Cheats PC, Mac, and Console

Note that you can also cheat for satisfaction points– though I find earning them more rewarding. After enabling cheats in your Sims 4 game (“Command + Shift + C” for Mac then testing cheats on,” then press ”Enter “or “CTRL + Shift + C for PC or hold down all four trigger buttons for console), see below for cheats. 

Cheat Sequence for Adding Satisfaction Points

After cheats are enabled, enter, “Sims. Give_Satisfaction_Points X. X represents how many satisfaction points you want to cheat for. 

Where Do You Find Mentors in Sims 4?

If you’ve searched for mentors to hire and come up with nothing, that’s because it works a little differently than hiring a typical service. There is no one place to find a mentor– though they often show up at the gym for exercise mentorships. The key is to find a sim who’s maxed out their skill in one of several areas. At a skill level 10, a sim gains the ability to mentor other sims in that skill. For instance, a sim with a fitness level 10 can mentor another sim at the gym to work out more efficiently. 

How Do You Mentor a Child in Sims 4?

The good news is that you can mentor a child, teen, and even another adult. The way how to mentor a child is the same way to mentor a sim of any age. Once a sim has maxed out in skill, enter their household and play as them. That Sim will now have the option to mentor another sim when you select an item that is related to that skill. For example, a sim with a logic skill level of 10 should have a musical instrument placed nearby. 

If another sim is nearby, you should see an option to mentor that Sim when you click on the item. To summarize, to mentor another sim, you must:

• Have a Sim with a Skill Level 10 
• Must be a Skill You Can Mentor
• Buy the Mentor Trait from the Rewards Store
• Be Near an Object Related to that Skill Level
• Be Near another Sim

What Skills Can You Mentor a Sim in?

The main skills you can mentor another sim in include: fitness, gardening,  gym/ fitness, guitar, handiness, logic (chess), painting, piano, violin, and writing.  

Can You Mentor Cooking in Sims 4?

Unfortunately, they haven’t expanded the mentoring to all skills. Cooking isn’t a skill you can directly mentor another sim in. 

How Do I Make My Sims 4 Mentor Fitness?

To mentor fitness, visit a gym (or your home gym). Play as a sim with a max fitness level and click on any piece of equipment. You should be able to select a mentor.. and then a nearby sim. Keep in mind that you may have trouble mentoring a sim who isn’t in a good enough mood and/or doesn’t have sufficient needs met to do a workout. Alternatively, sometimes you can have a sim visit a gym, and another sim will offer to mentor them. This is not guaranteed, but it certainly does happen, especially if you visit a gym with a known fitness trainer like Marcus Flex. 

How Do You Mentor Other Sims in a Painting?

If you wish to mentor another sim in the painting skill, simply have a sim with a max painting skill level and place them near an easel. Click on the easel, and you should be able to mentor a nearby sim. 

How Do You Mentor Successful Lineage Sims 4?

Successful lineage simply requires your parent sim to mentor their teen or adult child sim three times. It doesn’t matter what skill it’s in for completing the aspiration– so you’ll need to max out a skill (fitness, gardening,  gym/ fitness, guitar, handiness, logic (chess), painting, piano, violin, and writing) and mentor your child in that skill. Simply find an item that’s linked to that skill for the mentor interaction. Invite your child over if they no longer live in the house or meet at a community lot where there’s an item you can use. 

Best Sims 4 Mentor and Skill Mods

Mods are by no means required for mentoring in Sims 4 but they can be helpful or change up your gameplay. I selected these mods based upon them supporting your gameplay for gaining relevant skills. All are from reputable creators and are fairly small, simple mods that shouldn’t load games down. Keep in mind that mods are only available for PC and Mac players, not for consoles. Mods are safe for Sims 4, so long as you’re downloading from a secure website. You put mods in your game by placing the downloaded file under your Mods folder under EA- Sims 4 on your computer documents. My disclaimer is that mods can break with updates. Make sure when you enter your game you go to the main menu and select “Enable Mods.” It’s recommended you then restart your game. 

Mentor Fitness on Max Fitness Sims

When your Sim hits the max fitness level, they can no longer be mentored. That means, with a visit to the gym, trainers will always ignore your Sim. But if you want to be trained on a certain gym equipment piece, like the treadmill, this mod allows you to do just that, no matter what your skill level is. No longer will trainers ignore you. Download Here. 

Faster Skills Mod

This mod more or less does what you’d expect. The Faster Skills Mod comes in 6 options, depending on how much more quickly you want your Sim to acquire skills. Sims will acquire skills twice as fast, 4 times faster, 8 times faster, 16 times faster, 32 times faster, or 64 times faster. While I prefer to progress in skills at a normal rate, some may find this helpful if they’re trying to set up for a certain challenge or story. Make sure you only select and download one file so there aren’t conflicts. Download Here. 

Lock Skill Gain Progress Mod

On the other hand, there’s a mod that pretty much does the opposite: locks skills so that your Sim won’t inadvertently progress with you purposefully trying. Sims gain skills through everyday living. Every time they cook because they’re hungry, for example, they’re progressing in their cooking skills. This mod allows you to select any skills you want to lock so they will stay at their current level. Some like this as they feel it makes for a realistic sim. It may also be useful for a Sims 4 challenge. Download Here. 

Talents and Weaknesses Mod

I was really happy to see the Sims team add likes and dislikes to Sims 4, but as of now, no system truly impacts how easy or difficult it is for a sim to pick up certain skills. This mod allows you to toggle off skill gain for certain types of skills and enhance others. This allows your Sim to have a predisposition towards certain skills and feel challenged with others. You can select your own, though the gain will automatically generate two talents and two weaknesses. It’s a nice custom touch towards making your game and your sims more realistic. Download Here. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to mentor in Sims 4 is useful for completing the Successful Lineage aspiration, but it’s certainly not a must for everyday gameplay. I see mentoring as a fun activity in Sims 4, and it can make for realistic gameplay. 

Final Buying Recommendation

You can mentor in Sims 4 without buying any Sims 4 packs. But if you do love aspirations like the Successful Lineage, you likely love family gameplay. Your best bet is my favorite game pack– Sims 4: Parenthood. This game pack adds new family activities, a parenting skills system, and the ability to impact your child’s upbringing with character values and more. It also comes with versatile build/ buy items I use all the time, and, of course, CAS (create a sim) items for all ages. 

Continue reading:

Complete Guide to Sims 4 Gameplay Mastery

Sims 4 Toddler Skills Guide: How to Choose the Right Skills and Activities

Guide to Sims 4 Careers: Careers List