Sims 4 Scientist Career Guide: Everything You Need to Know

• About
• Latest Posts

Arron Kluz

Arron is a featured team writer and lifelong gamer. Ever since he started playing games on his old SNES, he has been hooked ever since. He has a particular love for games like Pillars of Eternity, Skyrim, a variety of beloved indie titles, and also The Sims, which serves as a means of avoiding open-world fatigue. Outside of gaming, he enjoys watching arthouse movies, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and writing fiction.

Latest posts by Arron Kluz (see all)

• Sims 4 Military Career Guide - August 2, 2022
• Best Sims 4 Career Mods Guide - July 28, 2022
• Sims 4 Scientist Career Guide: Everything You Need to Know - July 28, 2022

Choosing the right job for your Sims is often very important. Not only does it help define the personalities of your Sims, but it also has a significant impact on how you play those Sims. This is especially true for what is known as active jobs, which require you to play the Sim the entire time they are at work rather than them disappearing while they’re at work and returning home on their own afterward.

So, before you decide to have one of your Sims join the scientist career, here is everything you need to know about it to see if it sounds fun to play through.

Key Info Up Front

• Expansion: Get To Work
• Ranks: 10
• Branches: 1
• Unique Mechanics: Inventions, Serums

Scientist Career Overview

The scientist career is one of my favorite active careers in Sims 4 because of how fun its tasks are and how big of an impact it can have on your playthrough. It does so by giving you access to numerous serums and inventions that each serve a unique purpose in the game and can help you make the most of your time within the career.

As you progress through the career’s rank, you’ll also get the ability to tell co-workers what to do during the day to help you gather resources, unlock scientist-themed clothing options for your Sims, and will even allow you to visit the alien homeworld of Sixam.

When it comes to playing a scientist Sim you don’t have to worry too much about their personality and traits. The Focused trait doesn’t grant any benefits really because it is an active job, but Geek does align itself well with the job because the lab venue your Sim will travel to for work is filled with materials and collectibles that you can grab on the job.

This also makes the career work well for Sims with the Curator life aspiration because you’ll have such easy access to collectibles. Just remember to water the plants around the office so that you can keep harvesting them.

Like other active jobs, every day your Sim goes to work, you will be given tasks that have to be completed throughout your shift. You can find more detail on the specific tasks for this career below.

Some days when your Sim goes to work, you’ll also discover that there is a special event happening that day, such as aliens breaking into the lab. I won’t be covering these events because they make playing through the career much more fun and surprising, and they are straightforward to play through when they come up.

Playing as a scientist also gives your Sim their notebook. This will be your best friend while playing a scientist Sim as it contains all the recipes for your Sims’ recipes and serums so that you can check to see what ingredients you need to be gathered for any you want to make. It also has a section regarding breeding new species of plants if your Sim is into gardening as well.

The final part of playing a scientist that may take some time to get used to is getting breakthroughs. These can hit your Sim at any time while they perform tasks like browsing Simpedia on their computer, thinking about chess moves, drinking black tea, or anything that raises the Logic stat.

This is an essential part of playing a scientist, as it is the only way to unlock new inventions and serums for your Sim to make at work.

Scientist Career Ranks

Lab Technician

This first rank serves as an introduction for your Sim into the scientist career. While they’re at this level, they work the standard Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 7 PM, which is consistent regardless of your Sim’s status in the career.

For their time, you, Sims, will make $216 a day. To get promoted, they have to raise their performance and have two breakthroughs, which will unlock the Synthetic Food serum and Momentum Conserver invention.

Apprentice Inventor

Once your Sim gets their first promotion as a scientist, they will be rewarded with some snazzy new clothing options, an extra $192, and the stylish Journey to the Stars poster. While they are an Apprentice Inventor, their pay is increased to $32/hour, which comes out to a decent $288 each day. For their next promotion, they again have to unlock two breakthroughs to open the Red Hot Serum and the SimRay invention.

Junior Tinkerer

When your Sim becomes a Junior Tinkerer, they will unlock more clothes, a $256 bonus, and can buy the Flying Saucer Table Lamp to decorate the lab or their house. They’ll also receive a pay raise of $39/hour or $351 every day they work.

Their next promotion will again come from getting two more breakthroughs, these unlocking the Rose Perfume serum and the Hover Lamp invention.

Serum Sequencer

Your Sim’s promotion to level four will give them a bonus of $312, but the most significant benefit is the ability to purchase a Chemistry Lab to have at home so that your Sim can make serums when they’re away from work. For their hard work, they’ll also have their pay increased to $48/hour or $432 each day.

To reach the next level, they’ll need to have two more breakthroughs yet again, these unlocking the Snake Oil serum and Satellite Dish invention.

Technological Innovator

Technological Innovators are rewarded with a one-time bonus of $384, new clothing options, and the SIM5-4 Test Tube Pedestal decoration. Your Sim’s pay will also get a significant boost to $72/hour or $648 each day they work.

As you probably guessed, they’ll also have to achieve two more breakthroughs, these unlocking the Slimify serum and the Cloning Machine invention.

UFOlogist

Once your Sim gets promoted to level six, you’ll unlock the Cautionary Tale Door and the X-180 Shatterproof Window in the build menu, as well as a $576 bonus. Their pay will also bump up quite a bit again, this time to $102/hour or $918 a day.

The following two breakthroughs required for your Sim’s next promotion will unlock the Ghost Goo serum and the Electrolux Wormhole Generator invention.

Laboratory Leader

Getting promoted to Laboratory Leader comes with the ability to give orders to your co-workers. This is one of the most significant benefits of playing through the scientist career, as your co-workers can then gather the materials that you need for your serums and inventions, vastly cutting down on the time it takes to make each one.

Getting the promotion will also see your Sim receiving a bonus of $816 and will allow them to buy the Hygienic Decontamination Pod shower, which is good. At this level, your Sim will make $142/hour or $1278 every day, while their next two required breakthroughs will unlock the Need Fixer and Embiggen serums.

Pioneer of New Technologies

This promotion will give your Sim some more scientist-themed clothing options as well as a bonus of $1136. It also comes with another sizable pay increase of $187/hour, which adds up to $1683 every work day. Your Sim will again have to get two more breakthroughs before getting promoted, which will unlock the Spark Drive and Ox Strength serums for them to make.

Mad Scientist

For reaching level nine in this career path, your Sim will get even more access to themed clothing and a big bonus of $1496. Their hourly rate increases to $215, which adds to $1935 every day. Their final two required breakthroughs will unlock the Smart and Fixer’s Luck serum as well.

Extraterrestrial Explorer

Once your Sim makes it to the Extraterrestrial Explorer level, they will have no higher to go in this career path. They did it! For their hard work, they’ll get a $1720 bonus, more scientist clothes, the option to buy the stylish Out of This World Desktop computer, and a pre-built room that is a fully kitted-out laboratory.

Your Sim can’t stop going to work just yet, though, as they’ll get $247/hour or $2223 every day. Their work can also unlock three final serums called Reaper’s Friend, Alien Aura, and Age-Away.

Scientist Career Tasks

Every day that your Sim goes to work, they will be given some tasks that they are required to get done to raise their job performance. You’ll want your job performance to be as high as possible. Otherwise, it will take considerably more time for them to get promoted to the next career level. If you have a hard time completing the tasks for a day within your Sim’s regular work hours, you can have them stay late to get them done, but doing anything after your job performance is maxed out for the day won’t give you any bonuses.

It is also essential to know that if you get your Sim’s tasks done early, you cannot have them leave work, as going early will give them a hefty performance penalty. Most of the daily tasks that you will have unless there is a special event day going on. The lessons will have you making your new inventions, testing them out, and eventually upgrading them as well as making serums and examining them under the lab’s microscope.

To create these inventions and serums, you’ll have to gather the required materials, which can mostly be found throughout the lab’s lot. Once you reach a high enough level, you will also be able to get your co-workers to help you find them, which can save you a lot of time. If a serum that you need to make requires a ubiquitous material, you can also order it by interacting with one of the garden planters on the lot, as the function is turned off on computers while you are working.

Scientist Career Inventions

Inventions are created by interacting with the Invention Constructor. Once the design is completed, you then have to have your Sim retrieve it from the machine so that it can be placed in the world and used. Most inventions require specific materials before they can be made, and a complete list with all of the details is below.

Momentum Conserver

• Scientist Level: 1
• Resources: None

This is the first invention that your Sim can produce, so it is straightforward and doesn’t even require any material inputs to build it. Once you have a completed one, you can place it as decoration. Then, your Sims can interact with it to gain the Focused moodlet, which can help your Sims progress through the career path faster, so I recommend putting at least one in your laboratory.

SimRay

• Scientist Level: 2
• Resources: 1 Common Crystal, 1 Common Metal

The SimRay is the flagship invention of the Sim scientist. It is capable of many wondrous functions that have to be unlocked by upgrading it as you rise through the career’s ranks. At first, it is only capable of freezing other Sims, trapping them in ice for a limited time unless another Sim helps chisel them out. The other functions that you will unlock by upgrading the SimRay are below.

• Transform Objects: This upgrade is unlocked at level three and allows you to change everyday items from one to another randomly. Using this on cheaper objects that you have no use for is a great way to earn some extra cash when you need it.
• Mind Control: Change Clothes: This level four upgrade allows you to make other Sims that you can’t control change into any outfit that you want, making it exceptionally useful for roleplayers and storytellers.
• Mind Control: Clean: At level five, you’ll unlock this upgrade that allows you to make other Sims clean the surrounding area. The best part is that it makes them want to do it, so you don’t have to feel too bad about making them do it.
• Mind Control: Sit: This sixth-level upgrade allows you to make other Sims want to sit down somewhere. Not super helpful, but it’s there if you ever need it.
• Mind Control: Eat: This upgrade at the seventh level allows you to make other Sims eat whatever food is near them.
• Mind Control: Sleep: At level eight, your Sim will be able to upgrade their SimRay to force other Sims to sleep, which is a cruel way for a rebellious teen to do what they want for a short time.
• Mind Control: Panic: This ninth-level upgrade allows your Sim to make others freak out for a limited time, likely just for your amusement.
• Transform Sim: This is the final SimRay upgrade and makes randomized appearance changes to other Sims. Some crazy outcomes can come from this option, so use it at your own risk.

Hover Lamp

• Level: 3
• Materials: None

The Hover Lamp is another material-free invention that serves as a placeable decoration. Similar to the Momentum Conserver, if a Sim interacts with the Hover Lamp, they can get a Focused moodlet that will increase their performance.

Satellite Dish

• Level: 4
• Materials: 3 Common Crystals, 3 Common Metals

This invention comes with a variety of uses, some of which can only be unlocked after reaching level eight in the scientist’s career and upgrading it. The first batch of services revolves around aliens. These include communicating with aliens (which increases the chance of abduction), preventing abductions for 24 hours, and detecting aliens (after it is upgraded).

However, it can also be used to broadcast signals that have an effect on every other Sim in the neighborhood. These include putting every Sim to sleep, making them all come to a random dance party, making every Sim angry, making them all go to the bathroom, and giving every Sim an Inexplicably Happy moodlet.

Cloning Machine

• Level: 5
• Materials: 2 Common Crystals, 2 Common Metals

The Cloning Machine is another invention that a level eight scientist can upgrade. At first, a successfully built Cloning Machine can clone any item placed into it. This is another excellent way for your Sim to make some extra cash if need be, but it can also be used to save money by doing things like cloning food for free.

Once it is upgraded, however, you can use it to clone Sims! It is important to note, though, that the cloned Sims do not come with any of the skill progress or Career of the original, essentially making them clean slates that start from the beginning all over again.

Electroflux Wormhole Generator

• Level: 6
• Materials: 2 Any Element, 2 Uncommon Crystals, 2 Uncommon metals

This is the final invention in the scientist’s career, and at first, it doesn’t seem very useful. When it is first built, your Sims can use it to Attempt Alien Contact and Test Alien Environment. These are primarily useful for giving your Sims the Focused moodlet as well as unlocking breakthroughs to advance their careers further. However, once your

Sim reaches level ten in the scientist career; it can be upgraded to allow them to travel to the alien homeworld of Sixam. Sixam is a very visually impressive hidden area in the expansion. Also, it will enable you to forage and mine for rare resources that are necessary to complete collections or can be sold to make easy money.

Scientist Career Serums

Similar to the inventions above, scientists can also craft a variety of serums that each have their unique benefits when taken. These are prepared at Chemistry Labs, which you can even get in your Sim’s home to let you make them whenever you wish. The serums and their effects are detailed below.

1. Synthetic Food

• Level: 1
• Materials: 2 Any Plant

This serum is the most basic of all of them and fills a Sim’s hunger meter.

2. Red Hot

• Level: 2
• Materials: Basil

This serum can be given to a Sim to make them angry for a limited amount of time.

3. Rose Perfume

• Level: 3
• Materials: Rose

You can give this serum to any Sim to make them feel flirty, making romantic interactions with them more successful.

4. Snake Oil

• Level: 4
• Materials: Daisy

This serum is a handy one that allows you to cure any Sim that happens to fall sick with anything.

5. Slimify

• Level: 5
• Materials: 2 Carrot, 2 Parsley

The Slimify serum is used to change the physical appearance of a Sim so that they get slimmer with ease.

6. Ghost Goo

• Level: 6
• Materials: 3 Mushroom

Sims who drink this serum are temporarily turned into ghosts and get all of the benefits and negatives that that entails for the duration.

7. Need Fixer

• Level: 7
• Materials: 2 Common Metal, Spinach

This serum is extremely powerful, and it fills all of the Sim’s needs instantly when they drink it.

8. Embiggen

• Level: 7
• Materials: 2 Apple, 2 Plantain

This serum is the opposite of Slimify, instead making a Sim bigger when they drink it.

9. Spark Drive

• Level: 8
• Materials: Common Crystal, Strawberry

When a Sim drinks this serum, they are given an Energized mood. This is a great way to provide them with extra energy so that they can get more done during their day, especially if they are busy and have a lot of things that they need to get done.

10. Ox Strength

• Level: 8
• Materials: Common Crystal, 2 Spinach

Sims who drink this serum will gain a permanent muscle mass increase, making them stronger and changing their physical appearance.

11. Smart

• Level: 9
• Materials: 2 Apple, 2 Chrysanthemum

Drinking this serum gives your Sim access to a sixth mood, which can be a range of different possibilities. This makes it a dangerous serum to use, as it can either help improve your Sim’s mood beyond what is ordinarily possible, or it can make their mood even worse than usual.

12. Fixer’s Luck

• Level: 9
• Materials: 2 Upgrade Parts

This serum is very situational but is still valid. Its effect lasts for eight hours, letting your Sim repair objects incredibly fast as well as rewarding them with extra Upgrade Parts when they complete Tinkering and Salvaging actions.

13. Reaper’s Friend

• Level: 10
• Materials: Alien Crystal, Death’s Flower

This serum is very expensive since you need a Death’s Flower to create it, but a Sim that drinks it is much more capable of avoiding death when the time comes.

14. Alien Aura

• Level: 10
• Materials: Alien Crystal, Alien Metal, Alien Plant

Another powerful serum, Alien Aura, gives Sim limited-time access to alien brain powers. These allow the Sim to analyze the personalities of others, adopt their emotional state for themselves, resurrect dead aliens, erase memories, or transmute any elements, metals, and crystals that are in the world to another one.

15. Age-Away

• Level: 10
• Materials: 2 Alien Crystal, Quill Fruit, Xenopetrium

This serum is another costly one to brew, but it resets the age of any Sim who drinks it back to day 1. With enough dedication to gathering the resources, this is a cheat-free way to make your Sims immortal, which is a great way to get just a few more things done before you move on to their next of kin.

Conclusion

Active jobs can be a ton of work in Sims 4, but the scientist career track is my favorite of the ones currently in the game. This is because of just how many unique benefits come along with helping a Sim progress through the career.

Being able to use inventions and serums wherever you want opens up a ton of great interactions and opportunities that make playing a scientist unique while also helping the time investment in the career feel worthwhile.

FAQs