Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature delivers magical new adventure ⇒ Sims4Life

The Sims 4 Enchanted by Nature reveals bring mixed feelings for players

The Sims 4 enchanted by nature expansion pack promises magical new adventure gameplay with fairies and lush nature themes. Many players were eager for something fresh and enchanting. But for a big part of the community, the reveal triggered frustration and debate. The highly anticipated update to Plant Sims turned out to be far less than fans hoped, with many calling it a cash grab in disguise.

The 6-minute extended trailer for the Sims 4 magical new adventure showcased the pack’s features, including a big focus on gardening. But observant players quickly pointed out that most of it was not actually new. EA highlighted indoor gardening with new pots, yet planting indoors has been part of the base game for years. Beyond a few new decorative houseplants, nothing meaningful really changes. Players felt EA was simply repackaging existing features under a new theme and price.

See video about the new updates from SatchOnSims

Plant Sims update locked behind paid expansion

The biggest letdown for many Simmers was how EA handled Plant Sims. The trailer teased green-skinned Sims, sparking rumors that a free base game Plant Sims overhaul was coming. Instead, EA confirmed through an official Sims Discord post (by Petal Pine Song) that all Plant Sims updates are part of the paid expansion only.

According to that announcement, the new Plant Sims features in enchanted by nature include:

Refresh Life Force to extend the Plant Sim timer but keep them temporary
Nature’s Breath to absorb energy from potted plants
Plant Sim walkbys appearing in the world
Poison Kiss, adding a new illness
Praise for Life interaction with the Green Man
A new way to get forbidden fruit without relying on old event tricks
Water boosts the Plant Sim water motive

While these magical new adventure updates add a little flavor, they do not address the core issues with Plant Sims. In The Sims 4, becoming a Plant Sim is extremely limited. You have to reach level 10 in gardening, get magic beans from seed packets, grow a special tree, and harvest the forbidden fruit. The old challenge event that introduced this method no longer even runs, making it confusing and inaccessible for many.

Players had hoped for a meaningful base game update that would modernize Plant Sims. Instead, EA put even the most basic quality-of-life improvements behind a paywall.

Missed opportunity compared to other expansions

Fans point to previous expansions to show how EA could have done better. When The Sims 4 released the Life and Death expansion, players got a base game update that let them create ghosts in CAS, pick their death types, and access some ghost interactions. The paid expansion then added a mastery skill tree and special clothing for ghosts. This balanced approach gave all players something while offering extra depth for those who paid.

By contrast, Enchanted by Nature offers nothing for Plant Sims in the base game. All improvements are locked in the expansion, even though they are minor. Players argue this is unfair, especially since Plant Sims have always been one of the least-developed occults in The Sims 4. In The Sims 2, they were permanent life states, had their own lifecycle, and could even grow Plant Sim babies from seedlings.

Fans suggest EA could have used this pack to finally do Plant Sims justice:

Make them a permanent life state
Add an accessible in-game way to become one
Let Plant Sims grow their own offspring
Include these basic features in a free update
Use the paid expansion for deeper additions like a skill tree

Modders save the day for frustrated players

While the official magical new adventure update disappointed, the modding community continues to fill the gap. The Expanded Plant Sims Mod by SpinningPlumbobs is widely loved for adding real depth and many new mechanics. This mod transforms Plant Sims into a full, meaningful life state with new abilities, interactions, and a much better experience overall.