Aspiration (The Sims 4)

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Aspiration is a lifelong goal for a Sim in The Sims 4. There are ten categories of aspirations for Sims aged teen or older, as well as a separate category for child Sims. Aspirations and completing aspirations give special traits to Sims. A Sim's aspiration can be changed at any time.

The aspiration feature is similar to lifetime wish in The Sims 3, and both aspiration and lifetime want in The Sims 2. Similar to The Sims 2 aspiration system, The Sims 4 allows the player to select from ten available types of aspirations when creating teen or older Sims in Create a Sim, or once a Sim grows up into a teen.

Selecting an aspiration
In Create a Sim, or after growing up a Sim to the teen life stage, the player will be able to select from one of twelve available types of aspirations. Child Sims cannot select an aspiration, but they can complete special "grow up" aspirations unique to their age group. Toddlers do not have an aspiration.

Once an aspiration is chosen, the Sim will be awarded a bonus trait. Bonus traits are awarded to a Sim when their first aspiration is chosen; even if another aspiration is later chosen, that Sim will continue to have the original bonus trait. Bonus traits are awarded to each type of aspiration, regardless of which specific aspiration is selected. The available bonus traits, and their associated aspiration types, are:

Milestones
Each aspiration has four milestones that must be achieved in order to complete the aspiration, the last of which it is named after. Some aspirations of the same type share milestones; if a Sim completes a milestone in one aspiration, then changes to another aspiration of the same type and that shares the same milestone, the milestone is already marked as completed. Players can monitor a Sim's progress towards completing their aspirational milestone on the aspiration panel. Each milestone has multiple goals that must be achieved before the milestone can be completed. Achieving these goals awards the Sim with a set number of aspiration reward points, that can be redeemed for aspiration rewards.

Completing an aspiration
Once all four milestones of an aspiration are completed, that Sim will be given a reward trait. Unlike bonus traits, Sims can have multiple reward traits if they complete multiple aspirations in their lifetime. Once an aspiration is completed, the player can select another aspiration for the Sim.

Some aspirations are designed so that only adult Sims can complete them. These aspirations have "become an adult" milestones that prevent teen Sims from completing them.

Child aspirations
Childhood aspirations have three milestones, unlike adulthood aspirations which have four. They also do not give bonus traits, but completing a childhood aspiration does provide a reward trait. Like adult reward traits, Sim children can earn several reward traits if they complete multiple aspirations as a child; these traits carry forward as the child ages up.

Tutorial aspirations
In the tutorial for The Sims 4, the player can choose from 4 different aspirations. After completing any of these aspirations, the Sim will gain the Over-Achiever reward trait, and have the Career-Minded trait removed. The player cannot give these aspirations in normal gameplay, but randomly generated Sims can have them.