How does the Sad emotion work in The Sims 4?
Sad emotion in The Sims 4
Sad is one of the emotions of The Sims 4. A Sim feels it when its Sad moodlets add up to more weight than any other emotion. At a total weight of 3 it turns Very Sad. While Sad, skill gain for creative skills ×1.2. 738 moodlet versions cause it; the strongest timed one is Time to Wear Black (+50, 6 hours).
Sad is a negative emotion in The Sims 4. Your Sim enters this mood when the total weight of their Sad moodlets exceeds their other emotions. Currently, the game includes 738 different moodlets that cause this emotion.
The emotion has two intensity levels: Sad and Very Sad. While a basic Sad mood boosts creative skills, both levels slow down your progress in most other skill types. You can manage this mood by waiting out the timers or using cheats.
- 738Moodlet versions that cause it
- 3Total weight for Very Sad
- NegativeKind of emotion
How Sad changes your Sim
| Level | From total weight | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Sad | Any | Skill gain for creative skills ×1.2; Skill gain for mental skills ×0.8; Skill gain for physical skills ×0.8; Skill gain for social skills ×0.8 |
| Very Sad | 3 | Skill gain for mental skills ×0.6; Skill gain for physical skills ×0.6; Skill gain for social skills ×0.6 |
The strongest Sad moodlets
| Moodlet | Weight | Lasts | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to Wear Black | +50 | 6 hours | Parenthood |
| Subtly Debased | +50 | 4 hours | Base game |
| Gloom and Doom | +10 | 4 hours | Growing Together |
| Mortal Melancholy | +10 | 4 hours | Vampires |
| Sudden Despair | +10 | 4 hours | Realm of Magic |
| Mysteriously Sad | +8 | 4 hours | Vampires |
| Mourning | +5 | 2 days | Base game |
| Bark No More | +5 | 1 day | Cats & Dogs |
| Fired?! | +5 | 1 day | Base game |
| Purr No More | +5 | 1 day | Cats & Dogs |
| Fire! | +5 | 4 hours | Base game |
| Sad Presence | +5 | 2 hours | Life & Death |
| Divorced | +4 | 2 days | Base game |
| Mourning Horse | +4 | 2 days | Horse Ranch |
| Mourning Pet | +4 | 2 days | Cats & Dogs |
Search all of them in the full moodlet list.
The Sad moodlet
| Emotion | Weight | Lasts | Where it comes from | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sad (dog) | 2 | 1 hour | Scold | Cats & Dogs |
| Sad | 2 | 2 hours | Base game | |
| Sad (dog) | 1 | 1 hour | Barf, Barfing, Parasite Killer Spray | Cats & Dogs |
How the Sad emotion affects your Sim
The first level is simply called Sad. At this stage, your Sim gets a ×1.2 multiplier to skill gain for creative skills. At the same time, skill gain for mental, physical, and social skills drops to a ×0.8 multiplier.
When the total weight of your Sad moodlets reaches 3 or higher, your Sim becomes Very Sad. At this higher intensity, the creative skill bonus disappears completely. Your Sim also takes a heavier penalty, getting a ×0.6 multiplier to mental, physical, and social skill gain.
These skill multipliers are hidden effects. They multiply together with any other active effects your Sim has at the time.
How to get or remove Sad moodlets
You can make a Sim Sad by triggering one of the 738 moodlets linked to this emotion. The strongest timed moodlets are Time to Wear Black from Parenthood and Subtly Debased from the base game. Both add a massive weight of 50, which locks your Sim into the Very Sad state for hours.
Some moodlets are simply named Sad, including versions for dogs in the Cats & Dogs pack. A dog gains a Sad moodlet with a weight of 2 for 1 hour after you use the Scold interaction. Dogs also get a weight 1 version for 1 hour from Barf, Barfing, or Parasite Killer Spray.
To get rid of the Sad mood naturally, you must wait for the moodlet timers to run out in Sim time. You can also outweigh the negative weight with stronger moodlets from another emotion. For an instant fix in Live mode, open the cheat console, type testingcheats true, and use the sims.remove_buff cheat.
Questions
Does the Sad emotion help with any skills in The Sims 4?
Yes, the first level of the Sad emotion gives a ×1.2 multiplier to creative skill gain. However, this bonus goes away if your Sim reaches the Very Sad level.
How much weight makes a Sim Very Sad?
Your Sim becomes Very Sad when the combined weight of their Sad moodlets reaches 3 or more. The emotion with the largest total weight always sets your Sim's active mood.
What are the strongest Sad moodlets in the game?
The strongest timed moodlets are Time to Wear Black from Parenthood and Subtly Debased from the base game. Both carry a weight of 50, lasting 6 hours and 4 hours in Sim time.
How long does the Mourning moodlet last?
The Mourning moodlet from the base game lasts for 2 days, which equals 2,880 Sim minutes. It has a weight of 5, making your Sim Very Sad unless you outweigh it.
How do you cheat away a Sad moodlet?
Open the cheat console in Live mode with Ctrl + Shift + C on PC or Cmd + Shift + C on Mac. Type testingcheats true, then enter the sims.remove_buff command to remove that specific moodlet from your active Sim.