The Sims 4 has a fire problem, as more and more users report random and uncontrollable infernos starting out of nowhere.
These complaints began to surface when The Sims 4 went free to play after The Sims 5 was announced. These aren’t empty threats, either: many have found that entire rooms or houses have been burnt to a crisp, thanks to this bug. The repair costs are putting a real strain on many Simmers’ lives.
It’s all gone quite dark, with some players saying goodbye to beloved sims after entire families were trapped in house fires. I’m sure this is not the start EA wanted in The Sims 4's new free to play chapter.
Buggy flames
At the center of all these house fires is the fear of fire trait. Introduced in the Wants and Fears update back in August, Sims now have a series of desires they’re aiming for but also deep-seated fears based on negative experiences.
If a sim starts a fire accidentally or is burned while cooking, they can develop a fear of fire. The knock-on impact is that they become more likely to start fires by mistake. It’s a vicious circle, especially as the bug seems to turn fire-fearing sims into something just shy of pyromaniacs. Every time they engage with fire, it will cause the immediate vicinity to be engulfed in flames. This seems counterproductive to me, surely someone with a fear of fire would be extra careful not to start one.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Users have reported fires in the kitchen, garden, and even the bathroom. Many people are forced to feed their sims salad and fruit to avoid the oven altogether.
is_anybody_else_experiencing_constant_fires from r/thesims
The Wants and Fears update has been causing trouble for a while now. But, the problem seems to be worsened by something in the Sims 4's free to play update-play. Now the fear of fire trait seems to be popping up more often.
Healing flames
Luckily, there are several ways to fix this problem. Some users have found that by forcing their sims to extinguish a fire, the fear will dissipate, and their house will be flameproof once more.
Others have suggested looking at the rewards store and purchasing a fear-be-gone potion. This neat little drink will extinguish any fears your sim may have. And as there are no microtransactions in The Sims 4, you won’t be paying for this with real money.
Finally, the last way to get rid of your sims’ fear of fire is to disable fears completely. Many have found the Fears and Wants update to be taxing on their supposedly carefree Sim experience, as it deals more damage than good. So you can download a Remove Fears Cheat and other individual Fears to be done with this firey mess once and for all.
