how a legacy blooms: a flower-based legacy challenge
hi! i make a lot of gardener sims for some reason, so i had the idea to create this legacy challenge based on the ten flowers you can find in the sims 4 base game & their real-life flower meanings. the generations are loosely arranged based on the in-game flower rarities. i wanted to make sure i included gameplay opportunities, traits, and family dynamics that i didn’t really play with a lot, so that i would find new ways to play the game while playing through this myself.
the rules, generations, mod suggestions, and required packs are under the cut because this post is so long. putting it together took me a while so i hope you enjoy reading <3
updated rules
1. begin by moving into an empty lot in any world and setting your money to 1800 simoleons. if you want some more challenge, start from zero simoleons. unless otherwise specified, feel free to move lots whenever you’d like (as long as you can afford to move into the new lot without cheating).
2. follow whichever heir succession laws you like
3. cheats that provide unfair advancement (money, skills, careers, gameplayunlocks, etc.) are not allowed, but cas.fulleditmode-ing anyone you want totally is
4. each generation’s heir must:
complete their aspiration. if two aspirations are listed, you can complete either one to fulfill this requirement.
gain the appropriate lifestyle, if you have snowy escape. other lifestyles are fine as long as you have the required one!
max the required skills.
reach the specified level of their career. if no level is specified, this isn’t a requirement for that generation.
purchase the specified reward traits. you may also purchase others if you wish.
adhere to the miscellaneous goals. but if the sims does the sims’ thing and something unexpected happens, let it! it could be fun!
these rules are by no means set in stone! if you think something different would be more fun to play, or you want to skip a generation and add one of your own, go for it. if you decide to play through this challenge, you can post your gameplay under the tag #how a legacy blooms and/or #halbc - i would love to see it :D
**CW for mentions of child neglect, unhealthy family dynamics, cheating, pregnancy & death
generation one: bluebell
flower meaning: humility
traits - gloomy, loves outdoors, freegan reward trait - frugal aspiration - successful lineage career - unemployed lifestyles - outdoorsy max skills - fishing, handiness
fresh out of create-a-sim, no skills, no relationships, and barely any money, you vow to found something greater than yourself: a legacy. will you be able to create a thriving family out of such humble beginnings?
live on a lot with the simple living lot challenge for the entire generation
marry a family-oriented sim
furnish your home mainly with items you craft, salvage, or find dumpster diving
craft 3 items of your choice and designate them as family heirlooms to be passed down through all future generations
complete the frog collection
generation two: daisy
flower meaning: innocence
traits - cheerful, squeamish, ambitious reward traits - entrepreneurial aspiration - academic career - level 10 engineer (computer branch) lifestyles - indoorsy max skills - progamming, robotics
you’re the polar opposite of your parent in every way. your sheer optimism and insurmountable ambition are admirable, but will they also be your downfall?
obtain a distinguished computer science degree with a perfect gpa and reach rank 3 of the bot savants
marry a sim you meet at a bot savants event
never do chores yourself (they’re gross!); build cleaner-bots to do them instead
have at least two children and build a servo to take care of them so you can focus on your career
catch your spouse cheating on you, but deny it to yourself until the kids leave home
generation three: chrysanthemum
flower meaning: slighted love
traits - noncommittal, hot-headed, adventurous reward trait - beguiling aspiration - villainous valentine career - level 3 in 5 different careers throughout your life lifestyles - hungry for love max skills - charisma
your parent’s blind eye to their spouse’s infidelity always drove you up the wall. you never want to become like them, instead vowing to experience life to the fullest and break hearts rather than have yours broken. but maybe that isn’t the greatest life philosophy?
drop out of university
at some point in your young adulthood, be in relationships with 3 different sims at the same time
move to new worlds 3 times throughout your life
vacation in selvadorada, granite falls, sulani, and mount komorebi at least once each throughout your life
woohoo on 5 different lots with 5 different sims
generation four: snapdragon
flower meaning: deception
traits - jealous, mean, kleptomaniac reward trait - gym rat aspiration - chief of mischief or sticky fingers career - level 10 criminal (boss branch) lifestyles - energetic max skills - mischief, tattooing
even though you saw many beautiful places growing up, you always knew your parent didn’t want you around, and that’s never an easy burden for a child to carry. so you turn to the only thing that can bring you joy: the thrill of the steal. but will your criminal ways catch up with you?
get an f grade in high school
as a young adult, fall for a detective sim and achieve “enemies with benefits” status
swipe §50,000 worth of objects
once you’ve reached level 10 in your career, quit and open a tattoo studio, then furnish it mainly with items you’ve stolen over the years
host a lampoon party
generation five: rose
flower meaning: true love
traits - family-oriented, dog lover, lovebug reward traits - creative visionary, great storyteller aspiration - soulmate career - level 10 writer (author branch) lifestyles - workaholic max skills - pet training, writing
you grew up in a household without affection, so once you’re a young adult, you determine to surround yourself with as much love as you possibly can. you love your job, your dogs, your spouse and kid... but what if it all turns out to be a little too much?
as a young adult, move to ciudad enamorada and adopt two dogs
marry a romantic sim and host a bach party, a rehearsal dinner, and a reception in addition to your wedding
have only one child and smother them with love and affection:
throw a baby shower before they’re born
host a birthday party every time they age up
ensure they age up with the “top-notch infant” trait
develop the “permissive” family dynamic with them, even though your spouse maintains the “strict” dynamic with them
when they’re a toddler, host them a toddler playdate
when they’re a child, host them a slumber party
divorce your spouse after growing apart due to your different parenting tactics and your workaholic lifestyle
earn §2,000 per week in royalties
generation six: lily
flower meaning: renewal
traits - romantically reserved, music lover, outgoing reward trait - incredibly friendly aspiration - musical genius career - entertainer (musician branch) lifestyles - single and lovin’ it max skills - guitar, singing
you’re desperately in need of a fresh start and a chance to extricate yourself from your parent’s smothering grasp. but is life in a new city all it’s cracked up to be?
live in a “needs tlc” apartment in san myshuno for your entire young adulthood
meet a sim who’s busking in your neighborhood and fall in love
propose and get married at the romance festival one day, only to get divorced the next
rise to a two-star fame level, but no higher
complete the snow globes collection
generation seven: tulip
flower meaning: fame
traits - self-absorbed, self-assured, insider reward trait - great kisser aspiration - world-famous celebrity career - level 10 actor lifestyles - people person max skills - acting, dancing
your parent was always on the fringes of fame, and that simply won't do in your case. you know you’re destined for the stars. it just might take a little bit of effort to convince everyone else of the same...
as a child or teen, become a junior artiste in the drama club
as a young adult, fall in love with a famous sim who’s already married, then convince them to leave their spouse for you
have at least 3 enemies, then turn them into good friends
win a starlight accolade
place your celebrity tile on starlight boulevard
generation eight: bird of paradise
flower meaning: faithfulness
traits - green fiend, loyal, active reward trait - super green thumb aspiration - bodybuilder career - level 10 conservationist (marine biologist branch) lifestyles - health food nut max skills - gardening, juice fizzing
you grow up hating life in the public eye. on a childhood vacation to sulani, you fall in love with its beautiful beaches and stunning vistas. when you learn the islands are in danger, you throw yourself into the task of helping to save them.
obtain a biology degree
move to a lot in sulani with the “off-the-grid” lot challenge
evolve 8 different plants to “perfect” quality
marry a coworker and remain faithful to them until the very end
restore mua pel’am to its full glory and change your neighbourhood footprint to green
generation nine: orchid
flower meaning: luxury
traits - materialistic, high maintenance, lazy reward traits - free services, professional slacker aspiration - fabulously wealthy career - social media (internet personality branch) lifestyles - sedentary max skills - none!
you never understood why your parent would leave the glitz and glamour of del sol valley behind to live off-the-grid in the middle of the ocean. you want more... but you don’t want to work for it.
as a young adult, marry rich, have one child, then divorce your spouse and take their money
have no further successful relationships until elderhood, when you meet a young adult sim and propose to them
be woohooed to death by your new spouse on your wedding night
live on a lot worth at least §150,000
reach 1 million social media followers
generation ten: death flower
flower meaning: resurrection
traits - paranoid, loner, chased by death reward trait - night owl aspiration - freelance botanist career - gardener (florist branch) lifestyles - close-knit max skills - vampire lore, flower arranging
after your primary parent is murdered by their spouse dies under mysterious circumstances, you become a reclusive and fearful hermit, only finding solace in the quiet of your garden. can anything break you out of your shell?
as a young adult, move to a haunted house in ravenwood or forgotten hollow
every day, pull a tarot card and complete one of the listed desires
refuse to go in to work, only ever working from home
meet someone who finally makes you feel safe... then discover they’re a vampire
collect each generation’s flower and finish out the challenge with a thriving garden of all 10!
recommended mods
you can 100% play this challenge completely vanilla, but mods can make it more interesting if you’ve played the vanilla game a lot. to see which mods i’m going to be using as i play through this challenge, check my resources!
to truly capture the variety of family dynamics and relationships portrayed by this challenge, i HIGHLY recommend lumpinou’s relationship and pregnancy overhaul.
if you want the generational goals to be more difficult, try batsandbabydolls’ aspiration refresh as well as kuttoe’s career overhaul suite.
to eliminate boring collectible-spawn-waiting from the first generation in particular, use carl’s collectibles ready.
if you don’t have many packs to replace traits with, there are tons of custom traits out there that will work as substitutes. kuttoe has these ones and these ones and chingyu has these ones—each of these have trait options that could work in place of any you’re missing.
required packs
expansion packs: get to work, get together, city living, cats and dogs, seasons, get famous, island living, discover university, eco lifestyle, snowy escape, cottage living, growing together, lovestruck, life and death, businesses and hobbies
game packs: outdoor retreat, spa day, vampires, my wedding stories
stuff packs: paranormal
and that’s all :) if you have feedback or need clarification about something, send me an ask!
