The new “Sims” expansion pack is Bridgerton-coded

With Bridgerton season 4 recently being released, Regency content is firmly in its renaissance period — and, coincidentally, The Sims 4’s latest expansion pack looks set to follow that trend.

Along with offering plenty of opulent outfits and hairstyles for your high society sims, Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy also comes with the Social Puppeteer Aspiration, in which Sims wanting to rise to the top can use the new Scandal and Secrets feature to its advantage in order to climb the slippery pole to the top.

As for the Bridgerton-esque Scandal mechanism itself, if your Sim is, for example, doing the dirty on their partner and has a secret child, this will start off as a Secret, but, depending on how other Sims gossip, it can develop into a full-blown Scandal, which, once exposed, can cause difficulties for your Sim in building relationships and careers.

There’s the option to reveal Scandals both to other Sims and at a press conference — or, if you prefer, you can Extort the Scandal-ridden Sim for Simoleons and Noble titles among other things.

Sims can also host Grand Balls, which, let’s face it, is the perfect place for Scandals to unfold.

Nobility, dynasties, and legacies

In addition to this, Sims can become Nobles through the Nobility career path, which includes tasks like replying to royal mail, holding court, and improving skills like Charisma and Swordfighting.

As previously announced, players can also build their own Dynasties: designing a crest, assigning members, declaring rivals and allies, and establishing their ideals. As the head of a Dynasty, a Sim can change a Dynasty’s values and announce an heir, among other things. However, Dynasties can always be usurped: the head might be challenged for leadership, or dissatisfied members might split off and form their own Dynasty.

Dynasties have long been a part of Sims’ DNA, with the popularity of the Legacy challenge online, with lead game designer Xènia Peña telling Polygon, “We do quite a bit of social media reading, so we’re very aware that legacies, founders, and heirs are a thing. We wanted to honor the player’s meta but also expand on the gameplay around those roles, especially the dynamic between the dynasty Head and the dynasty Heir.”

A touch of magic

There’s also a fairytale element, too. Sims can experience Power Shifts that can change the trajectory of their lives, such as kissing a frog to find true love, or encountering wishing wells, swords in the stone, or magic mirrors.

 “After we had a list of all the princess classics, we shared it with a group of players, who ranked them by interest,” Peña explained. “That feedback was incredibly helpful to understand what resonated the most…calibrating these things is so much easier when you can talk with your audience!”

To top it all off, there’s a whole new world (pun intended) that players can explore, called Ondarion. “There’s Bellacorde for romantics and drama‑oriented players, Verdemar for adventure lovers who dream of sword‑fighting princesses, and Dambele for players who want to become fair, community‑minded monarchs,” Peña told Polygon.

The best part for committed Sims players is likely the return of iconic Sims 2 families like the Montys and Capps. So, whether you want to tell a Shakespearean or Regency story, this expansion pack will open a lot of doors while continuing to develop the Sims lore we’re all obsessed with.

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