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The Sims 4 confirms controversial For Rent feature is “optional”

EA reveals that mold is an optional lot challenge in The Sims 4 For Rent rather than a feature your Sims will continuously succumb to.

The Sims 4 mold: A blonde Sim with short hair is sprouting radioactive-looking green mushrooms and spores, white drool coming from his mouth

The Sims 4 is still going strong with no end in sight, as EA produces new expansions and free updates for its base game regularly. For Rent, the team’s latest pack, has all of us Simmers excited to finally play as a true tenant and even a landlord. While City Living lets us live in high-rise apartments and attend regular festivals, For Rent is changing the game with a much more communal living-focused experience. It also comes with challenges, including every apartment dweller’s worst nightmare, mold.

Not all players want their Sims’ living spaces filled to the brim with nasty green spores, though. The Sims 4 already has its fair share of deaths to avoid, from burning macaroni and cheese to drowning. I already found it hard enough to wrangle my Sims’ laundry when that pack came out, so I’m not sure I can also handle cleaning mold. Thankfully, EA says that the simulation game‘s upcoming feature is completely optional.

In a recent post on Twitter, the team revealed a horrifying tape of a Sim suffering from ‘The Mold.’ With gnarly green spores protruding from her skin and mushrooms everywhere, the poor Sim succumbs to death by mold. As if a death by hamster from the game’s newly free DLC wasn’t daunting enough already. The comments are filled with players who don’t want to deal with mold, with one calling it the most dreaded For Rent mechanic.

Another Simmer calls the feature gross and writes asking, “Can we turn off mold?” EA has left responses to a few of these replies expressing fear or distaste for mold. “No worries,” the studio states. “Mold is an optional lot challenge that can be attributed to ANY residential lot in any livable world.” All of us allergy-stricken individuals can collectively breathe a sigh of relief now.

I’m looking forward to experiencing The Sims 4 For Rent gameplay in its full glory when the pack drops on Thursday, December 7. I may give the mold a go myself just to say that I’ve done it, but I definitely won’t be using any of my favorite Sims households or lots.

While you wait to play For Rent, you can check out our other favorite life games to scratch that Sims itch. Alternatively, have a browse through our roundup of these great Sims 4 mods to spice your base game up for free, with no mold in sight.

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