Help please? I'm new to mods

Mods can be a lot of fun to use & I have quite a few of them but they do require some special precautions.

Be aware that outdated mods can break your game even without viruses. If you are going to use them, my advice is to only add a few at a time and keep careful notes on which ones you are adding and where you found them. This will make it easier to check for updates later on.

After adding a mod, keep an eye out for anything that looks wrong in your game. If something looks wrong, stop playing and do not save. Immediately go back and delete the mod from your Mods folder and then delete the localthumbcache.package file from your Sims 4 folder (this is very important). In fact, you should delete that localthumbcache file every time you make any change to your Mods folder. No worries, the game will auto-generate a new cache file the next time you launch Sims 4.

Also keep an eye out for Last Exceptions files in your Sims 4 folder as they can be a good indicator that you are using an outdated mod & it is causing script errors.

Finally, make sure you temporarily remove all mods and CC prior to installing a game patch. This means you'll want to make sure that the "Automatic game updates" setting is disabled in Origin to allow you the chance to move out the mods before the patch downloads. Keep in mind that just because a mod has been working fine for a long time, it does not automatically mean it will still work after a game patch. Always check for mod updates after installing a game patch.

There are a couple of broken mod/CC trackers that I use. One tracker is on the Sims 4 Forum that is posted by luthienrising:

https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/968717/broken-updated-mods-cc-university-edition

The other tracker I use is on a site called Simsonic Sims:

https://simsonic.weebly.com/mods.html

If all this sounds like a lot of work, well maybe it is, but it is nothing compared with trying troubleshoot and fix a game after it has been broken by an outdated mod.

P.S. I usually use the sites @Psychotps mentioned :D

@Sophiexxxxxxxx, a little bit of clarification.  If you just want hairstyles, clothing, furniture, eye colors, etc. then what you want is called Cutsom Content (CC).  But if what you want changes the actual gameplay than that is a Mod.

But, if you get Mods or CC you will need to maintain them.  That requires a bit of work on your part.🤨  Every time the game is updated by EA, like right before a pack is to be released, there is a chance that some Mods/CC can become outdated.  When Mods/CC become outdated, you need to replace them with updated ones, if the maker has updated that item.  If you don't replace or get rid of outdated CC/Mods, then your game will have problems.  😢

You can always check for Mod/CC conflicts and clean up any corrupted data from them by doing the following:

1) Move the Mods Folder to your desktop

2) Delete localthumbcache.package file in the game folder.

3) Fix you game in Origin by logging in and go to Library, then right-click on The Sims 4 and choose the "Repair Game" option from the list.  Wait until Origin finishes repairing all your packs and not just the base game.

4) Now, when you turn on your game again, it will create a new mods folder that will be empty.  Check to see if your game is now working without mods/CC.

5) Now you can try adding back items from your Mods folder one at a time checking your game each time to see which item is causing your game to not work properly.  If you have a lot of items, you can try the 50/50 Method. 

Then you can go back to the CC/Mod creators and get the updated versions when they are available. 🙂

If you still want to use Mods/CC, then the sites that @Psychotps gave you are good ones as they have been around since at least The Sims 2!  (I used to use Mods and CC in TS2 and TS3, but no longer do so because I don't want to have to keep up with maintaining them.😞 😃)  But please keep in mind everything that @Psychotps  and @RandomBuzziness  suggested about downloading.

Happy Simming! 🥳

@RandomBuzziness, we posted at the same time, so I edtied my post to add your name! 😉😃

@RandomBuzziness @PugLove888 Darn, you two just didn't leave anything for me to add, did you? Awesome posts by the way!

mainly i would go for things with a good amount of downloads to know they are save from malwhere i use a little bit on and off cause i dont want it on sometimes so yeah let me know if there is anything else you need

@DMDragonCT  Thanks so much! If you did have anything to add I would definitely pay attention because I always learn things from your posts. :D

Btw- days like today are why I keep so many notes on the mods I use. I wasn't expecting many changes/updates for a patch like today's but surprisingly there are updates required for two of them! I'm still waiting for a status update on one more, but no worries, I always keep a mod/CC-free save for bug testing and for something to play while I wait for status updates. ;-D