What packs are your must haves?

Game packs- Parenthood and Dine Out.

Expansions-Seasons, Get Together, Discover University, Get To Work and City Living.

Stuff packs-Tiny Living and Cool Kitchen.

Seasons - The calendar and changing weather makes it feel as if time is really passing and also adds a bit of challenge to normal game play as plans can change depending on the weather.

Get Together - Windenburg is the best world in my opinion and clubs are very useful for getting a group of sims to do things together, plus I use the closet and Foosball table all the time.

City Living - San Myshuno is an fun world were there always seems to be some kind of activity happening in the neighborhoods, this world just feels alive and lived in. I love the festivals and the apartments have their own unique play.

Island Living - Sulani is a beautiful world and is my second favorite place to play. It feels open and relaxed and the lack of winter can be nice when playing certain challenges or when you need a break from winter in real life.

Vampires - Vampires are so much fun to play and this is my favorite Sims 4 pack by far. Forgotten Hollow is a creepy little world perfect for vampiric play and the BB is amazing.

Jungle Adventure - While I don't vacation in Salvadorado too often, when I do I always have a great time. Plus the BB is very versatile and I use it in a lot of my builds.

Moschino - I was pleasantly surprised by this pack. I don't use the fashion from it too often, but the photography stuff I use all the time.

Nifty Knitting - This pack also surprised me and wasn't what I voted for, but I really like the knitting skill and Plopsy is very useful for buying stuff you'd usually have to make yourself.

My must haves:

Island Living: This pack really is like living on an island. Sims can swim in the ocean, build sandcastles, and collect seashells. I also really like the mermaids. They are so well done, just like the island life aspect of the pack is. There's a lot to do here. When my Sims live in Sulani I hardly ever leave, but when my Sims live outside of Sulani I am always visiting. This pack is my favourite Sims pack. I never really were into beach themes in past Sims games, but with Island Living, I'm really enjoying it.

Snowy Escape: I've wanted a snow pack ever since Sims Vacation and the snow in Seasons never really did it for me. I like that with Snowy Escape it's snowing all the time and I can do things like sledding and snowboarding. Snowboarding is on an actual mountain which I really enjoy and hasn't been done before in any of the Sims games before.

Get Together: I use the natural pools a lot. I like the clubs and the dancing, but it's the natural pools that make this one a must have for me.

Parenthood: The only game pack I have. I really like the ability to tuck in children and work together as a family on school projects. The character values add a lot of unique gameplay and I really like the chance cards that come with "Ask for Advice" and that the school rings the parents about something the child has done.

Luxury Party Stuff and Romantic Garden Stuff are essential for making great wedding venues and gardens.

Backyard Stuff: for the waterslide.

Expansions
Seasons
This is an absolute must for me. Seasons just adds so much to every world. It brings them to life and makes the world feel more unique and stand out. Also Holidays are great. I love being able to make my own holidays and try planning out how my families will spend those holidays.
Get Together
Get together is a weird one cause I don't use clubs that often, though they do help especially when I want to make "actual" clubs for my kids in Drama or Scouts, but I use all the bar objects in my venues. The DJ Booth, darts, foosball, the arcade machine, the closet dresser, I use those objects all the time cause they give bars/nightclubs so much more personality stuff for my sims to do.
Get Famous
I know most players don't care about fsme but I like it cause it makes no sense to be for someone who is a renowned artist or author or a professional athlete too not have some level of fame. It's an touch of realism that maybe not everyone experience first hand but fame and celebrities are a part of life.

GamePacks
Dine Out
I like restaurants. Visiting them, building them. I just having them in my game.
Parenthood
Personally I find the parenting skill to be useless and there that isn't enough that got added but the character values are a great addition and make it worth it. They give kids/teens more personality since based on what their values are they act out more and cause more drama or they are more helpful and responsible. The values also pass on with the traits they can earn so once they are adults they still have some of that personality from before.

StuffPacks
Laundry Day
I like laundry. It boring and mundane but it something everyone does. If I have make my sims clean their toilet, do dishes, and mop the floor cause these see just part of everyday life then they need to do laundry as well.

I play with just about everything and there are just a few packs that I really don't use that much.

Must haves:

- Seasons - Very immersive across the worlds. Summer is my favorite season but I like the passage of time and different holidays.
- Cats & Dogs - The game would be empty without this for me. Yes, I know that the pets are a little clingy but they add to each household. Amazing world = Brindleton Bay.
- Discover University - I like having the differentiation of sims who went to university and those who didn't. I do tend to play more academic sims but I time the scheduling of the semester so that they always have a weekend and so even the most studious sims end up with some time to relax or socialize. I try to give them enough research & debate skill early so that they can do homework faster. I've started having some of them work on it in high school.
- Spa Day / Dine Out - Dine Out needs a patch but it's important to me to have community lots to go to. Bowling is also sort of in this category.
- Island Living - Gorgeous world and water sports
- Snowy Escape - I'd like to see more in the pack but yes, I think it adds needed extra hobbies to the game.
- Jungle Adventure - This was well done IMO.
- StrangerVille - It's zany but I enjoy having this quirky small town world with its odd ball characters.
- Get Famous - The acting career is necessary, also I'll admit that some spaces like the gym are beautiful. It just needed a bit bigger world.
- Parenthood - I'll admit that this adds to the differentiation of children as they grow up. Having different parenting styles is helpful.
- Eco Lifestyle - For the Cas/BB and world. Also, having the families recognize each other more after the grown up children move out is important.

There are other packs that enjoy but they are less essential to my gameplay. The only ones I barely use are My First Pet Stuff and Luxury Party both of which I got on sale. I don't have Batuu.

Expansion Packs

Seasons - Man do I like weather. First time playing the Sims 4 was without it and man did it feel like time was stretching into infinity. Whenever Sims 5 comes out, I likely won't upgrade until Seasons is released.
Discover University - Turns out having college is a fun time. Espesically since I'm more of a skills and achivements based player. Turns a normally chill game into time management scenario, which is...interesting. A sometimes flavor but one I like.
City Living - What can I say? I do like apartments, and the festivals are sweet. Most importantly SINGING. ...okay but Karaoke is very welcome.
Get Together - This one's for the club system and for Winenburg, my surprise favorite world.

Game Packs

Strangerville - My first Sims game was the Sims 2 for GBA and it featured a varient of Strangetown. So uh, I'm baised. Also I do like the directed story and think the world itself is quite nice too! When it's all calm and peaceful...we shall see how long that lasts...
Parenthood - If you have any interest in families at all, go for this pack. It's fun working on character values to try to make your Sim as a nice proper respectable Sim...or just for a little bit of flavor in what you think your Sim is like.
Dine Out - One of the few reasons I even left my home in the before-times was to eat some nice food. This is a must for me, as it fullfills my want of nice food.
Vampires - I do like my supernatural stuff but I've gotten a lot more milage out of my Vampires than I have my spellcasters. (Likely because I have actual whims that remind me to level up...)
Spa Day - Can not underestimate how handy it is to whip out a yoga mat and do some Yoga to throw Sims in their preferred Inspired or Focused mood. Also I get so jealous when my Sims have lovely spa treatments.

Stuff Packs

Fitness Stuff - I would crack a joke at the Free Earbuds but I hardly remember them. Instead, it's just nice to have better looking options for gym equipment, and the added option of working out via TV.
Vintage Glamour - Butlers for the ultra-rich who I go "wait...you wouldn't do those handiness, cook your own meals and such."

Seasons indefinitely.

Since it was introduced in S2 I can't imagine seeing a sims game without weather. That and it brought a lot of gameplay to the game as well. Weather really just affects everything to how your sims daily routine will go. Had my sim take their kids to the park and about two sim hours in a storm had came up thus had to end up leaving because of it. :D And I just love the calendar system where you can just plan events ahead and it even shows a sims birthday on the calendar. Plus, having actual holidays with sims celebrating even NPC's just feel a lot more meaningful. Plus enough for sims of all playable life stages to be included in.

Get Together
I enjoy the nightlife related stuff in sims games, plus sims just having more places to go is always a plus in my book. Nightclubs are always bustling and full with sims dancing it up and hitting the bar and socializing. The club feature I just absolutely love because customization is always where it is at. Really enoyed CAS in this as it ranged from club wear to the town fashion of Windenburg. Plus, still the biggest world to date.

Dine Out~
Again just more places for sims to just get out and about. When this came out I was happy sims had more proper spots to go out on a date to eat out or even go out for family dinners. More than amusing that sims have a chance to get food poisoning after eating at a resturaunt. They end up throwing up a lot and their bladder starts to tank really fast because of it. I can appreciate these little details for things like that. Build/buy is just great with this. Can appreciate being able to customize restaurants to your liking even if you don't own them, especially the clothing worn to their overall menu.

University~

Though like every university pack it's always a grind (more so in S2 than anything), but I do like the set up in choosing how many classes you can take per term as well as an elective. It's definitely a challenge to be juggling some to full classes, while trying to find time for your sim to have fun and have a social life. Ha hits too close to home really. Had my sim start university going from $0 and it was a hassle when student debt just started racking up only was able to get two scholarships and was not enough when I had 4 full classes. CAS is great. Lot of lax and comfortable wear and I love the roommate system. Definitely adds that extra step when you're looking to have your teenager going to college.

Parenthood

Because this game definitely needed more family gameplay to be a lot more meaningful. Children having phases and moods to toddlers even biting you. I like that my younger sims can get school projects sent with them for that extra credit boost and other family members can help them out if desired.

OR - herbalism, granite falls is beautiful, more plants to grow

GTW - career variety. Scientist career is my favorite and you can make cool stuff

GT - windenberg is pretty, clubs are integral to my gameplay now

Patio - cute clothes people actually wear, great modern BB items

Vampires - it's just nearly perfect. Great CAS and BB, fun powers and weaknesses, more supernatural gameplay

Seasons - time passes and my sims now understand the brevity of life. Lol but I love the different weather, holidays and the calendar were a great touch

I have most of the EPs, a few GPs and quite limited SPs. Lots of CC, but hardly any mods.

My fave packs are

Get Together
City Living
Seasons

... aaaand Vampires - which s my latest addition. I got it for BB, normally don't play paranormals, but really enjoy playing it!

I always say Seasons is the best expansion and a must have and I stick by that decision. When you have played for a bit you start to see the importance in weather in the game. It seems like such a vital feature in just general life so it adds that realism to the game.
The calendar is also a super good feature and I use it all the time and I'm always trying to add more events and holidays.
Apart from gameplay, I always find myself using the build items which are so diverse and the CAS options are really nice.
Seasons just seems like the type of pack for anyone whether you build, create sims or play (or do all three)!