Which to get?

"So_Money;c-17171784" wrote:
Whatever you do, wait for a sale and use the Build Your Bundle promotion to get an EP, GP, and SP at the same time.

Yes this. Totally worth it Op. As for what you should get, it really depends.
Here are my Must Haves (this'll be long, but I wish I'd known some of this stuff before buying):

EXPANSIONS
City Living: Cons are the 'apartments', but pros are gorgeous cas, food stalls (including a fruit/veg stall so your sim can kinda go grocery shopping if that's your thing), the careers (which are quite fun), the kareoke machine, bubble blowers, craftable sales table, Painting sales stand, street art items, gaming devices, expanded lot traits, the talking toilet (which is unpopular among some simmers, but real handy for filling out needs) and of course, the BB items, which are pretty awesome.

Seasons: Cons are maybe the holidays (I like them a lot though some may find them annoying) and maybe the fact it's a bit more passive than other expansions? I find it changes my whole game, but it isn't quite as in-your-face as festivals. Pros are it changes and affects a lot of gameplay, and expands upon the base game in areas such as gardening and more. There are some foodstalls here too, skating and ice-skating rinks, the awesomely helpful Patchy the scarecrow, inflatable pools, flower arranging, bee-keeping, seasonal activities such as snow angels, decorations, sprinklers, the thermostat, new harvestables, weather affects such as over-heating, the weather machine, STORMS (and unexpected deaths) and of course, gorgeous BB and CAS. Pretty sure I've missed some things out here too as the pack has soo much content. Seasons also affects a lot of the other packs, which is another reason to bundle it, as you'll be getting in some bonus gameplay too.

GAME PACKS
Vampires: Cons are if you hate supernatural, you probably won't enjoy this pack, which is a shame because it really does have a lot of work put in it. Pros are the best vampires in the series, vampire progression, vampire-caused deaths, Vlad himself (look up @MaggieMarley 's awesome baby challenge 'Vlad the Dad' if you want a laugh), new harvestables, the pipe-organ, coffins, new skills/aspirations, the CAS and BB, and the world (although it's small). If you bundle Vampires with seasons, you can use the umbrella from it to shade sun-affected vampires too.

Parenthood: Cons are if you hate family play, you probably won't enjoy this, and lacking toddler cas. Pros are the stunning BB (I use it so much), the parenting system (raising kids well or... not so well), school projects, packed lunches, new and interesting toys such as the build table, the notebook (which I think works off the grid?), curfew setting, the note board and mood lights. Seasons also works with this, as tasks such as raking leaves (and the kid scouting activity) help raise responsibility.

STUFF PACKS
Laundry Day: Cons are it only adds in laundry, and if you hate this, it's not the pack for you. Pros are it adds enough for two types of gameplay; electronic washer/dryer and off-the-grid items such as the washing line and the (bugged atm though) wash tub. Has highly usable and versatile BB items, and pretty nice CAS. Works well with seasons (hanging clothes in rain, lol) and parenthood (some responsibility I think? Not sure).

Movie Hangout: Cons are that I have barely used any gameplay items from this pack. The screens are too big, and I can't be bothered with popcorn. However, I can't live without the BB items, as they are fantastic, work with any build or building style, and are just soo versatile. The CAS is also great, not so much the more 80's stuff, but the rest works really well for creating bohemian, hippy and hipster sims. Would work well bundled with parenthood and some of its more hippy items such as tye-dyed shirts and jeans.

Fitness stuff: This is a pretty unpopular oppinion, but I honestly love this pack. I don't use the gyms items a lot such as the rock-climbing wall, but I really like the earbuds (more passive though) and the fitness tv station. What sells it for me is the CAS. I hate base game fitness cas, it's really ugly and not what a lot of the people in my area wear. I've used it on practically every sim that has come out. That said Op, if you hate gym sims, then you might not want this pack.

Kids Room: Another that would work well when bundled with Parenthood. Cons are if you hate family play, this won't be for you. As it came out before toddlers, there is also no toddler items, which is a bit sad. Pros are the pokemon-like trading card game, the puppet theatre, the desperately needed kids CAS items and the equally desperately needed kids BB. Absolutely recommended if you're a family player.

Packs that are it depends (bundle these if you still have money to burn):

EXPANSIONS
Get famous: Debated whether to put here or in the must-haves, but I think it's pretty game-play style dependent. The cons are the repetitive (but nicely designed) career, small world, and the umm... persistent paparazzi. The pros are it has a lot of gameplay items such as drones, the special effects desk, makeup station and the styling station. There is also the celeb progression system and quirks (some of these are pretty amusing), the absolutely stunning CAS (strongly recommended if you want fashionable sims) and the awesome build-buy. It has a pretty cool mod theme going on so it would work well bundled with bowling stuff if that's up your alley.

Cats and Dogs: Cons are that the pets aren't controllable, and it's only cats and dogs (s3 expansions had horses and small animals). Pros are that it has a beautiful world, Create-a-pet plus great CAS (in a broad range of styles, from crazy cat lady to hip youth) and lovely BB which have a textured, antique look that I always find appealing in builds. On the gameplay side of things there are the vacuum, obstacle course, pet items such as food bowls and climbing stands, the vet shop and items, and of course, the pets themselves. Works well bundled with Parenthood (pet care responsibility) and Seasons (pet seasonal interactions, and the beautiful way in which the world changes according to the seasons).

GAME PACKS
Jungle Living: Cons are less replayability and low challenge when 'raiding' tombs. Pros are the culture skill, archaeology skill, the fantastic world, the items from the tombs, the highly-usable BB, CAS, skeletons, and handy items such as shower-in-a-bottle. Like city living, this also has a craftable items selling table. Works well bundled with seasons as well.

Outdoor retreat and Spa Day Cons are that these are both pretty game-play dependent. A lot of simmers seem to either hate one of these, or hate both, which is why I've put them together. I think both have their uses, and I don't regret purchasing them.

I like outdoor retreat for the camping and off-grid gear, as well as the herbalism skill. The world is pretty nice, and the plants that come with it are gorgeous. If you like a more rustic look, and enjoy playing off-grid, this is the pack for you.

I like Spa Day for the fitness CAS (again, it's something I use all the time like Fitness Stuff), the Yoga mats and animations, and the mood changing incense which are so underated imo. Spa Day also comes with a lot of gameplay items such as the massage table and chair, the sauna, and gym items. If you're into well-ness in the sims, this is a must-buy. If you're like me and don't play spas too much, I still think it's worth taking a look at as there's a lot of small game-changing things in this pack, such as the incense.

STUFF PACKS
Toddler Stuff: Recommended if you play toddlers, not if you don't. Adds some much needed CAS and BB, with a little bit of gameplay

Vintage Glamour: I use the CAS quite a lot, but butlers are a bit buggy. I love the drinks globe (handy for tiny living), and some of the BB is gorgeous. Not recommended if you hate the look though. Works well with bowling stuff or get famous.

Bowling stuff: Bowling is pretty good, and BB (though lacking items) is in a lovely 50's style. CAS is great, and I've used it a lot. More work has gone into the bowling than anything, so if you hate that, don't buy

Backyard stuff: CAS is suited to a summery look, and works well with seasons. There's some really nice items too. BB comes with a handy on-the-wall radio, and some pretty versatile and nice items. The slide is cool for families, as is the drinks tray. The bird feeder is a bit repetitive though, and so many of my sims are annoyed with the wind-chimes, though they look great.

NOT RECOMENDED!!

EXPANSIONS
Get to Work: Severely buggy/broken atm so you should probably avoid! The careers are pretty repetitive (and broken) and the CAS/BB is not that great. I bought for aliens, which are a pain to make in CAS (can't copy over skin details), and don't have that many interesting interactions (nothing like vampires). The only cool things you get are the scientist career items such as the freeze-ray and the alien hive-mind. You can own a business, but it's not really in-depth. The world is also only four lots. Can get if you want but you won't really be getting your money's worth.

Get Together: Wish I hadn't bough this, despite the fact it comes highly recommended. The pros are the world (though personally, I don't dig the faux-european look) and the club system... kinda. It's okay if you want to make clubs for your sims, but I don't get a lot of use out of it. It's good for keeping up relationships, but I haven't seen it change the sims world really. Gameplay-wise you get things such as the DJ booth, futsal table and dance mats. Cons are the CAS and BB, which are imo dated and ugly, with clashing colours. There just isn't a lot going on with this pack outside clubs

Island Living: Severely lacking in gameplay, and also a bit buggy. The pros are the gorgeous world, BB and CAS. They are so great, but I just can't recommend this pack, especially not at full price, because it's basically just cosmetic changes, when it's supposed to be game-changing. I guess if you're a builder or CAS only player, it'll be worthwhile. The cons are the repetitive gameplay, most of which can be found in the base-game (such as swimming), activities confined only to one world (ocean swimming), heaps of rabbitholes (such as diving and life-guard), heaps more rabbitholes (such as cave searching), the fact you can't move the camera view above the ocean surface, copied items (swings from seasons, fire from get to work, copied coconut cake) and mermaids (they look good, but there's no progression, and they have very few different interactions from other sims). Some people love this pack, but as you've only got the base game, I would recommend avoiding.

GAME PACKS
Strangerville: Awesome potential, but not replayable, and severely limited. Has a small world, and not as much useful BB items as the other packs. Pros are the paranoid trait and military career, but a lot of it doesn't change gameplay.

STUFF PACKS
My First Pet: Repetetive gameplay (you can't even walk away with the pet), and items that should have gone with cats and dogs, as well as re-textured meshes. Not worth the money.

Romantic Garden, Luxury Party: Not a lot here. Luxury party has clothes that'll work well with get-famous, but no real gameplay. Romantic garden has nice BB and garden items, but again, has very little gameplay

Perfect Patio: Some nice BB (ugly counters though), but uninspired CAS. Only worth it if you like hot tubs, and even then, as a base gamer there are better packs.