While nobles and royalty must try their best to maintain their public image, they often have secrets that they want to keep buried down below, and this is exactly the same in The Sims 4. Secrets play a big role in The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy, and depending on their severity, they can lead to a major scandal if uncovered, which can really injure a Sim's public image, damaging their relationships, career, and more.

the sims 4 lovestruck
Best Sims 4 Storyline Ideas

Even with all of its possibilities, fans may find themselves out of ideas for a new story in The Sims 4 - these storylines will help liven things up.

The Social Puppeteer aspiration, introduced with the Royalty and Legacy expansion pack, challenges players to put their friendships on the line in order to explore the secrets and scandals mechanic in The Sims 4. This article guides players through the various milestones that they will face while completing the Social Puppeteer aspiration.

Social Puppeteer Aspiration Overview

the sims 4 the social puppeteer

The Royalty and Legacy expansion pack added the Social Puppeteer expansion pack to the game. Players who pick this aspiration will deep dive into the secrets and scandals mechanic, which is also a major part of noble life in The Sims 4. However, if gamers want to have a good relationship with their peers in-game and would rather not get mixed up in intrigue and drama, this is not the aspiration for them.

Tea Sipper Milestone

Tea Sipper is the first milestone in the Social Puppeteer aspiration, so it'll introduce players to uncovering secrets for the very first time. At this point, gamers won't have extort anyone or reveal any scandals, making it possible to keep friendships intact.

Objective

How to Complete

Discover a secret at a bar

There are several bars in The Sims 4; players can identify them by looking at the icon on the map before traveling there. While visiting one of these establishments, players must interact with another Sim and select the "Ask for Secret About" interaction from the Gossip menu within the Friendly social tab.

If players don't have any friends in common with the Sims at the bar, they can simply join a group of Sims or invite over another Sim that they know.

Discover another Sim's secret (2)

Players can discover other Sims' secrets by gossiping with mutual acquaintances, purchasing them from the Information Broker, hacking Sims via the computer, or going through Sims' trash.

Share a secret

Players can share one of their own secrets or a secret about another Sim by interacting with someone and selecting one of these options in the Gossip social menu.

Bean Spiller Milestone

the sims 4 hack for secrets

Once players enter the second milestone, they will have to deal with some mischievous goals, as it requires them to hack for secrets and even extort Sims.

Objective

How to Complete

Find different secrets via hacking (2)

Once a Sim has reached Programming Skill Level 2, they can select "Hack for Secrets" interaction within the Scandals tab when using a computer. They can select an acquaintance and hack them to uncover all the juicy secrets that they might be hiding.

Extort a Sim

When Sims uncover a secret, they can extort others before it fades into obscurity. To do this, they must approach the Sim that they have intel on, and then select the Extort interaction within the Malicious tab of the Mean social menu.

Sims can extort others for various reasons, such as careers, favor, dynasties, nobility, and, of course, money. This will decrease the Sims' relationship and create a negative sentiment between the two.

Promise to keep a secret

Alternatively, they can speak to a Sim and promise them that they'll keep their secret, thus creating a positive sentiment between the two. Gamers will find the option to keep another Sim's secret in the Deep Thoughts tab of the Friendly social menu.

Scandal Stirrer Milestone

the sims 4 expose secret

Next, players will have to put their social skills to the test and try to dig up secrets by speaking to some of their acquaintances. Once they have some information, they must bring the secrets to life and expose them to create a scandal.

Objective

How to Complete

Successfully ask about another Sim's secrets (1)

To complete this quest, players only have to select a Sim, pick the "Ask for Secret About" interaction in the Gossip tab, and successfully acquire intel on a mutual acquaintance.

Ask for secrets from 10 Sims

Players must continue to ask Sims about mutual acquaintances and successfully gather information on 10 different Sims to complete this objective. The best way to finish this objective is to speak to a Sim who has many mutual acquaintances with the player's Sim.

Expose a scandal (3)

There are various ways to expose secrets in The Sims 4: players can either speak to the Sim directly and select the "Expose Scandal" interaction from the Malicious tab of the Mean social menu, they can do it on their phone's Social tab, or using a computer.

Players can deny scandals or write an apology using the computer.

Grapevine Whisper Milestone

the sims 4 extort

Lastly, players will have to find some information on some of Ondarion's biggest secrets. This might take a bit longer, as it requires players to dive deeper into the lore of this world and expose some of its iconic NPCs, such as the Royal Robber and the Information Broker.

Objective

How to Complete

Extort, expose, or promise to keep the secret of the mysterious "Royal Robber"

To find out who the Royal Robber is, players must mingle with the residents of Ondarion and try to get more information on this mysterious person.

Players can attempt to get more information on the Royal Robber by selecting the "Ramble about the Royal Robber" interaction within the Gossip tab. As they inquire more people, they will uncover more details about the Robber, making it possible to eventually confront them.

Become friends with the Information Broker

At the moment of writing this quest is bugged, and it is impossible to learn more information about the Information Broker. However, players should be able to eventually learn more about this entity by gossiping with Ondarion residents about the various districts in this world or read books about these locations.

District descriptions indicate that the broker should live in Bellacorde, as it has a "long history rooted in chilvary and court drama" and "gossip is sharp and travels fast here."

Extort or sell 10 other Sims' secrets

Players can directly speak to Sims whom they have information on and extort them for some sort of social or monetary advantage. However, if they don't want to ruin the relationship that the two have, they will have to sell it to the Information Broker instead, as this is done anonymously, making it possible for the two to maintain their relationship.

Reward for Completing the Social Puppeteer Aspiration in The Sims 4

Players will receive the Ironclad Reputation trait as a reward for completing the Social Puppeteer aspiration in The Sims 4. This will only be awarded to players once they complete the three final objectives described under the Grapevine Whisper milestone.

Sims with Ironclad Reputation trait cannot be extorted by others and have a better chances at extorting Sims.

The Sims 4 Tag Page Cover Art
Simulation
Systems
Top Critic Avg: 70 /100 Critics Rec: 26%
Released
September 2, 2014
ESRB
T for Teen: Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
Maxis
Publisher(s)
Electronic Arts

WHERE TO PLAY

SUBSCRIPTION
DIGITAL
PHYSICAL

Cross-Platform Play
Xbox, PlayStation, and computer versions of Sims 4 are all separate games incompatible with each other
Cross Save
no
Franchise
The Sims
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Genre(s)
Simulation
Platform(s)
PS4, Xbox One, PC
OpenCritic Rating
Fair
How Long To Beat
N/A
X|S Optimized
No
File Size Xbox Series
22 GB (November 2023)