Champs Les Sims, France Guide
Champs Les Sims, France is a travel destination introduced with The Sims 3 World Adventures. It’s the home of the new expansion skill, nectar making, with a countryside full of harvestables to gather. In fact, you can find nearly every new type of fruit offered by World Adventures here. Look to the plant list for information on finding these, as well as rare grapes. While there aren’t a lot of places to explore without following adventures, there’s a lot of treasure to be found in the old ruins and catacombs of this land.
French Shops
- Bookstore: Recipes for Bouillabaisse, Cheese Plate, Frog Legs and Crepes are sold here. Additionally, you can learn the bait for Frogs, Crawfish, and Snails. There’s a nectar skill book sold here, but you probably should just stick with raising the skill the old-fashioned way than purchasing this. Additionally, you’ll find region-specific books for Sims to read.
- Food Vendor: Chrimola Blan and Renoit Grapes are sold here. At the proper meal times, Sims can also find Crepes, Frog Legs, and Bouillabaisse.
- General Goods: The only two special items here are the Kenspa scooter and Little Boy Soldier incense holder. The Kenspa is a pretty zippy way to get around and the incense holder helps improve romantic interactions.
- Nectary: Nectar racks are sold for $550 and $1,200 Simoleons here. Nectar Makers cost a whopping $1,500. Consider paying for the most expensive rack as it ages nectars better. You may also want more than one Nectar Maker.
Adventures in France
A Trivial Affair
This is the opener for France, and can lead you to your first Signet and the Forgotten Burial Mound (Celtic Ruins). It’s an adventure you’ll probably drop first, and getting it out-of-the-way is good because it helps to open up bigger, better things later. If your Sim is adventurous, completing this chain will be enough work to allow them to reach Visa Level 1. Also, you can find the Signet of the King’s Burial Ground along the way.
The Search Begins
This Chain will lead your Sim to Chateau du Landgraab for the first time. It’s an important part of adventuring in France because several other quests will take you there. You’ll gradually unlock more and more of the mansion as you proceed. This chain is great and awards an awesome amount of VISA points for the time taken.
The New Nectar Machine
This adventure chain sends your Sim after Titanium, and whether you complete the entire chain it’s worth pursuing it. All titanium on the map will be revealed, and you can grab some extra money by collecting more than you need to complete it.
Landgraab I: Kidnapper?
A good chain that leads to two locations at Chateau du Landgraab. It’ll unlock another significant portion of the “tomb” and provides the opportunity to get unlimited gold, as you’ll be given an adventure to collect some on the third step, which allows you to gather more than you need. Chateau Crawl leads to the side entrance of the estate, which clears the rest of it. The final section can only be accessed by starting an adventure chain in China.
Trouble at the Museum
This adventure chain will lead your Sim to the Museum Catacombs under La Gallerie d’Art. The place seems to be explorable without this adventure, but if you’re going to tackle it anyway, you should pick this up to snag some VISA points for your Sims. It will also show some treasure to be found at the cemetery which can be quite valuable.
Surveying the Property
Take this to gain access to the secret garden, a small area which features no collectible relics but does offer some excellent treasure. I found a rainbow gem here worth $2,000 Simoleons.
More Like “Haunted Garden”
This comes after surveying the property, but may not be worth the effort. It will however show to you that it’s possible to get pomegranates in France. Look to the plant list for where to find them. The trouble is there is only one pomegranate tree available to harvest, so it may take several days’ vacation time to gather enough. It’s one you could remember to turn in later, after a trip to Egypt, where Pomegranates are sold by the food vendor.
Nectar Research Assistant Needed
This adventure begins a very long line that will lead your Sim deeper and deeper into the Nectary Cellars. It’s highly recommended as there are multiple French Sigils that are only accessible by doing this chain. Unfortunately, it does need a trip to Egypt to complete, meaning some travel time is involved, but it’s the only way to access the Tomb of Isael and the Tomb of Jean Necteaux. If you do this adventure after clearing some other tombs, it will be a very fast trip to Egypt that results in a Visa level increase for that destination. You could then choose to stay and try to get level two.
Tombs in France
Chateau du Landgraab
This massive mansion is probably the most difficult place to explore in the Sims 3 World Adventures, due to the large number of traps and sheer size. It’s easy to get lost, so I hope to help with the various puzzles that present themselves as you proceed through the adventures that unlock more and more of the estate. Thankfully, the Chateau behaves like a tomb and will gradually reveal rooms so it’s easier to tell where you’ve visited. Later trips become more challenging as you must skim around looking for the entrance to the next section.
The Lost Library of Landgraab
You’ll need to disarm traps to even enter the building through the back entrance. The hall with traps is in accessible at first. Look for an accessible doorway with a series of stairs. Your Sim will pass the oddly placed entrance to the Landgraab Cellars, which are only accessible through an adventure from China. Up top, you’ll find a relic for one of your collections. The only other area you can access at first is the library (near the front entrance of the house), using the keystone you were given upon accepting the adventure. Tip: Move the statue back, then over the floor trap to clear it. The papers are nearby, along with a couple of non-collection relics. The sparkles leading to the stereo should give you a clue that turning it on will disarm the traps blocking your Sim’s way.
The Groundskeeper’s Journal
Very easy. If your Sim already has a heart keystone they can enter the door out front of the shack outside the Chateau. It’s not worth skipping the stairs out back, which lead to a keystone and relic (non-collectible).
Chateau Crawl
Use your Keystone to the Landgraab Ballroom on the door to the right side of Chateau du Landgraab (if viewed from the front). Turning on the stereo inside will reveal panels where you should push the four statues in the center of the room. This not only allows progress to the second floor of the estate, but opens some shortcuts as well. Be sure to find the hidden door (an inspectable wall on the side opposite that of the staircase to the third floor), and look closely at surfaces for relics and other items which can be collected. A nice part about adventuring in the Chateau at this stage is that all your needs can be met without consuming any supplies. In the room with the hole and railing where you can see the first floor, look for a foot panel allowing you to proceed to a couple more scattered foot panels which eventually disarm the traps on the third floor. With that done, the second floor of the Chateau is completely clear. A small portion of the third is accessible now (the rest only with the Cellars keystone).
Signet of Le Chateau du Landgraab
For those looking to complete their French Tombs relic collection, know that the final area (cellars) is only accessible by doing the Knowledge of the Past adventure chain which begins in Shang Simla, China.
Forgotten Burial Mound
Your Sim will be led here during the ‘A Trivial Affair’ Adventure Chain, which will likely be the first one you pursue in France. Inside you’ll find at least two random relics for your collection while you learn the basics of adventuring. You’ll need to clear rubble, push and pull statues, stand on floor switches, and inspect holes to make your way through. Remember that mourning at tombstones can also show hidden switches, holes and other mechanisms that may offer your Sim extra treasure. Be sure to look for hidden doors off the hedge ‘maze’ and the last room to collect more treasure and the Signet of the King’s Burial Ground.
Behind the mound, there’s a foot switch which reveals the Smuggler’s Cave. It’s a rather short and easy tomb that has its own Signet at the end. You don’t need any adventures to get this one, so it’s a side trip you can complete when your Sim has spare time. The other switch is only accessible with Pangu’s Axe. Smash the boulder to show a switch so your Sim can descend the other staircase. This is the Maze of the High Ruler tomb, and again has a Signet.
La Gallerie d’Art: Museum Catacombs
To gain entry to the catacombs, look to the hole in the wall on the first floor near the chinese artifacts. There’s a stairwell leading down there. The switch in the hole reveals a hidden door on the other side of the wall. If you’re stuck upon entry, try pulling the torch on the wall in the first room. Upon reaching the hall with three statues, pull the only movable statue off its floor plate, then push it to the other plate in the corner. This will unlock a door down the hall which allows you to collect the French Signet of the Museum Catacombs. It will also turn the original floor plate into a foot switch, allowing your Sim to get out and reach the last room. Look for another relic for your collection as your Sim leaves the tomb.
Nectary Cellar / Tomb of Isael / Tomb of Jean Necteaux
In order to get inside initially, you’ll need to search for the hidden door. The Nectar Research Assistant Needed Adventure must also be pursued to get progressively further in. Look for two hidden doors inside this place. The first is in the room with two large rocks, the second in the hall just before the room with the Nectar bottle you need. The second of these hides the French Signet of the Nectary Cellar. Once you’ve traveled to Egypt through the adventure chain, the Tomb of Isael will be unlockable via its keystone. Look for it on the pedestal in the center of the room once you’re told to re-inspect the three holes.
Your Sim will need to collect two heart keystones to bypass the traps near the entrance. Sure, you could use skeleton keystones but you’d miss the opportunity to collect a relic or two and open a couple of doors on the floor below. This place is massive, so I provided the map above to help you find hidden doors. Two can be revealed by flushing toilets. You’ll find a ton of opportunities for mummies in this tomb, toward the end. Find the hidden doors leading to the room at the top of the map, where your Sim can collect the French Signet of the Tomb of Isael relic. While the puzzle in the room near the end of the tomb can be solved by pulling the statue across the large room, then using it to break the traps, before the mummies appear, don’t as the staircase there is accessible during the Tomb of Jean Nexteaux, and if you do it can break the quest. While the other statues in the Tomb of Isael should be placed on the floor switches so your Sim has access to hidden doors in Necteaux, the one you come across just before the statue room puzzle should be pulled off, as it prevents collecting tresure in the Tomb of Jean Necteaux.
The Tomb of Jean Necteaux is finally unlocked during the Nectar Research Assistant adventure chain. It’s the last stop on the list. This tomb intertwines with that of Isael, so maps get very confusing quickly. You’ll eventually find a shortcut to the Tomb of Isael, to activate the doors in this tomb if necessary. The puzzle with all the foot switches is easily solved by finding the point where the statues’ gazes intersect. In the room with the jagged bridge and a statue that causes electric traps to appear, find a hidden door behind the traps. This passageway leads to another door and some rubble piles. You’ll find some treasure at the end of this path. Your Sim will eventually come to a path that intersects this with Isael’s Tomb again, allowing you to disable the traps that were blocking your way there. This leads to a sarcophagus that holds the Nectar Recipe you need, which also disables the floor traps. If you have a skeleton or star keystone check the hidden door behind the sarcophagus to get another relic. Head out and you’ll find the Signet of the Tomb of Jean Necteaux in a chest as you also show a shortcut out of the tomb.
Tuatha’s Garden: aka The Little Island in France
In order to reach this island without cheating or zeneport, you’ll need Pangu’s Axe. Smash the boulders at the place in the screenshot with the axe, and you’ll be greeted with one of the toughest tombs in the game. The first puzzle is tricky, and some have suggested you need a second Sim or a statue that can be assembled in that room. However, it can be accomplished easily by using the darkest green colored statue to activate two of the floor switches at once. It’s a whopper of a maze but the trek is largely worth it. There are probably a dozen plants you can harvest inside, including life plants, death flowers, and every variety of rare grape. I did find a couple of relic spawn locations inside. The place is also practically infested with butterflies, and your odds of flying a glowy fly on the real island are quite high. Once you’ve fully unlocked this tomb, you can revisit and look down to the bottom level for the dive well place, then proceed to return to the island for more collecting attempts.
To find the French Signet of Tuatha’s Garden, look near the two money trees after your Sim has gone through the dive well. There is a camouflaged floor plate near some green foliage that reveals a hidden door and a staircase. The treasure chest in the floor below has the Signet.
