Detailed The Sims 2 Deaths Guide: With Aging, No Sim Lives Forever

Here's a detailed look into The Sims 2 deaths and how to avoid or cause them.

With the new aging mechanic, no Sim lives forever. However, unfortunately, not all Sims die by old age. Death can come from expected sources, and from some unexpected sources, totaling to 16 different ways Sims can die. Some happen due to low needs, others due to the Sim just being unlucky.

Join us here on this guide describing each death type in detail. In addition, you'll see ghosts for each death type and get some tips to avoid it or intentionally cause it (we won't judge). Afterwards, we'll look at how to revive a Sim.

Death by Old Age

The ideal way to go: living your life, growing old, and eventually passing on. This death also has special gameplay mechanics associated with it and is now the only way pets can die by.

While elder Sims have an aging bar visually showing how close they are to death, it does not tell you how many days are left. However, there is a certain amount of days they have, but it varies a lot. Usually, elder have have 11 to 20 days while pets have 6 to 11 days. However, if an adult Sim ages up into an elder, their Aspiration Level will also affect the lifespan like so:

Bar	Aspiration Level	Days added/removed
	Platinum	+10
	Gold	+7
	High Green	+3
	Low Green	+0
	Red	-2

So the elder stage for Sims can last 9 to 30 days. PlantSims live longer however, with their elder stage lasting 14 to 35 days. Sims in the household age everyday on 6 PM (or 18:00) while pets age on 11 AM. As soon as the time hits when your Sim is on their last day, the death happens.

All starts with the elder Sim standing, with Grim Reaper approaching them. However, what happens next will depend on their Aspiration Level. No matter what, other Sims will be unable to plead for the elder's life.

When it's Green or lower, the Grim Reaper will show the elder a hourglass, showing that their time is up. The Sim tries to turn it around, but is forced to accept their fate.

On Gold or higher level, the Grim will send the elder off with a positive note. The Grim himself wears a Hawaiian lei accompanied by two Hula Zombies dancing nearby to a slow rendition to "Aloha ‘Oe". The elder is sent off with their suitcase packed and a drink in a tiki drinking cup, leaving behind a golden gravestone or urn which has their Aspiration's icon engraved on it.

Sims that die by Old Age will leave an inheritance for family and close friends, which will not deduct from the funds of the elder's household. How much money will each Sim receive depend on their relationship (The spouse gets the most, friends get the least) and the elder's Aspiration Level on their death (the higher it is, the more money will be earned by the loved ones).

Finally, starting from The Sims 2, pets can only die by old age. When a pet dies, they'll keep standing while being approached by the Grim Reaper too. However, the Grim first does the procedure he does with Sims that die by other causes, before beaming up the pet, playing with them (using a stick for dogs, a catnip mouse for cats) for the last time.

Sims that die by Old Age will be grey as a ghost (RGB scale of 150, 150, 150, or #969696 in hex code). Pets however will be light blue instead (shares the values with Death by Starvation ghosts). These ghosts are more difficult to anger, but not impossible, so still take caution.

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Unfortunately, not all Sims die by Old Age...

Death by Starvation

Food is still needed for your Sims to live. However, simply with bad luck, it is also possible to starve to death.

The cause is simple: empty Hunger need. Active Sims have faster Hunger decay than Lazy Sims. Pregnant Sims have a very fast Hunger need decay, so take extra care of them as they can still die in The Sims 2. Once the need is empty, teen and older Sims die. Children and younger will get taken away by social services.

However, there are many events that decay certain or all the needs at the time. Most of the time it can cause another death listed below, but if your Sim survives, Death by Starvation will be a bigger worry. The Eclectic and Enigmatic Energizer Aspiration Reward for example drops the needs low if it fails, but not to the point of death. Werewolves turning into their wolf form on 8 PM (20:00) will have their Energy need filled up but Hunger need drained to red.

In addition, there are events that can push the Hunger need to the point of death. These include plummeting in an elevator, an evil Snapdragon Bouquet, surviving the Wishing Well's backfire after wishing for money, or having a witch sit on a witch throne of the opposing alignment (good on evil, evil on good). Sometimes there are events that leave Sims incapacitated and unable to take care of their needs, like having a heatstroke or freezing solid for example.

Do note that vampires cannot die by Starvation.

Sims that die by Starvation will be light blue as a ghost (RGB scale of 100, 120, 255, or #6478FF in hex code). These ghost will constantly check the fridge, removing food from it. If the fridge is empty or there is no fridge, they will become angry.

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Death by Drowning

The way Skip Broke died. Or as the game puts it: he died from a "suspicious pool ladder accident".

The death will simply happen when the Hunger or Energy need is completely empty while your Sim is swimming in a pool or on a beach. Children can die this way (however, it is not recommended to do so as their ghosts are especially buggy).

Do remember that if moveObjects on cheat is enabled, you can pick up and move Sims. If you pick up a swimming Sim and move them outside the water, they will still be considered as swimming (even though they can use objects outside the pool). This will eventually lead to their death.

Be careful where your Sim drowns as when a Sim drowns in the middle of the pool, other Sims cannot plead with the Grim Reaper.

Sims that die by Drowning will be blue as a ghost (RGB scale of 0, 30, 255, or #001EFF in hex code). These ghosts will leave a lot of water puddles behind while they wander around.

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Death by Fire

While Sims still lose their mind around fire, at least catching on fire won't spell certain doom anymore.

Fires can be caused by many things. Failed cooking and leaving food unattended would be the most common cause. Other things that can cause fire are fireplaces, counterfeiting machines, fire jets, Christmas trees, lightning, heatstroke, train sets, and evil Witch's spell.

No matter how, when a fire breaks out, Sims will run near it and panic. If your Sims live in an apartment lot however, they run out of the building. Yet all this panic will make it hard to control your Sim, who will run around, panic, and replace their current interactions with panicking. Learning Fire Prevention can reduce the panic frequency though.

If the fire spreads to your Sim, or worse yet, your Sim runs into it, they'll start burning. Any Sim can extinguish the fire to save the Sim, with firefighters prioritizing it. When a Sim is burning, their needs decline rapidly, but it is not the needs that cause the death. Instead, Sims die once they have done between 5-10 animation cycles, which usually amounts to roughly 20 to 50 in-game minutes. Sims that die this way leave behind a pile of ash which must be cleaned up. A small area of fire around them will also be extinguished.

Pets, babies, and toddlers are immune to fires. Children however are not (however, it is not recommended to do so as their ghosts are especially buggy).

Sims that die by Fire will be red as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 0, 30, or #FF001E in hex code). These ghosts are more likely to become angry, so take extra caution around them.

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Death by Electrocution

There's good news and bad news. Good news: your Sim can now survive the electric shock! Bad news: if you haven't taken care of your Sim well, death still happens.

Electronics like computers, televisions, dishwashers etc can break down, which will then need to be repaired or replaced in Buy Mode. If your Sim tries to repair it, the lower their Mechanical skill is, the more likely they are to get a electric shock. Repairing something while standing on a puddle has a huge risk of electrocution for everyone.

Other ways to get an electric shock is from a Servo running amok or flying a kite during a thunderstorm. Do note that flying an evil kite can attract lightning at any weather.

Being electrocuted will not only give them a singed look, but also drastically lower the needs. If at least 2 needs have fallen on -90 (red, close to empty), the Sim will die by electrocution. Otherwise, they'll survive and lose a random skill point (and have a 15% chance to start a fire).

Sims that die by Electrocution will be yellow as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 255, 20, or #FFFF14 in hex code). These ghosts can occasionally be seen reenacting their death, complete with the electric effect and everything.

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Death by Flies

Let's get back to the new ones, this one will really bite sloppy Sims...

When a garbage pile, spoiled food, dirty objects etc have been left around, they not only begin to stink, but also attract flies. In addition, if your Sim's Hygiene need has been bad for at least a day, flies will also surround them. Alone, it will just drain the Environment need.

But let's add more of them. If there are at least 10 fly-infested objects, that's when they become dangerous. Every time a Sim steps over a fly-infested object, there's a small chance that the flies will swarm them and eat them, leaving behind a pile of ash. Good news is that the object they stepped over will no longer exist, so that small part of cleaning is done.

Sims that die by Flies will be purple as a ghost (RGB scale of 138, 43, 226, or #8A2BE2 in hex code).

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Death by Satellite

Take a moment and lie on the ground. Admire those clouds, stars, and falling satellites... Wait, what?

Whenever you click on ground outdoors during clear weather, you can have your Sim Watch Clouds at daytime and Stargaze at nighttime. It's a fun activity which builds Nature/Science Hobby Enthusiasm. Your Sim may even want to see a falling star.

However, for any unlucky Sim, it could lead to tragic outcomes. When a Sim begins to do that, there's a tiny 1% chance that your Sim will be marked for death, causing them to be crushed by a satellite some time after beginning the action. If your Sim has not been hit by one for about half an hour (30 in-game minutes), they are safe from the death.

Should a Sim get crushed by one, the satellite remains on your lot. You can pick it up and even sell it for §1,999. If you plan to sell it, do it quickly as the price will quickly go down.

Sims that die by Satellite will be orange as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 160, 122, or #FFA07A in hex code).

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Death by Disease

Because resting while having an illness is for the weak.

There are 6 illnesses Sims can get in The Sims 2. Not all of them are deadly though. The deadly ones include Food Poisoning (from eating spoiled or burnt food), cold (from cold temperatures, is supposed to turn into Pneumonia), Pneumonia (from not treating cold), Flu (from cockroaches), and Mysterious Disease (from failed Biotech Station usage). When returning form work or school, there is a 1% chance to return with Cold or Flu. Illnesses can also spread to other Sims.

When a Sim catches an illness, the Comfort and Energy needs should be kept up. Sleeping and sitting will help Sims recover from illness greatly. However, if your Sim's Comfort and Energy needs are below half, the illness will get worse. And if kept that way, then eventually it will result in death. The minimum time it can take for a Sim to die by disease is 30 hours.

Sims that die by Disease will be green as a ghost (RGB scale of 0, 255, 30, or #00FF1E in hex code). They will occasionally reenact their death.

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Death by Fright

Because ghosts need friends too... And they can't have non-ghost friends.

When there's a gravestone on a lot, a ghost can appear from it to haunt the lot from 8 PM to 6 AM (20:00 - 6:00). In addition, ghosts can also come out when a lightning strikes a gravestone or when there's a Bug Collection Box containing at least 10 spiders. Up to 3 ghost can be active at the time.

Ghosts wander around, causing mischief, waking Sims up, and scaring Sims. When a ghost decides to scare a Sim, they will look if anyone is near them (within 3 tiles) and scare them. However, angry ghosts can scare Sims farther away (extending to 6 tiles). A ghost can be angered by kicking their gravestone, smashing their urn, selling their favorite object (usually their bed), or having a different family live there.

Whenever a ghost scares a Sim, the scared Sim's needs plummet down. If Sim's Bladder need is low enough, a bladder failure occurs. However, if at least 4 needs are low when a Sim gets scared, this will result in their death.

This death can also occur when peeking into a coffin where a vampire with low Energy need sleeps in. However, this will cause their ghost color to be the default light blue color.

Sims that die by Fright will be pink as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 105, 180, or #FF69B4 in hex code).

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Death by Cowplant

This is the first appearance of our beloved Cowplant... And you needed a college degree back then to obtain it...

Introduced in University expansion pack, Cowplant, or Laganaphyllis Simnovorii, is a career reward unlocked by reaching level 6 in Natural Scientist career (Rogue Botanist). However, in order to join the Natural Scientist career, your Sim requires a college degree. While any major allows your Sim to join the career, graduating from Biology or Mathematics major will allow your Sim to get a head-start in the career. Starting the career on level 6 or higher automatically unlocks the reward.

A Cowplant needs to be fed from time to time. This is the interaction players must make their Sim do. If a Cowplant goes unfed for 12 hours, it sticks out its tongue with a slice of cake to lure a Sim near it. Any Sim can be made to Grab the Cake, but if a Sim is hungry, they will do it on their own. The Cowplant will eat the Sim trying to grab the cake, unless their Hygiene need is low. Grim Reaper won't appear in this case, making pleading or cheating death impossible.

When Cowplant eats a Sim, it can be milked to extend your Sim's life by 5 days (and for a positive memory of drinking the consumed Sim). While the Cowplant is yet to be milked, its hunger decays but it will never try to lure another Sim to eat until milked.

Sims that die by Cowplant will be dark green as a ghost (RGB scale of 0, 128, 0, or #008000 in hex code). They like to taunt Cowplants with a slab of meat. If someone milks the Cowplant, they'll become angry at that Sim.

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Death by Sunlight

Vampires are a creatures of night after all. Is giving up daytime really a worth the sacrifice?

Nightlife Expansion Pack introduces vampire life state. Sims can become one by being bitten by one, usually by a Grand Vampire found in Downtown at night. One of the perks of being a vampire is that motives won't go down unless they do activities that drain them (exercise still loses Hygiene for example).

There is one catch though. The needs remain static only at night time from 7 PM to 7 AM (19:00 - 7:00). Once the daytime arrives, all of the vampire's motives (except for Environment) start to plummet. When outdoors, it'll take just a hour to have all the needs completely drained. Indoors it drains slower, but it still drains if a vampire is in a room with windows. Need drain is slowed down in Community lots though. The only way to stop the drain is by having them sleep in a coffin.

Once a vampire's Hunger, Comfort, Energy, Fun, and Hygiene fall into deep red, they will die and become ash to be cleaned up. This can even happen at nighttime should the needs be low enough.

Sims that die by Sunlight will be light blue as a ghost (RGB scale of 100, 120, 255, or #6478FF in hex code).

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Death by Rally Forth

Death is actually a great de-motivator...

Rally Forth is the fifth perk in the Motivation track. To earn perk points, your Sim has to increase Customer Loyalty levels with customers to have the Business Rank go up. To earn 5 Perk Points, your Sim must either have one business reach rank 5 (30 Loyalty Stars) or have 5 businesses reach rank 1 (3 Loyalty Stars in each business).

Rally Forth is an ability which sacrifices your Sim's needs a little to raise the nearby Sims' needs. This helps employees keep working and customers buying. However, if the interaction ends with at least 4 motives in the red, it will cause death. Expect the Customer Loyalty to fall when customers witness a death... But that will be the problem for the one who inherits the business!

Sims that die by Rally Forth will be gold as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 162, 0, or #FFA200 in hex code). The ghost will hold the megaphone they used before they died.

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Death by Hail

Summers may be great for building friendships, but it also tends to be hot and have hailstorms sometimes.

With Seasons Expansion Pack, during summers, there is a chance to hail outdoors. When it does, it may be either light or heavy. Heavy hails tend to last long enough for the ground to be covered with it. Do note that if the hail is caused by Weathernaught 57X Aspiration Reward, it will always be heavy hail.

Being outside during a heavy hail would not be a good idea. Having a Sim from your household be outside carries a chance of them starting to get bludgeoned. This is an automatic interaction which can be cancelled by the player. During it however, Sim's Energy and Comfort needs go down. Should they reach low enough, the bludgeoned Sim will die.

Sims that die by Hail will be magenta as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 0, 220, or #FF00DC in hex code). These ghosts will reenact their death from time to time.

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Death by Lightning

When it rains, it might be safer to just stay indoors... Good news is that Sims prefer to be indoors during rains.

With Seasons Expansion Pack, every season except winter can have rainy weather, with spring having them more and summer having them the least. When it's raining, there's a chance for it to also have lightning. The heavier the rain, the more likely it is to have lightning strikes.

Lightning can hit large objects. If there are any lightning rods (found under Decorative/Miscellaneous), the lightning is more likely to hit that. Otherwise it will hit a tree or another object. There is a small chance for an unlucky Sim to get struck instead, losing most motives but gaining some Energy.

When a Sim gets struck by lightning, they have a tiny chance to die from it. Sims are more likely to get struck while in water, like in a hot tub, hot spring, or a pool. There is a special death animation when dying by it while swimming. If death is granted for a Sim in a hot tub or hot spring, they'll get out before they get the fatal lightning strike.

Sims that die by Lightning will be yellow as a ghost (RGB scale of 255, 255, 20, or #FFFF14 in hex code).

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Death by Wishing Well

Now tell me: is getting greedy really worth it?

Again in Seasons Expansion Pack, Sims can get rewarded with a Wishing Well. To earn it, your Sim must earn a high score from the Garden Club. You can call them over through Hiring a Service option from a phone. Once a representative arrives, you can have them inspect your garden. Make sure the garden is well decorated and well kept before inspection. Even a rain puddle will reduce the score.

Once you have a Wishing Well, you can wish for money, friends, or romance. Let's go with money wish. The first wish is always successful, giving your Sim a bag of §1,000. You have to wait some time to make another wish, but remember: the more wishes succeed, the less successful they will be. Once 5 wishes have been successful, all further wishes will fail.

Let's get back to wishing for money. What happens when it fails? Usually, a money bag containing §50 will fall on your Sim's head, leaving them alive but with lower needs (which could lead to another death if too low). However, if the wisher's mood is in the red, there is 25% chance that a money bag containing just §1 will fall on your Sim and outright kill them.

Sims that die by Wishing Well will be grey as a ghost (RGB scale of 150, 150, 150, or #969696 in hex code).

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Death by Murphy Bed

A very rare event compared to future games, but still worth to be mindful of.

And last but not least, we go to Apartment Life Expansion Pack! One of the new objects introduced in the pack are Murphy beds. These are beds Sims can open and close, being a double bed when open and give extra walking room when closed. And most of the time, it causes no problems besides Sims never closing these themselves.

But let's get to the situation where it can be a problem. First, your Sim must have less than 5 levels in Body skill. This skill is gained by working out and exercising. Second, your Sim must have -70 or less Mood. For this, needs need to be low. If these conditions are met, every time your Sim opens a Murphy bed, there's 5% chance that the bed falls on the Sim, killing them. The Murphy bed is nice enough to close itself on its own afterwards, leaving the opener's body lying there.

Sims that die by Murphy Bed will be light blue as a ghost (RGB scale of 100, 120, 255, or #6478FF in hex code).

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Reviving

Should a Sim die, don't lose hope. When it happens, there is still time to save them (unless a Sim gets eaten by a Cowplant). Here's what you can do.

Nearby Sims can plead by clicking on the Grim Reaper. This cannot be done when a Sim is dying by Old Age or the Reaper is above the pool water. Be sure to do that when the Grim is browsing his papers, as once he has his phone out, it's too late. When your Sim pleads, they are challenged to pick a hand where the life is hidden.

The chance of a successful plea depends on the relationship with the deceased. If your Sim has very low relationship or even negative relationship, expect the plea to always fail. The higher the relationship is, the more successful it is. However, even at max relationship, there is still a tiny chance that the plea may fail. Should it succeed though, the Sim is revived, who will go to hug their savior (which may get rejected if relationship is low enough).

If you have a Genie Lamp, you can wish for the power to cheat death. If successful, then once the Sim dies, they'll appear as a ghost before Grim Reaper to plead for their own life. They can also plead for one extra day when dying by old age. The first time it always succeeds, but every success decreases the chance by 10%. If your Sim is lucky enough to cheat death 10 times (the last time has 10% success rate anyway), they are guaranteed to fail the next time. So don't rely on it too much.

Do remember the genie wish can also fail, causing the Sim to lose the first time they plead for their own life.

If a good witch has 9 levels in Magic skill, they unlock the Expello Mortis spell. For that, they need to prepare 2 Dragon Scales, 2 Essence of Light, and 2 Moonbeams with a Cauldron or buy them from a High Witch on a secret witch lot. If these reagents are in the inventory, they can cast this spell to banish the Grim Reaper and revive the Sim. However, always be prepared with a lot of reagents as the spell can fail, but allowing you to try again immediately.

But let's say it's too late. The Grim Reaper has made his visit and now you have an urn or gravestone. Or a Sim has been eaten by a Cowplant, in which case Grim makes no visit. Well, there's now still a way to resurrect the Sim!

But first, remember that when you sell a gravestone or an urn, the Sim will be deleted and will thus be unable to be resurrected. However, you can move it to a Community lot by clicking on a gravestone, keeping the Sim intact while freeing your from ghost problems. If the Sim had enemies in their life, the gravestone can be kicked and the urn can be outright destroyed. So be careful keeping an urn near the deceased's enemies and young Sims in their Aspiration Failure.

With University Expansion Pack, Sims who have graduated from college can join the Paranormal career. Majors that help to get a head-start there are Philosophy, Physics, and Psychology. Once they reach level 5 (Medium), they'll unlock the Resurrect-O-Nomitron Career Reward. This is a landline phone which you can use to call the Grim Reaper himself. You first choose a Sim your Sim knew to resurrect, then they have to make a payment from §1 to §10,000. The results are:

With FreeTime Expansion Pack, your Sim can get gifted a Dusty Old Lamp if they keep their Hobby Enthusiasm and Lifetime Aspiration high. Rub it to summon a Genie from it, who will grant 3 wishes. One of the wishes Sims can make is to resurrect someone. This will resurrect the Sim, but will choose one of three random outcomes a Resurrect-O-Nomitron can have.

If an evil witch has 9 levels in their Magic skill, they can cast Vivificus Zombiae on a gravestone/urn. This requires 2 Dragon Scales, 2 Eye of Newt, and 2 Viper Essence, which can be made with a Cauldron or bought from a High Witch on a secret witch lot. If the spell is successful, the dead Sim will be resurrected as a zombie.

Keep in mind that when a Sim is resurrected as a zombie, they cannot be cured of Zombiism, even when perfectly resurrecting them afterwards.

Conclusion

Ideal way for Sims to go is by old age. However, during lifetime, there are other threats that can cut Sims' lives shorter. However, if you keep your Sim's needs up and are aware of potential threats, more Sims can live their full life. Plus the Grim Reaper seems overworked anyways, right? For more The Sims 2 guides and articles, check out here.

So, what do you think? Any tips to share with others or any questions to ask? Perhaps any stories to share? Feel free to comment those below!