Detailed The Sims 3 Deaths Guide: How To Cause And Prevent Deadly Events

Here's a detailed look into The Sims 3 deaths and how to avoid or cause them.

With the open world comes exploration. With exploration comes finding new things, be it landmarks, seeds, gems, bugs, or even deaths. Now with The Sims 3 gravestones, you can be reminded how they died and what ghost to expect. But remember: your friends don't have to visit you anymore to be able to die.

Let's go over all the death types in The Sims 3, diving deep into mechanics and giving advice on how to cause them easily and how to prevent these. Afterwards we'll take a look at gravestones and revivals!

Base Game

Before we continue, let's look at the limitations for The Sims 3 deaths you can encounter:

Should one of these be the case, the death will not occur. If caused by a moodlet, it will go away without causing death (or be reset a few hours if needs based).

That out of the way, let's get to the ways Sims can die!

Death by Old Age

Sim has passed on. Old age inevitably comes for each Sim, but what's important is that a full life was lived.
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

Just like in The Sims 2, elder Sims have an aging bar that only shows visually how close your Sim is to death, showing days lived instead when hovered over. However, this time, the elder won't die immediately as soon as their aging bar is full. Instead, they now carry a chance to die at any point. How large the chance is depends on the lifespan settings:

Aging settings are found under Game Options, where you can not only change the lifespan, but also individually set the duration of each life stage (including elders). In addition, certain factors like being a Vegetarian, having completed the Marathon Runner skill challenge, or being an occult (vampires for example live 5 times longer). However, eventually the aging bar will reach full, and at this point it's up to luck whether it'll take long for the elder to be turned into a ghost or not...

Your household is not the only one that ages anymore. Sims outside the household age alongside your Sims, growing up and eventually dying by Old Age (if Story Progression is merciful enough). If your Sim has an elderly friend or family close to death, you'll receive a phone call letting you know that, suggesting you go hang out with them before their time arrives... On the other hand, every time you throw a party and you have invited elders there, be ready for death to happen.

Again, pets can only die by Old Age (at least how it's intended). By default, cats and horses share the same lifespan as human Sims do, while dogs have a little shorter lifespan. However, once their aging bar is full, they share the same death chances as human Sims. Instead of turning into a ghost, pets will be hugged by the Grim Reaper before being lead through a portal to the Netherworld.

Human Sims that die by Old Age are gray as ghosts with sparkles surrounding them. When they come out of the grave, they have low fun need.

Pets however can have two possible colors depending on how much Lifetime Happiness points they've collected during their lifetime. If they have collected 10,000 or more, they'll be blue ghosts. Otherwise they'll be red ghosts.

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Death by Starvation

Sim died of hunger. It's so sad to see neighbors die of hunger, when they could have just called and asked for a sandwich.
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

Death by Starvation simply happens when the Hunger need reaches 0. This will usually take 3 days.

Your Sim first gets 'Hungry' neutral moodlet, which becomes 'Very Hungry' negative moodlet after 3 hours, which becomes 'Starving' after 24 hours. Starving moodlet lasts for 24 hours, after which they'll die unless they are pregnant or not on a lot (it'll reset it to 7 hours in that case).

Death by Starvation is what will happen in most cases. However, this can trigger other deaths instead. When your Sim is swimming/scuba diving, they'll die by Drowning/Running out of Air instead. Sims that are frozen solid will die by Freezing instead. Pets and children and younger will be taken by social services instead.

If you've downloaded the Cowplant from The Sims 3 Store, Sims eaten by one will be counted as if they died by Starvation.

Sims that die by Starvation are pink as ghosts. When they first die, their body weight will be set to thinnest. They will start with low Hunger need, which will make them seek out food.

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Death by Drowning

Sim has drowned. The pool looked so inviting, but Sim should have stayed out of the water!
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

This death is triggered when Drowning moodlet expires (which happens after 40 minutes). To get the moodlet, the Sim must either be Exhausted from empty Energy need or Fatigued from doing too much physical activity for their Athletic skill (swimming does count).

This death will usually happens in pools. However, if the ocean water is part of a waterfront lot (pre-made ones are in Isla Paradiso), Sims are able to drown there too. In Scuba Diving Spots however, Sims cannot drown on the surface.

If you've downloaded the Door of Life and Death from The Sims 3 Store, Sims killed by the Pit Monster will be counted as if they drowned to death.

Sims that die by Drowning are blue as ghosts with a little watery texture and water dripping from them. When they come out, they'll be tired, causing them to take a nap at first.

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Death by Fire

Sim has tragically burned to death. Who knew fire could be so dangerous?
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

Fire can still happen in The Sims 3. The common cause is still cooking (leaving food unattended or just having low Cooking skill, grills indoors are safe now). However, there are new causes to look out for, like blowing birthday cake candles (2%) or fireworks.

There are also causes that will immediately set the Sim themselves on fire. These include spontaneous combustion from high temperatures, failing at Inventing, being dared to Divide by Zero etc. Do note that while Fire Traps in Tombs do set your Sim on fire, it'll never kill them. However, Sims can catch on fire by Electric Traps, which can be deadly.

Sims will still panic, but are not as eager to run into fires as they were before. Some Sims, like those with Brave or Daredevil traits, will autonomously try to put them out. Most of the interactions will be disabled when there's a fire on the lot.

Should a fire spread to a Sim, they'll get the 'On Fire' moodlet. This moodlet lasts for 1 hour, after which death will occur, causing the Sim to leave behind a pile of ash with their name tag. There are some exceptions though. Mummies burn faster with 45 minutes, Sims that are Singed from electrocution, fire, or by some other cause will burn to death in 30 minutes. However, Daredevil Sims (and those with hidden Pyromaniac trait) will gain a 3 hour positive moodlet instead, which may not cause death when it expires.

When a Sim is on fire, they are not stuck in one place. They are able to move to another location while burning. Sims can use nearby showers, All-In-One Bathrooms, pools, oceans, and Dive Wells to extinguish themselves. Being in rain will also save your Sim. Sims who like being on fire (Daredevils) will seek to extinguish themselves on their own. If there are Sims nearby, they can extinguish them. If a Sim dies, the arrival of the Grim Reaper will put out all the fire on the lot.

Sims that die by Fire are orange as ghosts with smoke effect. The ghost starts off with low Hygiene need, making them seek out a bath or shower.

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Death by Electrocution

Sim has unfortunately met an untimely demise from electrocution. Too bad Sim didn't leave electrical problems to the trained professionals.
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

Electronics can not only break, but can also be upgraded. However, failing at repairing or upgrading one can result in an electric shock. The chance of it will be much higher if the Sim is standing on a puddle. Higher Handiness skill helps, while Handy trait reducing the chance further.

Sims can also get an electric shock from being struck by lightning. This happens during heavy rain, more likely when the Sim is carrying an umbrella or splashing in puddles. Sims can also get struck by lightning if they anger the Weather Stone.

There are also other things that can give Sims an electric shock but cannot be used when Singed. These include eating Magical Jellybeans, a Fairy being drawn to a Spectrum Mood Lamp for too long, or a failed Brain Enchantment Machine usage. While Electric traps can also leave Sims Singed, they'll never cause this death (these can cause death by Fire though).

When a Sim gets an electric shock, they'll get Singed. They have a very rare chance to die some time after (the chance is much higher for Unlucky Sims), but usually they survive this one. Singed moodlet can be removed by taking a shower or bath. However, if a Sim with Singed moodlet (from electrocution) tries to repair again or gets struck by lightning again, they'll die by Electrocution.

Mummies experience no negative effects from electrocution. SimBots and Plumbots will get their Energy need recharged to max. Sims turned into Toads however will never get electrocuted, but will always set the object on fire in cases they should.

Sims that die by Electrocution are light yellow as ghosts with a line texture and occasional blue electric sparks. NPC ghosts tend to avoid broken objects.

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World Adventures

Death by Mummy's Curse

That mummy has left with you more than a scratch… The eerie feeling of doom must be remedied by the Sphinx before it's too late!
- Mummy's Curse moodlet

Some tombs contain sarcophaguses. These can contain treasure, or can act as a sleeping space for Brave Sims. However one should exercise caution around them, especially in Egypt. Beware of searching for treasures there, as sometimes it may awake the mummy. Or anything can cause it to summon the mummy when set so...

When a mummy is summoned, they'll wander around the room for some time. If there are no Sims in the room nearby, they'll return to the sarcophagus. Otherwise, they'll go fight the nearest Sim. Defeating a mummy is really difficult, requiring high Athletic and Martial Arts skill. Sims defeated by a mummy will usually pass out for 10-30 minutes, but there's always 20% chance get cursed instead. The mummy will return to their sarcophagus afterwards (in an unmodded game). A sarcophagus can release the mummy only once though.

Sims cursed by a mummy will have 14 days to find a cure for it. Pleading with the Sphinx statue will give it a little extension. When 11 days are left, you can notice a haze filling the screen when the cursed Sim is selected. At first, it's barely noticeable, but once 3 days are left, it'll begin to fill more of the screen. On the final 4 hours, a mummy's face can be seen from time to time. Once the timer is left to run out, the Sim dies and turns into a pile ash with their name tag. If a Sim somehow survives this (is pregnant or off-lot), they'll lose the curse but gain the Evil trait.

Sims that die by Mummy's Curse are black and gold as ghosts surrounded with black haze. Sims that die this way in-game will have one of their traits replaced with the Evil trait, so expect nasty behavior from them like stealing candy from babies.

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Ambitions

Death by Meteor

Sim got crushed by a meteor. Hopefully they wished upon that star!
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

A meteor falling to where your Sim is at is a really rare event. The chances of it happening randomly is 0.01% every in-game hour outdoors, which can be raised a little by using a telescope to 0.1%. Using a Meteor Magnet from Into the Future (obtained when trying to trigger a Dystopian Future) carries a 2.5% chance of the event happening. If you have an alien in the household, they can summon these. It'll require a lot of brain power from them though.

Should such an event happen, a booming music will play alongside with a notification and a shadow. Sims will gather near the shadow (or on it) to look at the meteor. After some time, Sims will brace themselves for an impact when it's very near to the ground. Once on the ground, the meteor will cause some explosions, a crater, some fire if on your home lot, makes nearby Sims Singed and objects and causes death to those who were on the shadow at that time. Multiple Sims can die to a meteor. Aliens cannot be crushed however.

Good news is that it'll leave a lot of meteorites for your Sims to collect for profit and Brain Power (for aliens)! Do note that random meteor strikes in Dystopian Oasis Landing never seems to cause death.

Sims that die by Meteor are dark orange as ghosts with smoke effect. The ghost starts off with low Hygiene need, making them seek out a bath or shower.

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Late Night (also in Supernatural)

Death by Thirst

Vampires with a manic thirst are no longer able to think clearly. Dangerous and near death, Madly Thirsty Vampires are closer to animals than Sims.
- Madly Thirsty moodlet

In essence, it's death by Starvation for vampires. However, instead of a body, this will leave behind a pile of ash with Sim's name tag. Normal food won't fill that (unless it uses a Plasma fruit as its ingredients). Instead, vampires have to get it from Plasma fruit, Plasma packs, or by biting non-vampire Sims.

There is one difference though. Vampire's Thirst need will go down faster if they have been exposed to sunlight outdoors for too long. Having "Too Much Sun" moodlet reduces the time it takes to die by Thirst from 3 days to 4 hours and 18 minutes. Do note that sunlight itself is not deadly to vampires.

Sims that die by Thirst are dark red as ghosts with a pulsing light from the chest. A heartbeat sound will accompany them. When they first die, their body weight will be set to thinnest. They will start with low Thirst need, which will make them seek out plasma.
Note. This death type cannot be chosen when creating a ghost in CAS.

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Showtime

Death by Box of Danger (2 deaths)

Now that you’re mastering the Box of Mystery, you’re ready for the Box of Danger! Now it’s you who must risk life and limb as you are Buried Alive!
- Purveyor of Danger (Magician career level 7) description

When a Magician reaches level 7 in their career, they'll receive the Box of Danger. With this, they can do two new tricks: Buried Alive (level 7) and Watery Grave (level 9). Both of these involve the Sim entering the box, having it filled with with something that threatens their life, and once it is drained, the Sim appears outside the box.

Like any other trick, it can fail (it fails less for Daredevils, witches, and fairies). However, usually when it fails, the Sim is still in the box, alive, failing at escape. However, there is a 3% chance that the trick fails spectacularly, leaving a dead body of the magician in the Box of Danger. Watery Grave has a higher chance to kill Sims with Hydrophobic trait.

If a Sim dies while giving a performance, they'll immediately become a ghost and get to finish the show in peace. However, after the show is over, the Grim Reaper will arrive to collect them.

Sims that die by being Buried Alive/becoming a Human Statue are black and mostly invisible as ghosts.

Sims that die by Watery Grave are dark blue as ghosts with water dripping from them. The ghost shared the appearance with Drowning ghosts until the version 1.50.56.

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Supernatural

Death by Jelly Bean

Unfortunately, the world isn't perfect but at least jelly beans can grow on bushes!
- Magic Jelly Bean Bush description

Magic Jelly Bean Bush, available in Buy Mode under Hobbies and Skills/Miscellaneous Entertainment and Decorations/Plants, is an interesting object. Sim can go and pick a bean from it to eat. The effect it has is random. It could temporarily change your Sim's skin tone, give a random positive moodlet, a random negative moodlet, deplete needs, set them on fire, electrocute them, or kill them.

Yeah, there is always that 1% chance that when your Sim eats a bean from there, they outright die. The death animation will reuse Death by Starvation animation, but don't let that fool you; it's an unique death.

Sims that die by Jelly Bean are dark purple as ghosts with jelly bean shapes floating around them.

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Death by Haunting Curse

All that spell casting has worn Sim out! Spells cast while magic power is depleted will fizzle and fail, sometimes with disastrous or even fatal results!
- Magic Power Depleted moodlet

Witches have their Magic Power meter to keep in mind. It depletes every time a spell is cast, and the lower it is, the more likely spells are going to fail. Having a more expensive wand (with Magic Hands Lifetime Reward being the best) and casting during a Full Moon will not only have more successful spells, but also have lower Magic Power drain. The meter will replenish over time. This can be fully replenished with Essence of Magic Alchemy Potions.

As a witch casts more spells and participates in magic duels, their hidden Spellcasting skill will improve. On level 5, they unlock a new curse called "Haunting Curse". This can be cast on another Sim to have a ghost stalk them for 2 days. While other curses apply the effect to the caster on a backfire, the Haunting Curse has a different effect of killing the caster. This way they can be summoned to stalk another unlucky Sim!

Sims that die by Haunting Curse are dark green as ghosts with spooky symbols floating around them (skulls, tombstones, and crescent moons).

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Death by Transmutation

Grant yourself power never before imagined, but remember that with great power comes great responsibility.
- Philosopher's Stone Reward Store description

The Philosopher's Stone is not so easy to get. There are two ways to obtain it:

This object can do two things, binding a ghost to the household and transforming any object placed on the altar in front of it into gold bars. This really includes any object: dirty dishes, trash piles, old newspapers, books etc. However, very cheap items (below §35) have a higher failure chance (65% of failure). This usually causes them to simply disappear, but there is 12% chance that the stone will turn your Sim into a gold statue.

The gold statue will be worth at least 50,000 Simoleons, more valuable than the gold bars it creates (§150). Check out the revival section afterwards to not only keep your Sim alive, but also become much much richer.

Sims that die by Transmutation are bright gold as ghosts with stars and sparkles surrounding them. Sparkly sounds can also be heard from them.

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Seasons

Death by Freezing

Brrrr!! It is now officially too cold. If Sim doesn't warm up soon, they'll be positively FROZEN!
- Frostbitten moodlet

With Seasons changing, it's important to keep an eye on the temperature. You can check it by hovering over the current season's icon on your Sim's portrait. The temperatures can range as so:

Hot weather consequences have been covered in Death by Fire, so let's get to the cold weather consequences.

During cold weather, Sims are encouraged to wear their Outerwear outfit to keep themselves warm. Well, at least give them some days entirely outdoors to not freeze solid... Should Sim wear another outfit, they will get colder faster, especially when wearing Swimwear.

Once a Sim has Teeth Chattering moodlet (or Starting to Shiver for those who Love the Cold), it's only a matter of time before they get Frostbitten. Once it happens, the Sim will freeze solid, falling on ground waiting for another Sim to help. If the Hunger need reaches zero during that time, the Sim freezes to death.

Sims that die by Freezing are light blueish-white as ghosts with cold breath coming from them. They will always have Teeth Chattering moodlet, with them having a wish to warm up. This will eventually result in children being taken away if the ghost is a child.

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University Life

Death by Blunt Force Trauma

Falling murphy beds will leave a lasting impression on unsuspecting Sims. Sim is being extra cautious around dangerous murphy beds.
- Murphy Bed Clinophobia moodlet

What's interesting about this death is that there are two ways to cause it.

The first way is through a vending machine. Besides buying something, Sims can also Shake and Slam the machine to either get something for free or get an item unstuck. Shake is a safer interaction (1%) with a lower success rate (free item chance 10%, unstuck item chance 50%), while Slam is a riskier interaction (3%) with higher success rate (free item chance 50%, always gets items unstuck). If your Sim is unlucky, this will cause the machine to fall on them, killing them. After the Sim is reaped, The Grim Reaper will take a can of soda from the machine to pour it on the ground afterwards.

The second way is through a Murphy bed. These are far more dangerous than previously, having the ability to crush Sims at any time (20% chance). Usually, Sims survive it, leaving them with Murphy Bed Clinophobia which temporarily prevents them from opening and closing one. However, there is a 6% chance, 10% for Clumsy and Unlucky Sims, that the falling Murphy Bed outright kills the Sim trying to open it.

The chance of the bed falling is 5% higher for following traits:

And 5% lower for following traits:

However, only Clumsy and Unlucky traits increase the chance of death when it falls.

Sims that die by Blunt Force Trauma are magenta as ghosts with feathers floating around them.

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Death by Ranting

Ignoring the Reaper’s request to quit ranting about death, Sim died by ranting about death.
- Phone call notifying of a friend's death

In Buy Mode under Hobbies & Skills, "Me Too!" Megaphone is available. Besides allowing you to announce protests anywhere, it also allows your Sim to rant. There are 11 topics Sims can rant about, including Work, Evil, Sunshine and Happiness, The Supernatural, Death etc. Ranting about Death can have an unpleasant side-effect though...

Whenever your Sim rants about Death, there's 50% chance that they'll outright die. However, this will be a warning from the Grim Reaper to not do that again. Your Sim also receives "There and Back Again" moodlet for 12 hours to remind you that. However, should your Sim die this way again while having this moodlet, they'll be dead for good this time.

Sims that die by Ranting are yellowish green as ghosts with Grawlix symbols surrounding them.

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Island Paradise

Death by Running out of Air

The oxygen tank is almost empty! Return to surface before you drown.
- Gasping for Air moodlet

Scuba diving is a new skill that allows your Sim to explore underwater locations. Most of the Sims can't stay underwater forever, with their Scuba Diving skill affecting how long they can be Breathing Comfortably as follows:

Once Breathing Comfortably expires, it'll be replaced with Breathing Shallowly for 2 hours. It's the time when the diving Sim should wrap things up and resurface. It'll become Gasping for Air for 1 hour, which is a really dangerous moodlet to have. Once it expires, the Sim simply drowns underwater.

This death can also happen when Sim's Hunger need is empty while scuba diving.

Sims that die by Running out of air are dark turquoise as ghosts with watery texture.

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Death by Shark Attack

You did a dance with a shark and the shark stepped on your toes… and your face.
- Mauled by Shark moodlet

During scuba diving, one threat to look out for are sharks. While they can appear (and even attack Sims) on the surface, underwater they can cut your Sim's diving session short. No wonder Sims with less than 7 levels in Scuba Diving get so scared they wet themselves when one appear. In addition, Evil and Mean Spirited mermaids can even summon sharks.

As long as the Diving Spot has at least one Underwater Shark Spawner (Isla Paradiso Diving Spots all feature at least one), sharks can spawn/be summoned underwater in that spot. It'll usually swim around for some time and then go away on their own. It's rare for it to attack Sims, but with player's actions, it can be made into a near guaranteed event.

A base chance for a shark to attack a Sim (both on the surface and underwater) is 5%. Additional 2% is added for each raw meat (fish, meat, anything werewolves can eat raw) in Sim's inventory (48 pieces of them practically guarantee an attack). Diving Sims can also watch sharks underwater, which adds additional 20%. If a Sim is about to be attacked, they'll get an interaction called "Examine Shark" forced on them. If the shark takes too long to route to the Sim underwater, the attack will not happen.

Once a shark attacks your Sim, the chance of victory depends on their Athletic, Martial Arts, and Scuba Diving skills (Loves to Swim trait also helps towards victory). You'll get a shark tooth when your Sim wins. However, if your Sim loses, they'll get Mauled by Shark and Gasping for Air (if underwater) moodlets, making the situation really dangerous. If the Sim loses to a shark while having Gasping for Air moodlet, you'll see a harrowing sight of their bones descending onto the ocean floor.

Mauled by Shark moodlet seems to prevent another shark attack for 8 hours. However, should a shark still attack a Sim with it underwater, it can also cause death.

Sims that die by Shark Attack are purple as ghosts with a watery texture.

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Death by Dehydration

Dehydration is deadly to a mermaid! Soak up some water immediately or else…
- Dehydrated moodlet

If your Sim befriends a mermaid while scuba diving (or spends 25,000 Lifetime Happiness Points for it), they can obtain a Mermadic Kelp. Eating it will turn your Sim a mermaid (unless it's given by an Evil mermaid). For mermaids, Hygiene needs becomes Hydration need, making them need contact with water to survive. It'll decrease even faster near lit fireplaces, fires, and during hot temperatures (brought out in Death by Freezing's table).

When the need gets low, they first get Chapped neutral moodlet for 3 hours, after which they'll get Flakey negative moodlet for 12 hours (shortened if Drying Up). If the need is left to run out, the mermaid becomes Dehydrated, at which point they pass out. Other Sims can help them by splashing water on them and rain can also revive them. However, if left so for 3 hours, the mermaid will die.

Sims that die by Dehydration are golden yellow as ghosts. If the ghost is still a mermaid, they start out with low Hydration need.

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Into the Future

Death by Jetpack Crash

A recent aerial joyride using a Jetpack has Sim's adrenaline pumping. What a great trip to the "danger zone!"
- Free Flying moodlet

Jetpacks are one of the wonders you can find in the future. In fact, when your Sims travel to Oasis Landing for the first time, they'll get one for free. It's a way to travel from place to place really fast. It can be even used to fly around for fun and excitement. Yet Advanced Technology skill is something that will help Sims to control it better.

Flying with a Jetpack can fail, which will cause Sims to fly up a little and fall to the ground. Fortunately, they'll manage to survive and dig themselves out. The chance of failure depends on Advanced Technology skill and goes as follows:

The failure chance applies when flying around or traveling with Jetpack. However, the Fly Around can be much dangerous. When it's used the first time, there's 1% chance for the Sim to die when they fail. However, the chance can rise up to 25% after 3 flights. Should your Sim be unlucky enough to not only fail, but also hit the death chance, they'll fly high high up before falling down as a fiery ball. The sound effect for the fire ball can be loud, so headphone warnings are in order if such a thing happens.

Sims that die by Jetpack Crash are red and orange as ghosts with a smoke effect and lava-like texture. The ghost starts off with low Hygiene need, making them seek out a bath or shower.

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Death by Time Anomaly

Time Paradox Sickness is taking a terrible toll on Sim's body and mind. Find a Hospital soon, lest he/she vanish completely!
- Do I even Exist? moodlet

Traveling to and back from the future can be fun, but in a way, you can also see how the actions in the present day will affect your Sim's future descendants. Should a descendant shift happen, new Sims will be generated as your Sim's descendants while all the old ones will die by Time Anomaly. Their graves can be found in Oasis Landing's mausoleum afterwards.

But this does not mean your Sims are safe from this death.

Using the Wellsian Time Portal to travel to future and back can sometimes not go well. Especially with lower Advanced Technology skill, the traveling Sims can experience side-effects upon arrival. The chance of having a side-effect goes as follows:

If this happens, the Sim gets one of three moodlets: Nauseous, Scared, or Time Paradox Sickness. The last one lasts for 4 hours, after which it'll become "Blinking in and out of Existence" moodlet for 1 day. At this point, your Sim will start to experience some weird effects. The final moodlet after that is "Do I even Exist?", which also lasts for a day. During that time, the Sim may find themselves completely disappear for a moment. If they do not seek a cure for it, they'll disappear... permanently.

Sims that die by Time Anomaly are light orange as ghosts with almost invisible arms and legs.

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Gravestones

As in other games, when a Sim dies, a gravestone is created outdoors and urn is created indoors (moving it indoors/outdoors changes its type). However, Sims can get a different gravestone when they die. To get a bigger gravestone or a fancier urn, your Sim must collect enough Lifetime Happiness Points within their lifetime. Do remember that the total amount collected counts towards it, so spending the points on rewards won't give your Sim a smaller gravestone upon death.

Lifetime Happiness Point Amount	Gravestone	Urn	Future Gravestone	Future Urn
0 - 74,999
75,000 - 149,999
150,000 +

If a Sim dies while in the future or dies by Into the Future deaths (Jetpack Crash, Time Anomaly), they'll get a futuristic gravestone instead. Futuristic gravestones will show a holographic projection of the dead Sim when someone mourns them. Mourn interaction is missing for futuristic urns however.

Gravestones (not urns) now show the cause of death on a plaque. Cause of death also affects the gravestone's color, for example Death by Old Age will have a white gravestone while Death by Fire has some orange tint to it. The color differences are especially noticeable on futuristic gravestones. While you can change the cause by clicking on a gravestone while holding Ctrl+Shift in Buy/Build Mode, this will not affect the ghost. If purchased from Debug, the default cause will always be Death by Fire.

There is one exception though. When a SimBot dies, while they get the same gravestone as Sims do, they always have the same plaque of a robotic hand holding a hourglass. This plaque isn't available through Ctrl+Shift click.

Pets get a different gravestone. Cats have a tiny flat gravestone, dogs have larger and bone-shaped flat gravestone, and horses have an upright one. Urns are ceramic for cats and dogs (with the shape of the animal engraved on it), while horses' urns are simply a wooden box. Unicorns' gravestones and urns have a different appearance, replacing the horseshoe with a horn.

Finally, should a Plumbot die (by Meteor, Blunt Force Trauma, or Ranting for example), they'll get a special gravestone not showing the cause-of-death plaque. In addition, their ghost color is green with a wireframe no matter how they died. However, secondary death effects like feathers or smoke will be displayed.

After the Grim Reaper has finished his job, the graves of the playable Sims will stay where they are. If the Sim was an NPC, their grave will disappear on the spot. If that Sim was a friend, their grave can be found in Mausoleum in your local graveyard. You can place and take from there with Manage the Dead interaction. Gravestones can also be placed in your Sim's inventory.

Reviving

Death sometimes may not be the end of your Sim. There are multiple ways to revive dead Sims.

During Reaper's Visit

Unlike in the previous games, when the Grim Reaper comes to collect the dead Sim, other Sims cannot plead for their lives. The dead Sim may try to plead for their own life as a ghost, but it'll always get rejected. Most of the time, there's nothing you can do. But sometimes there is.

While you can't plead with Grim Reaper, you can get your Sim's Logic skill up and play a lot of chess. With high Logic skill, Sims can challenge the Grim Reaper to a game of chess for the deceased's life. If your Sim wins, the dead Sim will be immediately brought back to life. This cannot be done when the Sim died by Old Age. Be sure to play a lot of chess beforehand (computer chess does not count) as those who do that have higher chance of winning.

The interaction to play chess for Sim's life appears when clicking on the Grim Reaper after the dead Sim has been turned into a ghost. There must be at least one chess table on the lot.

Unlucky trait can be a nasty trait. It can increase the chance of fire, electrocution, breaking objects etc. After all, they have a higher chance to die after getting an electric shock the first time or when opening a Murphy bed. For the Grim Reaper however, such a thing is so amusing to him that he spares the Sim. Due to this, Unlucky Sims can only die by Old Age and while scuba diving.

If you wish to give any Sim a chance to be revived, you'll need a Death Flower (or its seed). Any Unknown Special Seed you can find can grow a Death Flower bush (especially those found in Mausoleum), but you'll need 7 levels in the Gardening skill first. You may also find a fully-grown bush in some places (Sunset Valley's graveyard or debug menu in Buy Mode for example). The bush growing these can only be harvested once (or two for Green Thumb Sims) and yields only 1 Death Flower. Simply having one in the inventory will have the Sim give it to the Grim Reaper when they die, granting them revival.

Hint. Have a Death Flower but not in the dying Sim's inventory? You can still drag it into their inventory. Do it before they face the Grim Reaper as a ghost. Also remember that Death Flower seeds, even when not known as a Death Flower seed, also saves Sims from death due to a bug.

Finally, having a pet can also help your Sim to be revived. Whenever a Sim dies and gets reaped, there's 34% chance of the pet deciding to harass the Grim Reaper. The chance is higher for pets with Aggressive, Loyal, or Brave traits and lower for Clueless, Lazy, Skittish, and Nervous traits. Should that happen, the Grim Reaper will summon the ghost to resurrect them immediately. There really are some benefits of having an aggressive pet...

Making Ghosts Playable

The Sims 3 is the first mainline game that allows ghosts to be playable. Besides being able to go through walls and floors, ghosts can do all the things alive Sims can, including even aging and having ghost babies (who will inherit a parent's death type). Playable ghosts have their own gravestone in their inventory (which cannot be taken out), which they can use to return to the Netherworld, removing them from the household. They also do that automatically when their old age demands.

But how does one get a ghost to join the household?

When a friend or household member dies or your Sim befriends a ghost enough to be able to pick up their gravestone, be on the lookout for phone calls your Sims may get. Your Sim may get an a Special opportunity called 'Oh My Ghost!'. To complete it, you need to put the Sim's gravestone/urn in your Sim's inventory and visit the Science Lab. This will not only add the ghost to the household, but it also allows your Sim to visit the Science Lab to restore a ghost (it will cost §5,000 though).

As mentioned before in death by Transmutation, The Philosopher's Stone can be used to bind a ghost, allowing you to add any ghost in the world to your household (as long as they aren't in another household).

If you have Supernatural, you can create a playable ghost in CAS. Every death type except death by Thirst is available, even Futuristic Hologram Projection used on the futuristic gravestones.

Resurrecting a Ghost

Having a ghost is one thing, but having a Sim be alive again is another. Good news is that it is possible. But how exactly one does it will take time.

The main method is Ambrosia. This will require a lot of effort, as your Sim requires the following:

Once your Sim knows the recipe and has the required ingredients, they can go ahead and make a single serving of Ambrosia. Ghost Sims tend to automatically eat it while ghost pets need to be called to eat it. Once a ghost eats it, they'll be resurrected.

Note. Ambrosia also resets your Sim's age to the start of their current life stage.

If your Sim got a Time Machine (either by inventing it or buying it from a Consignment store), you can send your ghost time traveling to the past. There's a small chance they end up preventing their own death, resurrecting them immediately.

With Showtime, your Sim may obtain a Dusty Old Lamp from catacombs, Dance Sphere's dimensional gate, after giving a legendary stage performance, or purchase it from Lifetime Rewards store for 30,000 Lifetime Happiness points. One of the wishes you can make to the genie is to resurrect a Sim or pet. This wish can be asked multiple times.

With Supernatural, witches that have mastered their Spellcasting skill can perform Reanimation Ritual, which brings the dead Sim back as a zombie. Zombies can be easily cured (with Sunlight Charm for example) and will eventually become a non-zombie Sim. The revived zombie will not be part of the original household though.

Conclusion

While the base game features bare-bones death types, the expansion packs bring more interesting variety, some requiring players to go out their way to achieve these (or just be unlucky). With ghost colors and gravestone plaques, it can even encourage players to collect all the death types. Even if you don't want your Sims to die, knowing each cause and how to revive Sims can come in handy to prevent those.

We have more The Sims 3 guides and articles for you to check out. Alternatively, you can also check out deaths in The Sims 2 or in The Sims 4.

So, what do you think? Do you have interesting stories to share? Or more tips on each death? Feel free to share those in the comments below!