The full preview of the Create A Sim and Build items catalogue is here!
We’re just a few short days away from the full release of the next Expansion Pack, and we’ve already gotten a full preview look into the new Sims 4 Life & Death items. Including a full catalogue preview of Create A Sim assets and Build Mode objects!
Without further ado, let’s dive deeper into the catalogue previews:
The Sims 4 Life & Death CAS Items
There are around 150 new Create A Sim items coming with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. The newest catalogue covers items from cute onesies and outfits for Infants to Elders. No life stage or grim profession has been skipped over!
The Sims 4 Life & Death Items in Build Mode count over 180! With objects ranging from exterior decoration, windows and doors to everything you need to create a monumental Funeral event.
Note that not all items are possibly present in the catalogue preview. Including the gameplay objects, locked items and hidden world items!
The big October 2024 Patch for The Sims 4 has arrived!
Electronic Arts has just published the newest Sims 4 Update across PC, Mac, Xbox and Playstation supported platforms. After many teasers about the next Sims 4 Patch being big, it’s time to unravel and see what’s really new in the game!
There’s a new segment in Create A Sim letting you choose a cause of death. Making it easy for your Sims to turn instantly into a Ghost of their choosing!
Occult Picker in CAS
Choose an Occult Sim of your liking to a Sim that you’re currently editing! Simply click on the Sim avatar icon illustration above the traits to select an Occult.
New Ghost Needs
Ghost Occult Sims have new need names in the latest Sims 4 Update, including:
Goo Waste – Bladder
Spooky Diversions – Fun
Ethereal Sustenance – Hunger
Ethereal Bonding – Social
Otherworldly Slumber – Sleep
Apparition Cleansing – Hygiene
Gravestone and Urn Picker
You can now customize any gravestone or urn in The Sims 4. Simply click on a Gravestone / Urn of your choice and select “Display…” interaction. From there you’ll be able to pick different variations, including Occult gravestones.
Become a Ghost in an Instant!
The new Death user interface screen has been revamped with this Sims 4 Base Game update. Since October 2024, you can now pick to become a Playable ghost instantly after passing away. Or, choose to become an NPC Freeroaming Ghost.
Interactive Reaction to Death
Sims can now interact to another Sim while they’re dying! As another Sim is having a vicious killer effect, click on them to select several reactions that your Sims want to express while they’re witnessing death.
Death Inventory Handling
There’s a new Game Option in the Gameplay section of the Settings Menu.
Automatic Death Inventory Handling: If enabled, the inventory of a previously played Sim will remain with the Ghost upon death. If disabled, a dialog will show at the Sim’s Moment of Death with the various options available for their inventory.
Base Game Bonfires
The new Filedstone Bonfire Pit is now available for purchase in Buy Mode. Making it the first ever Bonfire available for free in The Sims 4 Base Game.
Life Event Activities Build Section
The Build Mode User Interface has been updated with an additional icon for Life Event Activities. Collecting objects from all of the current Sims content for life events and holidays, as well as Funeral items coming with the upcoming Sims 4 Life & Death release.
The Sims 4 Update Release notes are coming very soon. Stay tuned!
Installing the Latest Sims 4 Update
You can get the latest Sims 4 Update on the following official launchers and platforms:
You can download the latest Sims 4 Update by checking for a Patch through the EA App. Or Origin if you play on Mac. If you have Automatic Updates enabled the update will automatically download through your client program. In case your EA App is not working properly ensure you’ve cleared your app cache!
If you play The Sims 4 on Xbox Series X / S and Playstation 4 and 5 you can request a new update by checking for updates under The Sims 4 game in the Main Menu. If you’ve enabled automatic updates the Patch should download right away.
The latest Sims 4 Update release is expected to break Mods and Custom Content depending on how much has been changed behind the scenes. Stay tuned for more reports!
Official Sims 4 Patch Notes
Update 10/22/2024
PC: 1.110.265.1030 / Mac: 1.110.265.1230
Console: 2.01
Sul Sul, spoopy Simmers and specters! This Halloween season, we’re summoning delightful surprises alongside the release of The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. A hauntingly huge thank you to those special ghouls who took time to report issues via Answers HQ.
Prepare for a ghostly array of fixes and updates. No tricks, just spectral treats!
Base Game Updates
Sims will react uniquely to others’ deaths based on traits and relationships. Experience everything from sobbing for a loved one passing to retching at a stranger’s death.
Ghosts can now be created in Create a Sim for Child through Elder ages.
After passing on, Ghost Sims gain a new set of needs in place of the classic, living Sims ones: including Goo Waste, Ethereal Sustenance, Otherworldly Slumber, Spooky Diversions, Ethereal Bonding, and Apparition Cleansing.
At the moment of death, Sims are now given the option to “Become a Playable Ghost” or “Become a Freeroaming Ghost.”
Upon the death of a marriage partner, two married Sims will no longer be married, they’ll be widowed. However, there is a new interaction that will allow them to “Ask to Stay Married” so they can reinstate their marriage status.
Sims can WooHoo with the Grim Reaper again.
Improved autonomous ghosts behavior such as reducing the frequency of ghosts breaking things and creating annoying ghost ‘byproducts’, i.e. puddles.
Added a new Outdoor picture category in Build Mode called “Life Event Activity” to help players find content for Funerals, Weddings, and more.
Infant, Toddler, Child Sims taken by Social Workers go to Household Menu in Manage Worlds, rather than being deleted.
Added a new bonfire object called the Fieldstone Bonfire Pit to Base Game.
There is an option on Gravestones/Urns to manually swap to the other one whether you are indoors or outdoors. Before it would always auto-change when brought in or taken out.
We added 10 new “true black” color variants to 10 different BG Shoes:
(ymShoes_AnkleOxford)
(yfShoes_AnkleBoots)
(yfShoes_PumpsLow)
(ymShoes_SneakersSlipOn)
(yfShoes_PumpsHighPointed)
(ymShoes_OxfordFringe)
(ymShoes_AnkleCombat)
(yfShoes_AnkleBootsCuffed)
(yfShoes_PumpsHighOpenAsym)
(yfShoes_PumpsMediumOpenJewel)
New Base Game Content That’s Cross-Pack Compatible
If you have Get to Work (Aliens), Vampires, Werewolves, Realm of Magic (Spellcasters), Island Living (Merfolks) or the upcoming Life & Death Expansion Pack, you can click on a Sim’s urn or gravestone to choose from a selection of which gravestones to use. That Sim who wasn’t a Vampire but was a little too obsessed with Vampires? Yeah, they can rest eternally with a bat-themed gravestone now.
There is now a Merfolk Urn and Tombstone for players with Island Living.
Players can swap occults while in Create a Sim if they have the necessary occult packs. This doesn’t remove progress on a Sim that’s currently being created (within reason).
Players can create Elder Dog, Cat, & Horse Ghosts in Create a Sim with the Cats & Dogs or Horse Ranch Expansions.
DirectX 11 – Improved GPU Detection on Hybrid Systems
We’ve addressed an issue affecting players with hybrid GPU laptops, where the game was defaulting to DirectX 9 on devices with NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards instead of the expected DirectX 11.
Bug Fixes
Console
[AHQ] Cottage Living – Images for crafted Cross-Stitch objects on PlayStation are no longer in grayscale.
[AHQ] Growing Together – Puzzles are no longer in black and white on PlayStation.
Base Game:
[AHQ] Sims will not eat spoiled food autonomously.
[AHQ] Plants that have enough water will stop dying.
[AHQ] Interactions will no longer jam and prevent progression through the interaction queue when caused by stuck chickens on the lot.
[AHQ] Sims will fully close their eyes when they are supposed to (like when sleeping).
[AHQ] Parent Sims will no longer get stuck standing idly in front of the crib when trying to interact with their sleeping baby.
[AHQ] NPC Sims no longer enter the lot without knocking on the door.
[AHQ] Skill books are now available at all libraries; not just the Willow Creek Library.
[AHQ] Most recently interacted with Sim will appear at the beginning of the Relationship panel.
[AHQ] Pizza delivery Sim can now be tipped and interacted with after delivering pizza.
[AHQ] Invisible Nannies have had their superpower removed and will now remain visible.
[AHQ] Sims will no longer incorrectly age up when adjusting game age options.
[AHQ] Stopped issues where a held baby tries to perform an interaction that requires an adult to put them down, but the adult can’t so it just spins in a loop.
[AHQ] Textures will now apply on one-Tile gable roofs.
[AHQ] Small black shadows on lots in Manage Worlds map can be removed by loading into the affected lot and exit to regenerate the thumbnail.
[AHQ] Blue squares no longer observed in lieu of empty Lot Traits when saving the lot in Build Mode.
[AHQ] Modify career outfit cheat now works for part-time careers.
[AHQ] Male tank tops are no longer observed after selecting Feminine fashion choices for previous SDX assets.
[AHQ] Mourning moodlet will not appear when a stranger Sim dies in front of the active Sim. The moodlet is only displayed if they are at least acquaintances.
[AHQ] Previous SDX Ponytail’s texture will no longer distort around pulled out ear shapes.
Non-binary Sims are now properly referred to as “Birthday Sim“ during the birthday party event.
[AHQ] Guerdon Goods Nano Can 2.0 is now tagged as off-the-grid.
[AHQ] Fixed an issue that could occur during the “Adopt a child“ flow while off lot.
Affecting Multiple Packs
[AHQ] Cleared situations where Build Mode objects and houses placed with ‘moveobjects on’ would appear in the sky.
City Living
[AHQ] “Game failed to load“ error no longer triggers when to visit apartments with placed pools (Error Code 132:dad724e4:16f19fc6).
[AHQ] City Living Festivals and other festivals now always appear properly in the calendar.
[AHQ] NPC Sims in San Myshuno will no longer experience sudden unexpected weight gain. NPC Sims’ bodies should only be susceptible to change if they are inside an active residential lot.
Seasons
[AHQ] Flower arrangements will look the same when placed from the Library or the Gallery.
Island Living
[AHQ] Merfolks now have their own tombstone and urn.
[AHQ] My Wedding Stories: Island Living canoe no longer gets water inside of it when navigating in Tartosa world.
Eco Lifestyle
[AHQ] Vertical gardens now count towards the Freelance Botanist Aspiration.
High School Years
[AHQ] Packed lunch boxes from inventory are eaten by teen Sims during lunch hours.
[AHQ] Rocks will respawn a few hours after digging in ‘Water Tower Way’ in Copperdale world.
Growing Together
[AHQ] Reduced clipping issues when Child Sims Practice Riding Bike near a building.
Horse Ranch
[AHQ] ‘Bad Ranch Product’ moodlet no longer observed upon Harvesting Excellent/Magnificent/Perfect Quality Plants.
For Rent
[AHQ] Property Owner will not be charged along with Eviction settlement after Tenant breaks lease.
[AHQ] Event Failed TNS no longer triggers after completing the Tenant Revolt event by performing “Promise Better Conditions“.
[AHQ] Lot Challenges and Lot Traits of a lot downloaded from gallery reflect correctly in-game.
[AHQ] When a tenant Sim bulldozes a unit in a Residential Rental, the rent for other hidden units won’t reset to zero.
[AHQ] The asset (yfBody_EPLongTunicPants_darkpink) pairs properly with all the Nail Assets.
Lovestruck
[AHQ] The asset (yfAcc_PediContrast_ContrastOrange) now has orange swatches.
Vampires
[AHQ] Infants will no longer teleport to outside of the Crib when Resuming Game right as the baby transitions to sleep.
Realm of Magic
Spellcaster animation will run less frequently in Create a Sim.
Werewolves
[AHQ] Werewolf Sims howl less frequently in Create a Sim.
[AHQ] Turned Werewolves will no longer occasionally lack color on their nose.
Vintage Glamor
[AHQ] Globe bar drink platter now fits on accent/end/coffee tables.
Paranormal
[AHQ] Lights no longer revert to auto mode in Haunted Houses.
Crystal Creations
[AHQ] The Crystal Tree will not become invisible or transparent and the crystals will be collectable.
Bust the Dust
[AHQ] Inspired moodlets from Cleaning House now have a proper timer to prevent overriding other moodlets and blocking related Interactions.
What are your thoughts on the big new The Sims 4 Update? Let us know your experience with patching the game in the comments below!
Cozy Kitsch and Sweet Slumber Party are the first Creator Kits coming for The Sims 4!
After announcing last month the arrival of a new Sims four product line called The Sims 4 Creator Kits, EA unveils additional information about the first releases, their release date and what to expect moving forward with this new Sims 4 DLC Type.
The first Creator Kits are a new Create A Sim Kit done in collaboration with Trillyke, along with a Build Kit made with CC Creator Myshunosun. Sweet Slumber Party and Cozy Kitsch Kits are just the first $4.99USD Creator Kits, with more announced to arrive starting 2025.
Check out the first look at Sweet Slumber Party and Cozy Kitsch, as well as the future of Sims 4 Creator Kits:
Table of Contents
The Sims 4 Sweet Slumber Party Kit
The Sims 4 Sweet Slumber Party Kit is a Create A Sim Kit made with CC Creator Trillyke. It sports new pajamas for Sims aged Teen and older, with Maxis Match design that will fit right into your collection.
The Sims 4 Cozy Kitsch Kit
The first release of The Sims 4 Creator Kits is also followed by another Kit for Build Mode, created in partnership with Myshunosun. This unique set is aimed towards furnishing your dining room to style.
Check out the first official previews:
Both The Sims 4 Cozy Kitsch and Sweet Slumber Party Creator Kits will hit the PC, Mac and Xbox and Playstation stores on November 14th, 2024 at 10AM PT. Priced individually for 5USD, or a price equivalent to your local currency. You can expect Creator Kits to cover all supported platforms moving forward!
But, what are these Creator Kits exactly? Find out in the official F.A.Q. thread below:
The Sims 4 Creator Kits – Offical Info
Difference between Sims 4 Kits and Creator Kits
What’s the difference between these Creator Kits and the kits you’ve collaborated on with creators in the past?
The Sims Team :The Sims 4 Creator Kits mark the first time that a full collection of in-game assets have been crafted by a creator and officially published by The Sims development team.
This new type of official kit partners with creators from the custom content community to lead the creation and design of new in-game content. Creators have the freedom to pitch kit themes and create items that speak to what they want to see in-game. This content will be distributed via official channels and available to all players, including Simmers on console! This approach will allow all players to add even more variety to their game, and console players to enjoy new content from creators previously limited to PC and Mac players.
We know there may be some confusion between previous kits featuring community collaborations and this new process. Previous kits, like our most recent Storybook Nursery with Sixam, start with outreach to the potential collaborator, who then pitches their idea for their potential kit, and works with the The Sims team to finalize the design and theme. The Sims team then creates the items in-game to bring the vision to life.
We understand that not everyone may be familiar with–or interested in–creating in-game items, so collaborative opportunities will continue to exist as an avenue to work with Simmers who may have exciting ideas that reflect communal interests, but may not have the technical ability to see these ideas realized on their own.
The process of making The Sims 4 Creator Kits
The Sims Team: Each item that is created for a Creator Kit has a unique set of parts depending on whether it lives in the Create a Sim (CAS) or Build/Buy (BB) game mode. The inspiration for each item comes from the initial pitch, where our creators introduce their vision in the form of a mood board that tells the story, tone, and vision for a cohesive kit. This helps the The Sims team understand what the creator is trying to achieve, and what it would take to successfully support the creator’s vision.
After the pitch, creators submit a comprehensive list of all the items they want in this kit, and The Sims team then evaluates if each item can be supported within our current toolset. A template is then created from the The Sims team’s catalog of assets that serves as the foundation for the creator to build upon.
The creators are then able to use this template to create a 3D model, colors, textures, and swatches for their item, with the help of documentation and guidelines provided by The Sims team. These guidelines are more about performance functionality and less about artistic style, so players can use the items in the ways they would expect to in-game. For example, if there is a bookcase, Sims can pick a book from it and read, and that CAS clothing will support a variety of body types.
Once a creator submits all of these parts for each item, The Sims team carry out a series of tasks and tests with Quality Verification that helps us catch any issues before the item is ready to be released. This also allows The Sims team to maintain compatibility with all other content releases.
For BB assets, creators have to additionally write a description for each asset, which is eventually added to the game catalog and translated by EA into the 18 different languages TS4 supports.
The final step is prepping for publishing. The creators name their kit, write the descriptions for store pages, use an early build to capture screenshots, and create renders of objects that will end up on the front of the kit art (packaging). The Sims team works with the creator to ensure everything is approved, then polishes, localizes, and delivers the final artwork–fully bringing the creator’s vision to The Sims community. We’re continuously improving and refining our process based on feedback from our creators and collaborators to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience. The details of this process may look different in the future.
How much creative freedom does the creator have?
The Sims Team: Creator Kits are a partnership between the community creator and The Sims team. The idea and decision-making behind what to create, how it will look, and how to go about authoring it comes from the creators themselves. Creators propose and refine the idea for their kit, select the clothing and objects they want to create and what they’ll look like, and come up with the names and descriptions that you’ll read in-game. That creative freedom even extends to areas you might not expect, such as capturing the screenshots for their kit, arranging the cover art, and writing the description of the kit that appears in the marketplace.
Because we see Creator Kits as part of our overall kits lineup, The Sims team does help set certain standards and expectations with the intent of preserving creative freedom. For example, we do ask creators to regulate the volume of content they include, and we share performance criteria their items must meet to maintain the game’s stability for all players. We’re learning and growing from our experience with creators to refine the process for greater accessibility.
Our goal is to empower more creators to unleash their creativity and bring new ideas and styles to The Sims 4, including things that we at The Sims may have never chosen to create ourselves. Embracing those creative differences creates a clear path to more choice and new experiences for everyone who plays The Sims 4!
Creator Pick and Compensation
The Sims Team:The Sims community and our custom content creators are exceptionally talented – choosing who to work with was an incredibly difficult decision!
As integrating assets that are made outside of The Sims team is such a new process for us, we treated this first wave of Creator Kits as a pilot. We’ve been working with a pool of custom content creators who are known in The Sims community for their high quality creations, responsiveness to community reported issues, and who are in good standing with official current Mods and Game Updates Policy, which can be found here.
This group has been instrumental throughout the pilot to inform a creator-first strategy and allow our team to adapt to their feedback and continue to refine the experience. We wanted to understand their typical process of creation, while also ensuring that this experience would be valuable and rewarding for them to take part in. Throughout this process, all creators have been fairly financially compensated according to competitive market standards at every stage for their time, input, and expertise. This has been integral to this pilot program and reflects our values of ensuring equitable compensation as part of The Sims Creator Program.
The future of Sims 4 Creator Kits
Looking to the future, we’re excited to continue to explore new ways to work together with the community to shape the game into something that speaks to players across all walks of life! We’re hopeful that The Sims 4 Creator Kits will serve as another way to uplift the amazing work being done in our communities and let their creators reach a wider audience.
Don’t forget to check out The Sims 4 Sweet Slumber Party and Cozy Kitsch Creator Kits when they go live on November 14th.
What are your thoughts on the first official Sims 4 Creator Kits? Join the conversation below and stay tuned for the latest updates on upcoming releases!
EA urges that you backup your save files for a big patch scheduled next week.
In a surprising announcement from The Sims Direct Communications team on Twitter, we’ve gotten a confirmation about the release of the next Sims 4 Update. The surprise part of the announcement is that it’s a week and two days earlier from the next Expansion Pack release.
It seems that Maxis is preparing beforehand to squash additional bugs for both Base Game and Life and Death Expansion a few days before the release of the Pack. Making it seem like the perfect time frame window to prepare for both the new Sims 4 Base Game features and provide a more stabile experience for the Life & Death Expansion release.
Here’s what we know about the official update so far:
Table of Contents
Official Sims 4 Update Announcement
The first confirmation about the next Sims 4 Update comes directly from The Sims Direct. Reporting that the next Sims 4 Patch is set to come out on October 22nd, 2024 at 10AM PT. Both Desktop and Console platforms are expected to be updated at the same time too!
Official Patch Statement
On Tuesday, Oct 22, a big base game update is coming to The Sims 4. If you use game mods & custom content, you may want to remove and backup save files. This will also give creators time to update their content to prevent potential in-game issues.
We have shared the relevant TDESC file in The Sims Discord for mod creators to access & start updating their mods here.
Additionally, we’re working on resolving the reported issues tied to the Reaper’s Rewards Events. Due to the varying details around each report, we’ve consolidated the issues to support the team in their investigations.
Update Release
The next Sims 4 Patch release has already been set! You should expect the new version of the game to be installed on your platforms on October 22nd at 10AM PT. To make things easier we’ve included a handy countdown to the exact update release:
Countdown to The Sims 4 Update Release
[janky target_time=”1729616400″ color=”#235c82″]
Confirmed Update Features
New CAS Personality Icon
The new gameplay trailer for The Sims 4 Life & Death has shown an additional hexaon next to the Aspirations icon menu. Some simmers are speculating that it could be related to the bucket list or some other features tied exclusively to the new Expansion Pack, but there’s a real possibility that it could be a part of the upcoming Sims 4 Update.
Occult Selector in CAS
This finding comes from modder @ZerbuTabek who datamined the new instance files shared by The Sims Team. In which he found new text strings and codes relating to an “Occult Selector” in The Sims 4 Create A Sim.
It may finally be possible to change occult types in CAS! There’s new code related to an “occult button” that wasn’t there before. This might be a button to change occult types.
This means that we’ll very likely now be allowed to change through different occults to the Sim we’re currently editing.
Mermaid Tombstones and Urns
SimGuruNinja shared an image preview of what the new Mermaid Tombstones and Urns are going to look like after the latest Sims 4 Update. Up until now players who owned The Sims 4 Island Living Expansion had a regular tombstone and urn for the Mermaid occult form.
Check out the preview below:
Creator @ArdoSims has also added in an excellent preview of all the Occult Tombstones we have now in The Sims 4 series. Updated with the new Mermaid objects!
All The Sims 4 Tombstones (2024 Update) / Image source
Choose Ghost Color in an Instance!
Ghosts get a cute addition for free with the next Sims 4 Update. Allowing you to shift through the colors of your ghosts in the same way you switch light color and intensity for light objects!
The occult from 2014 is getting a major revamp in this pack!
The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion is bringing a Ghost Power Tree to this 2014 occult form. First revealed last week, the new Ghost Powers have Good and Evil lanes, with some neutral powers added in-between.
In the screen below you can see that Ghosts now have 5 different Rank Levels. With each Rank Level upgrade you’ll be able to upgrade your Ghost Sims with new powers attributed to that rank level.
The Sims 4 Life & Death: Ghost Power Tree Preview
Power Previews
From the screen, we can conclude that there are 28 power abilities in total that you’ll be able to unlock through The Sims 4 Life & Death Ghost Power Tree.
Some of the examples shown include Expert Maintenance. A new Ghost Power that lets you fix broken objects and appliances in your home.
If your Ghost Sims are feeling in a hurry and have to fulfill a need emergently, they can freeze them with the Transcend Living Needs power ability.
Evil Ghost power abilities examples shown in the trailer are “Sow Ghostly Chaos”. An interaction which seems to frighten other Sims in their surroundings.
Another revealed Evil Ghost Power is the Levitator, which flips other Sims and steals Simoleon coins from their pockets.
The new Ghost Power Tree and Ghost Power Abilities are exclusive features coming with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion. Set to release October 31st, 2024!
What are your thoughts on the new Ghost Powers? Join the discussion below!
The brand new World, called Ravenwood, consists of three Neighborhoods. With a visible confirmation now that there are 13 lots in total. From the Grimtern’s office to the new Graveyard Lot, these premade buildings and households will be waiting for you in the final release.
The three new neighborhoods called Crow’s Crossing, Whispering Glen and Mourningwale are a part of Ravenwood, and you can look at all of them in the official preview below:
The trailer also included a quick glance at the new Lockhart Household:
What are your thoughts on The Sims 4 Life & Death World Map? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The latest official trailer is covering new gameplay features!
The Sims Team is releasing a new Gameplay Trailer for The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Diving deeper into the upgraded Ghosts, the Reaping Career and other elements to Bucket Lists, Sims Rebirth and plenty of other features.
The Gameplay Trailer will premiere on October 17th at 5PM CET. You can find the local premiere time in the trailer window!
Check out the new short gameplay clip from the upcoming Expansion!
EA and Maxis have released a new promotional gameplay trailer for The Sims 4 Life and Death Expansion Pack. Focusing mostly on the new Grim Reaper Active Career, as well as the new area where your Sim will prepare for and perform the career duties.
The new Expansion Pack is retailed at 39.99USD and is expected to release on October 31st, 2024.
Here’s what’s being fixed before The Sims 4 Life & Death release!
EA and Maxis have just published the latest official Sims 4 Laundry list. Covering a list of critical fixes to important bugs and glitches that players have experienced over the last period.
In the latest report, there’s fixes for various Packs, platforms and Sims 4 pack releases. See what’s being fixed in the latest Laundry List report below:
Table of Contents
The Sims 4 Laundry List for October 2024
Sul Sul Simmers!
Welcome to The Sims 4 Laundry List, where we share the top community concerns we’re currently investigating and aim to resolve in an upcoming patch later this month.
In our commitment to resolving technical challenges, our team focuses on community-voted fixes with each update. This is the fourth release in this series, and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to improve the experience for our players.
The list below highlights issues most frequently reported by the community through AnswersHQ. While some issues may not be listed, they may still be in the process of being addressed. Some topics can require an extended investigation on our end, so even though these fixes may be in active review, it’s not a guarantee that we’ll have an immediate fix for it in the upcoming patch.
Here’s the list of community concerns we’re investigating for the upcoming game update:
Console
[AHQ] Cottage Living – Images for crafted Cross-Stitch objects on the PS4 are no longer in grayscale.
[AHQ] Growing Together – Puzzles are no longer in black and white on Playstation.
Base Game:
[AHQ] Sims will not eat spoiled food autonomously.
[AHQ] Interactions will no longer jam and prevent progression through the interaction queue when caused by stuck chickens on the lot.
[AHQ] Sims will fully close their eyes fully when they are supposed to (like when sleeping).
[AHQ] Parent Sims will no longer get stuck standing idly in front of the crib when trying to interact with their sleeping baby.
[AHQ] NPC Sims no longer enter the lot without knocking on the door.
[AHQ] Skill books are now available at all libraries; not just the Willow Creek Library.
[AHQ] Plants that have enough water will stop dying.
[AHQ] Most recently interacted with Sim will appear at the beginning of the Relationship panel.
[AHQ] Pizza delivery Sim can now be tipped and interacted with after delivering Pizza.
[AHQ] Invisible Nannies have had their superpower removed and will now remain visible.
[AHQ] Sims will no longer incorrectly age up when adjusting game age options.
[AHQ] Stopped issues where a held baby tries to perform an interaction that requires an adult to put them down, but the adult can’t so it just spins in a loop.
[AHQ] Textures will now apply on one tile one-Tile gable roofs.
[AHQ] Small black shadows on lots manage worlds map can be removed by loading into the affected lot and exit to regenerate the thumbnail.
[AHQ] Blue squares no longer observed in lieu of empty lot traits when saving the lot in build mode.
[AHQ] Modify career outfit cheat now works for part time careers.
[AHQ] Male tank tops are no longer observed after selecting Feminine fashion choice for previous SDX assets.
[AHQ] Mourning buff will not appear when a stranger Sim dies in front of the active Sim. The buff is only displayed if they are at least acquaintances.
[AHQ] Previous SDX Ponytail’s texture will no longer distort around pulled out ear shapes.
Non-binary Sim now properly referred to as “Birthday Sim“ during the birthday party event.
[AHQ]Guerdon Goods Nano Can 2.0 is now tagged as off-the-grid.
[AHQ] Fixed an issue that could occur during the “Adopt a child“ flow while off lot.
Affecting Multiple Sims 4 Packs
[AHQ] Cleared situations where BB objects and houses placed with ‘moveobjects on’ would appear in the sky.
Bust the Dust
[AHQ] ‘Clean house’ Inspired buff now has a proper timer to prevent overriding other buffs and blocking related Interactions.
City Living
[AHQ] “Game failed to load“ error no longer triggers when to visit apartments with placed pools (Error Code 132:dad724e4:16f19fc6).
[AHQ] City Living Festivals and other festivals now always appear properly in the calendar.
[AHQ] NPC Sims in San Myshuno will no longer experience sudden unexpected weight gain. NPC Sims’ bodies should only be susceptible to change if they are inside an active residential lot.
Crystal Creations
[AHQ] The Crystal Tree will not become Invisible or Transparent and the crystals will be collectable.
Eco Lifestyle
[AHQ] Vertical gardens now count towards the Freelance Botanist Aspiration.
For Rent
[AHQ] Property Owner will not be charged along with Eviction settlement after Tenant breaks lease.
[AHQ] Event Failed TNS no longer triggers after completing the Tenant Revolt event by performing “Promise Better Conditions“.
[AHQ] Lot Challenges and Lot Traits of a lot downloaded from gallery reflect correctly in-game.
[AHQ] When a tenant Sim bulldozes a unit in an off-lot Residential Rental, the rent for other hidden units won’t reset to zero.
Growing Together
[AHQ] Reduced clipping issues when Child Sims Practice Riding Bike.
[AHQ] The asset “yfBody_EP LongTunicPants _darkpink“ pairs properly with all the Nail Assets.
High School Years
[AHQ] Packed lunch boxes from inventory are eaten by teen Sims during lunch hours.
[AHQ] Rocks will respawn a few hours after digging in ‘Water Tower Way’ in Copperdale world.
Horse Ranch
[AHQ] ‘Bad Ranch Product’ moodlet no longer observed upon Harvesting Excellent/Magnificent/Perfect Quality Plants.
[AHQ] Turned Werewolves will no longer occasionally lack color on their nose.
Next Sims 4 Update Release Time
The next Sims 4 Update is expected to release a few days before the official release of The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Looking at the calendar, it’s very likely that the Update will be set for release on October 29th across PC, Mac and Console platforms, but we’ll know for certain when the time for that comes!
What are your thoughts on the upcoming fixes listed in the latest Sims 4 Laundry List? Join the discussion below!
Players started reporting about the new descriptions of each individual features from this Expansion Pack. Broken down to detailed descriptions on how they work and what to expect from each pack segment.
We took the time to extract all the text information about the upcoming Pack in one handy article. Take a look!
The Sims 4 Life & Death: Features from EA App
Choose your life’s goals
Young Adult Sims and older will have Bucket Lists that fill up with goals. Some items you may choose, and some will appear for you to accept or reject. Possible Bucket List items include declaring a crafted masterpiece your life’s work, WooHooing in an unconventional location while a relationship is at max, spending 24 in-game hours in a specific world, and more. Completing Bucket List items in life will unlock interactions, the Burning Soul trait, the ability to be Reborn, and more.
Complete your unfinished business
If a Sim dies with incomplete items on their bucket list and becomes a Ghost, those items will become their unfinished business. Completing the items will then unlock the options to either Move On or be Reborn, though you may also choose to have them remain a Ghost.
Start over
Completing their Bucket List or Unfinished Business will give a Sim the ability to be Reborn. They will be submerged in Ravenwood’s Baleful Bog before you’re taken into CAS. The Reborn Sim’s age and appearance will both be customizable, and you can also choose which household your Reborn Sim will join and what their relationships will be (for example, you could insert the Reborn Sim into the Goth family with Bella and Mortimer as their parents).
Reapers & Morticians
Start an active career as a Reaper, a member of Grim’s team. Perfect for Sims with a dark sense of adventure, this job will take you to Grim’s office and beyond. Visit the dead and reap souls in person, stop active hauntings, and enjoy day-to-day tasks like ushering soul orbs along their journeys and chatting with Grim (your boss). If you’re looking for an equally gloomy but off-screen career, visit the Crypt to start working as a mortician.
Embrace the beyond
The Ghost Historian Aspiration is for Sims who want to study the departed. Sims with this aspiration will want to explore the Crypt, befriend Ghosts, and write down their findings. In time, they’ll be able to write Horror books. There are also 3 new traits. Macabre Sims delight in the dark and marvel at the morbid. Chased By Death will give Sims a ‘seize the day’ attitude and tilt the odds against them in risky situations. Skeptical Sims do NOT believe in Ghosts, even when they encounter them.
Pet Crows & Tarot
A Pet Crow can be a beloved companion in The Sims 4 Life & Death. Befriending your crow will make it inclined to bring you gifts, and they can even be taught to say Simlish words through Mimicry. If you provoke your crow, however, it may become upset, and its friends will punish you with a Death by Murder of Crows. There’s also a new collectable, Tarot Cards, which can be found around Ravenwood (or purchased in Build/Buy). Sims with a full deck can perform readings for themselves and others.
Every Sims grieves differently
Unhappy events like Deaths and Breakups will have long-term emotional effects on Sims. The 4 types of Grief are Anger, Blues, Holding It Together, and Denial, and which one a Sim experiences will depend on their traits as well as what happened and who they lost. Grieving Sims will have new interactions and a variety of ways to cope, including talking to other Sims and Counseling.
Remember in your own way
When your Sims lose a loved one, hold a custom event with the rituals you want. Gather in a location of your choosing and express grief in a variety of ways from Toasts to Eulogies to a Memorial Cannon that shoots confetti. Rituals may be somber, but upbeat celebrations of life are possible too. Besides hosting an event, you can commemorate deceased Sims with customizable Gravesites and Caskets. Choose the look of headstones & urns, and add decorations a Sim would have enjoyed to their casket.
Write wills & pass down Heirlooms
Sims aged child and up can designate certain items as Heirlooms, which can be passed down through generations. Possible Heirlooms include both craftable items and items available in Build Mode, like quilts and music boxes. Hovering over an Heirloom will always show the Sim it belonged to. Sims can create wills which willi dictate which other Sims will obtain their Heirlooms, money, children, and more. Choose the emotional impact you want the Will Reading to have.
Grow your power
Power progression for Ghosts has 5 tiers split between good and evil lanes, as well as a 4-tier neutral track in the middle. As you work to become the best (or worst) ghoul you can be, you’ll unlock powerful abilities. Make sure to watch your stamina gauge; you’ll get more see-through when you’re low on energy. The ultimate ability of the good track is Benevolent Blessing, and the ultimate ability of the evil track is Otherworldly Curse.
How will you haunt?
You can be a very friendly ghost and help out around the house you’re haunting, cleaning messes and fixing broken items. This will earn you Goodwill essences. You can also embrace the fiendish fun of scaring living Sims to earn Fear essences. Both types of essence can be sold for Simoleons (Ghosts need money, too!).
Visit the dead
Crypts can hold the urns of up to 20 Sims, but they are more than just a final resting place. The living can visit to mourn, nap, WooHoo, or join the Mortician career. Eerie adventures are also waiting; make careful choices and you could find treasure, or something less pleasant. Cemeteries are a common site for grieving rituals. Ghosts often spend time there, and if you encounter the grave keeper at night he might share a frightful tale. Cemeteries can be created and placed in any world.
People, places, & poltergeists
No trip to Ravenwood will be complete without a trip to the Baleful Bog, a large river with supernatural powers. Sims in The Sims 4 Life & Death can go here for an out-of-body experience. Ghost Sims or Sims who are close to death can visit the Baleful Bog to be Reborn, if they’ve completed their Bucket Lists/Unfinished Business. You can also visit Alice’s dead tree to get a quest from the ghost mother, adventure in a Haunted House, meet Grim in the Garden Ruins, encounter the frightening Edith in the village, and more.
What are your thoughts on the extra information about The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion?
Join us in the comments below and stay tuned for the latest updates on this pack!
Everything confirmed to come with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion!
EA dropped a massive bombshell of an Expansion Pack announcement with The Sims 4 Life & Death. Revealing new features for both the living – and soon to be dead!
This 40USD Expansion Pack rocks new additions across all game modes of The Sims 4. In this list, we’ll be taking you through all the confirmed features and gameplay coming with this Expansion.
Let’s dig in!
List of Confirmed Features
Sims and Create A Sim
Create A Sim Traits: Macabe, Chased by Death, Burning Soul
Upgraded Ghosts (Possibly a new Create A Ghost ability in CAS?)
These Sims from The Sims 2 are making a comeback!
It’s been confirmed by The Sims Team that Nervous Subject from The Sims 2 Strangetown is making a comeback in The Sims 4 Life & Death! Fans also speculate that the Sim in the center of the cover is Ophelia Specter from Strangetown. Although her hair seems to be dyed in black in this game!
Build Mode and Architecture
The style of new Build Mode objects and furniture coming with The Sims 4 Life & Death is called Romanian Revival. This architectural theme allows for players to create gorgeous homes, Graveyards and even decorate the new Funeral Events in style.
The Build Mode items for creating Houses this time around are very cool. You get the brand new Roof Decorations which will help give your home more of a run-down vibe. Broken window glasses and other objects decaying are also to be expected in this Pack!
New Lot Type: Graveyards
Graveyards are officially confirmed as a new Community Lot Type in The Sims 4 Life & Death!
New Lot Trait: Hallowed Grounds
New World
There’s a brand new world in The Sims 4 Life & Death is called Ravenwood. A mixture of village and small town aesthetic, this world seems to draw some inspiration from Romania / Transylvania.
The world is seperated into three different Neighborhoods:
Crow’s Crossing
The Crow’s Crossing Neighborhood is filled with villagers and Ghosts with their regular hountings. There’s an NPC called “Mysterious Merchant” offering you exclusive deals on mystery items and collectibles. You can also find the “Try Before You Die” casket sales in the middle of the neighborhood handled by this mystery merchant.
Expect festivals like Family Day and Crow’s Crossing Celebration of Life to be featured in this neighborhood. Wishing wells and haunted hauses are all premade and a part of this Ravenwood neighborhood!
Whispering Glen
This Sims 4 Life & Death neighborhood is more peaceful than the previous one. Giving you some well deserved off time from hauntings and Ghosts with its countryside surroundings. There are Crypts, a Tarot Tome Shrine and community gardens. For festival lovers, the new Moon Revelry festival is a place to share stories, dance and light a bonfire.
If you have The Sims 4 Werewolves Game Pack, a Full Moon will ensure a festival “optional clothing” rule, letting your entire neighborhood bathe in the moonlight.
Mourningwale
One of the most beautiful neighborhoods in the series, Mourningwale is a place for Ghosts to roam and call it their second home. With the Grim Reaper strolling around the neighborhood every now and then.
There’s a lake area called Baleful Bog where Sims can have an “out-of-body experience”. Also letting them transition into Rebirth if they’ve completed their Soul’s Journey.
Two types of festivals / meetups are to be expected in Mourningwale. One called “Thinned Festiveil”, and the other called “Afterlife Anonymous meetup”.
The Ghost Train
Fun fact about the new world: There’s a Ghost Train in one of the new Neighborhoods!
Gameplay
Funerals
After a Sim passes away, you’ll be able to throw a Funeral event. Managing a funeral means you get to pick a Dress Code and Color for guests, as well as plan funeral activities. Out of 14 funeral activities, the team shared Giving a Lighthearted Eulogy, Lighting Candles, Planting Something, or Serving Food.
Interactions during the Funeral Event include setting up Memorial Displays with a portrait of the deceased, selecting which Urn or Tombstone they want, decorating a Gravesite, leaving them a message on a special memorial statue, or by interring their Urns in Crypts.
Reaper Active Career
Working with the Grim Reaper in harvesting souls is now a full-time active career in The Sims 4 Life & Death. In this career you will be taken to Grim’s “Netherworld Department of Death” location. Where you can train reaping souls from dummies, determine cause of death by sims that passed away, maintain intern Sims’ scytches and more. Or, choose to work in the field and put all those skills to action! Experienced reapers can choose which Sims can return to life after their death, and which Sim souls can they reap. There’s a “soul quota” in the Reaper profession that can be filled out by placing souls at the Netherworld Portal. Sims who meet the soul quota can become Employees of the Month!
Undertaker Career
This off-site “rabbit hole” career has two branches to pick from: Mortician and Funeral Director. Rewards include a new “Plague Mask, “Murphy Membrane Bust” and “Corpus Commendation Plaque”.
Tarot Cards
Give your Sims a reading of their life with the new functional Tarot Cards!
Soul’s Journey and Bucket List
Your Sims finally have a purpose in life with the new “Soul’s Journey” Sim panel interface. This addition mixes your Sim’s Aspirations and Wants which will help progress the bar along with the new “Bucket List” feature.
This feature is available for Sims who are Young Adults all the way up to Elders. Depending on your Sim’s traits, you’ll receive different Bucket List goals that your Sim will need to fulfill in order to help progress their Soul’s Journey. Or, if you want to create and manage your own Bucket List – you certainly can! Interactions like Write on the Computer or Journal will allow Sims to pick a random goal for themselves from different new categories, like Family and Travel.
If your Sim doesn’t complete the Bucket List by the time they pass away, they can complete their Soul’s Journey as a ghost through their Unfinished Business.
Sims Rebirth
So, you’ve completed your Soul’s Journey. Congratulations! You get to experience life all over again with Rebirth – putting your Sim in the baby steps once again as they transfer from passing over to being born. There are big gameplay benefits to being reborn, such as unlocking powerful Reward Traits, Infant Milestones from Growing Together and even unlocking all Childhood Development Skills from Parenthood. It all depends to the age you want to be reborn in!
Pet Crows
Crows are a new type of Pet in this Expansion Pack. You can train them, socialize or take them wherever you go!
Beware though, they are known to be murderous.
Grief System
The new Grief System ensures that traumatic events in The Sims 4 Life & Death don’t get overshadowed by simple, happy moodlets. What can trigger this new Grief System is a loss of a death of a known Sim, divorce, getting fired or pet death if you have Cats & Dogs and / or Horse Ranch installed.
Four Grief Types have been revealed, including Denial, Holding it Together, Anger and Blues. Based on the Sim traits that you have, different Grief types will be applied.
New features like rabbit hole Grief Counseling will help your Sims alleviate some of the symptoms. Other interactions can help progress the grieving process like consoling about death to other Sims. They can also take a creative road and perform hobbies to help progress the Grief.
Wills and Heirlooms
While alive, your Sim can write a Will through their computer, at the Crow’s Crossing town hall or the Family Day festival. With Wills Sims can leave their heirlooms and belongings to Sims of their choice, as well as leave a personal note.
If you really want to be dramatic and create a storyline of your dreams, there’s an ability to “set emotional reactions” after reading the Will to set Sims. Micromanagement goes a long way through designating which Children or Pets should be in custody of who in case the Sim that’s writing the Will dies. If everyone in the family passes away, you’ll be able to choose a different household in the world to leave your belongings, or just donate everything to charity.
Dying Peacefully in Sleep
One of the frames in The Sims 4 Life & Death Reveal has shown a Sim passing away in their Sleep! After passing away, their soul will slowly rise up in the glowy star.
Ghost Upgrades
The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion gives new Features for Ghost Sims. They can choose to sleep inside inanimate objects or, if the Ghost Sims are a couple – choose to WooHoo in objects!
Ghost Sims can be further customized in Create A Sim and build their new Ghost Powers in Live Mode. For those who want to become rich by being a Ghost, you can now earn Simoleons by scaring other Sims – or doing good deeds for them.
Specter Ghosts from The Sims 4 Paranormal Stuff
The cute version of Ghosts are being reintroduced all over again in The Sims 4 Life & Death!
Ghost Cowplants
We really don’t know how this one came to be, but it seems that Cowplants are eligible to become ghosts now too!
“The Wednesday” Dance
Players noticed that the popular Tiktok “Wednesday Dance” has been introduced to The Sims 4 Life & Death as a new dance animation! Make move Gangnam Style from The Sims 3 University Life, there’s a new star in town.
Missed something from the reveal? We got you covered!
The Sims Team has just launched their Reveal Trailer for The Sims 4 Life & Expansion. Expected to launch across PC, Mac, Xbox and Playstation supported consoles on October 31st, 2024.
The latest Expansion Pack boasts new Features such as Funerals, Grieving System, Soul Journeys and plenty more. We have a lot more Gameplay footage coming our way on October 17th, but until then, let’s see what we can find in the Reveal Trailer!
The Sims 4 Life & Death Reveal Footage
So many interesting frames were included in The Sims 4 Life & Death Reveal that we wanted to compile all the important ones in one simple gallery!
Down below you’ll find a list of all the high quality screenshots from the Trailer. Simply click on an image of your choice to enlarge it!
Which features did you spot in The Sims 4 Life & Death Reveal? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
The first Assets for the latest Life & Death pack have dropped!
EA and Maxis have just dropped an official asset pack for their upcoming The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack.
The screenshots showcase the new Grim Reaper Career, brand new World called Ravenwood and unique ghastly interactions coming in this DLC set. We’ll be updating the article very soon with the official list of description and features. Stay tuned!
Peel back the veil to uncover the secret to richer Sim lives and beyond in The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Achieve your dreams in life by ticking items off your Bucket List or pursue them as a Ghost with Unfinished Business. There is a ghastly new world to haunt, a career that’ll bring you closer to Grim, Wills to write, Crypts to explore, and even ghostly skills to master. There are no real endings — only transitions — as you move between life, afterlife, and even rebirth.
Purchase now to get the Macabre Mementos Digital Content. Wonder at treasures that have endured time’s passing, witnessing the come-and-go of generations with ghastly grace. Look upon those who came before in the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, listen to the haunting lullaby of the Mournful Melodies Music Box, and masquerade in fowl finery with the Plumed Elegance Mask, available when you order through December 12.
An Endless Journey — Build your Bucket List by collecting goals throughout your Sim’s life, starting as a Young Adult. Items will appear on your list based on your Sim’s traits and family relations, and you can also choose your own. Removing items is possible, but completing them yields powerful rewards. If a Sim’s life ends with items still on their list, they can devote their afterlife to completing their Unfinished Business. The ultimate reward for experiencing everything on their list is the option to be Reborn, though you can still choose to Move On or remain on this plane as a Ghost.
A Ghastly, Gorgeous Life — Make death your life’s work with a career of reaping souls, helping Ghosts, dispersing hauntings, and more as a member of Grim’s team. Or, you could become a Mortician and deal with death more from the perspective of the living. Outside of work, you might spend your days exploring Crypts and building your Thanatology skill for the new Ghost Historian Aspiration. These things — among other dark diversions like bonding with your Pet Crow (careful, provoking it could be deadly) or collecting and reading the lost Tarot Cards of Lady Ravendancer Goth — will have a special appeal to Sims who are Macabre, one of 3 new traits.
Goodbye (For Now) — Different Sims will grieve in different ways. There are 4 types that will tie in with both Sims’ personalities and their relationships with the deceased. Grieving Rituals are customizable and unscripted, allowing you to hold whatever type of event (or events) fits your story. In life, Sims can create Wills which can be used to pass down Heirlooms, assign guardians for surviving dependents, distribute their Simoleons, and more. Sims can honor the departed with a memorial display featuring their portrait and by interring their urns in Crypts or with Custom Caskets and Gravesites.
Friendly or Fiendish? — Linger on as a Ghost, and spend your afterlife helping or terrorizing the living. Ghosts will grow in their abilities as they do everything from assisting with household chores to levitating living Sims and hanging them upside down (fun AND profitable — they may drop Simoleons!). Their interactions with the living can earn them Fear or Goodwill essences, which can both be sold for Simoleons. There’s a lot to do after death; Ghosts can even pair up for a special, spectral Woohoo.
A Town Worth Haunting — The veil between life and death is thin in Ravenwood, a 3-neighborhood town. Visit the countryside and perhaps take a swim by the mysterious face in the cliffs. Or, head into the village where you’ll find some odd goods for purchase near the old Specter cemetery, a haunted house to brave, or a festival to attend. The residents of these first 2 neighborhoods are (mostly) alive, but it’s Ghosts who will feel most at home in the third, where you’ll find 2 more festivals and a spectral support group. Living Sims can use its Baleful Bog to have an out-of-body experience and try their hands at being temporary Ghosts. Well, it’s usually temporary. Don’t overdo it.
Official Sims 4 Life & Death Screens
Life & Death Pre-Order Bonus
If you purchase The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack by December 12th, you’ll receive the Macabre Mementos Digital Content set! This three-piece set contains two new Build items and one CAS item, including:
Lasting Legacy Family Portrait
Mournful Melodies Music Box
Plumed Elegance Mask
Macabre Mementos Digital Content — Wonder at treasures that have endured time’s passing, witnessing the come-and-go of generations with ghastly grace. Look upon those who came before in the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, listen to the haunting lullaby of the Mournful Melodies Music Box, and masquerade in fowl finery with the Plumed Elegance Mask, available when you order through December 12**.
First look into the official features coming with The Sims 4 Life and Death!
The Sims Blog accidentally revealed the new information about the upcoming Sims 4 Life and Death Expansion Pack. Thanks to Variety, we have a full insight into the new features, careers, world and more coming with this expansion pack.
Check it out!
Table of Contents
Every ending means a new beginning. Which begs the question: what awaits Sims in the beyond?
This All Hallows Eve, we invite you to uncover the secret to a fuller Sim life and explore what lies beyond with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Venture into the haunting realm of Ravenwood, where three distinct neighborhoods await exploration, each with its own connection to the shadowy passage between life and what’s next. Your Sims will have the chance to craft a Bucket List, resolve lingering Unfinished Business in the afterlife, wield new Ghostly Powers to unleash mayhem, kindness, or something in between, and even undergo a Rebirth.
New Haunts and Netherworldly Neighbors
Allow us to welcome you to Ravenwood, where the veil between life and death is especially thin. Here you’ll find 3 unique neighborhoods, where Sims walk shoulder to shoulder with Ghost Sims who have Unfinished Business.
Begin your Sim’s journey in Crow’s Crossing, an eerie village rumored to be frequented by Ghosts and regular hauntings. Venture down cobbled roads where you might discover local grave makers, meet the Mysterious Merchant peddling an assortment of curios and collectibles, or happen upon the Try Before You Die Casket Sale. Sims seeking solace can visit the town cemetery, dappled with headstones and graves to pay respects to the Sims who once walked these roads (and may still be doing so), or disappear into a Crypt to share a special moment with a lover or tell ghost stories. With the Ravenwood Family Day or Crow’s Crossing Celebration of Life festivals, haunted houses, and a ghostly guarded Wishing Well, there’s plenty to explore.
For a slower pace, Sims can stroll the rolling hills and idyllic countryside of Whispering Glen. Steeped in ruins and rumors, it’s a paradise for collectors and historians alike. Explore the local Crypt, investigate the Tarot Tome Shrine at the base of the ruins, garden in the shared community plots, or gather collectibles. Whatever you do, stay until the moon rises. Each night, Whispering Glen hosts the local Moon Revelry festival, where Sims can swim under the moonlight, share stories at a bonfire, and dance. Things get a little wild during the Full Moon where clothing is entirely optional.
There’s something otherworldly about Mourningvale. Maybe it’s the way the wind howls through the moss-draped trees, the eerie clang from the Bell Tower at odd hours, or the sentient plants. No matter the reason, many Ghosts choose to call this place home. The Grim Reaper has even been known to wander through now and then. Here, Sims can take a dip in the Baleful Bog to have an out-of-body experience or transition into Rebirth, partake in local customs at the Thinned Festiveil, or make peace with their mortality at the Afterlife Anonymous meetup. Whatever happens, a trip to this neighborhood is sure to send a shiver down the spine.
Sims Only Live Once, Right?
There is a lot to do in a Sim’s lifetime and so little time! Keep track of everything Sims want to do to live their life to the fullest with Soul’s Journey, an all encompassing reward system uniting Aspirations and Wants. A Sim’s Soul’s Journey allows them to achieve rewards as they fulfill goals, with the ultimate reward being the ability to Rebirth a Sim with the special Burning Soul trait after their passing. Sims who are Reborn after completing their Soul’s Journey can unlock past Childhood Development Skills, Traits and Infant Milestones (depending on the age they come back as). They might also find special ties to Sims from their past life.
Players can also ensure Sims achieve fulfillment by creating and completing their Bucket Lists. There are multiple ways for any Young Adult or older Sim to create a Bucket List. If left alone, a Sim’s Bucket List will naturally populate over time based on their Traits. There are also new interactions on the Computer and journal which allow Sims to write a random goal themselves, write a goal from a category (like Travel or Family), or write a specific goal. Completing a Bucket List has powerful rewards, including the ability to experience Rebirth. As a Ghost, Sims may also continue their Soul’s Journey to complete their Unfinished Business, which (if completed) will result in an even more powerful form or Rebirth with the Burning Soul Trait.
For some Sims, leaving life behind is hard to do. With The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack, players can let their Sims linger on as playable household members where they can wreak havoc on the living or lend a helping hand. Ghost Sims who build special connections with each other can also pair up for a special, spectral Woohoo inside objects of all shapes and sizes. As Sims adjust to their playable Ghost Sims form, they can customize their looks in CAS, build Ghost Powers and even earn Fear or Goodwill essences from their interactions with the living to make simoleons. Yes, there is still room to grow in the afterlife!
Grim’s the Boss
Sims looking for a new line of work can now dabble in death with two new Careers: the Reaper Profession and the Undertake Career.
In the Reaper Profession, Sims with an affinity for the afterlife can become Grimterns and work their way up to Reaper as they make a career out of facilitating the next phase of life for Sims. Work with Grim at the Netherworld Department of Death (N.W.D.D.) and even head off into the ‘field.’ Sims in this profession can experience reaper training with the all-around-good-guy-training-dummy, Kenny, maintain Grimtern Sims’ scythes, practice reaping souls on practice dummies, and determine causes of deaths for reaped souls. At higher levels, Sims in this Career can even determine which souls they’ll reap and which they’ll return to life. Once retrieved, souls can be placed in the Netherworld Portal to meet the soul quota. Grimterns who meet the soul quote are eligible to become Employee of the Month.
The Undertaker Career is a classic career in which Sims will serve both the living and the dead. From grave digging to embalming, Sims who pursue a career in the funeral industry ensure all Sims can move on in peace. Specializing in this before-afterlife care prepares Sims for difficult moments like, Discussing End of Life services or Contemplating Existence. Six feet in they will be rewarded with a Plague Mask, a Murphy Membrane Bust, or a Corpus Commendation Plaque to honor their achievements. It has two branches that Sims can go down: either Mortician or Funeral Director.
Honoring the Dearly Departed
Mortality and the afterlife can now impact the way Sims interact with the world around them to help create unexpected and exciting stories. Experience the Ghost Historian Aspiration, unlock Horror Novels and receive the Ghost Whisperer Reward Trait, visit any lot with the Hallowed Grounds Lot Trait, try out any of our three new Traits (Macabe, Chased by Death, and Skeptic), delve into the Thanatology Skill, or experience Life & Death’s new Death Type: Death by Murder of Crows. There’s a lifetime of stories to tell.
To prepare for their departure from the realm of the living, Sims can create a Will at the Town Hall in Crows’s Crossing, via the computer, or at the Family Day Festival. Through Wills, Sims can assign heirlooms to specific individuals, leave personal notes, set emotional reactions for loved ones reading the Will, specify how they want their remains to be handled, make Funeral planning requests and designate other Sims to care for their pets or children. If the entire Household passes away, Sims can choose to donate their simoleons to charity or another known Household. Wills can be updated at any point in a Sim’s lifetime.
Losing someone is never easy, even for Sims. The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack now allows Sims to experience four Grief Types: Denial, Holding It Together, Anger, and Blues. The Grief Type a Sim receives is based off of their traits and (if applicable) their relationship. Grief will have its own set of behaviors for Sims to navigate, and it normally takes hold after the mourning period has ended. Not just death causes Grief. Tough situations, such as the loss of a family member or close friend, divorce, getting fired from a career or the loss of a pet (if you have the Horse Ranch or Cats and Dogs Expansion Packs) can trigger Grief. Sims experiencing Grief can Reach out for Help from other Sims for comfort. They can also Attend Grief Counseling. Sims can Console About Death to other Sims, or cope positively with Grief by doing creative or productive activities while in the Grieving process. When at a Funeral, Sims can Offer Awkward Sympathies or Offer a Sympathetic Joke.
Once Sims pass away, Funeral events can be planned and held. When planning a Funeral players can choose which Sims attend and who the Deceased is, select a Dress Code and Color for guests to arrive in, pick from a variety of fourteen different activities, and determine the location and time. Examples of some activities include Giving a Lighthearted Eulogy, Lighting Candles, Planting Something, or Serving Food. Each Funeral is unique, and sometimes Ghost Sims may even appear at their own Funeral! Sims can also honor the dearly departed by setting up Memorial Displays with a portrait of the deceased, selecting which Urn or Tombstone they want, decorating a Gravesite, leaving them a message on a special memorial statue, or by interring their Urns in Crypts.
If you purchase the Life & Death Expansion Pack anytime from October 3 through December 12, you can look upon those who came before in the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, listen to the haunting lullaby of the Mournful Melodies Music Box and masquerade in fowl finery with the Plumed Elegance Mask.
Preorder The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack now to start playing immediately when it launches on October 31, 2024 on PC via EA app, Mac via Origin, Epic Games Store and Steam, PlayStation 5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One systems.
New World, testaments and more features to be revealed in the trailer!
We’re just an hour away until the worldwide premiere of The Sims 4 Life and Death Expansion Pack Reveal Trailer. Set to premiere at 8AM PT / 5PM CET / 4PM BT, the new trailer will showcase first features and gameplay coming with this 40USD Expansion.
In case you missed out on the gossip, EA Italy accidentally revealed new features in their teaser instagram caption.
There’s a whole new spectral world to haunt! Get closer to the Grim Reaper – with Testaments to write, Crypts to explore, and spectral skills to master!
Are you ready for the full reveal? Make sure you stay tuned on Sims Community for the latest news on the Life and Death Expansion!
