“The Sims 4″ will launch its next paid expansion pack, “The Sims 4: Life and Death,” on Oct. 31, revealing new gameplay options including the ability to work as a grim reaper, plan funerals for your departed Sims, explore the afterlife with ghostly powers, live in “netherworldly” themed neighborhoods and even be reincarnated.
Priced at $39.99 and debuting on the aptly spooky Halloween holiday, “The Sims 4: Life and Death” will feature new Sims world Ravenwood, which is comprised of three neighborhoods: Crow’s Crossing, Whispering Glen and Mourningvale.
Among the biggest features in the forthcoming expansion is the ability to be reincarnated after death, an option that EA says will have to be earned through completing a Sim’s “Soul’s Journey”: “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.”
Additionally, “The Sims” players will get the chance to work alongside the game’s iconic death character, Grim, in a grim reaper career path, or get a job as a mortician or funeral director.
“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,” per “The Sims” developers. “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 “Life and Death” expansion is the first “Sims 4” pack to be released following EA’s announcement that it would be focusing on continuing to grow “The Sims” franchise through “The Sims 4,” rather than release a fifth iteration of the game. EA also formally confirmed at that time “The Sims” is being adapted into a movie at Amazon MGM Studios from Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment.
Read more details about EA’s “The Sims 4: Life and Death” Expansion Pack below in the full announcement below.
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.