The Sims 4has frequent base game patches and with a new expansion generally comes a new, and large, free update. The Life And Death expansion is no exception, and includes a number of bug fixes as well as some new features to enhance your gameplay, regardless of if you purchase the pack.
The expansion focuses on playing with death as well as life, and the new features represent this with playable ghosts, new death reactions, gravestones and urns and the ability to literally flirt (and woohoo) with death. Here’s what you can expect in this free base game update.
8Create A Playable Ghost Sim
In create a sim, you can now choose to have your Sim be a playable ghost, forchild through elder ages. Simply click the newcause of death buttonand choose the manner of your Sims passing.Each death type has its own ghostand most of them have unique animations.
Those who have Cats & Dogs or Horse Ranch can create elder ghosts for cats, dogs and horses.
Depending on how your Sim passed, the background animation is not only different, butthere may also be effects in the afterlife which linger.Some ghost types have a debuff, such as random bouts of sadness for heartbroken Sims, while others are more beneficial effects, such as zero need decay for a ghost who become one with Mother.
There is also a toggle so that you canturn the ghost form on and off at random in create a sim, allowing you to see how different clothing swatches look in both regular Sim and in ghost form more easily.
7Turn Into A Ghost Upon Death
As well as creating a ghost Sim, you will also be offered the chance tobecome a ghost upon death. When your Sim dies you’ll get a notification and can choose tobecome a playable ghost, which will join the household, or afreeroaming ghostwhich functions as regular ghosts do.
If you are the only Sim in a household, then you will get the same ghost notification. However, you will get the game over notification if you choose to become a non-playable ghost.
Playableghosts function almost identically to regular Sims,except the needs now have more appropriate names including ethereal sustenance, otherworldy slumber, and apparition cleansing. If aSim was married before they died,then theirspouse will become a widow, but a new interaction will allow you toask them to stay married.
Autonomous ghost behaviour in all ghosts has also been improvedto reduce the frequency of them breaking things and leaving puddles everywhere without being asked to do so.
6Sims React To Deaths In New Unique Ways
Sims now havemore varied autonomous reactions to death.Sims who were close to someone who passed away will have stronger emotions than those who witness the passing of a stranger or acquaintance. However,all Sims will reactin some way to a death in the vicinity.
New emotions includeexcessive sobbing, as well as retching, or panicking.These emotions will now feel more natural and be triggered by a Sims death autonomously, helping with storytelling in particular.
5New Urns And Gravestones
When a Sim passes they will now have the option toselect from a wider range of urns and gravestones, although some of this functionality is pack dependent. As well as regular options, there are now unique designs based on each type of occult Sim with theaddition of a Merfolk urn and tombstone.
Occult designs will appear if you own the corresponding pack for that occult type. However,all Sims can choose the design they prefer, regardless of their occult status, meaning occult-themed urns for all.
you may alsoswap between urns and tombstones at willboth indoors and outside, since theyno longer switch automatically when placed. Instead, you can choose by clicking the item and selecting your preferred option.
4Swap Occult Types In Create A Sim
In response to players being frustrated by forgetting to select an occult type before creating a Sim, you can nowchange the occult status of a Sim at any pointduring the create a sim process.
The cas.fulleditmode on cheat allows you to easily change these settings at any point during your game, even after your Sim has been finalised.
Simplyselect the new pick an occult option, which is easy to find just above your traits, and you can change the occult status of your Sim at any point.No more requirements to restartor follow through the in-game quest chains.
3Woohoo With Grim
Not only can you properlyflirt with death, but you can now alsowoohoo with him. The Reaper Reward event offers a chance to gain aGrimophone, which summons Death himself, and you can nowuse your charms to bed him, should you be that way inclined.
Be warned thatGrim did put up a little bit of a fight. It took a few attempts initially to stop the prompt timing out before they reached their location. However,it does work with persistence, and hopefully Grim will become less evasive with time.
WhileGrim will happily become your friend with benefits,this new feature does not allow you to move him in or have a baby with him, although you may give him a key for those late night booty calls.
2New Bonfire And Shoes Swatches
In terms of new items, there areten pairs of base game shoes which have been given a true black swatchto make them funeral ready, and there’s also a newbonfire item,Fieldstone Bonfire Pit.
Thebonfire has a number of interactions,including being able to fire dance, hang out, burn money, and create some chaos with extra fuel. Just be careful with that fire, or you may become a playable ghost sooner than you expected.
There are alsominor updates to the build buy catalogue,with the addition of alife event activity category.This pulls together items required for major life events such as weddings and funerals.
1A QOL Change And Bug Fixes
Children And Parenting
The biggest change in terms of quality of life and bug fixes is thatany infant, toddler, or child Sim taken by social workerswill be added to thehousehold menu in manage worlds,instead of being deleted entirely.
Parents will alsono longer get stuck idling by a cribwhen trying to interact with their child andbabies being held will no longer put their parents in a loopif trying to perform an interaction which requires them to be put down.
Sim Behaviour
Sleeping Sims will nowfully close their eyes when sleeping, reducing player nightmares. They will alsostop eating spoiled food autonomously.
Non-binary Sims are now referred to asBirthday Simduring parties,teen Sims will start eating their packed lunches,and vampireinfants will stop teleportingoutside of their crib.
Those ordering pizzas can nowtip and interact with the delivery Sims.Speaking of which, NPC Sims willno longer enter your home without knockingand invisible nannies are no more, withall caregivers now being fully visibleand accountable.
Build Buy And Create A Sim Modes
Texturescan now be applied toone-tile gable roofs, curvedfences will now cast shadows, and those peskysmall black shadowson lots in Manage Worldscan now be removedby reloading then exiting the lot.
There are several fixes for clipping issues as well as a fix for objects placed with move objects on appearing in the sky.
A full list of all the bug fixes, changes and additions can be found in the officialPatch Notes.
