Maxis is back at it again with a new expansion pack for The Sims 4. The Life & Death Expansion Pack will allow players to explore the great beyond when it launches on all platforms this Halloween.
EA published a deep dive to reveal the new expansion, where Maxis gave Simmers a first look at Ravenwood in the reveal for the DLC. Ravenwood is “where the veil between life and death is especially thin,” and features three unique neighborhoods that each has “its own connection to the shadowy passage between life and what’s next.”
Players will get to live in and explore Crow’s Crossing, Whispering Glen and Mourningvale, where Sims will get to enjoy Ravenwood Family Day, Crow’s Crossing Celebration of Life, and Moon Revelry festivals, visit haunted houses, take a dip in the Baleful Bog and much more.
New Jobs
The expansion pack also introduces two new job paths: The Reaper Profession and the Undertaker 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.
Soul’s Journey, Bucket Lists, New Death Type
The expansion pack will also include the new rewards system called Soul’s Journey, which meshes Aspirations and Wants.
“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,” a blog post on the expansion explains. “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.”
The expansion also introduces the Ghost Historian Aspiration, Ghost Whisperer Reward Trait, Hallowed Ground Lots Trait, the Thanatology Skill, in addition to the new Macabe, Chased by Death, and Skeptic traits. There is also a new death type called Death by Murder of Crows.
Sims will also be able to complete Bucket Lists, which offers the ability to experience rebirth. Young Adult and older Sims will naturally populate a Bucket List over time based on Traits, in addition to writing goals for themselves in new interactions with computers and journals. Goals can be random, a goal from a specific category, or can write specific goals.
Wills, Planning Funerals, Experiencing Grief
Computers also serve as one of the ways Sims can write wills. Wills can also be created during the Family Day Festival and at the Town Hall in Crow’s Crossing in Ravenwood.
Using 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, according to the blog post.
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!
Sims will also experience four types of grief that will be based on their traits and, if applicable, their relationship with the departed: Denial, Holding It Together, Anger and Blues.
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.
Funerals are also now a plannable event down to dress codes, 14 different activities, location and time. The blog post gave some examples of activities that include Giving a Lighthearted Eulogy, Lighting Candles, Planting Something, and Serving Food.
Players who buy the expansion pack through December 12 will get the Lasting Legacy Family Portrait, a Mournful Melodies Music Box, and the Plumed Elegance Mask.
The Sims 4 Life and Death Expansion Pack launches on PC, PlayStation and Xbox consoles on October 31.
