Sims 4 Life & Death Guide: How to Create a Will, Set Heirlooms and Plan Your Legacy

Sunaina1 week ago

Key Takeaways:

Control Your Sim’s Legacy: The Sims 4: Life & Death allows players to determine how their Sim’s belongings, funds, and even funeral arrangements are distributed after they pass away.
Easy Will Creation: Choose from multiple options to write and update wills, including the computer, Town Hall, or consulting an inheritance lawyer.
Perfect for Legacy Challenges: Wills provide a meaningful way to pass on heirlooms and memories to future generations, enriching long-term gameplay.

Creating a will in The Sims 4: Life & Death introduces a deeper, more lifelike element to the game, especially for fans of legacy challenges and multi-generational storytelling. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about wills, inheritance, and how to ensure your Sim’s legacy lives on in the game.

Why a Will is Essential in The Sims 4

Just as in real life, a will in The Sims 4 lets your Sim decide the future of their personal and financial legacy. This addition is more than just a document; it allows Sims to plan funeral details, pass down personal belongings, and even leave behind emotional notes for loved ones. The will becomes a cornerstone for players who want to add emotional depth to their gameplay and manage family wealth and assets through multiple generations.

A will is particularly useful in legacy challenges, where each Sim generation continues the story. Instead of simply watching one generation fade away, players can use the will feature to ensure the family’s history, achievements, and even quirky heirlooms are honored by future generations.

How to Write a Will in The Sims 4: Life & Death

Your Sim can draft a will as early as their teen years, but only if you have The Sims 4: Life & Death expansion pack. There are three ways to create a will, each providing flexibility depending on your Sim’s resources and social networks.

Option 1: Write a Will on a Computer

Writing a will is as easy as clicking a computer. Follow these steps:

Find any available computer in the game, whether at your Sim’s home, a public lot, or a friend’s house.
Select the “Household” tab and choose “Start Will.”
Once started, the will appears in the Sim’s personal inventory, where they can continue updating it as life events unfold.

Option 2: Hire an Inheritance Lawyer

An inheritance lawyer provides legal assistance and can even offer suggestions based on your Sim’s wishes:

Use the “Hire Services” option on your Sim’s phone.
Select “Inheritance Lawyer” to schedule a meeting at your home. Note that this method has reported glitches; if the lawyer doesn’t arrive, you may want to try the next option.
Alternatively, head to Ravenwood Family Day at Crow’s Crossing, which takes place every Saturday. Here, you can speak with a lawyer directly, ensuring your will is set up properly.

Option 3: Visit the Town Hall

If you prefer an official setting, visiting the Town Hall can be a reliable choice:

Travel to the Mourningvale area, and look for the Town Hall building.
Interact with it, and you’ll see the “Write a Will” option. This option allows players to enjoy the immersive feel of making their will in a government setting.

Customizing Your Sim’s Will: Key Features and Options

The will in The Sims 4 is not only for funds and belongings but also allows you to personalize your Sim’s final arrangements and legacy details. Here’s what you can include:

Funeral Arrangements: Specify whether your Sim wants a headstone or an urn and even select music or eulogies for the ceremony. Funeral tasks can be arranged for guests, including activities like mourning, storytelling, or even playing ghostly games.
Inheritance of Funds: Allocate a percentage of your Sim’s financial wealth to family, friends, or charities. This option ranges from 20% to 100% of the household funds.
Personal Note: Leave a heartfelt or humorous message for family or friends. Sims can write these notes based on their current emotions, making the legacy feel even more genuine.
Assigning Heirlooms: Heirlooms are specific items your Sim can designate for certain Sims to inherit. Objects like paintings, special decorations, or sentimental furniture pieces can be chosen. To make an item an heirloom:
- Click on the item and select “Make Heirloom.”
- The chosen item will then be reserved for inheritance and cannot be assigned to multiple Sims at once. However, it can be reassigned as long as the Sim is alive.
- Remember, not all items can be heirlooms. Purely functional items like beds or trash cans are usually ineligible.
Emotional Notes on Heirlooms: Adding a personal note on the heirloom item itself allows the inheritor to interact with it, reading the message from their deceased relative. These notes can add a touch of sentiment, connecting the heirloom with the family legacy.

Updating and Managing Your Sim’s Will

Life circumstances change, and so can your Sim’s will. To update a will:

Open your Sim’s inventory and select “Update Will.” You can add new heirlooms, adjust percentages of funds, or change funeral plans.
If desired, you can select “Destroy Will” to eliminate it from your inventory entirely and start fresh. This flexibility is perfect for players who want to adapt their legacy as relationships, fortunes, and other life factors shift.

Passing on the Legacy: Heirlooms and Wealth for Future Generations

Passing on heirlooms can be as sentimental or strategic as you like. A legacy can include ordinary household items or more peculiar objects like a fire-spewing toilet to amuse future generations. All inherited heirlooms take up space in the inheritor’s home or inventory, which may prompt them to sell these items for profit if they lack room. In such cases, your Sim’s initial investment can yield financial benefits, though the new household will lose the sentimental value tied to the items.

Tips for Using Wills in Legacy Challenges

For legacy challenge players, wills open up an array of storytelling options. Your Sims can pass on strange or unique items, setting the stage for a family history filled with quirks and meaningful memories. Here’s how you can maximize the will feature:

Designate Special Items: Turn unusual items into heirlooms for an added layer of personality in your legacy challenge.
Adjust Wealth Distribution: Allow for partial inheritance to extended family members or friends, adding drama and intrigue.
Cycle of Heirlooms: As each generation inherits and adds to the collection, you can create a family museum, showcasing items each generation has deemed valuable.

FAQs: The Sims 4 Life & Death Will and Inheritance System

Q1: Can teens draft a will in The Sims 4: Life & Death?
Yes, teens and older Sims can draft a will, making it a convenient way to start planning their legacy early.

Q2: What types of items can be made heirlooms?
Most household items like decorations, art, and specialty furniture can be made heirlooms. Functional objects like beds or trash cans, however, are not eligible.

Q3: Can I assign an heirloom to multiple Sims?
No, each heirloom can be designated for only one specific Sim at a time, though this can be changed while the original owner is still alive.

Q4: Are funeral arrangements mandatory in the will?
No, funeral arrangements are optional but provide a meaningful touch for those who want to add a farewell event to their legacy.

Q5: Can a will be created without the Life & Death expansion?
No, the will and inheritance features are exclusive to The Sims 4: Life & Death expansion pack.

In The Sims 4: Life & Death, creating a will adds a profound, narrative-driven layer to the game, allowing players to extend their Sim’s legacy far beyond their lifetime. Whether you’re playing a legacy challenge or simply exploring your Sim’s relationships and values, a well-thought-out will enriches the gameplay, bringing emotional and strategic depth that enhances the story for generations to come.