Death

See also: Types of death

Death is a state in which a Sim dies. Following Death, the Sim that has died is no longer controllable with the exception of The Sims 3, and focus will automatically switch to the next Sim currently living on the lot. Causes of death can be anything from an accident to a predetermined fate made by the game and/or player.

Grim Reaper

The Sim in question is visited by the anthropomorphic personification of Death in the form of the Grim Reaper. However, the Grim Reaper does not come when a Sim is eaten by the Cowplant from The Sims 2: University, or when a Toadified Sim is eaten by a dragon in The Sims: Makin' Magic. In The Sims 2 and The Sims 3, the Grim Reaper plays a cameo depending on the method of death and the aspiration level of the Sim in question.

Unlike most legends of the Grim Reaper, he seems to be a kind being in The Sims series. His personality is perhaps a reference to the personified Death character in Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels. His nice side shows when a Sim with a full aspiration bar dies of old age, during the animation of a pet's death, or resurrecting kids with the Resurrect-O-Nomitron.

A dog dies in The Sims 2.

In The Sims and The Sims 2, if there is a living Sim on the lot, they can plead with the Grim Reaper for their loved one. However, it doesn't always work. The chances of success are determined by the relationship of the Sim with the nearly deceased, and pure chance. If a Sim lives in a family, they should always keep a good relationship with family members. In The Sims, the Grim Reaper may be in a bad mood, and bring the deceased Sim back as a zombie. In The Sims and The Sims 2, it may not be possible to plead for a drowned Sim, as living Sims will not be able to get to the Grim Reaper if he is out in the water. However, if The Sims 2: Apartment Life is installed, an infallibly good witch or warlock with 9 or more magic skill can use the spell "Expello Mortis", which will reach further out, though it will not be able to reach the middle of a very large pool. Also, in The Sims 2: FreeTime, if the deceased Sim ever summoned a Genie and successfully wished to cheat death, he can resurrect himself even if he's in the middle of the pool.

In The Sims 3, depending on the how happy the Sim was when they died, they can beg for their life. Also, when the Grim Reaper arrives, "scary" music will play.

In The Sims 2: Pets, there is a different animation for pets that die.

In The Sims 3, if moveObjects is on when a Sim dies, go to Build or Buy mode as soon as the ghost of the Sim appears, then sell the Grim Reaper. The Sim will be saved (with one slight defect...).

Reviving

Death, however, isn't always permanent. With a wide range of items and/or cheats, a Sim can be given a second chance in life.

• In The Sims: Unleashed, a Sim can go to Old Town and ask Miss Lucille to revive a zombie family member (human or pet); however, she cannot resurrect dead ones.

• In The Sims 2: University, there is a special item, the Resurrect-O-Nomitron, which can restore Sims — for a hefty fee of up to §10,000. If the Sim who wants to bring another Sim back pays very little the Sim will return as a zombie, with a set personality and possibly fewer (or no) skills, though this does not apply to children. Female zombies are also infertile and can no longer have babies without the use of cheats.

• In The Sims 2: Apartment Life, Sims can be revived as a zombie with an evil witch's spell.

• In The Sims 2: FreeTime, Sims can be revived with a Genie and his lamp. Also, a Sim can wish for the ability to cheat death. Whenever a Sim dies, he/she will plead for him/herself and they will be alive again (A Sim who died of old age will get extra day). This only works if the wish succeeded.

• In The Sims 3, there is a special plant called a Death Flower. If a Sim is carrying this flower in his/her inventory at the time of their death, when the Grim Reaper shows up, the ghost will offer him the flower. Seemingly deeply moved by this gesture, the Grim Reaper will proceed to instantly resurrect the Sim. A Sim can be resurrected once for every Death Flower in his inventory. However, it seems that the Sim in question will suffer from any lowered motives, just to a lesser degree, so it is incredibly important to use this second chance to raise these motives before the Sim dies again. The Death Flower will not save Sims who die of old age.

• Also, a patch makes it possible for a Sim with high Logic skill to play chess for the dead Sim's life. Since chess is a hidden secret skill, that Sim's chances of winning are higher the more practice he or she has.

• The Grim Reaper will also give another chance to Sims who have the Loser or Unlucky trait if their death was accidental, but will come for them when their time on the mortal coil is up.
• By cooking Ambrosia, a ghost Sim can be brought back to life once he/she eats it.
• In The Sims 3, there is a way to revive a Sim as a ghost, by using a science experiment. After the opportunity is completed, more Sims can be revived for §5,000 per Sim.
• In The Sims 2 Castaway, a special potion can be made to revive a dead Sim.
• In The Sims 2 for consoles, the ghost player can challenge the Grim Reaper to a fiddle contest. If the Sim wins, he will be revived.

Intentional Death

Players can utilize various cheats, objects or game features to intentionally kill a Sim. This may be done for multiple reasons. Ways include:

• Using the boolprop testingcheatsenabled cheat in The Sims 2 to spawn Rodney's Death Creator. This object can kill a Sim in any way.
• Using the boolprop testingcheatsenabled cheat to lower a Sim's hunger need, thus starving them to death.
• Trapping a Sim in a pool by removing all pool ladders or by building a wall around the pool, preventing the Sim from exiting the pool when their motives drop too low, or forcing a Sim to swim when they're fatigued from exercise. Eventually, the Sim trapped in the pool will drown.
• Trapping a Sim in a room, then by some means starting a fire in that room. (i.e. a fireplace or fireworks)
• Using cheats to trigger aging in an Elderly Sim in The Sims 2 and The Sims 3; since Elder is the oldest life stage, getting older than this results in death.
• Having a Sim with low mechanical/handiness/skill repair an object while standing in a puddle of water may electrocute that Sim.
• Having a Sim with no or low mechanical skill reapairing a flat screen TV will instantly kill the Sim.

Killing Sims tutorial for The Sims 3: FuryRed's Ghost Guide

Types of deaths

Sims can be killed in a variety of ways which vary by game version. These include death by fire, shock, starvation, flies, being eaten by the cow plant and being scared to death.

The Sims

• Starvation: If a Sim doesn't eat for a long period of time (several days), they will starve.
• Drowning: If a Sim uses a swimming pool for much too long, they might drown (possibly even a little after leaving the pool). Swimming with low energy will also drown them. Players can also take away the pool ladder once the Sim is in the pool, and eventually the Sim will drown because he/she can't get out.

  

  A soon-to-be-dead Sim.

• Fire: If a Sim is on fire for a period of time, he/she will die. It is also possible for a Sim to randomly burst into flames via spontaneous combustion, though that is very uncommon.
• Electrocution: If a Sim uses electrical items while standing in a puddle, or has low Mechanical skill and tries to repair broken electric items, he or she may die.
• Disease: When a Sim plays with a guinea pig with a dirty cage, the guinea pig may bite and infect the Sim with a disease. The disease is contagious, and a Sim infected with it will die if not treated.
• Fright: It has been reported that Sims can die of fright if they see a ghost while their hunger meter is low.
• In The Sims: Makin' Magic, a Sim who has been turned into a toad may be eaten by a dragon. Cats may also eat toadified Sims if The Sims: Unleashed is installed. When Sims die in this way, they will not be visited by the Grim Reaper, probably because there is no body to take.

The Sims 2

• Disease: If a Sim uses the Biotech station with low hygiene, or while in a poor mood, there's a chance they will get a mysterious disease, which may be fatal.
• Starvation: If a Sim doesn't eat for a prolonged period of time (several days), they will starve. However, babies, children and toddlers will be taken away by the Social Worker instead if their hunger need is low enough for too long.

File:Dying sim by fire.jpg

A Sim dying by fire.

• Fire: If a Sim with a low cooking skill cooks a meal there is a chance it will catch fire. Similarly, if the food is left in the oven by a careless Sim or, very probably, a Nanny or a Butler, the food will also catch fire. If there is no fire alarm present it is up to the Sim to put out the fire. This can be done by calling the fire department or by clicking on the fire and choosing "Extinguish". There is no way to buy a fire alarm during a fire, as build mode and buy mode are disabled. The longer a Sim is in proximity to the fire (and because Sims are autonomously brought to the fire to perform the "panic" action, a.k.a. "the Simish Fire Dance", they will be) the greater the chance is that they will catch fire. When three of their motives are completely depleted the Sim will die. In Apartment Life, if a fire breaks out on an apartment lot, all household Sims venture out onto the street, thus, minimizing their chances of being burned. The chance of dying in a fire is also minimized if the Sim has finished studying about Fire Safety. Babies and toddlers cannot die from fire, but children can.
• Drowning: If a Sim uses a swimming pool without a pool ladder while they are in it, they will eventually use up their energy and die. Drowning is one of the few ways in which a child can die.
• Flies: If a residential lot is messy with many fly-infested objects, there is a chance all the flies could form a killer swarm when a Sim steps over a fly-infested object and eat the Sim alive.
• Fright: If a Sim sees a ghost, his/her motives fall drastically. If the critical needs, (hunger, energy, etc.) fall far enough, the Sim will die. Also, if The Sims 2: Nightlife is installed, and a Sim peeks at a vampire while in its coffin, the Sim's motives will fall drastically as well. However, a child cannot be killed by fright and will wet themselves or pass out, instead.
• Satellite: While a Sim is watching clouds (daytime) or stargazing without the telescope (nighttime), there is a very remote chance that a satellite will fall on him/her. The satellite can be sold in buy mode, but it devalues quickly, so waste no time, sell it right away. Children cannot die from this, but it is one of the few things that can kill a Servo. A sim can also die by satellite while on vacation.
• Sickness: If a Sim gets ill and isn't cured in time (usually 10 sim days) , he/she may die, but Sims will usually get better if the player lets them - or makes them - relax. Children will not die from disease, as they will be taken away by the Social Worker if they reach that point. However, the Social Worker will also take all other children in the family – so cure child Sims as fast as possible.
• Electrocution: If a Sim isn't so good with Mechanical things and tries to repair broken electrical items, he/she might die. Toddlers can be killed by electrocution with Rodney's Death Creator. This is the only way to kill a toddler, without mods. Strangely, it even has its own animation.

Sim dying of Old Age happily.

• Old age: When Sims reach the end of their lives, they will die of old age. This is the only time in which a living Sim will not be able to plead with the Grim Reaper to bring the dying Sim back. If a Sim has platinum mood at the time of death, the Grim Reaper and 2 Hula Zombies will appear and relaxing music will play. The Sim will pick up his/her suitcase and walk off with the Grim Reaper. If the Sim had a disturbed or troubled life, where few wants were fulfilled or many bad things happened, the Grim Reaper will show the Sim its hourglass of life and the Sim will try to pull it away from the Grim Reaper.
• Death for no reason: Some Sims die for no reason, the "mysterious choking death". This is a bug that has been fixed by patches and in later expansions. It is caused by a mistake in the disease coding. In the unpatched base game, pregnant Sims were extremely vulnerable to sudden death.
• Scissors: If the player downloads Running with Scissors Playset from the Maxis site and a Sim runs with them, there's a chance he/she may fall and get stabbed. (requires download at TheSims2.com)

The Sims 2: University

• Cowplant: Sims who attempt to 'take the bait' the hungry Cowplant offers will be eaten alive. The Grim Reaper does not come when Sims are eaten by the Cowplant. The tombstone will come directly out of the Cowplant's mouth.

The Sims 2: Nightlife

• Sunlight: If the vampire is exposed in the sun for too long, he/she will die.

The Sims 2: Open for Business

• Rally Forth: If a Sim with the "Rally Forth" business perk uses it when their needs are too low, they will eventually choke from shouting into the Rally Forth megaphone and die.
• Elevators: If the elevator breaks down while Sims are in it, and their needs fail, then they will die.
• Evil Kite: The kite was made poorly and attracts lightning when flown. This works like the electrocution death and will not kill children.
• Evil Snapdragon Bouquet: If a Snapdragon Bouquet was made poorly it will be an Evil Snapdragon Bouquet. An Evil Snapdragon Bouquet will decrease Sims' motives. Given enough time, one or more Evil Snapdragon Bouquets can drop a Sim's hunger motive to the point where he or she starves to death.

The Sims 2: Seasons

• Hail: When at least 4 needs drop below 50% while standing in a hailstorm, and the Sim is pelted by hail too long, he/she will die. When the ghost of the Sim who perished is mad, hail will pop out of their body.
• Lightning: If lightning were to hit a Sim who is using a hot tub or pool, that Sim will die if his or her needs are low.
• Sack of Money: If a Sim wishes for money from the wishing well and the wish fails, the sack money will fall on his/her head (and will only contain §50). This will cause a large drop in motives, and if the Sim's hunger need is too low, he/she will perish. The actual death is from starvation, and the ghost reflects this.

The Sims 2: Apartment Life

• Murphy bed: When opening the Murphy bed, if a Sim has less than 5 body skill and -70 or less mood, there is a 5% chance that it will fall on and crush the Sim, killing him/her. Their ghost avoids the bed that killed them.
• Throne of Light / Claw of Darkness Throne: When a witch/warlock with good alignment sits on the Claw of Darkness Throne or a witch/warlock with evil alignment sits on the Throne of Light, it causes their motives to drastically decay. This can sometimes deplete the hunger motive, which will cause the Sim to starve. However, if free will is enabled, they usually hop off the throne and try to boost their motives.

The Sims 2 (Console)

• Starvation: When a Sim goes a long time without eating they can starve to death.
• Electrocution: When a Sim tries to repair an object while standing in a puddle or with a low repair skill they have a chance of being electrocuted.
• Fire: When a fire starts and a Sim is unfortunate enough to be caught in it they will most likely die.
• Dancing on own Grave Stone: When a Sim dies and is brought back to life their gravestone will still be on the lot. The Sim can dance on their own grave, prompting them to be set on fire and die again.

The Sims 3

A Sim who died at the city hall.

• Fire (available from child stage) If a sim is on fire for one hour (three hours with some traits and no death with one) than he/she will die. Fire can come from leaving something on the stove for to long, but the stove will never randomly ignite. Sims with the pyromaniac trait can light thing on fire for five seconds. But rarely catch on fire
• Drowning (available from child stage)
• Electrocution (available from teen stage)
• Starvation (available from teen stage)
• Old Age (available at elder stage)

The Sims 3: World Adventures

• Mummy's Curse

• Death by Traps

The Sims 3: Ambitions

• Meteor

The Sims 3: Late Night

• Thirst (Vampires only)

The Sims Medieval

• Dueling: Knights, Monarchs, and Spies have the option to duel to the death (as apposed to merely dueling to a knockout or surrender). The loser of such a duel will die.
• Plague: Medieval Sims call fall ill and die of the plague. It is the physician's job to prevent this from happening.
• Murder: Sims can kill other Sims. Some examples include being poisoned by a Spy, or being killed by a Wizard's spells.
• Execution: Sims can be sent to execution for various reasons, including failing to do their jobs. Sims are executed by being fed to a monster.
• Starvation: If a Sim doesn't eat for a long period of time (several days), they will starve.