Could This Be The Best Sims 4 Base Game Update We’ve Ever Had‽

A new base game update just came out to prepare simmers for the release of Life & Death, and it’s possibly the best one we’ve ever had.

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If you’ve been playing The Sims 4 in the past day or so you know that another update has rolled out. Usually before a big pack drops the game will update, both to prepare simmers for the new content and to introduce base game concepts that will integrate seamlessly with the new DLC while also working as standalone programming. With Life & Death releasing in just over a week, The Sims 4 has revamped CAS quite a bit along with changes to routine gameplay, and we’re so excited to tell you about it!

Base Game Update Details To Die For

PC: 1.110.265.1030/Mac: 1.110.265.1230/Console: 2.01

The latest Base Game update fundamentally changes how sims exist across their different “forms,” and how they relate to others. It also brings some incredibly helpful tools to simmers as well as some long-wanted game features!

CAS Update – The Sim Molecule

Did you know that the info panel in the upper left of the CAS screen is called a Sim Molecule? Simmer hiphiprenee summed up our thoughts on it pretty well:

Anyway, this info center has been modified with a few new modules that add more dimension to sims and make them much more manageable to create.

The updated Sim Molecule has two new sections. Firstly, there is a now an option to Choose Cause Of Death which immediately turns your sim into a Ghost, with behaviors befitting the way they died. Interestingly enough I was able to view and select deaths that come with DLC I do not have. There’s also a toggle for the Ghost Overlay so you can make sure your sim looks how you wanted them to appear before their untimely demise. And the best part? You can do this to a sim anytime, no CAS cheats needed!

The second change to the Sim Molecule is a BIG one—Occults can be toggled on whenever you want! Now if you make a sim and decide after the fact that you want them to be members of an Occult race you can do so without having to start over from scratch. Honestly, I can’t believe this wasn’t introduced sooner because it is such a nice feature to have!

Players can make sims aged Children and older, along with Elder Pets, into Ghosts however the causes of death available to you will vary depending on the species and age of the subject, and (to an extent) what DLC you own.

The final change to CAS is that some formal shoes have been given a new black swatch so they are more appropriate for Funeral attire.

Gameplay Update – New Interactions With Grim

You’ve asked for it and it’s finally happened—you can WooHoo with Grim! While he will be vague if you ask about his Romantic Interests and Preferences, he’s receptive to flirty behavior and can be seduced like any other sim. In my testing, he even took off immediately after his tryst—typical!

I was not able to get Romance Cheats to work on Grim so I had to build up the relationship organically, and did not receive the option to Try For Baby. I also did not see an option to Have A Science Baby with Grim so it’s apparent that he lacks any genetic material to pass down to others (without cheats or mods).

Gameplay Update – New Aspects Of Death

Another major Base Game update that we’re pleasantly surprised about is that sims will now have reactions to death that are far more appropriate for the sim, their personality, and their relationship to the decedent. No longer will a crowd of strangers gather around the corpse and begin bawling their eyes out like they’d been lifelong friends; some sims will even vomit at the sight of a dead stranger!

When sims die, the player now has the option to decide what happens to their Ghost. You can continue playing with them as a controllable character or if you prefer, let them remain as a freeroaming entity in the world.

Additionally you can toggle between a Gravestone or Urn and its design by clicking on it, with the available options showing based on the DLC you have.

Buy Mode Update – A New Category

The last major change brought on by the update is a new category in the Buy Mode catalog for Life Event Activities which is found in Activities and Skills (by Function) and Outdoors (by Room). Here you will find pieces for all those big moments, like Prom, Weddings, and Funeral items.

An Important Note For Custom Reapers

If you have previously customized your Grim Reaper with TestingCheats, that may cause some confusion in the game. When I tested the new base game updates in a save that had a customized Grim, summoning him from the Grimophone or upon death instead populated a new character in the traditional reaper garb with the title of Soul Reaper, but no actual name, while my original Grim still had the Grim Reaper moniker. It might not be viable to customize Grim anymore with the new gameplay elements, but your mileage may vary.

Final Thoughts

Feel free to check out the EA Patch Notes for more details on this Base Game update! Do you agree that it’s the best update the game has ever had? The Occult switch alone is such a game-changer, and I hope to see more QOL updates to The Sims 4 as it approaches and surpasses its 10th birthday. Check back tomorrow after the Official Developer Livestream to get the newest updates on Life & Death, and until then, spooky simming!

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