Coping With Grief in The Sims 4: Navigating Life & Loss

Experiencing grief after losing someone is a normal reaction, and The Sims 4 captures this emotion through the Life and Death expansion. Just as in reality, moving on is essential for your Sims, allowing grief to gradually become more manageable.

Since The Sims 4 reflects real life, it’s important to prioritize your Sim’s emotional health. The Life and Death expansion introduces several types of grief, each requiring a different approach. This guide provides detailed strategies to help you navigate these challenges.

How to Move On From Grief in The Sims 4

Grief is a deep emotional response following the loss of a loved one. Sims experience a broad spectrum of feelings after losing someone close to them. There are four types of grief present in The Sims 4:

• Denial
• Holding It Together
• Anger
• Blues

Every Sim reacts to loss in their own way, which means you’ll need to tackle their grief differently. Here’s a breakdown of how to help them manage these emotions.

Denial Grief

When someone struggles to accept their situation, denial is a common response. These Sims often suppress their feelings and pretend everything is fine. While in denial, they might feel bored or indifferent. Eventually, reality hits, and they must face their grief.

Denial can lead to emotions like Anger or Blues, so it’s crucial to address it after the loss. Here are a few strategies to help:

• Engaging in Activities: Cooking, writing, gardening, or painting can provide a distraction for Sims. Playing music may help them process their feelings.
• Counseling: Grieving Sims can benefit from counseling sessions, helping them recognize their tendency to hide their pain. Interact with their phone or click on the upset Sim to schedule a session.

Holding It Together

Some Sims manage to keep it together while grieving. Unlike those in denial, they acknowledge the death and focus on positive memories. However, they might still be deeply hurt on the inside, which can hinder their healing process.

The positive aspect of this emotional state is that these Sims can gradually accept their loss. Attending counseling is highly recommended to prevent the buildup of negative emotions like Anger or Blues.

Anger Grief

Anger is a powerful emotion that can consume Sims struggling with loss, especially if they feel the death was unjust. Such Sims may lash out at others, displaying mean-spirited behavior without apparent reason.

Addressing anger requires physical release and can be managed through:

• Counseling: Join support groups available in The Sims 4. Interact with their phone or click on the grieving Sim for details.
• Exercise: Encourage your Sim to work out, whether at the gym or home, to release pent-up frustration.
• Playing Music: Engaging with music can be a therapeutic outlet for their anger.

Blues Grief

If a Sim has a strong connection to the deceased, they may experience intense feelings of missing them. This lingering sadness can lead to a general state of depression. These Sims are often more expressive in their grief and may cry frequently.

While this emotional state is serious, it doesn’t always require extensive intervention. Activities like Cry It Out can help release their sadness. By allowing them to express their feelings, Sims often recover more quickly. Be patient with them, and they will heal in time.

Using Cheats to Address a Grief Moodlet

The Sims 4 allows players to use cheats that can simplify gameplay. While using cheats is optional, they can help you navigate tougher challenges.

To activate cheats in The Sims 4: Life and Death, follow these steps:

• Open the Dev Console using the necessary shortcuts:
  • PC: Ctrl+Shift+C
  • Consoles: Press all four triggers simultaneously
• Type “TestingCheats On” in the console and hit enter.
• Next, type “sims.remove_all_buffs” to reset your Sim’s emotions.

Alternatively, right-clicking on a Sim will allow you to choose the mood you desire for them.

You can also use the Moodlet Solver elixir to resolve mood issues. This item can be obtained from the aspirations menu, but be prepared to spend Satisfaction Points as it’s quite costly.