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The Ghost Historian aspiration from The Sims 4: Life & Death focuses on Sims with a fascination for the afterlife and a drive to uncover its mysteries. Found under the Knowledge category, this aspiration encourages Sims to interact with ghosts, explore haunted locations, and refine their Writing and Thanatology skills—an academic pursuit centered on death and the supernatural. Aspiring Sims will need to engage in conversations with ghostly figures, collect their stories and recording them for future generations.
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The Sims 4: Life & Death Create-A-Sim (CAS) Guide
The Sims 4: Life and Death expansion pack is particularly interesting for those that prefer Dark Autumn and Winter tones with a hint of gothic style.
This aspiration suits those who enjoy digging into the paranormal aspects of the game while working to gain insight into the mysteries surrounding the lives and deaths of Sims. Each requirement for this aspiration brings Sims closer to becoming skilled ghost communicators and record-keepers, all while earning aspiration points and unlocking special interactions that deepen their bond with the supernatural world. Completing this aspiration also rewards Sims with a unique trait, giving them an edge when interacting with ghosts and adding a memorable new layer to their gameplay experience in The Sims 4. Here’s how to complete this relatively straightforward aspiration.
Ghost Historian Milestones
While the Life & Death expansion offers a wide range of new features, including Tarot reading, funeral events, two new careers, and more, the Ghost Historian aspiration primarily focuses on the Thanatology mini-skill, ghost interactions, and book writing. To complete this aspiration, players will need to guide their Sims through several tasks involving research, skill-building, and connecting with the afterlife. Writing books on supernatural topics, researching Thanatology, and establishing relationships with ghosts are central to progressing in this aspiration, setting up Sims to gain deeper insights into both the living and the departed.
Here are the requirements for completing the Ghost Historian aspiration:
- Getting in the Spirit
- Befriend a Ghost
- Achieve Level 2 Thanatology Skill
- Achieve Level 2 Writing Skill
- Writer Among Wraiths
- Befriend Another Ghost
- Find a Rare Item in a Crypt
- Achieve Level 3 Thanatology Skill
- Achieve Level 4 Writing Skill
- Phantasmal Fantasy
- Find a Rare Item in a Crypt
- Make Contact with Edith
- Achieve Level 7 Writing Skill
- Spectrally Spectacular
- Write a Horror Book
- Earn Royalties from Publishing Books
The initial milestones for the Ghost Historian aspiration are relatively straightforward, as they center on befriending ghosts and building both the Thanatology and Writing skills. Ghosts are commonly found in Ravenwood, especially within the Mourningvale neighborhood, where Sims have plenty of opportunities to connect with these spirits. Players can raise Thanatology and Writing through computer activities or by purchasing skill books, making these milestones achievable from the comfort of home. Traits that help with skill gain like Genius or for social interactions like Friendly can be quite helpful for these goals. Alternatively, Sims in the Grim Reaper or Undertaker careers will naturally gain Thanatology skill, adding a helpful bonus for those pursuing this unique aspiration.
To complete the final milestone of the Ghost Historian aspiration as quickly as possible, players should prioritize writing and publishing books to earn royalties instead of merely practicing writing or reading skill books. Once a Sim reaches level 7 in the Writing skill, the option to write Horror Books will become available. Players will need to
write 3 Horror books, and earn minimum of 2000
Simelons from royalties.
How To Find a Rare Item in a Crypt?
Crypts can be found throughout Ravenwood’s various neighborhoods, offering an enticing exploration opportunity for adventurous Sims. However, for those who prefer a more straightforward approach, players can easily purchase “The Crypt of Eternity” from Build mode. Once acquired, players can simply click on the crypt to explore the underground passages, initiating a rabbit hole interaction that involves navigating a series of choices.
These choices may vary and can be affected by the Sim’s inventory or skill set, adding a layer of strategy to the exploration. Depending on the selected options, Sims may return with rare items, contributing to the aspiration goal. To fully achieve the goals associated with this aspiration, Sims will need to explore the crypt multiple times as they need to return with 2 rare items at least, ensuring they uncover all the secrets hidden within its ancient walls.
How to Make Contact with Edith?
Making contact with Edith is one of the more mysterious goals in the Ghost Historian aspiration, as it involves unraveling a mystery rather than completing straightforward tasks. To begin this quest, players should look for her mother, Alice, who can be found roaming various neighborhoods in Ravenwood. Notable locations include the Guardian Tree in Mourningvale and the Well of Longing and Regret at Crow’s Crossing.
The quickest way to summon Alice is through the Guardian Tree. Once players locate her, they can initiate the interaction by selecting “Ask About Alice’s Sorrow.” This will trigger a mini-quest that guides players toward contacting her children: Deimos, Freddy, Ann, and ultimately Edith. Each NPC can be found using the clues provided, making the quest relatively easy to navigate. While players don’t need to complete the entire quest to achieve their goal, establishing the first contact with Edith is sufficient to fulfill this particular aspiration requirement.
Completion Reward
Upon completing the Ghost Historian aspiration, Sims will earn the Reward Trait, Ghost Whisperer. This trait significantly enhances a Sim’s ability to build relationships with ghosts, making interactions smoother and more engaging. Sims with this trait will experience excitement when encountering all types of ghosts, specters, crows, and even the Grim Reaper, adding a delightful twist to their interactions with the supernatural.
Completing milestones are also quite useful for completing Soul’s Journey steps, as well as to gain Satisfaction Points.
Peel back the veil to uncover the secret to richer Sim lives and beyond in The Sims™ 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Achieve your dreams in life by ticking items off your Bucket List or pursue them as a Ghost with Unfinished Business. There is a ghastly new world to haunt, a career that’ll bring you closer to Grim, Wills to write, Crypts to explore, and even ghostly skills to master. There are no real endings — only transitions — as you move between life, afterlife, and even rebirth.
KEY FEATURES:
An Endless Journey — Build your Bucket List by collecting goals throughout your Sim’s life, starting as a Young Adult. Items will appear on your list based on your Sim’s traits and family relations, and you can also choose your own. Removing items is possible, but completing them yields powerful rewards. If a Sim’s life ends with items still on their list, they can devote their afterlife to completing their Unfinished Business. The ultimate reward for experiencing everything on their list is the option to be Reborn, though you can still choose to Move On or remain on this plane as a Ghost.
A Ghastly, Gorgeous Life — Make death your life’s work with a career of reaping souls, helping Ghosts, dispersing hauntings, and more as a member of Grim’s team. Or, you could become a Mortician and deal with death more from the perspective of the living. Outside of work, you might spend your days exploring Crypts and building your Thanatology skill for the new Ghost Historian Aspiration. These things — among other dark diversions like bonding with your Pet Crow (careful, provoking it could be deadly) or collecting and reading the lost Tarot Cards of Lady Ravendancer Goth — will have a special appeal to Sims who are Macabre, one of 3 new traits.
Goodbye (For Now) — Different Sims will grieve in different ways. There are 4 types that will tie in with both Sims’ personalities and their relationships with the deceased. Grieving Rituals are customizable and unscripted, allowing you to hold whatever type of event (or events) fits your story. In life, Sims can create Wills which can be used to pass down Heirlooms, assign guardians for surviving dependents, distribute their Simoleons, and more. Sims can honor the departed with a memorial display featuring their portrait and by interring their urns in Crypts or with Custom Caskets and Gravesites.
Friendly or Fiendish? — Linger on as a Ghost, and spend your afterlife helping or terrorizing the living. Ghosts will grow in their abilities as they do everything from assisting with household chores to levitating living Sims and hanging them upside down (fun AND profitable — they may drop Simoleons!). Their interactions with the living can earn them Fear or Goodwill essences, which can both be sold for Simoleons. There’s a lot to do after death; Ghosts can even pair up for a special, spectral Woohoo.
A Town Worth Haunting — The veil between life and death is thin in Ravenwood, a 3-neighborhood town. Visit the countryside and perhaps take a swim by the mysterious face in the cliffs. Or, head into the village where you’ll find some odd goods for purchase near the old Specter cemetery, a haunted house to brave, or a festival to attend. The residents of these first 2 neighborhoods are (mostly) alive, but it’s Ghosts who will feel most at home in the third, where you’ll find 2 more festivals and a spectral support group. Living Sims can use its Baleful Bog to have an out-of-body experience and try their hands at being temporary Ghosts. Well, it’s usually temporary. Don’t overdo it.