Reviving Your Deceased Sims: A Complete Guide

In The Sims 2, you can bring back dead Sims through various methods, depending on the expansion pack you choose to utilize. It’s not an easy task; you’ll either need to cultivate a hobby in TS2: FreeTime or attend college in TS2: University. Both pathways require significant investment but offer rewards beyond mere resurrection. Therefore, consider reviving a Sim as an added bonus while focusing on your main gameplay objectives.

It’s crucial to understand that the Legacy Collection is not simply a remake or remaster. This means that even by 2025, you may encounter age-old glitches and issues that have remained unresolved for over two decades. Exercise caution when attempting to revive a Sim, particularly if it’s a Maxis-created character without complete relationship info. A mistake in this process could potentially corrupt your entire neighborhood, necessitating a game reset or complete reinstallation.

Resurrecting Friends and Family with Genie Wishes

They Must Be Engaged in a Hobby

You can resurrect Sims using the Genie Lamp, which you receive from the Matchmaker NPC introduced in TS2: Nightlife. She favors those Sims who have nearly mastered both their Aspiration levels and Enthusiasm, ideally at level 8 or above. Aspiration is easier to manage; you can achieve it by completing daily Wants and steering clear of Fears. Hovering over the Aspiration Meter reveals a Sim’s Lifetime Wish. Enthusiasm is gained by interacting with Hobby items in TS2: FreeTime, and it can be more easily developed based on a Sim’s Personality or Interests visible in the Simology tab:

With sufficient Aspiration and Enthusiasm, the Matchmaker will drop off a Genie Lamp at your house. This applies even if you’ve mainly used cheats in TS2. When you rub the lamp, you can use one of your three wishes to resurrect a Sim. The list of eligible Sims is limited to those the Sim knew, not including strangers. However, any member of the household can use the lamp to access their own list of deceased Sims.

The Paranormal Career Can Revive the Deceased, Though Possibly as Zombies

It’s More Costly and Dangerous

Another avenue for revitalizing Sims is through the Resurrect-O-Nomitron, available through the Paranormal career path introduced in TS2: University. This option is limited to young adult Sims who have completed their college education. Adults are only eligible if they have graduated college prior, while elder Sims will retire. To succeed in this career, you’ll need to equip your Sim with ample Creativity, Charisma, Cleaning, and Cooking skills.

Most secret societies at university also possess a Resurrect-O-Nomitron for shared use. I personally prefer this route since it’s much quicker than going through the lengthy process of attending college and following a career path afterward. Additionally, as TS2: Legacy Collection encompasses all core expansion packs, you can utilize TS2: Nightlife’s Move Graves feature to place a deceased Sim on the secret society lot and interact with them as a ghost.

Utilize the Resurrect-O-Nomitron to summon the Grim Reaper and pay the requisite fee. To perfectly revive a Sim, you need 8600 Simoleons, while 4200 will restore their personality completely. Spending just 1000 Simoleons will cause the Sim to return as a zombie, introducing a unique life state in The Sims 2. If you offer less than this, the Grim Reaper will keep the money without bringing anyone back.