Every Sim’s time will eventually come, and no pack has explored that notion quite likeThe Sims 4: Life & Death. The expansion allows Sims to do a number of things to make preparations for when Grim comes knocking, including designating items they’d like to leave for family or friends.

By turning an item into an Heirloom in The Sims 4: Life & Death, you’ll be able to specify what happens to it upon your Sim’s death. This allows you to keep plenty of items in the family for generations, even if the item you want to keep is goofy.

The Heirlooms menu on an item that can be an Heirloomin The Sims 4 Life and Death.

How Do Heirlooms Work?

When playing The Sims 4 with the Life & Death expansion installed, you’ll notice quickly thatmost items from Buy Mode can be left as Heirlooms. When you click on an item, you’ll notice that you’ll almost always have the option to make it into an Heirloom, so if your Sim has something to which they’re particularly attached, you candesignate to whom the Heirloom goes upon your Sim’s death.

A shorter list for this guide would be items thatcan’tbe turned into Heirlooms. You’ll see a section added to items' information in Build/Buy clearly stating which items are eligible to become Heirlooms once placed. Items likehobby items(such as skill-building items), items from your variouscollections(like the 26 tarot cards, for instance),crafted goods,decorative items, and more. Sims who’ve progressed far enough on their Soul’s Journey will have additional options about what to leave as Heirlooms.

Passing on an heirloom tarot deck to someone in The Sims 4 Life and Death.

After designating an item as an Heirloom, things stay relatively normal while your Sim is still alive. You’ll be able toClaim Higher Valueon items turned into Heirlooms, and if successful, your next of kin will be able to sell the item for a higher price should they choose to in the future. you may alsoengrave a messageon an Heirloom from the Heirloom menu when interacting with it, and the recipient of the item will have that message left on the item for as long as the item remains in your save.

To ensure an Heirlooms ends up going where you’d like, you’ll need tomake a willfor the Sim leaving something behind.Wills allow you to dictate thingslike what happens to their remains and any specific funeral activities they’d like, but a big portion of the will is what happens to items designated as Heirlooms. Here, you canchoose who Heirloom items are left toupon your Sim’s passing.

A recipient Sim receiving an Heirloom from reading a will in The Sims 4 Life and Death.

How To Pass On An Heirloom

Your Sim will keep the item that’d been made into an Heirloomuntil their time on earth comes to an end. When this happens,Heirloom items vanish from the lot or family inventoryupon your Sim’s demise, and they’ll besent to the recipient in the mailwith a copy of your Sim’s will.Read the Willaloud when it arrives to claim your Heirlooms and any inheritance money that may have come.

Once a Sim has received an item as an Heirloom, they’ll have a few additional interactions with the item. They can choose toCall Upon Simto summon the Sim who left it to them (if the Sim hasn’t been reborn as part of their Soul’s Journey), as well as Think About Original Ownerto remember the Sim who left them the item. This can leave them with a variety of moodlets, depending on their relationship to the Sim who left them the item.

Should you need some cash, these Sims canPawn Heirloomfor some money, the value of which is determined by the value claimed on the Heirloom before it was left.