If you and your Sims are fascinated by the dead but also want to write about them and make a decent profit, then why not try out the new Ghost Historian Aspiration that comes with The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack? This is the only new Aspiration that comes with this Expansion Pack, but it is an interesting one. It has your Sims learning about death but also making a living out of writing books. While this Aspiration isn’t one of the most challenging available in The Sims 4, it does take some time to get it done. Also, it’s good to get a heads-up on what to expect, so you can prepare your Sim for completing it without any hiccups.
We’ve got more guides for The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion, plus other Aspiration guides:
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- Ravenwood World Guide
- Championship Rider Aspiration Guide (The Sims 4 Horse Ranch Expansion)
- Goal Oriented Teen Aspiration Guide (The Sims 4 High School Years Expansion)
- Fount of Tomarani Knowledge Aspiration Guide (The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion)
- Seeker of Secrets Aspiration Guide (The Sims 4 For Rent Expansion)
Ways to Make Completing Ghost Historian Easier
Aspirations are generally long-term goals that take time and effort to complete. Some are harder than others. While the Ghost Historian quest isn’t that difficult, there are a few things you might want to know before you embark on it that will make completing the Aspiration easier.
Ideally, if you want to work on the Ghost Historian Aspiration, you should know that you’ll often be travelling to the world of Ravenwood that comes with Life & Death. You can complete the Aspiration while living in any other world in The Sims 4, but in Ravenwood, you’ll find lots of ghosts. Some of the tasks also requires you to travel to Ravenwood, such as exploring crypts and communicating with Edith the ghost child.
Your Sim will need to travel to Ravenwood for at least some of the tasks.
With the Ghost Historian Aspiration, you’ll spend most of your time working on two specific skills: Thanatology and Writing. At the very least, the Thanatology skill will need to be at level 3, while Writing requires level 7 for the higher tiers. To make it easier to work on these skills, you should do the following:
- For the Writing skill, get your Sim in the Inspired Mood to increase skill level faster. You can do this in a number of ways, for example, by admiring art work, the Browse Art interaction on computers, and taking a Thoughtful Shower.
- To build Thanatology faster, get your Sim into a Focused Mood. You can easily do this by doing mental-based activities such as using a chess table (including Ponder Moves), a microscope, and telescope. Your Sim can also Browse Simpedia on a computer to get them Focused.
- For both skills, make sure your Sim doesn’t have a Dislike for Writing or Thanatology. It’ll be a lot harder to work on these skills and their related activities if your Sim actively dislikes them.
Since your Sim will be spending a lot of time working on their Writing skill, get them Inspired to build this skill faster.
For this Aspiration, your Sim should also own their own computer, instead of heading off to a library to use one. They’ll be using it a lot during this Aspiration, whether it’s reading theories or working on their Writing. It doesn’t matter if they buy the cheapest computer available, so long as they have one.
A final piece of advice is to consider working on your Sim’s Charisma skill. In the first two tiers, you have to befriend two ghosts. It’s easier to befriend Sims with a bit of Charisma skill behind your Sim. They’ll also have access to certain socials such as Flatter and Brighten Day. You don’t have to completely max out Charisma, not even get it halfway, but a bit of experience certainly helps.
Ghost Historian Aspiration Guide
You now know what you need in order to make completing this Aspiration easier. Let’s get started, beginning with the first milestone and set of tasks. Ghost Historian is a four-tier Aspiration, with 2-4 tasks per tier. We’ll go through them in order.
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- Ghost Historians not only want to learn about ghosts, but write about them as well.
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- Ghost Historians spend a lot of time studying death but also crafting their Writing skill.
Milestone 1: Getting in the Spirit
When your Sim first starts out with the Ghost Historian Aspiration, the first set of tasks are nothing too laborious. Your Sim begins to work on the two key skills in this Aspiration: Thanatology and Writing. They’ll also need to befriend a spectral Sim.
Task 1: Befriend a Ghost
Your first task is to befriend a ghost, any ghost. Ravenwood is crawling with ghost Sims. In fact, two households contain resident ghosts: the Aether household and the Izadi-Gomes household. You can get to know any of these Sims, or any ghosts you see around Ravenwood. So long as they’re a ghost and you gain enough Relationship to officially become Friends, you’ll fulfil this task. Just keep using Friendly socials, but Funny doesn’t hurt either. Having a good Charisma skill helps boost Relationship points as well.
Build a relationship with any ghost until you are considered friends with them.
Task 2: Achieve Level 2 Thanatology Skill
The Thanatology skill is brand-new to The Sims 4 Life & Death. It’s basically the study of death. It is only 5 levels, like the Dancing and Photography skill. However, it does take time to max out the Thanatology skill. These are the things your Sim can do to work on their Thanatology skill:
- Read Theories… on any computer. It’s its own interaction, not nestled in a category. It contains four further choices, with four theories your Sim can read up on. Each of these takes a bit of time, and increases Thanatology. You can also use the same choices over and over as much as you like. There’s no limit.
- Read about Historical Deaths on any bookcase. Your Sim spends a little time reading a book that increases Thanatology. It’s not as long as Read Theories, but it does help increase the skill a little.
- Read Thanatology skill books. Like all skills in The Sims 4, there are 3 volumes of Thanatology skill books. What volume you read depends on your Sim’s skill level. Sims just starting out or very low level need to start at volume 1, then volume 2 when they become a little more experienced, and finally volume 3 when they reach the more advanced levels of Thanatology.
- Social interactions such as Inquire about Local Hauntings and Speak in Dead Language. The latter interaction becomes available after reaching a certain level.
- Certain activities in the Reaper and Undertaker careers. If your Sim is enrolled in the active Reaper career, there are a few work tasks that may build a little Thanatology. Your Sim also needs to max out this skill in this career, so working in the Reaper career and working on the Ghost Historian Aspiration goes quite nicely together. The Undertaker career also has a few interactions that builds Thanatology, such as Earn Certification, which is done through a computer.
Remember that before your Sim does anything that builds their Thanatology skill, make sure they’re in a Focused Mood first. Their Thanatology skill will build up faster as a result.
Some activities specifically build Thanatology skill.
Task 3: Achieve Level 2 Writing Skill
The Writing skill isn’t new to The Sims 4. It’s one of the base game skills. However, it’s a core skill your Sim will need to learn for the Ghost Historian Aspiration. For the first part of the Aspiration, your Sim will just need to get their Writing skill to level 2. At level 1, Sims can only write a children’s book, but it’s something to get them started with. Or, you can just have your Sim Practice Writing. It shouldn’t take long to get the Writing skill to level 2, especially if your Sim is Inspired.
You might want to consider writing that children’s book anyway, so they can start earning royalties. It may not be much, but they’ll be needing everything they can get later.
Even early on in the Aspiration, have your Sim writing and publishing books, even if they aren’t that good.
Milestone 2: Writer Among Wraiths
Your Sim has got the ball rolling. Now it’s time to take it to the next level. Tier 2 of the Ghost Historian Aspiration takes it up a notch. There’s one additional task to complete. Your Sim will need to befriend another ghost, gain another level or two in their Thanatology and Writing skills, plus go exploring in one of Ravenwood’s crypts.
Task 1: Befriend Another Ghost
Yep, this isn’t a misprint. You have to befriend another ghost! But hey, you’ve already done it once, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find another ghost to make friends with.
There are plenty of ghosts to meet and befriend in Ravenwood.
Task 2: Find a Rare Item in a Crypt
This is a new task in this Aspiration. You simply need to find any rare item in any crypt. There are lots of crypts in the three neighborhoods of Ravenwood that you can explore, or you can buy a Crypt of Eternity in Buy/Build Mode and use that to go exploring.
Crypt exploration can take time. You could spend a whole day in there! The adventure can be endless, looping through the encounters your Sim has. However, there are a few that can offer your Sim the chance to leave with a rare item. One is from encountering Waylon Warez the spectral merchant. If he has items available that your Sim can get, do so. You don’t know what they’ll get, but it’s guaranteed to be rare. Another encounter is stumbling across a sarcophagus. When prompted, your Sim should rummage inside it. They might just find something!
As soon as your Sim gets something rare from one of their encounters in any crypt, this task will be fulfilled.
While exploring a crypt, your Sim may find a rare item.
Task 3: Achieve Level 3 Thanatology Skill
Now it’s time to get back to the Thanatology skill. Since this skill is quite difficult to max out, the good news is that this is as advanced as you need to get it. Level 3 Thanatology skill shouldn’t be that hard to achieve. Do whatever you need to do to get the skill to the next level, and remember to have your Sim Focused so it doesn’t take as long.
Reading theories on a computer is a good way of building Thanatology.
Task 4: Achieve Level 4 Writing Skill
You also need to work some more on your Sim’s Writing skill for this final task in the second tier of the Ghost Historian Aspiration. You need to get it up two more levels from last time, to level 4. Either Practice Writing or write some more books, but it’s best to write books. Not only do you build Writing skill doing it, but you publish books that earns your Sim money. At the lower levels, it may not make your Sim much, but every little helps for later, which you’ll soon find out.
It’s also a good idea from this point on to keep working on your Writing skill. For this task, you just need it at level 4 at least. However, to complete this whole Aspiration, you’ll eventually need it at level 7. You’ll also need to make royalties from books, so keep writing them!
When publishing a book, the publisher gives your Sims more royalty than self-publishing.
Milestone 3: Phantasmal Fantasy
Your Sim is now really on their way to becoming a Ghost Historian… but they’re not done yet. There are less tasks in this tier than the previous ones, but that doesn’t mean there’s less for your Sim to do.
Task 1: Find a Rare Item in a Crypt
It’s this task again, repeating from the previous Aspiration tier. Just like before, venture off into any crypt and try and get your hands on any rare items, either from encountering Waylon or rummaging in a sarcophagus.
Exploring crypts can take time, but your Sim should find some goodies inside.
Task 2: Make Contact with Edith
This next task is interesting, but it is very interesting. The big question is: who’s Edith? If you’re not familiar with Ravenwood, Edith is a ghostly spirit child who haunts the Well of Longing and Regret in Crow’s Crossing. She might be a small ghost Sim, but she’s easy to distinguish with her red ghost color.
You have to be cautious around Edith. She’s not always the easiest ghost to interact with. For one, she’s always angry, hence why she displays red. Second, you can’t interact with her the same way as other ghosts, or any Sim for that matter. Her social options are limited, especially when you first meet her. If you upset her, she will make her presence known, and will make your Sim feel very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, for this Aspiration task, you just have to make contact with Edith. This means just using any initial interaction with her. It is recommended that you use Attempt to Communicate though. Most of the time, you should get lucky and she’ll open up to your Sim, allowing you to further interact with her. However, just know that a simple interaction like Attempt to Communicate should allow you to complete this task.
Don’t be intimidated by Edith. Although you should treat her with caution, she is open to communication.
Task 3: Achieve Level 7 Writing Skill
Hopefully since the start of this Aspiration, your Sim has been busy working on their Writing skill, because for this task, your Sim needs to get it to level 7! They don’t need to max the skill out completely, so you can relax, but there is a reason why they need it at this specific skill level, which you’ll find out in the final set of tasks. Keep writing books to increase your Sim’s skill, as they’ll need all the royalties they can get for one of the final tasks.
You need level 7 Writing skill to complete the task, as well as write horror books, which you need for the final set of tasks.
Milestone 4: Spectrally Spectacular
Your Sim has worked really hard, and it’s finally paid off, as they’re now on the final level of the Ghost Historian Aspiration. They’re almost there, but there are just two more tasks to do. However, these two are more long-term goals than the previous tasks in this Aspiration. Both tasks involve the Writing skill.
Task 1: Write a Horror Book
The first of the two final tasks in the Ghost Historian Aspiration doesn’t involve increasing any more of your Sim’s Writing or Thanatology skill, but instead puts it to good use. At level 7, your Sim unlocks the ability to write horror books, which is what this task asks your Sim to do. But not just one horror book though. That would be too easy! For this task, you have to write a total of 3 horror books.
Writing books takes time, so make sure your Sim’s Needs are well catered to before they get writing. You don’t want your Sim getting desperately hungry or exhausted, or needing the toilet in the middle of writing. Also, make sure they have plenty of time to crack on without interruptions, like going to work.
The ability to write horror novels only becomes available from level 7 Writing skill.
If your Sim does have to stop writing for whatever reason, don’t worry as they can easily resume their work. However, it is easier to do it all in one go.
Once your Sim has penned 3 horror books, you’ll complete this task. Also, remember to sell the books to a publisher, not self-publish, as your Sim will make more money from royalties this way.
You need to write 3 horror books to match the task’s requirements.
Task 2: Earn Royalties from Publishing Books
With this task, it now makes sense why you should write and publish books when honing in on your Sim’s Writing skill. Royalties are earned from publishing books your Sim has written, whether self-published or sold to a publisher. The latter option makes your Sim more money. How much your Sim makes depends on a few things, such as the genre of book, as well as your Sim’s Writing skill at the time of publication. Your Sim is more likely to make more money from genres they have unlocked at higher Writing skill level, as well as written more recently.
You can track how much your Sim has made from book royalties by looking in the Aspiration panel.
This task specifically asks your Sim to make 2,000 Simoleons worth of royalties from all their published works combined. This doesn’t mean making 2,000 Simoleons or more per day from royalties. The royalties your Sim makes from their books each day counts towards this task, building up and up until they reach the target.
The more books your Sim publishes, the quicker they’ll complete this final task of the Ghost Historian Aspiration. It’ll get completed even quicker still if your Sim focuses on higher level books such as Horror.
Sims should get their daily royalties report at 10am.
Reward for Completing the Ghost Historian Aspiration
Whenever you complete an Aspiration in The Sims 4, you get rewarded for your efforts with an exclusive trait. In the case of the Ghost Historian Aspiration, you receive the Ghost Whisperer reward trait. Sims with this trait get excited when interacting not just with ghosts, but the Grim Reaper and crows as well. They’ll also have an easier time doing interactions with them, building up relationships.
Ghost Historians love anything to do with ghosts, as well as the Grim Reaper and crows, making interacting with them much smoother.
That’s everything you need to know about completing the Ghost Historian Aspiration in The Sims 4 Life & Death Expansion Pack. Make sure to check out our other guides, as well as our review for the Life & Death Expansion.
