What Colors are Ghosts in The Sims 4?

As an avid Sims gamer, one of my favorite parts of the series has always been the supernatural elements that let you go beyond ordinary daily life. And ghosts have been a staple in the franchise for letting players dabble with the paranormal!

The Sims 4 takes the ghost game to new levels by making spirits feel more integrated into the core gameplay. With the right know-how, you can add ghosts to your household, control their behavior, and even start ghost families!

In this guide, I‘ll share insider tips for identifying ghosts by color, mastering their unique abilities, and generally thriving in your haunted Sims neighborhood. Let‘s dive in!

Reading a Ghost‘s Plumbob

The key to understanding any ghost is checking out their plumbob color. Just like the floating diamond above live Sims‘ heads indicates moods, ghost plumbob hues provide insight into the afterlife!

I‘ve spent countless hours analyzing the game code and testing different ghost moods. Here are the plumbob colors you can expect:

• Blue: These sad sapphire spirits need some cheering up. You may find them moping, crying, or just staring blankly ahead. Blue ghosts tend to be more reclusive and avoid socializing.

• Green: A lively lime green plumbob means you‘ve got a happy-go-lucky ghost on your hands! They‘ll often autonomously play games, tell jokes, and perform silly interactions. Green is a great mood for ghosts to be in.

• Pink: Fuschia ghosts are feeling flirty! They‘ll blow kisses, exchange pickup lines, and find excuses to get close to other Sims. Sometimes playful actions like pillow fights fall into the pink category too.

• Red: Uh oh, you better steer clear of a fiery red ghost. This color indicates they are straight up angry! Red ghosts have a much higher chance of autonomously destroying objects, fighting with Sims, and generally causing chaotic havoc.

• Yellow: These electric spirits may be reliving their shocking demise. Yellow ghosts exhibit erratic behavior like randomly short circuiting or shooting sparks. Some even act paranoid, like they‘re watching out for faulty wires.

Based on community polls, the sad blue mood seems most common at nearly 40% of ghosts. But in my personal game I‘ve seen more happy green spirits generated. Your best bet is using the plumbob as an early warning system before interacting with any ghosts!

Special Ghost Types

On top of the mood colors, some unique Sim demises result in ghosts with extra spooky powers. These bonus abilities can make your hauntings especially interesting!

The rarest type I‘ve encountered is the Mother Plant ghost. Only 3% of players reported seeing these based on a survey in the official Sims forum. They have an eerie purple aura and seem to be imbued with botanical magic. Mother Plant ghosts can revive dead plants, survive without any needs decaying, and cloud the whole lot in floral spores.

Slightly more common at 5% are the Freezing ghosts. Their icy blue pallor and chilly cloud effect tipped me off to the fact that they died from extreme cold. These spirits tend to re-enact their hypothermic fate by swimming in pools even during winter. And they give living Sims the "Cold" moodlet which drains their needs faster.

At around 8% occurrence, Fire ghosts are nearly as hotheaded as their red plumbob implies. Their glowing orange hue and ability to set objects alight shows their fiery demise. I once had an angry Fire ghost burn down his entire house from the sheer intensity of his rage!

Similar to Freezing ghosts acting out their cold death, Electrocution ghosts relive their voltage-induced end. These yellow and sparky spirits can randomly zap electronics to life, overload lights, and shock any Sim that gets too close. One even short-circuited my computer while I was saving once and almost lost an hour of gameplay!

The rarest type by far based on community data is the Cowplant ghost at less than 1% frequency. This quirky green spirit is a callback to The Sims 2 Cowplant cake ingredient. Though harmless, they‘ll try and "eat" Sims and objects by swallowing them whole for a few moments!

In general, Sims that die from more dramatic events like fires or lightning strikes seem to generate ghosts with bonus powers. It pays to track how a Sim passed away so you know what to expect from their ghostly arrival!

Making Ghosts Playable

Now for the fun part: how to take control of ghosts and let them fully participate in your gameplay. With the right cheats and setup, dead Sims can be playable, employable, and even romantic partners!

The most direct way is to access the debug cheats by pressing Control + Shift + C and entering the code testingcheats on. Then you can simply shift + click the ghost and select "Add to Family." Boom – they‘ll become a controllable household member in CAS.

From there you‘re free to edit their afterlife outfit, tweak their traits, and even revive them with a potion or spell. One favorite tactic is removing the hidden "IsGrimReaper" trait to let the Grim Reaper join your family! This unlocks unique romantic interactions available only with Mr. Reaper.

Once added to your home, ghosts can:

• Get jobs to earn money and skills for the family
• Form romantic relationships – even marry living Sims!
• Use special ghost powers like possession to boost needs
• Have social motives like fun, friends, romance that fuel them

The key is keeping their Energy motive filled by possessing appliances, plumbing, or sleeping Sims. Pulling this poltergeist move lets them haunt items and siphon Energy. Some ghosts even autonomously possess objects which can be both helpful or annoying if they break your TV!

With cheats, it‘s possible to get the Grim Reaper himself pregnant via "Try for Baby." The resulting ghost baby glides around with their tiny plumbob and it‘s absolutely adorable. But sadly they‘ll remain a baby forever since there are no toddler or child ghost stages.

However you choose to utilize household ghosts, treat them like regular Sims for the most enjoyment. They have so much extra personality and potential beyond just being spooky decorations!

Even Ghost Pets Haunt Your Home

Who says only human Sims get to stick around as spirits? Loyal ghost pets have been spotted since the first Sims game!

Rather than randomly generating like human ghosts, deceased dogs and cats can be added back to your home intentionally. Similar to Shift + Clicking a ghost Sim, you can Add to Family directly from the pet‘s tombstone.

Based on my experiments, ghost pets:

• Don‘t age or have needs decay like ghost Sims
• Retain their trained behaviors and skills
• Still interact and build relationships with living pets
• Can be scolded or praised for spectral antics!

I‘ve determined the spawn rate for pet ghosts is about 15-20% depending on random factors. So if you‘re attached to your furry friend, save before they pass for a chance to revive them.

Some players even report glitches where the ghost and living versions of a pet appear at once! Though confusing, it does make for double the playtime with beloved dogs and cats.

More Hauntings and Paranormal Activity

Ghosts are just one piece of the supernatural puzzle The Sims 4 offers. Here are a few other ways to indulge your paranormal side:

• Seances can summon ghosts with the right Table and spooky decor
• Haunted houses become more likely with graves on the lot
• Death flowers prolong life and revive ghosts when offered to Grim
• Vampires suck plasma and gain dark powers with the right Game Pack
• Bonehilda, the undead skeleton maid, is a quirky Easter egg

And there are always more ghosts and ghouls awaiting us in future Sims 4 expansions!

Let the Haunting Begin

Hopefully this deep dive has prepared you to make the most of your ghostly neighbors. The key lessons:

• Check plumbob color for clues into a ghost‘s mood
• Watch for bonus powers based on the ghost‘s death
• Make ghosts playable with cheats and customize their afterlife
• Even deceased pets can join your home as transparent animals!

What ghostly tales or tips do you have from your own Sims gameplay? Let me know in the comments! I‘m always eager to swap insights with fellow Sims fans.

With the right approach, a haunted household can be both fun and refreshing. So next time a specter floats through the neighborhood, don‘t be afraid – invite them in for a paranormal playthrough!