Build a Dynasty in The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy Expansion Pack

What is a Dynasty?

Dynasties are a key part of The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy Expansion Pack. Increase the drama, intrigue, and create rich lore for your Sims by creating stories of forbidden love, feuding families, and outcasts. Dynasties have their own set of values, making them ideal for players who love immersive storytelling. Some of the basics you need to know:

Within each Dynasty, there are three key roles: Dynasty Head, Outcast, and Heir.
A Sim can only be a member of one Dynasty at a time.
A Dynasty can be spread across multiple Households; they don’t all need to live on the same Lot.
There’s no limit to how many Sims can be in a Dynasty.
A single Household can include Sims who are members of different Dynasties. For example, a couple can be married, but both belong to different Dynasties.
The name of the Dynasty can be customized; the default option is the Founder’s last name.
Create a family crest with icons and backgrounds; this can be displayed on the Dynasty Crest Shield from Build Mode.
Dynasties can earn Prestige by following their set values. This levels up a Dynasty and unlocks Perks.

Dynasty Head

This Sim is the family leader, and their role is to keep the Dynasty on the path to prestige.

They decide who can join the Dynasty
They assign perks
They encourage and discourage behaviour
They choose their Heir and Outcast

It’s important for the Dynasty Head not to fall behind in rank. If they do, other ambitious Sims can challenge them for the role of Head.

Outcast

An Outcast is a Sim that defies the values of the Dynasty or rejects the authority of the Dynasty Head and has been exiled. There can be more than one Outcast.

They’re cut off from Dynasty Perks
They’ll have less impact on the Dynasty’s Prestige
They can repent by following the Dynasty’s values and be redeemed by by the Head

Heir

The Heir is the Sim chosen by the Dynasty Head to take over leadership.

They take over once the Dynasty Head steps down or dies
Their actions (when aligned with Dynasty values) boost prestige more than other Sims
Their actions (when not aligned with Dynasty values) decrease prestige more than other Sims

Dynasty Values and Prestige

Dynasty Values

Each Dynasty has its own set of customizable values that define it, made up of skills and ideals, which are set by the Dynasty Head. These shape how Sims in the Dynasty act in the world. When members follow these values, they strengthen their Dynasty’s Prestige; if they defy them, they decrease Prestige.

Skills: Choose up to three skills to include in your Dynasty’s values. Choose skills from across the Base Game or any Pack.
Ideals: These are how a Dynasty expects its members to behave. They’re tied to specific careers, activities, and actions.

Dynasty Prestige

Each Dynasty has a prestige score, which can increase or decrease through gameplay. Earning prestige progresses a Dynasty through the ten levels and unlocks Dynasty Perks. Decisions made by the Dynasty Head or Heir have more weight, so their actions can significantly increase or decrease prestige. All members of a Dynasty can contribute to increasing or decreasing prestige. Here’s how to increase Prestige:

Doing activities that align with the Skills and Ideals of the Dynasty
Working in careers that align with the Skills and Ideals of the Dynasty
Getting good grades at school
Making new Friends and Good Friends
Hosting Social Events
Marrying members of other Dynasties
Starting Alliances & Rivalries
Being Friendly to Dynasty Allies
Being Mean to Dynasty Rivals

Here’s what decreases Dynasty Prestige:

Doing activities that don’t align with the Skills and Ideals of the Dynasty
Working in careers that don’t align with the Skills and Ideals of the Dynasty
Ending Alliances & Rivalries
Scandals about Dynasty members. Want to learn more about how Scandals work? Check out our guide.

Buying Dynasty Perks with Prestige Points can enhance the lives of members and be passed down through generations. Some examples of these Perks are:

The Creative Affinity Trait: Babies born to Dynasty members while this Perk is active will inherit a Trait that boosts their creative skills.
Nepotism: A social advantage that speeds up a Sim’s Career Performance.
Tutor: The ability to hire a Tutor to help a Child or Teen Sim with their homework, and for any Sim to level up their skills.

How to join a Dynasty

With The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy Expansion Pack, there are already some pre-made Dynasties in the World of Ondarion. These Dynasties will already have defined ideals, lore, and relationships, so you can jump straight in and play! Sims are eligible to join an existing Dynasty through family ties:

They can marry an existing Dynasty member. A Sim who has married into a Dynasty can’t then invite their blood relatives to join too.
If these Sims later divorce, the non-blood relative and any children from previous relationships are automatically removed from the Dynasty.
Through adoption. It’s now possible to adopt Teen, Young Adult, and Adult Sims.
If they’re a Child or Stepchild of a Dynasty Member.

The Dynasty Head is the only Sim who can approve new members or exile existing members. No Sim can be forced to join a Dynasty without their consent, and can leave at any time without approval. To manage Dynasty membership, first make sure you have the Dynasty Head selected in Live Mode, then open the Social Groups tab in the bottom-right. Select Dynasty Details (the cog icon) and choose Add Members. From here, you can also choose View Member List where you have the option following options for Dynasty Members: Designate Heir, Declare Outcast, and Kick out of Dynasty.

How to set up a Dynasty

Want to set up a Dynasty from scratch? Here’s how.

Found a new Dynasty

Sims who are Young Adult or older can establish a brand-new Dynasty; they’ll become both the Founder and the Dynasty Head. Any family, spouse, and descendants they have will automatically join too. Open the Social Groups tab in the bottom-right of Live Mode. From here, you can View Dynasties and Found a Dynasty. Selecting View Dynasties opens a pop-up that lists all existing Dynasties across your saved game. You can see the names, descriptions, and Dynasty Crest. Selecting the ‘i’ icon next to a Dynasty will open up more information, including their prestige, unity stability, members, Skills, Ideals, and their Alliances & Rivalries.

A pop-up for how to create a Dynasty showing where to Add Members, name Dynasty, and add Skills and Ideals.

Selecting Found a Dynasty opens a pop-up for your Sim to create their own. From here you can:

Name your Dynasty
Design a Dynasty Crest
Add members
If your Sim has no blood relatives, dependents, or spouse, there won’t be an option to add Sims to your Dynasty
Add skill
Add ideals
Choose Dynasty Heir
Write a description of your Dynasty

Split from an existing Dynasty

Sims who are already part of a Dynasty can branch off on their own. Doing this means they already start with a certain amount of prestige, but will set their own ideals. Open the Social Groups tab in the bottom-right of Live Mode. Select Dynasty Settings and choose Found a Dynasty in the bottom-left.

Unite a Dynasty

If Sims from two different Dynasties marry, they can either choose to each stay in their current Dynasty, merge into one of either spouse’s existing Dynasties, or start their own Dynasty. Starting their own means they’ll carry over prestige from their existing Dynasties. Need help with The Sims 4 Royalty and Legacy Expansion Pack? Check out some of our other skill guides.

How to set up a Dynasty in The Sims 4?

Overview

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