The Sims 4 Life and Death adds a sneaky reference to Baldur's Gate 3, with a dev saying there's "another small one buried in there somewhere" still left to find

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The search is so on

Baldur's Gate 3 screenshot showing Astarion, a pale male elf with short curly white hair and red eyes, looking over his shoulder with a smirk on his face
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

The Sims 4 contains an abundance of Easter eggs and pop culture references if you look hard enough - and with EA's most recent expansion, a couple of the life sim's latest references may catch the eyes of Baldur's Gate 3 stans.

It's been a few days now since The Sims 4 Life and Death released, and fans have spent that time learning the ins and outs of the spooktacular new expansion pack - as well as finding all of its secrets. One such secret is a sneaky Baldur's Gate 3 reference highlighting none other than Astarion, Larian Studios' RPG's beloved vampire companion, and it can be found in the Build and Buy Mode on the "Sun and Stars Headstone" object.

"A grave that marks the end of an era and the beginning of another much more hopeful one," the gravestone's description reads. "Perhaps this is the perfect gravestone to commemorate a cheeky little Sim who faced the trials of life's shadowy depths, all the while craving the sun. Though, perhaps not the full, concentrated power of the sun after so many years spent out of it. Just a little bit of sun, as a treat, darling!"

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It's a clever little ode to Astarion, written about him and then partially in his own distinctive voice. As a lover of both games, I'm obsessed - but it's apparently not the only Baldur's Gate 3 reference to arrive with Life and Death. As producer Molly 'SimGuruNova' Narkis writes in a response to a fans' post pointing the headstone out, she was behind the Easter egg - and has another up her sleeve somewhere else, too.

"That was me," says the developer. "I'm glad someone found it. I also have another small one buried in there somewhere." There's no telling where this mysterious other reference is, or if it also has to do with the most bloodthirsty of all the Baldur's Gate 3 romances, but I certainly hope it does. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled every time I'm in Build and Buy Mode from here on out for any sign of Larian Studios' RPG or its snarky pale elf.

Need something new to play? Here are 10 games like The Sims 4 to check out right now.

Anna Koselke
Anna Koselke
Staff Writer

After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.