Developer Q&A Recap: Everything We Learned About Dynasties in The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy
Immediately after the release of the gameplay trailer dedicated to the Dynasty system in The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy, the developers held an extended Q&A session on Discord.
Players asked dozens of questions — ranging from the core logic of how Dynasties work to scandals, secret children, usurpation of power, and cross-pack interactions.
We’ve collected and organized all the information by topic to make it easier for you to understand the new mechanics coming with the expansion.
What Is a Dynasty and Who Can Be Part of It
The developers were quick to clarify: a Dynasty does not have to be a royal family. According to SimDevXènia, it is simply an influential lineage, and it’s entirely up to the player whether they want to combine Dynasty gameplay with the royal career or play without it.
Any family can found its own Dynasty. Members of a Dynasty can include not only adult Sims, but also children. They can be invited into a Dynasty if it was founded by their direct relatives — parents, grandparents, and so on.
There is no limit to the number of Dynasty members. While the interface shows eight Sims at a time, in practice you can add as many relatives as you like.
Only Sims who already have a familial connection — by blood or through marriage — can be invited into a Dynasty. If a player really wants to include an “outsider,” the developers’ advice is straightforward: get married or adopt.
It’s also important to note that a Sim can belong to only one Dynasty, but Dynasties themselves can form alliances with one another.
Prestige, Ideals, and Dynasty Progression
Dynasty progression is built around the Prestige system. As members follow Dynasty Ideals and perform corresponding actions, Prestige increases. Each level grants points that can be spent on Dynasty-wide bonuses and privileges.
The Dynasty Head can change ideals and priorities at any time. However, such decisions may cause dissatisfaction among certain Sims if the new values clash with their personality traits.
Dynasty Ideals extend beyond the base game and tie into other expansion packs. They can be linked to careers, skills, after-school activities, and even lifestyle choices. The developers emphasize that the system is highly detailed.
There are no mandatory Dynasty outfits in the game. That said, players can create additional outfits in CAS and dress all family members in a unified style — panda costumes included, if that’s your thing.
Children, Inheritance, and Merging Dynasties
If parents from two different Dynasties have a child, the player chooses at birth which Dynasty the child will belong to. Dynasties can also be merged through marriage between their members, forming a new lineage that receives a starting Prestige bonus based on the reputation of both families.
A child born out of wedlock can still be an heir, as long as they are a member of the Dynasty. As SimDevXènia put it:
“Born out of wedlock counts! They are heirs… BY BLOOD!”
The player manually selects the Dynasty Heir, and this decision is not final — it can be changed at any time.
If the Heir is underage when a monarch dies, they retain the title in a “cosmetic” form and will be able to enter the royal career immediately at level 10 once they reach the Teen life stage.
Secret Children, False Parenthood, and Family Scandals
One of the most discussed topics in the Q&A was scandals and secret children. The developers confirmed that a Sim can have a child outside of their marriage and lie about the child’s parentage. At birth, a dropdown menu appears allowing the player to choose the “canonical” father. This creates a special relationship type — Secret Child.
From the perspective of the Sim who gave birth, both the real and the false father are visible in the interface. Other Sims, however, will only see the version of parenthood they “know” about. In this way, knowledge itself becomes part of the gameplay.
A child born out of wedlock is not automatically a scandal. A scandal only occurs if a Sim lies about parentage or if infidelity is involved.
The Scandal and Blackmail System
Scandals are a standalone system and are not limited to Dynasties. Even ordinary families can keep secrets, be blackmailed, or expose the secrets of others.
Secrets can be uncovered in many ways: questioning mutual acquaintances, digging through trash, hacking computers, exploring secret passages, consulting an enchanted mirror, or purchasing information via the Info Brokers website.
NPCs can also instigate drama. SimDevNat confirmed that a non-playable Sim may call and attempt to blackmail your Sim. If you don’t pay up or find another way to silence the extortionist, the scandal will be revealed. This feature can be disabled in the settings.
There are also alternative ways to cover things up — for example, paying an information broker to “bury” secrets. And, as the developers cryptically noted, that Sim might live right next door.
Usurpation of Power and the Struggle for Leadership
If no Dynasty Heir has been chosen, other family members may begin vying for power. They can attempt to persuade the Dynasty Head, blackmail them, or issue a challenge — through a chess match, a duel, or even a fistfight. If a Sim holds a higher rank, they may even outright usurp the position of Dynasty Head.
Royal Career, Titles, and Advisors
Dynasties and the royal system exist in parallel but work exceptionally well together. A single Dynasty can have multiple monarchs ruling in different worlds at the same time.
Titles cannot be created in CAS — regency must be earned entirely through gameplay, although the developers do not deny the existence of cheats.
Monarchs can appoint royal advisors, and an advisor can absolutely be a family member. Knights are Sims at level 1 of the Noble Career. They can have their own advisors and, over time, even knight other Sims themselves.
Family Trees and Kinship
The family tree system has been significantly expanded. Trees will grow both vertically and horizontally, with new relationship types added, including adoptive relatives and step-siblings.
There will also be new portrait frames based on royal rank, as well as icons indicating a Sim’s role within the family — leader, heir, exile, and more. The display of adoption can be customized in the settings.
Secret Passages, Coats of Arms, and Other Details
Secret passages function like portals: once a Sim has inspected them, they can automatically travel between connected points. They can also serve as intimate spots and even be sabotaged. A separate cheat is available specifically for builders.
The game introduces a wall object displaying the Dynasty’s coat of arms. Players can apply a custom motif, and Sims can even paint the coat of arms by hand using reference painting.
Final Thoughts
The Q&A session made it clear that the Dynasty system in The Sims 4: Royalty & Legacy is far more than simple “family bonuses.” It adds a full dramatic layer to gameplay, complete with intrigue, secrets, power struggles, inheritance, and lasting consequences for player decisions.
And this isn’t everything yet — the developers have promised a separate Q&A session fully dedicated to family trees. In the meantime, you can revisit the previous gameplay trailer and the developers’ commentary on the new career.
