For a life simulator, The Sims has always been pretty fancy; playing with life should be fun, after all. The occult added a refreshing element to the sometimes mundane realities of going to work and doing laundry. Throughout The Sims series, witches (and/or warlocks) have been one of the most detailed life states.
They appeared in every game – under different names – and continued to grow more complex over time. From spells and curses to alignments and familiars, here’s everything you need to know about spellcasters, witches, and wizards throughout the series.
9 Magic has arrived in The Sims
The first game in The Sims series introduced magic as a concept, but occults didn’t quite exist like in other games. Instead, regular Sims could use wands from Mystery Man (or buy mode) in The Sims: Making Magic.
Casting the Beauty of Beast Charm would temporarily turn an unsuspecting Sim into one of many occults, including Witches (for female Sims) or Wizards (for male Sims). Once a Sim changed clothes or took a shower, they would come back to themselves, but the spell could be cast again at any time.
8 But witches and wizards came to The Sims 2
Witch and Wizard Life States have come to the end of The Sims 2 lifespan, with the Apartment Life expansion pack. And witches being a definite state of life, only witches can do magic; more wands and charms for regular Sims.
To become a witch, Sims had to befriend a high witch or high wizard – an NPC who spawns on community lots – and request to learn “the ways” of light or darkness. New witches and wizards receive new clothes, as well as their own cauldrons and spell books. You’ll have a few spells unlocked immediately, but studying magic and buying reagents will open up more possibilities.
seven They return in The Sims 3: Supernatural
The Sims 3 ditched gender-specific names and called all Sims witches. These witches can cast charms, spells, and curses, which have varying effects on subjects. Now, however, magic can also affect the caster, and if certain curses fail, they can even cause immediate death.
Becoming a witch is simple: buy a bottled witch’s brew from an alchemy shop and drink it (or throw it at another Sim to craft it instead). Or create witches directly from CAS. The state of life is also genetic; if one of the parents is a wizard, there is a 50% chance that their offspring will also be a witch, and the probability is 100% with two wizard parents.
6 The Sims 3 gave us alchemy
Alchemy also came with The Sims 3: Supernatural, and while it’s not witch-exclusive, it’s pack-exclusive. Witches also gain the skill faster. The first step to developing the Alchemy skill is to purchase the Alchemy Station from Aleister in the buy mode menu, after which your Sim can research Alchemy. Research also gives you the ability to find elixirs for alchemy recipes, but the best way to discover new elixirs is to read recipe books directly.
Elixirs can be hits or misses, and successful elixirs can be ingested, thrown at other Sims, displayed in an elixir display case, or sold at the consignment store.
5 And a hidden spellcasting skill
Unlike alchemy, spellcasting is a hidden skill exclusive to witches. The first spell a witch can cast is Conjure Apple, but as she progresses in spellcasting, more spells, charms, and curses become available.
From upgrading devices to haunting their enemies, spellcasters can do it all. They can even change the weather, or even the needs of themselves or other Sims. Expert spellcasters can even revive dead Sims as zombies. Dueling with other witches is a great way to increase spell casting skill, but so is playing with magic, which also increases the fun.
4 The Sims 4 Spawn Spellcasters
Finally, spellcasters are introduced in The Sims 4 and serve similar functions to witches. Any Sim can become a spellcaster by completing the Rite of Ascension, which involves completing a quest for one of Glimmerbrook’s sages. Spellcasters can fail magic like witches, but the curses they suffer are akin to the quirks experienced by celebrities or vampires.
A spellcaster can have up to three curses active at a time out of a total of ten. Curses can be lifted with the Curse Cleansing Potion or the Decursify spell, and the Hexproof perk prevents them altogether. There are a total of 24 spells to learn in three schools of magic and six caster ranks to achieve.
3 Magic bloodlines have changed
Spellcaster genetics work the same way in The Sims 4 as it does for witches in The Sims 3, but spellcasters also have magical bloodlines. Children born to spellcasters are born with the magical lineage trait, making them stronger spellcasters as teenagers. Normal Sims who turn into spellcasters develop the Weak Bloodline trait, but can pass the Magical Bloodline trait to their children.
If the caster’s life state is maintained over subsequent generations, the magical lineage becomes Strong and eventually Ancient. Bloodlines can also degrade, so if the lineage is not maintained (i.e. casters marry normal Sims or other non-spellcaster occults) it will degrade to whether it is ultimately reproduced or revived.
2 good versus evil
In The Sims 2, witches and wizards have alignments ranging from Infallably Good to Atrociously Evil. Their alignment determines the spells they can cast, and in turn, they unlock more spells related to it. Good and evil witches and wizards have robes, hats, and magical tools (like spell books and cauldrons) that match their alignment auras.
Excruciatingly evil witches will also develop a green complexion. Spellcasters in The Sims 4 can practice different styles of magic: Mischief, Practical, Wild, and Alchemy. But, these are not proper alignments, so spellcasters can practice all four styles at the same time.
1 Find Familiars
Witches in The Sims 2 can summon Void Spectral Cats. Familiars here act mostly like regular cats, except they can be summoned and returned to The Void at will. Witches in The Sims 3 get the Pet moodlet when interacting with their pets. With the moodlet, they acquire spellcasting skills faster and their magic power depletes more slowly.
Spellcasters find familiars by purchasing them in Caster’s Alley, as a reward for winning a duel, or by searching for tomes in Magic HQ (or any other library). When a familiar is summoned, it can even shield casters from death. There are 11 types of pets, excluding cats and dogs which can act as both pets and familiars.
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