Occult Life States Overview For The Sims 4

If you’ve been playing The Sims 4 as a regular Sim for a while, it’s all fun and good, but what if your Sim wants a little something different out of life? What if being a human isn’t quite for them, and they’d like to experiment with becoming something… other?

The Sims 4 offers six occult life states in the game, and a base game change in October 2024 made it easier than ever to swap between occult life states in Create-a-Sim. Depending on which packs you’re playing with in The Sims 4, you’ve got plenty of otherworldly fun ahead.

This guide focuses on occult Sims and permanent life state changes. If you’re looking to explore something more temporary before committing to shedding your Sim’s humanity, we’ve got a guide to playing temporarily as plant Sims as well!

Alien

Added in the Get to Work expansion in March 2015, aliens were one of the first alternate life forms we received for The Sims 4. Unless you’re playing in the Scientist career and have made your way to Sixam, the alien planet where you can find all kinds of neat collectibles and even interact with other aliens, who knows? You may have already met an alien Sim in your game and didn’t even know it!

This is because aliens wear humanoid disguises for the majority of their goings-on in The Sims 4, since not all Sims respond favorably to extraterrestrial life. In their natural state of being, aliens have a cool-toned skin color like green, blue, or purple, and they’ll typically wear one of the iterations of the grayish alien bodysuit. However, when you’re playing as an alien Sim, you can customize your human disguise in CAS the same way you can any normal Sim.

You can click your Sim to have them change into their disguise at will, or to alter how their disguise appears.

Aliens have a slew of unique interactions with other Sims. If someone finds out your secret, you can erase Sims’ minds after being exposed as an alien, and they’ll forget all about it. You can even probe the minds of other Sims, which leaves them feeling pretty uncomfortable. Your alien Sim is an empath, though, and you’ll have the option to empathize with them or any Sim displaying strong emotions. You can also analyze Sims’ personalities before you meet them, to see if they’re someone you want to know.

Finally, alien Sims have a knack for all things collectibles, able to transmute crystals, elements, and metals at will if you so desire. If you’ve got a good collection going, but you’re struggling to find those last few items, or you’re doing a rags-to-riches challenge and could use more Simoleons than a collectible is offering, then it’s worth asking your alien Sim to work their magic on your natural elements.

How To Make An Alien Sim

If you’re not making an alien outright when you first create your Sim in CAS, then you’ll likely need to wait a generation to play with this odd new life form, because you can’t elect to become an alien like other alternate life forms in The Sims 4. As of the time of publishing, it doesn’t seem that you can choose to stop being an alien Sim, either.

If your human Sim is curious about having an alien child, then you can Try for Baby with an alien Sim if you’re a Sim able to get pregnant, or, conversely, be abducted by aliens if you’re a Sim who impregnates others instead. Babies born with at least one alien for a parent will be an alien themselves, especially if birthed by a male father via abduction.

Vampire

One of the more iconic alternate life states from The Sims series, Vampires made their return in The Sims 4 with the Vampires game pack, launched in January 2017. Debuting back in The Sims 2: Nightlife and remaining a series icon since, Vampires in The Sims 4 are some of the most in-depth the series has seen.

Vampires are able to use an optional Dark Form, which you can customize in CAS like any other occult Sim disguise. Your Sim can use their Vampire powers with or without a Dark Form, so whether you use one is up to your preference.

The needs of a Vampire Sim are quite different from human Sims. Instead of sleeping normally, your Sim will now need to worry about their Vampire Energy instead, recharged by sleeping or Dark Meditation and used not only as general energy for the day, but for using their special Vampire powers. You’ll see that Hunger has been replaced by Thirst, too, and your Vampire Sim no longer has a Bladder need to attend to.

Vampire Sims who don’t attend to their thirst need by drinking Plasma or from willing victims will quickly lash out and begin attacking human Sims for a much-needed drink. This can tank your relationship with that Sim no matter how close you are, so be careful if you’d like to keep the Sims in your life comfortable with your Vampiric nature! Consider the Tamed Thirst perk to reduce the odds of this happening as your Thirst meter decreases slower.

As one might expect from traditional lore, Vampires don’t like sunlight or garlic and will actively try to avoid both. The lower a Vampire Sim’s Vampire Energy is when out in the sunlight, the more uncomfortable they become, especially since sunlight reduces Vampire Energy, and they can even catch fire if left outside for too long. Achieving a high level of your Vampire Lore skill allows your Sim to give themselves the ability to instead be recharged by the sun, replenishing their Vampire Energy.

If you’re playing with Seasons installed, Vampires can safely venture out on days that are cloudy or rainy, as the sun isn’t shining so dangerously then. The Vampires-exclusive world of Forgotten Hollow is almost always dreary enough to permit an outdoor lifestyle.

Additionally, Vampires have a number of special social options with other Vampires. A big one is sparring with other Vampires, a good show of everyone’s Vampire powers! Sims with a good relationship can participate in friendly sparring matches, while enemy Vampires can challenge one another to actual battles of superiority. You can also show off your powers to impress other Vampires, and offer to train with other Vampires to improve everyone’s powers.

As your Vampires become more powerful, you’ll progress through a perk system of Vampire powers, granting your Sim a customizable list of rewards for improving their knowledge and skills as a Vampire. There are five total ranks for the Vampire powers, granting your Sims the ability to do things like turn into a bat, control nearby Sims, dampening how quickly your needs decay, and more.

The downside of Vampire powers is that, for every rank you climb, you’ll also need to accept that your Vampire Sim has a weakness or two, like increased sunlight damage, a refusal to sleep anywhere other than in a coffin, quicker Thirst depletion, and more. You’ll need to choose these weaknesses yourself, but if your Sim’s chosen Vampire powers conflict directly, you won’t be able to choose that weakness to override the system/

How To Make Or Cure A Vampire Sim

With the October 2024 base game update, you can now safely make a Vampire in CAS when you’re first designing your Sim. If you’d prefer to go the natural route of having a Vampire child, you’ll have a 50 percent chance of a Vampire baby with one Vampire parent, while two Vampires will always have a Vampire baby. If two human Sims conceive a child with the On Vampiric Leyline lot trait active, they stand a small chance of having a Vampire baby despite being humans themselves.

If you’re already playing the Sim you’d like to have become a Vampire, though, you’ll need to find a Vampire Sim who’s willing to turn your Sim into a Vampire with a special Vampire bite. Your Sim will go through a number of hunger-based moodlets, first becoming ravenously hungry before being Disgusted by Food until losing their appetite for human food completely. 36 hours after beginning the transformation, your Sim will officially turn into a Vampire.

If you want your Sim to be able to turn other Sims into Vampires, though, you’ll need the Vampire Creation perk from the Vampire skill tree. They’ll then be that Sim’s Master, and their Vampire powers are significantly more effective when used on that Sim. If you’re interested in starting a coven of your own, the Vampire Family aspiration is a good place to start.

Getting tired of being a Vampire and ready to return to a life of normalcy? You can opt to cure a Sim’s Vampirism by reaching Level 15 Vampire Lore. You’ll then be able to whip up The Ultimate Vampire Cure drink at any bar item that your Sim can drink to return to normal.

Vampires can cure one another with the Slay Vampire action when fighting another Vampire Sim with The Ultimate Vampire Cure in their inventory. This turns the other Vampire into a human Sim again, and your Sim might do this automatically if they spar with an enemy Vampire while holding the Cure in their inventory.

Merfolk

Added in with the beautiful island paradise world of Sulani in June 2019’s Island Living expansion, Mermaids are a new occult life state centered around the sea. Though your Merfolk look totally normal while they’re on land, Merfolk who enter the water will have a tail instead of legs. Their skin tone might be different, and you may even notice some scales on their face. Female Mermaids have bathing suit tops, and you can customize both tails and tops in CAS.

The only change in needs for Mermaid Sims is the Hydration need, which you’ll find replaces the Hygiene need. Merfolk need to hydrate regularly and often, and they can do so by bathing, going swimming, and drinking water. The Hydration need decreases in the sun or in hot tubs, so be mindful. You’ll also find pools lower Hydration before too long – Merfolk prefer swimming in natural bodies of water to avoid pool chemicals, which are notoriously drying.

Sims don’t die if their Hydration need reaches zero as a Mermaid in The Sims 4: Island Living. They’ll be wildly uncomfortable until they can rehydrate again, but they’ll remain a Mermaid – a living one.

Mermaid Sims are visibly faster swimmers than normal Sims, and they can even nap in the water. They can go Scuba Diving without having achieved much in the way of a Fitness skill, where they can talk to fish to refill their Social need the same way talking to other Sims would. If they do truly long for Merfolk companionship, they can blow a conch shell on the beach to summon other Merfolk Sims.

In addition to a change in their Hygiene needs, Mermaid Sims will also have a number of special Mermaid Powers. Using their Mermaid Powers will drain a Sim’s Hydration need, so be sure to be able to recharge between uses. You’ll also find that playing with the Seasons expansion pack installed as well adds a few more powers to a Mermaid’s list that influence the current weather.

A Merfolk Sim’s powers are impacted by the Good and Evil traits, with some powers unavailable to Sims with one or the other trait. Sims who have neither trait have access to every Mermaid power in The Sims 4: Island Living.

How To Make Or Cure A Mermaid Sim

Like other occult life states in The Sims 4, Merfolk Sims can be created in CAS when you’re first making a new Sim. If you’re conceiving a child with one Mermaid parent, you’ll have a 50 percent chance of having a Mermaid child, but two Mermaid Sims will always produce a Mermaid child together. Child Mermaids have a Hydration need, but you won’t be able to customize their tail or use their powers until they age up into a teen.

Human Sims can choose to become Mermaids through the use of Mermadic Kelp, a special item obtained in one of several ways:

• The Rewards Store sells it for 500 Satisfaction Points per piece.
• You’ve got a small chance to find some naturally when fishing in Sulani, or while exploring Mua Pel’Am’s cave.
• There’s an even smaller chance to find it digging on the beach in Sulani, but it’s not consistent enough to rely on if you’re determined to become a Mermaid.

If you’re looking to undo your Mermaid lifestyle and change back into a human Sim, you’ll need to get your hands on two pieces of Mermadic Kelp. Once in hand, eat two Mermadic Kelp back to back as a Mermaid Sim, and you’ll find yourself back as a human once again.

Spellcaster

If you’re interested in all things supernatural, then give the Spellcaster life state a shot! Added in June 2019’s Realm of Magic pack, Spellcaster Sims deal in all things magic, building their abiltiies and mastering the use of a variety of spells – some useful, some harmful, depending on your specialties and skill levels. There are six Spellcaster ranks, ranging from Apprentice to Virtuoso as you gain experience by practicing, being mentored by other Spellcasters, and reading legendary Spellcasting tomes.

Whether it’s learning Spells with a Wand to bring magic on the go or standing over a cauldron to brew assorted potions, your Spellcaster Sims have a variety of ways to get in touch with the mystical! You’ll just need to watch out for the variety of Curses that can and regularly will plague your Sim as they earn magical experience and grow as a Spellcaster. Failing your attempt at magic increases the likelihood of picking up a curse, which must be manually dispelled.

Curses range from innocuous embarrassments like inappropriate laughter or a higher likelihood of your social interactions being rejected, all the way up to the Curse of the Night Wraith which literally sees your Sim haunted by a terrifying otherworldly specter that saps all their energy and renders them unable to sleep until the curse is dissolved.

As you grow as a Spellcaster, you’ll accrue plenty of Spellcaster Perk Points that you can spend on all manner of abilities to help you further explore the magical aspects of the world. These include the ability to make potions faster, slow their Spellcaster Charge rate, guarantee success with specific spells or potions, discounts on purchases at the Realm of Magic marketplace, and more.

While Spellcaster Sims don’t have changed needs like certain other occult Sims, you’ll find your Needs panel has changed pretty dramatically with the introduction of a Spellcaster Charge level, which is indicated in the large blue orb at the top of the now-golden Needs panel. Your Charge increases as you continue to build or use your magical abilities as a Spellcaster, and you’ll want to be mindful to let it cool down sometimes by either not using magic for a period or discharging your Sim’s energy every few hours.

Using your magic fills this Charge meter. Regular Charge is denoted with a blue orb, and you’ll find no benefits or extra dangers to using your magic in this state of Charge. Charged is a bit more intense, turning to an orange orb around halfway full. Spells used while in the Charged state are more likely to be extra successful. Your Sim may also glisten with power!

Overcharged starts to overload your Sim a bit, turning to a pink orb when you hit roughly 66 percent full. Spells are less likely to succeed as your Sim grows Tense, and they’re more likely to become Cursed when using magic. Dangerously Overcharged not only fills the orb tracking your Charge level, but it cracks it, warning you it may be time to slow down. Your Sim may become Overloaded, which sees them levitate and thrash to release the Charge.

Pressing your luck with magic after being Dangerously Overcharged may lead to death, so be mindful!

How To Make Or Cure A Spellcaster Sim

As of the October 2024 base game update, Spellcasters can be created in CAS when you’re first making a new Sim, if you know you’d like them to live life on the magical side. Additionally, you can have a Spellcaster child – one Spellcaster parent gives a 50 percent chance of a child being a Spellcaster, while two Spellcaster parents guarntee a Spellcaster child. Your Sim won’t begin to awaken to their Spellcaster powers until becoming a teen, though, guaranteeing a normal-ish childhood.

If not, you’ll need to head to the magic realm and track down one of the three sages. At the beginning of a new save, these are L. Faba as the Sage of Mischief, Simeon Silversweater as the specialist in Practical Magic, and Morgyn Ember is in charge of Untamed Magic. These are the three primary branches of magic you’ll encounter as you build your Spellcaster abilities, with each branch bringing different skills, spells, and abilities.

All three Sages have a colorful rune above their head when they’re inside the actual magic realm, making them fairly easy to spot.

Approach one of these Sims, introduce yourself, and you’ll eventually have the opportunity to Ask How to Use Magic come up in conversation. Choose this, and seven colorful orbs spawn in the magic realm. You’ll be timed on how quickly you can find and return them to the Sage with whom you began the quest, and it does reset if you head back to the normal world. Completing this task convinces the Sage to perform the Rite of Ascension on your Sim, which turns them into a Spellcaster.

If you grow tired of life as a Spellcaster, seek out the Sages once again and ask one of them to perform the Rite of Dissolution to return to you normal. You can comfortably become a Spellcaster again later, secure in knowing that your skill points and spells are all still waiting for you if or when you choose to return.

Werewolf

Another occult life state that received some good fleshing-out in The Sims 4, the June 2022 Werewolves game pack added everyone’s favorite canine Sim state back into the game for The Sims 4. With the addition of wolf packs (all with their own complicated hierarchies), a rich new world, and plenty of different abilities to choose from as you level up in your Werewolf powers and perks, the Werewolf life state is one of the more enjoyable of the supernatural.

Like plenty of the other occult life states, Werewolves receive a special Werewolf form that you can customize in CAS. Not only can you choose specific features like eyes and fangs, but you can also use a spray paint tool to further customize a Werewolf Sim’s appearance when they’re in their wolf form. While you can choose when to be in your Werewolf form most of the time, Werewolves transform on the full moon, rendering them angrier than normal.

While Werewolf Sims have Needs identical to human Sims, they’ll also need to be mindful of their Werewolf Fury level, indicated by the slowly-filling red orb in your Sim’s Needs panel. The higher their Fury level grows, the less human they feel, increasingly scratching at themselves and being more fiendish when they eat.

Going into Werewolf Fury sends them on a Rampage, which sees them destroy their immediate surroundings and startling any non-Werewolf Sims nearby. This continues until the Fury level returns to normal, and you’ll have liited control over your Sim until they’ve finished their Rampage. It’s best to try and meter your Sim’s fury level by allowing it to decrease periodically to stave off the rage. Additionally, Werewolves are subject to 22 possible Werewolf Temperaments, which decide how they behave in their wolf form.

These play in strongly when your Werewolf Sim decides it’s time to join a Werewolf Pack in Moonwood Mills to enhance their community. Nobody understands an occult Sim like another occult Sim, after all! Werewolves have different kinds of interactions with other Werewolf Sims including sparring, sharing stories of Werewolf experiences, howling at one another, and more. The two Packs don’t seem to like each other much, though, so make your decision wisely!

Finally, you’ll also be able to level up your Werewolf Abilities to unlock plenty of interesting perks as you gain more experience as a Werewolf. There are five total levels of being a Werewolf, and each one brings with it a number of different abilities and perks. These include the ability to dig up treasures, discovering a howl to lower your Fury, and even building up an immunity to the effects of the full moon. None of the Werewolf Abilities conflict, meaning you’re able to unlock all 25 Werewolf abilities as one Sim.

How To Make Or Cure A Werewolf Sim

Like most other occult life states in The Sims 4, the October 2024 base game update added the seamless ability to make a Werewolf when first creating a new Sim in CAS. A child born with one Werewolf parent has a 50 percent chance to be a Werewolf, while two Werewolf parents guarantee a Werewolf baby – and these children will gain different traits depending on the age and purity of their Werewolf lineage.

If you’re already playing as a Sim and would like to manually turn them into a Werewolf, you can as another Werewolf Sim to bite you, provided your relationship with them is high enough that they’ll agree. After being bitten by a Werewolf Sim, your Sim will cycle through moodlets for the next ten hours or so. They’ll be uncomfortable and energized before becoming ravenously hungry, seeing their Hunger need deplete quicker than ever before. They’ll need to eat almost continuously in this phase.

Once the Ravenous Hunger moodlet fades, your Sim becomes a Werewolf by entering their first Werewolf Rampage, destroying items and scaring nearby human Sims until the timer on that moodlet wears out as well. Once complete, your Sim is formally a Werewolf.

The final way to create a Werewolf Sim is entirely by accident if a human Sim contracts Werebies, a disease that results from either exploring Moonwood Mill’s underground too much or from being bitten by a Werewolf without asking them to do so. You can ask the Sims in Moonwood Mill if they know anything about a cure if you’d like to prevent the transformation, but if the Werebites moodlet times out without being cured, your Sim turns into a Werewolf.

Your Werewolf Sim can turn others if you want them to, but they’ll first need the Curse Bearer ability at level three. This allows them to perform a Cursed Bite on human Sims to transform them into Werewolves.

If you’d like to go back to being a human Sim again, you can cure a Werewolf with a little work. You’ll need to prepare a “Wolf-B-Gone” at any bar, but you’ll need to have the Lunary Epiphany ability and read the ancient writings. The drink requires nine Wolfsbane flowers and three Moonpetals to create.