What packs are your must haves?

"Simyim;c-17778104" wrote:
Hi there!

Great idea for a thread! It all depends on your gameplay style.

For Supernatural Lovers, like me, I would say:

Gamepack: Vampires. This one is a MUST. It includes beautiful Victorian furniture and clothing that can fit very well in Glimmerbrook or, why not, in an enchanted Willow Creek. Vampires are the most powerful, customizable occults — they can have different powers and weaknesses, as well as different facial features in their dark forms, which is perfect if you want to create different clans. The world, Forgotten Hollow, is quite small (just 5 lots), but it can be very beautiful, specially in winter and autumn with its dark atmosphere. And the default townies are so fun to play — the count Vlad Straud and the Vatore siblings (Caleb is a fan-favorite as much as Morgyn from Realm of Magic, but her sister Lilith is equally amazing).

Bonus tip: check for Maxis’ official vampire clans on their gallery: Rebellious Vampires and Virtuous Vampires. They are not included by default, but vampires like Elle DeVampiro or Inna Cents can give a lot of personality to your vampire town! Also check on the amazing builds from the gallery. You can find very scary buildings like Bloodbound Castle from Devon Bumpkin (waaaaay better than the default Straud Mansion). Also, if you know how to use the debug items on the build and buy catalog, you can place the Forgotten Grotto somewhere in this world for an extra lot. Suits this world so much! :)


Other amazing gamepacks:

Realm of Magic. You will have not one, but two beautiful worlds. Glimmerbrook is very small again, with 5 lots, but it’s a beautiful forest that can fit different styles (Victorian, Medieval, Gypsy caravans... you name it! :)). Near the waterfall, there is a hidden portal that will lead you to the Realm of Magic, which fits one big editable lot with two non-editable locations: the dueling gardens and a magical alley to shop supernatural items. Spellcasters are the second best occult in the game. You can specialize in 4 different magical branches (Alchemy, Untamed Magic, Practical Magic or Mischief Magic), or all of them! And you will have the help of three charismatic teachers: Morgyn (a fan-favorite as well, teacher of Untamed Magic), Simeon and Faba. You can learn very useful spells, like manipulating your neighbors so they can clean your home, or resurrecting your sims if they are a bit clumpsy with the fireplace ;).

Bonus tip: again, check for Maxis’ trailer spellcasters on their gallery. When the game came out, many people where shocked to see that Simeon and Faba looked quite different from the trailer, so Maxis uploaded the original versions as retired sages. But they can be so fun to play as well! Also, don’t forget to check the gallery for builds. The most beautiful renos from the Magic Realm I have seen so far are the Sanctum by Satisim, and the Wollowiz School from Devon Bumpkin. Great thing about this pack is that spellcasters can blend perfectly among humans, so you can have a magical Windenburg as well, for instance, or witchy apartments in San Myshuno! And lastly, if you create a community lot in Glimmerbrook, you can also place the Magical Tree that takes you to Sylvan Glade, for a new magical location. Fits here very nicely!


Strangerville. I never thought I could have so much fun with this pack, I swear! It doesn’t contain new occults per se, but if you love apocalyptic towns, zombie invasions or mad scientists, this is your pack :D. For once, it is a storyline-based pack, so you will have to unravel the mystery of Strangerville and its quirky citizens. The town is so nice, way more than Oasis Springs. You can go for a western vibe, a modern Arizona look or keep the traditional Gothic Carpenter look of the default builds. Up to you! :) The neighbors are very fun to play as well: from ecclectic friends to conspiracy theorists, shady majors or family-loving soldiers. The secret lab is not buildable though, unfortunately, because it’s tied to the storyline.


Expansions:


Island Living: not only features Sulani, one of the most beautiful, largest, sound-rich worlds in the game. It has mermaids! They are not as fleshed out as vampires or spellcasters (what a pity!). But still, you can personalize their mermaid form with different facial features, eye colors, tails and fangs, ranging from beautiful to absolutely scary :D. Unfortunately there aren’t any underwater lots, like Island Paradise in Sims 3. But you can go for a pirate town with the amazing gallery builds! You can find beautiful pirate ships, mermaid coves and even Atlantis Palaces that can fit this world very well.

Other great options:

Get to work. It doesn’t sound so supernatural, but it has a hidden surprise. Aliens! Unlike Batuu aliens, they are an entire occult that can blend among humans perfectly, but they have special powers. And this world has a tiny hidden lot: Sixam, their original planet. Bonus tip: you can give your aliens extra powers with reward/hidden traits like Immune to Cold/Hot, Mastermind, Speed Reader, Naturalist... everything you can imagine! You can also find amazing builds in the gallery or in The Sims Resource. One of my favorite so far is “Destroyer”, a spaceship from Xandralynn, available in The Sims Resource.

Regarding aliens, I know many people was disappointed with the Journey to Batuu gamepack. I confess I like it, but I try to blend it as much as possible with my other supernatural packs, like Get to Work. If you give Batuu aliens the hidden trait “fake alien”, they will have exactly the same alien superpowers, like erasing people’s minds. And it can be fun for your GTW aliens to have droids and Batuu weapons :). But I would recommend the rest of the packs first before purchasing this one.

Stuff pack:

Paranormal Stuff pack. I know it hasn’t come out yet, but definitely I’m waiting for it! :D From what we have seen so far, we will have haunted houses with spirits on them, a paranormal investigator career and the option to host seance sessions. Paired with the fear emotion that will be included in the base game with the update, it can be a very powerful pack that blends perfectly with Vampires and Realm of Magic. Or give a magical touch to a haunted Windenburg or a magical, New-Orleans styled Willow Creek!

Great choices!

My "must haves" are pretty much mostly Game Packs. I'm also an Occult/Supernatural/Fantastical player so I love when strange beings and events happen in my game.

Vampires - Because it's the best pack ever made. They're awesome and you can make a variety of different "types" of Vampires, and not only do they have a variety of powers, but weaknesses as well, which gives them so much more personality. The pack also includes beautiful Victorian/Goth designs and some features to make run-down old mansions. This pack is perfection for the Vampire enthusiast.

Realm of Magic - Because magic. Who doesn't want magic in their game? The Magic Realm itself is incredible and strange, something really different from anything Maxis has done before. There are different paths of magic, Familiars, and it crosses over nicely with Cats and Dogs so you can make one of them your Familiar as well. You can play pretty much any time of magical being you can think of because they expanded beyond the Witches. There are also two small worlds in this pack, one to visit, and the other to use freely how you want.

Jungle Adventures - Because it's an adventure that also doubles as a vacation! The world is incredible and a little dangerous, which is exciting. Explore ruins, secret areas, and lost temples. Risk poison and death, traps, and find a variety of treasures. It's like a little Indiana Jones excursion with archaeology. Best of all...cursed magic items and skeletons! Depending how you play it, this pack allows the player to bump up a risk factor by venturing into the jungle with or without protective supplies. I've had explorers bring tents (from Outdoor Retreat) and sleep overnight in the jungle instead of returning to their rental home. It definitely raises the danger and challenge. I love this pack immensely!

Journey To Batuu - Because I love it and I'm not sorry. While this pack doesn't integrate very well with the rest of the game, it's an entertaining piece of the Star Wars experience. I have a household who went to Batuu and still haven't returned because you can essentially live there. The CAS is one of my absolute favorites and it's more versatile than I think most people realize. Gorgeous headwear and draped, layered clothing and soft low boots. And the build/buy is stellar for using with Steampunk, Alien or Apocalyptic builds. There are so many possibilities with just the stuff alone, and the Star Wars droids and lightsabers are great for Geeky Sims. The lightsaber battles have extensive, gorgeous animations. It's a separate experience, but a good one.

StrangerVille - Because it's weird! It's a story to explore and it's so strange and entertaining and different, that it's worth checking out. The story is contained to it's mid-sized world, but that makes sense because of how bizarre it is. Although if you use the fruit elsewhere, you can get some of that strange behavior in other places too. The build/buy is a combination of Western-Victorian and fringe science dump. Very unique. The CAS has a lot of mid-western US and cowboy-esque styles.

As for EPs, that's a little harder. I do find uses from each one, but most of them don't feel like I absolutely need them. I guess I'll just highlight what I like.

Island Living - This is probably the EP I like the most. So if I had to choose one, this is it. Not just because of the gorgeous (and slightly dangerous) Mermaids, but the islands have an ambience that makes me want to be there all the time. The volcano is so cool, the shipwreck, the culture...it's really immersive. Plus, it goes very well with my Pirate and Siren and Voodoo Sims. Also, playing in Sulani has a relaxing effect that somehow gives me a nice, mental vacation. With Pirates and Sirens and Voodoo magic Mambos. Well...the heart wants what it wants.

Get To Work - Because this is where the Aliens are! Aliens are so interesting in Sims 4 and they can actually go around in disguise and have some powers and ray guns and stuff. They're really fun! And I actually really love the Science career. It's so creative and interesting. There are three playable careers and a retail system (that I don't really use) but my main uses are the Aliens, Science, and Doctor careers. In that order. Aliens can also be created in CAS and have a small variety of options. I don't really remember too much about the rest of the CAS because it's probably pretty "normal". The build/buy goes with the careers and has some cool hidden Alien fluff as well.

City Living - Mentioning for the city itself and the apartments. The rest of the pack is meh, okay I guess, but my main focus is the literal "living in the city" aspect. The city is always alive with Sims, which I like, and being able to use apartments for condensed living is great. Plus, Vampires can find more food here.

Cats And Dogs - This pack would be absolutely amazing if the pets didn't get sick so much (due to there being a Veterinarian career). This was my favorite EP for a while but in time, having sick animals everywhere gets depressing, then gets aggravating. But putting that aside, Brindleton Bay is a beautiful world, very "New England Seaside" and the build/buy is very homey and cozy. The cats are so wonderful, best they've ever been, I just adore them. I mean, the dogs are great too, I'm just a cat person. There's a lot of activity and personality in the pets that makes them fun to have around. It's too bad that the pack had some oversights and that the illness kind of wrecks it. And, again, cats and dogs can be a Spellcaster's Familiar if you have Realm of Magic.

Get Together - Mentioned for the world of Windenburg and the excellent club system. Windenburg is large and very European and is a fan favorite. The club system allows the player to customize Sim behaviors by choosing activities and behaviors, banning activities and behaviors, and choosing hangouts for groups of Sims. This pack can easily be overlooked but its use is expansive.

Seasons - Mentioned for the obvious...seasons. Each world has a different climate, which is a completely new angle and a really neat idea. The thunderstorms and blizzards are so gorgeously done and the pack comes with a calendar that allows the creation of custom holidays. While this feature is a great idea, the thing I don't like about it is that it makes all Sims depressed if they just try to ignore the holiday. This gets old very fast. Also, some of the seasons can get irritating when there's too much rain or an extended heat wave or whatever. But that's probably just me. The pack does have toggles to turn off weather effects. I just wish we could have the option to ignore some holidays so Sims could go on with their lives and not be forced into having such same-y reactions.

Moving on to Stuff Packs.

Paranormal Stuff - I know it hasn't come out yet, but this is going to be The One. This will be the Stuff Pack of Stuff Packs. Haunted houses, seances, specters, Paranormal Investigator career, fear...what's not to like??

Spooky Stuff - This pack has been my top favorite for the costumes and Halloween theme because I love those things. It does go well with Seasons in the Autumn, but I've been using it to make Fairies and Pirates and Ninjas and stuff and have pumpkins in the game.

Romantic Garden Stuff - Love this pack for the stone structures and statues and most of all, the magical Wishing Well. This object is placed in many locations in my game because it can do so many cool different things and have both good and bad outcomes. It's the most underrated object in the game.

Vintage Glamour Stuff - Love the retro vibe of this one. This pack comes with the Butler, which I love to use. I don't like my Sims to have to spend all of their time doing chores, so the Butler is very handy. I suspect though, that Bonehilda will end up being a replacement my games.