Hi, for most Sim gameplay, I prefer Sims 2/3, but one thing that I love about the Sims 4 is the more expanded occult gameplay. But I was thinking, I see a lot of love for Vampires and Werewolves, but not so much for Spellcasters. And I was curious why that is, what did Realm of Magic do that wasn't as interesting as Vampires or Werewolves? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

I don't like it because theres just not same attention to detail like how Spoiler (Highlight to read)1. morphiate turns sim to random object you can't choose what object and they also seem able to escape this all on their own without you know having to be turned back human which is frustrating2. same about chillio its just less dependable freeze ray3. you can only inferniate 1-3 times then game blocks you and also sim who set the fire puts it out themselves autonomously as if it was not their intention4. no witch hat, no cloak no pointy shoesighsisn't that just the basics of looking witching5. no interesting magical objectssure theres like cauldrons but what else are you supposed to fill that magic hq with6. can't live in magic realmjust always sad when u can't live in magical place in magic pack7. no integration like say having spells to cure other occults or changing weather or whatever like sure you can be techy witch n do those things in other packs but also you know magic?8. kids are not involved in any way even though have you ever seen movie where theres magic and kids don't magic just asking sure its issue with vampires and werewolves n such too but i feel kids are less common theme with those so its tiny bit more understandable9. lack of unique animations / show magic style flair to the spellsits bit of a issue with all packs in ts4 that theres not much new animations but with magic mainly being redo of the scientist career and zap zap it takes away from the magical feeling of the pack10. curses are fun but why our spellcaster sims cannot curse other sims you know directly while we at it? 1. morphiate turns sim to random object you can't choose what object and they also seem able to escape this all on their own without you know having to be turned back human which is frustrating2. same about chillio its just less dependable freeze ray3. you can only inferniate 1-3 times then game blocks you and also sim who set the fire puts it out themselves autonomously as if it was not their intention4. no witch hat, no cloak no pointy shoesighsisn't that just the basics of looking witching5. no interesting magical objectssure theres like cauldrons but what else are you supposed to fill that magic hq with6. can't live in magic realmjust always sad when u can't live in magical place in magic pack7. no integration like say having spells to cure other occults or changing weather or whatever like sure you can be techy witch n do those things in other packs but also you know magic?8. kids are not involved in any way even though have you ever seen movie where theres magic and kids don't magic just asking sure its issue with vampires and werewolves n such too but i feel kids are less common theme with those so its tiny bit more understandable9. lack of unique animations / show magic style flair to the spellsits bit of a issue with all packs in ts4 that theres not much new animations but with magic mainly being redo of the scientist career and zap zap it takes away from the magical feeling of the pack10. curses are fun but why our spellcaster sims cannot curse other sims you know directly while we at it? but also its just that since its lifestate instead of skill you have to abandon all other occult characteristics to do magic which just tbh does not feel worth it when theres barely anything unique to lifestate itself

For me, they have so much potential. So much cross-pack compatibility could be there. They could be really powerful. But...I'll take a look at the previous games. The Sims Makin' Magic and The Sims 2 Apartment Life had a lot of unique spells. Some spells even gained some functions when you had DLC (You can cause rain or make the sun shine and butterflies appear with Seasons). I'll share some interesting spells from the previous games.Turning sims into toads (which could end badly in The Sims 1 if you had a dragon)Make an object to temporarily come alive (well, The Sims 4 has too much gnome statues to make a gnome NPC)Banishing someone (either make them disappear or create a hole under them to fall into)Turning a pet into a simUsing a spell to temporarily look like a monsterMaking a clone that goes to work/school for you!Imaginary friendsEasier magician tricksSpells that make socializing easier or harderSummoning a sim (I'd like to see a relationship drop when summoned at the wrong time)A spells that removes other spellsMakes a sim act weird to other sims (act like a chicken for example)Summon bees to attack simsResurrecting dead sims as a zombieFreezing time (it even has its own section in game tips!)Haunting curse (which kills the caster if it backfires)Pestilence CurseAbility to turn an object into something elseRain that makes non-witches dance uncontrollablyThe Sims 2 evil spells really were evil. Erasing memories, breaking up marriages...But the first two games had one requirement: spells require ingredients. In The Sims 2, you could just make it in cauldrons, but in The Sims 1, you really had to go out of your way to find them.The Sims 3 just had magical energy that went down. When it was in half, spells began to backfire. Witches can't cast spells without any of that energy.Yet, none of the games also doesn't force your sim to cast spells. Witches were the most noticeable in The Sims 2 (special idle animations, using brooms). In fact, in The Sims 1, if your sim casts a spell in front of non-magical sims, they'll get fined. I get a feeling that The Sims 4 is trying to re-create that secret magic theme, just without strict consequences.But my ideas for spellcaster improvements are like so:I agree, more magical outfits. Like that classical witch outfit. The one in Spooky Stuff is more of a Halloween costume after all!More consequences when sims witness your spellcaster casting spells. A relationship decrease when casting harmful spells, a relationship increase when casting beneficial spells. Reputation changes. Special spellcaster traits for those who cast a lot in public. For example (in spoilers):Spoiler (Highlight to read)Magician - Cast a lot of performative spells in front of sims. Sims expect your spellcaster to entertain them.Evil Spellcaster - Cast a lot of harmful spells and your sim finds less company around them. In addition, some sims may even run away from them or stronger and braver sims may even challenge them to a fight.Good Spellcaster - Cast a lot of beneficial spells and your sim has easier time building relationships. Some sims will go out of their way to find them to get help.Medium-like Spellcaster - Summon a lot of ghosts and your sim will get more mourners talking to them.Wise Spellcaster - Help sims and give a lot of advice and sims will ask a lot of advice from them, thus learning skills faster.Magician - Cast a lot of performative spells in front of sims. Sims expect your spellcaster to entertain them.Evil Spellcaster - Cast a lot of harmful spells and your sim finds less company around them. In addition, some sims may even run away from them or stronger and braver sims may even challenge them to a fight.Good Spellcaster - Cast a lot of beneficial spells and your sim has easier time building relationships. Some sims will go out of their way to find them to get help.Medium-like Spellcaster - Summon a lot of ghosts and your sim will get more mourners talking to them.Wise Spellcaster - Help sims and give a lot of advice and sims will ask a lot of advice from them, thus learning skills faster.More interactions with other occults and to help them or stop them.More spells and potions, list under the spoilers:Spoiler (Highlight to read)Spells to change the weather.Potions to turn and cure (vampires, werewolves etc).Potion that temporarily gives any sim Lunar Epiphany so they can learn werewolf secrets from booksSpells to control werewolf fury.Spell to disable vampire powers.Spells to disable mermaids' abilities (separate for good and bad abilities)Spell to make sims terrifiedSpells to affect the eco footprintSpells related to Cottage Living animals (send a bunny to fight sims)Spells to cause and cure illnessesetc.Spells to change the weather.Potions to turn and cure (vampires, werewolves etc).Potion that temporarily gives any sim Lunar Epiphany so they can learn werewolf secrets from booksSpells to control werewolf fury.Spell to disable vampire powers.Spells to disable mermaids' abilities (separate for good and bad abilities)Spell to make sims terrifiedSpells to affect the eco footprintSpells related to Cottage Living animals (send a bunny to fight sims)Spells to cause and cure illnessesetc.Anyway, that's what I have to share on this matter.

"Garfieldwxg55;d-1003397" wrote:Hi, for most Sim gameplay, I prefer Sims 2/3, but one thing that I love about the Sims 4 is the more expanded occult gameplay. But I was thinking, I see a lot of love for Vampires and Werewolves, but not so much for Spellcasters. And I was curious why that is, what did Realm of Magic do that wasn't as interesting as Vampires or Werewolves? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!I greatly enjoy spellcasters and they are my favourite occult. But this is mainly a thematical preference. When it comes to gameplay spellcasters have one huge disadvantage : they are overpowered. - It is way easier to become a spellcaster and it happens instantly without a waiting period like the other two in depth occults. - Vampires have weaknesses which are there constantly confronted with. Werewolves have temperaments that increase rage several times a day. Both vampires and werewolves get more weaknesses/temperaments as they level up. Spellcasters only have curses which only happen occasionally and can be easily removed with multiple methods. If you level them up you can even avoid curses altogether with the right perks. - On top of that the extremely powerful potion of plentiful needs is very cheap to make. - And then there is the copy pasto spell which allows you to duplicate things at will, including the potion you are handed out for free when you learn a recipe. The spell can also be used as a money cheat if you duplicate expensive items. - you can play a spellcaster and ignore their magical nature. Apart from the UI they behave like normal sims. For werewolves and vampires it is impossible to ignore their occult nature in the everyday gameplay. In short spellcasters are imbalanced and lack any form of challenge.They are my favourites none the less, closely followed by werewolves. But I impose rules on myself to make spellcasters more challenging. Spoiler (Highlight to read)1. Copypasto is only allowed for potion ingredients which can't be grown. Definitely not as a money maker 2. my spellcasters are not allowed to unlock all the perks. I let them specialise in one branch of magic and only for that branch they can get the perk for spells to be always successful. They can only unlock one of the linear perk lines above level 2 so they don't become overpowered. 3. I use a mod to lessen the effect of the potion of plentiful needs and make it require more ingredients. 1. Copypasto is only allowed for potion ingredients which can't be grown. Definitely not as a money maker 2. my spellcasters are not allowed to unlock all the perks. I let them specialise in one branch of magic and only for that branch they can get the perk for spells to be always successful. They can only unlock one of the linear perk lines above level 2 so they don't become overpowered. 3. I use a mod to lessen the effect of the potion of plentiful needs and make it require more ingredients.

Not sure how Spellcasters fare against Werewolves but in this poll from a few years ago Spellcasters beat out Vampires 54% to 45%.https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/966261/vampires-or-casters/p1Time for a Spellcaster, Vampire, Werewolf battle.

I absolutely love vampires and werewolves, but I don't feel that spellcasters are properly balanced. Things are too easy for them. I also find their spells a bit boring, they could be a lot more fun.

Why are Spellcasters not as well liked as Vampires/Werewolves?

43 Replies

atreya33
Legend
3 years ago
"EgonVM;c-18184239" wrote:
"ddd994;c-18184004" wrote:
Agreeing with what everyone is saying, the spellcasters had great potential but came out slightly underbaked..

The things that let it down for me are
- the skill tree is kinda wishy washy.. some of the perks even seem to be identical to others, compared to the vampire perk tree which let you create more unique vampires.
- The orb creatures, I forget what they are called, but they are a huge disapointment. No interactions what so ever..
- if we are gonna have a resurrection spell and immortality potion, we should have a kill potion/ spell too.. there’s no real dark magic element.
- Speaking of resurrection, I wish we could bring back sims as zombies ala sims2 if the spell goes wrong.. this could have tied into ghosts from base game better too.
- The magic realm is pretty, but ultimately another shell world, I only really hang out on the rock with the school if I do go. Also what is even the school build, they should let us rebuild it.
- And speaking of the magic realm, what is up with the situational outfit buggggg, puts me off ever visiting the realm.
- And as for the glimmerbrook, could be a nice blank canvas map, but each of the tiny lots comes with these dramatic huge cobblestone driveways that limit what you can build. But this is an issue for me across most of the newer maps so..
- Also, the Bb does try, but doesn’t quite hit the mark the way vampires does, same goes for cas.

The thing I like about the vampire world is you can wipe it and create your own vampire clan, something you can’t do in werewolves, and it’s also a missed opportunity with spellcasters that you can’t somehow defeat the 3 mages and take their place.

Sorry to be a bearer of bad news, but SimGurus have said multiple times that they can't include something that kills other sims. Yes, inferniate can kill sims if you cast it on the ground under a sim, but yeah, they fear raising the age rating.
So, the best bet there is to use Jungle Adventure's relics...
Though the zombie resurrection spell is a great idea.

Agreed with that situational outfits. Like why? Why? Right now, if you don't want your sim to wear those situational outfits, you'll have to cheat them a trait called trait_Hidden_SpellcasterPremade (requires testing cheats).

Realm of Magic is a beautiful place indeed, but I agree that there are not a lot to do. Though a lot of times I like to be able to edit the neighborhoods outside the lots...

The situational outfits in the magic realm are indeed horrible and completely unnecessary. I didn't know about that cheat but luckily the wonderful @83bienchen has a mod for this. I couldn't enjoy the magic realm as much as I do without this mod.

I wish we could have lots to build in the magic realm. But I also would have liked the reverse. A magic lot trait to make a lot outside of the magic realm and allow spellcasters to use magic and be visible as spellcasters outside of the magic realm.
willprot
3 years ago
spell casters are my favorite occult form, with vampires are close second
cyncie
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
Looking at the current poll, it seems they’re not that disliked, at all.
simgirl1010
Hero
3 years ago
"cyncie;c-18184483" wrote:
Looking at the current poll, it seems they’re not that disliked, at all.

Yup.

40% Spellcasters
34% Vampires
24% Werewolves
SEREFRAS
Legend
3 years ago
I actually love the Spellcaster traits the best because I can add their powers with my Aliens & Mermaids. <3 Also, being able to have a Vampire/Spellcaster hybrids is fun. :p Now, if only my Werewolves could actually have a Spellcaster trait at the same time without them looking glitchy. :'(
chokocream
New Vanguard
3 years ago
I do like the pack. In fact my sim is a witch, but I admit that all this is only thanks to the many mods that I have xD
atreya33
Legend
3 years ago
"SERVERFRA;c-18184544" wrote:
I actually love the Spellcaster traits the best because I can add their powers with my Aliens & Mermaids. <3 Also, being able to have a Vampire/Spellcaster hybrids is fun. :p Now, if only my Werewolves could actually have a Spellcaster trait at the same time without them looking glitchy. :'(

It would have been nice if spellcasters could officially be combined with other occults. Because magic feels like a skill and spellcasters have no special needs or second form, it should be possible.
fivesblueyt
3 years ago
Wow, I guess Spellcasters are pretty popular, great to know! Would love some more spells/potions though, but I guess mods can accomplish that. Already I use a Hybrid enabler mod, so eventually I can have a Spellcaster-Vampire-Werewolf-Mermaid Sim.
SheriSim
Seasoned Ace
3 years ago
I just want to say that I never meant to be disrespectful to Wiccans, in fact I worked with a Wiccan. She was a very sweet person, didn’t cast spells or use potions that I knew of anyway, but she did profess to have an insight into being able to see the non living around the living. I’m assuming real witches or Wiccans probably all possess or believe they possess different types of powers.

Like someone else mentioned Christians believe in the power of prayer, and some others believe in the power of positive thoughts. Scientists in various countries are looking at, and studying the idea that prayer and positive thought may be able to help in healing.

Anyway I think that spellcasters can be very versitile. We can play them as healers ( as in herbal remedies ), or we can play them as magicians, or as potion creators and spellcasters. We can also play them in a paranormal way with those type of powers.

I meant no disrespect to Wiccans because I want a typical ( fantasy ) witches hat. Since we have wands and brooms, spells and potions in the spellcaster pack, I want to be able to play them like some of the unreal or fantasy witches I have seen in movies. I want to be able to emulate the witch I made in the sims 2, but I mean no disrespect to real witches or Pagans. Being a Christian myself I wish we had religion in the game, I would not consider it an affront to my faith. There are many religions, and I assume there are others of different faiths that wish they could express that in their sims world as well. But, I totally understand the Dev’s team not thinking it a good idea.
sireneiles
3 years ago
There's more work put into real of magic than in vampires or werewolves. The spells and amount of crafting, wands, brooms, familiars + the double world is enough content for spell casters to not be last on the occult scale. I guess they're not as "sexy"? They're lacking an identity. They don't transform, they don't visually belong somewhere, magic does not impact them directly aesthetic wise and you'd know by now that majority of sims players run by aesthetics. So i guess that could be why ?

Also most of their spells aren't really appealing either. Most of it feel like uninspired cheat codes that offer little to no consequences

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Why are Spellcasters not as well liked as Vampires/Werewolves?

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