It's hard not to talk about it since it brought so many new things into The Sims 4, some big and some small. This list is a compilation of just a few of those things.
Updated June 30th, 2020 By Ericka Blye: It's been 10 months since the release of Realm of Magic, the game pack that officially brought magic back to The Sims franchise. Realm of Magic's new take with Spellcasters has delighted and surprised quite a number of players. While the pack didn't give everyone everything they were expecting or hoping for (no other occult types, no fortune-telling, etc), the game is full of amazing new features, some of which can only be discovered by diving deep into the game.
15 A Ton of Awesome CAS Items
The new CAS items added in The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic are all stunning. There's a careful combination of edgy, flirtatious and modern items along with traditional, earth-toned, almost Victorian-era items. Every single piece is beautifully detailed and fits perfectly into the new world, while also managing to work in the streets of all the other worlds, too.
This pack introduces some daringly high cuts on the skirts of dresses, as well as lots of leather, studs, and fishnets, which is something that more alternative players have been asking for since The Sims 4: Vampires, which was packed full of similar (albeit definitely more historically-inspired) items.
14 From The Cradle To The Grave: Spellcaster Specific Items
With the new Occult type, there's a little something for Spellcasters in each life stage. Realm of Magic came with the beautiful new Antique Spellcaster Bassinet that's in theme with the rest of the Build/Buy items. Just as the Ancient Bassinet and the Nanoo Nanoo Bassinet will spawn for vampire and alien babies, this one will spawn for Spellcaster babies.
And even after your Sim passes on to the afterlife (whether intentional or not) they will show off their life lived as a Spellcaster as the game pack gives Spellcasters new gravestones and urns.
13 New Magical Melodies
Every new pack comes with new music or even a whole new radio station that fits in with the theme of the pack. The songs featured in the game are often Simlish covers of real-life songs, songs by the original artists. Realm of Magic didn't come with a new station, but it came with 6 new radio songs from artists like James Iha, Georgia, K.Flay, and others.
Each song has a witchy Chilling Adventures of Sabrina like vibe to it. Even if you don't know the original lyrics to the song, it's hard not to groove along to the music as you help your sims become better Spellcasters.
12 Alchemy (And A New Way To Make Macaroni And Cheese)
The re-introduction of Alchemy, which was included in The Sims 3: Supernatural, is a welcome part of The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic. Experimenting with the Cauldron gives Sims a chance to unlock new Potion recipes - and up to four different Sims can work together, allowing them to fill their social need and improve their Spellcasting skills at the same time.
There are a ton of different Potions to unlock throughout the game that has the potential to significantly improve your Sim's life. There's also a chance of ending up cursed if your Potion-brewing fails, so... Beware!
The Cauldron is useful to more than just Alchemists, though. It's actually capable of cooking a few different recipes, like Macaroni and Cheese and Chili, making a whopping total of 12 servings.
11 Magical Plants
Gardening fans rejoice! The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic comes with two new plants for your Spellcasters to grow. Mandrake root and Valerian root are both used to brew Potions and can be found throughout the Magic Realm or purchased from the order menu on a computer.
It's always nice to see new harvestables in the game, since growing the same plants gets boring, and the fact that they serve a magical purpose is a plus.
10 Renewed Relevance For Frogs
Frogs were one of the first collectibles items in The Sims 4 and can be found in logs, ponds, and wells, or created by breeding.
Having been introduced in the base game, it's easy to understand how they sort of fell out of relevance as new collectibles items were added, especially since they're barely more than a decoration. With The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic, frogs are finally given justice! Sort of.
They're a common ingredient in Potions. Some brews call for common frogs (but remember that you'll need to have at least two in order to breed more!) while others call for more uncommon, if not rare ones, making your Sims have to put in extra work to find them. Either way, you'll be paying attention to frogs again.
9 A New Way To Travel
One of the main complaints about The Sims 4 is that it lacks transportation. At this point, some players would settle for an inanimate car that simply offers a travel menu when clicked. The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic has a new feature that's somewhere between pleasing those players and spiting them, though the jury is still out on which: brooms.
Instead of walking everywhere, Sims can now use a broom. It doesn't even have to be a Broom, really - there's a much cheaper option in the form of a Mop that leaves a sudsy trail behind it whenever your Sim flies.
8 A Proper Shopping District
In the Magic Realm, there's a place called Casters Alley that gives Spellcasters a chance to do all of their shopping, offering a wide variety of Brooms, Familiars, Tomes, Wands, and ingredients for Potions. Each shop is manned by an astral projection of a vendor and items for sale change daily.
Alongside Magnolia Promenade, there are the various stalls scattered around San Myshuno and Sulani, but this isn't the same as a designated shopping district like Casters Alley.
7 Familiars
While Familiars aren't new to The Sims, Realm of Magic gives them a new and interesting spin that makes Familiars a bit more useful. If you have Cats & Dogs your Sim's pet cat or dog can become their Familiar, but there are several magical creatures that came with Realm if Magic that were made specifically as Familiars.
You can choose to have a Fairy, a Sixam Owl, or even a Voidcritter among several other options! While Familiars are optional, they're very helpful to Spellcasters as they boost Spellcaster experience, can help in duels, and even protect their bonded Spellcaster from death.
6 Two New Aspirations
Aspirations are one of the key parts of gameplay in The Sims 4. In addition to providing both short and long term goals for players, completing an aspiration gives a reward trait and aspiration points which can be spent on potions, extra traits, and other things. A lack of them can really make the game feel pretty pointless, as some other packs have seen, but The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic made sure to give two different options for Spellcasters to complete.
Purveyor of Potions can be found under Nature and gives the Master Mixer trait when completed, causing a Spellcaster to rarely fail when using a potion on themselves. Spellcraft & Sorcery can be found under Knowledge and gives the Slinger of Spells trait when completed, allowing a Spellcaster to build up much less Spellcaster Charge when casting spells.
5 8 New Traits To Give Your Sims More Depth
While Realm of Magic didn't come with any traits available in CAS, it did come with several achievable in-game traits. The "Slinger of Spells" and the "Master Mixer" traits are rewards from completing the two new Aspirations that come with Realm of Magic.
"Immortal" is another reward trait that comes from successfully making a Potion of Immortality, and for Sims who aren't as sharp on their potion-making, they can gain the temporary trait "Ghastly Consequences" and experience life as a temporary ghost! There are also Bloodline Traits that Spellcasters pass on to the children that affect how they gain Spellcaster Perks Experience and Overload.
4 A New Death
Different ways to experience Death are surprisingly highly requested among fans of The Sims. Perhaps it all dates back to trapping Sims in a pool with no ladder... Or maybe it's just a desire to see some obstacles thrown into the admittedly vanilla-flavored lives of Sims. Does it even matter, really?
What does matter is the fact that The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic introduces a brand new death that's exclusive to Spellcasters. As Sims use magic, their spellcaster charge builds up. The higher the charge is, the more dangerous it is - and the more likely they are to fall victim to death by Spellcaster Overload. (Hint: completing the spellcraft & sorcery aspiration is a good way to avoid this outcome.)
3 New Interactions: Duels
Spellcasters get a number of new interactions they can perform, and Dueling is one that helps boost your Sims' Spellcaster rank. Different from how duels were done in Making Magic, and even The Sims 3: Supernatural (which had a pesky hidden 'wand skill' level requirement), Spellcasters can choose between 5 different types of duels to perform with one another.
Friendly and Heated duels boost Spellcaster rank while Dueling for Artifacts, Ingredients and Knowledge gives your Sim a chance to win different items like Brooms, Wands, potion ingredients, and even spells that they didn't know before.
2 Glimmerbrook (And The Magic Realm)
Glimmerbrook is special in comparison to other worlds added in The Sims 4. It might not be particularly large, with only four residential lots (two of which are occupied) and one community lot (which is home to a bar) but it's beautifully whimsical. It's a forest-covered world that's reminiscent of fairy tales and seems to just have a magical air about it - which makes sense, as it's home to a portal that leads into the Magic Realm.
The Magic Realm is a secret lot, technically, but it's basically a world of its own, suspended in space against the vibrant backdrop of the galaxy. Other than HQ, there are three areas: the Gardens where plants, frogs, and fish can be collected, Casters Alley where you can buy any magic-related item you can think of, and the Dueling Grounds where two Spellcasters can go head to head.
1 Spellcasters
This one is a bit obvious, but the main thing that The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic brings to the table is simply magic. Players have been frothing at the mouth for the introduction of Witches into The Sims 4 since the premiere of the game in 2014 - and their dreams of spell-casting and potion-brewing have finally come true!
Spellcasters can bring joy, destruction, or anything their heart desires into their own lives and the world around them with one of the different types of magic. The whimsical elements of the new pack breathes much-needed life into the franchise once more.