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The Sims 4 upholds the franchise's longstanding tradition of dropping alternative life states and accompanying specialist neighbourhoods. Since its debut in 2014, we have met all sorts of weird and wonderful occult Sims from the bloodsuckers of Forgotten Hollow to our finned friends on the island of Sulani.
With the introduction of each life state, however, the lore of the occult grows and grows. If you're keen to learn more about each occult type, how they interact, and how the other Sims view them from the outside, let's dig in and take a deep dive into every supernatural creature in The Sims 4.
The Sims 4 Occult Life States: A Timeline
With months and sometimes years separating the release of each expansion or game pack, it can get confusing to deconstruct the timeline when it comes to the occult life states on offer in The Sims 4. However, when it comes to lore, the timeline is very important if you want to understand the weight, purpose, and origin of each one. Here's an overview of all the permanent life states you can choose from so far.
Aliens (The Sims 4: Get To Work, 2015)
Aliens are some of the oldest life states in the series, dating back to the first title, The Sims, in the early 2000s wherein aliens also roamed the skies.
Not only does Get To Work allow you to make an alien in the Create-A-Sim menu, but it introduces these extra-terrestrial beings as NPCs whom your Sim can meet at a bar's Alien Night. Sometimes, staying true to a bizarre theme across all Sims games, aliens can kidnap and potentially impregnate male Sims who use the telescope late at night. They can also disguise themselves as regular Sims in order to hide their true identities, and possess powers such as memory erase, analyse and empathise, helping them blend in.
Vampires (The Sims 4: Vampires, 2017)
Fog curls in thick tendrils around Forgotten Hollow, obscuring the sun more often than not and allowing its sharp-toothed inhabitants to move around by day. Vampires established this sleepy Victorian town years ago - and there's a reason why Vladislaus Straud bears such a striking resemblance to his founding ancestors.
With a vast array of powers from Sunlight Resistance to Vampiric Charm, these immortal folk add a touch of malevolence to the everyday life of any Sim.
Mermaids (The Sims 4: Island Living, 2019)
In a vast departure from the morose grey stonework of Forgotten Hollow, mermaids carved out a home for themselves on the sun-soaked shores of Sulani. This collection of islands is a tropical paradise, with your Sim able to swim with a dolphin, throw a traditional Kava party, or even spot a mermaid skimming through the surrounding turquoise waters.
Mermaids, with their strikingly beautiful tails and inexorable connection to the heart of Sulanian culture, are the only occult life states that human Sims do not react negatively to. Though their abilities differ slightly if they possess the Evil or Good Traits, their basic powers include Siren's Lullaby, Mermaid's Kiss and the ability to change weather and call dolphins.
Spellcasters (The Sims 4: Realm Of Magic, 2019)
The sleepy village of Glimmerbrook is bubbling with hidden power. Through a secret portal lies a magical stronghold where spellcasters can train up, study Magical Tomes for new powers, and even purchase winged Familiars who have the opportunity to save them from the Grim Reaper should their magic prove fatally overwhelming.
The three Sages of Practical, Untamed, and Mischief Magic can make or break your journey as a sorcerer, so you'll have a lot to prove if you want to become the most powerful witch or wizard in the land.
Ghosts (The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff, 2021)
Though ghosts have existed as a life state in The Sims 4 since and early update, Paranormal Stuff upped the ante and fleshed out the paranormal lore by introducing haunted houses, the Paranormal Investigator career path, and two ghostly apparitions who make themselves very much at home.
Guidry is your spirit guide of sorts, here to lead you through this weird and wonderful new world of communing with the other side. You'll have to watch out for mischievous spectres and, of course, the all-consuming wrath of vengeful ghost Temperance.
Werewolves (The Sims 4: Werewolves, 2022)
Baleful howls beneath the pale moonlight are all you can hear for miles around. The mystical town of Moonwood Mill not only boasts a bustling library and grungy outdoor bar, but a host of beastly lycanthropes maintaining order (or chaos) within.
Whether you choose to join one of two rival werewolf Packs or go at it solo as a Lone Wolf, your new life as a werewolf Sim is nothing to sniff at - unless you like making friends that way.
How Mermaids Affect Vampires
Pure, elegant, and one with nature, mermaids are a common sight for beach-going visitors and residents of Sulani.
Because of their connection to the natural realm, vampires love drinking plasma from mermaids. Perhaps the undead creatures of the night detect the salty notes of sunshine and a fresh ocean breeze, because supping from a mermaid will grant them a strong Happy moodlet called 'Delicious Plasma'. Conversely, vampires who accidentally drink from a werewolf will make themselves violently sick and angry.
Mermaids might be easy to spot for their tell-tale fins and occasional fantastical pastel skin tones, but if you are curious whether your newfound Sulanian friend is a mermaid themselves, you can always try to ask. Being rather shy creatures who don't like to brag, however, so most mermaids will deny it until you've gotten to know them better.
Sixam And Aliens
Aliens are intelligent, inquisitive creatures who simply wish to learn more about the Sims they interact with. They come from Sixam: a different world in its entirety that your rocket scientist and astronaut human Sims can explore for themselves. On Sixam, aliens roam freely. However, fearing xenophobic reactions from less-tolerant Sims, most of them will assume a human disguise whilst visiting Earth.
Sixam was discovered by human sims when Greggorius Lunvik's astronomer wife, Avelina, peered through her telescope and saw it glinting in the distance. This, of course, was before she tragically passed away and left her werewolf husband to his pain and fury.
Despite being from a whole new world entirely, aliens are not malevolent creatures. From using their Empathize skill to mirror human emotions to reading minds and discovering peoples' Traits, aliens are keen pursuers of knowledge and all things logical.
How Did Spellcasters Cause Rivalry Between Werewolves And Vampires?
We all know about the good versus evil infighting amongst the vampire clans of Forgotten Hollow, as well as the werewolf Pack division between the anarchic Wildfangs and law-abiding members of The Moonwood Collective. But why do werewolves feel sick when they smell a vampire nearby? And why do vampires take such joy in beating their fur-clad foes in a Supernatural Smackdown?
It All Began In Glimmerbrook...
A quick flick through The Diary of Greggorius Lunvik, a tome found whilst Scavenging in Moonwood Mill, details the tragic story of werewolf Greg and his beloved wife, Avelina.
The two had been spellcasters, having fallen in love immediately after meeting one fateful day in Glimmerbrook.
With Vlad and the vampires of Forgotten Hollow causing mayhem, a group of spellcasters decided to band together and cast a spell so powerful that it would cure every Sim of their vampirism, thereby wiping out this blight that threatened the fragile balance of life. However, when the spell backfired, the magical discharge created a disastrous blast that resulted in the group of spellcasters being transformed into creatures of the moon themselves: werewolves.
This is how come the werewolf Fury meter looks so similar to the spellcaster's Overcharge meter; they are direct descendants with a painful, shameful past.
A Blood Feud
Naturally, the vampires were outraged by the disrespect shown by these newborn werewolves. They had no sympathy for their plight, even as supposedly cursed creatures themselves; after all, the spellcasters would never have succumbed to lycanthropy in the first place, had they not conspired to bring vampires to their knees and wipe them out completely. Vampires, for the most part, embrace their darker nature, so why would they want to cure something they don't see as an illness?
Similarly, the werewolves continued to harbour a hatred of vampires. They represent the failure of the ex-spellcasters, an ever-present reminder that they were not strong enough to defeat them - and, with their powers now gone, would never come close again. Discussions with Townies in Moonwood Mill reveal the full impact of this feud.
Collective member Lily Zhu, an elderly werewolf and cousin of vampire siblings Lilith and Caleb Vatore, grew apart from her last remaining family members after she'd learned that Vladislaus had been training Lilith in the dark arts of grand master vampirism. This was before a feud broke out between the Vatores and the Straus clans due to good vampire Caleb's preference for synthetic plasma over the real thing.
Rory Oaklow, the spunky alpha of the Wildfangs, has a secret grudge against Vlad as well. Talking to her about Moonwood Mill unlocks the chance for her to confess that if she were ever to run into Vlad, she would relish the chance to pummel him in a fist fight.
What Do Spellcasters Think Of It?
For the most part, the spellcasters seem indifferent. They pick no quarrels with their werewolf cousins' nemeses. Having learned their lesson the hard way, most spellcasters prefer to keep themselves to their books and magical training rather than get involved in that nastiness.
Although they don't implicate themselves in each other's personal lives, spellcasters and werewolves still share a unique bond.
A portion of the spellcasters who transformed into werewolves decided to make the most of their situation. These individuals, known as Mooncasters, pledged themselves to the task of safeguarding Moonwood Mill and its inhabitants, championing their human side in order to tame their inner beasts as the first members of the Moonwood Collective.
Whether they openly choose a side or not, the continued presence of the Collective proves that, at least from a historical perspective, the wolves and the magicians continue to protect the people of Moonwood Mill from the fanged fury of vampires, feral lycans, and indeed anything that might threaten humanity again.