The Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff introduces the brand new Medium skill. This is used to communicate with spirits, tame a haunted house, summon Bonehilda and embark on a career as a Freelance Paranormal Investigator. It's a five-level skill and you'll want to explore it if you are to unlock everything the pack has to offer.
Here's everything you need to know about how to build the medium skill quickly and what you can use it for.
It Begins With The Séance Table
The Medium skill is built by using the Séance table, a new item you'll find for $333 in the build and buy catalog. You'll also need either a Séance chair or other dining chair to enable you to sit by the table.
The item is categorized weirdly so the easiest way to find it is to go to objects by function > show all, then use the box on the right to filter by Paranormal Stuff. This will bring up the Séance Table on its own and a Séance Table Set for $648 that includes four Seance Chairs and a Crystal Ball. If you buy the table separately, double-check the name as there is also a Table of Rage dining table in the pack that's the same size.
The Crystal Ball is not required for leveling the Medium skill, since the table itself is the interactive object. However, it does fit on the table without affecting its use and will display Sim faces when the table is used, making it a nice additional touch. Once you have the Séance table all you need to do is use it.
Be Prepared
Spellcasters will gain Medium Skill quite a lot quicker than regular Sims since they are already attuned to the spiritual world. This means that becoming a Spellcaster, even if only temporarily, can help you quickly build your skills.
Being in a good mood will also help. The better mood you are in, the less chance of your rituals being unsuccessful or interrupted, decreasing your skill gain and bringing bad vibes to your lot. Placing objects such as Sacred Candles, which are available from the rewards store costing 500 points for three, and Good Mojo Macramé which is $125 in the build and buy catalog, will also help keep the experience positive.
If you interact with a friendly ghost and offer them a homemade gift, such as cookies or any other items you can craft, you may also gain some Wraith Wax you can make the candles from yourself. You simply need to click on it in your inventory and select Make a Sacred Candle. It is worth noting however that the Medium Skill is only increased by using the Séance Table and not by any interactions with spirits.
The Medium Skill
The first options you'll get when you first click the Séance Table are Sense Spiritual Volatility, Perform Ceremony, and Commune With The Departed. You'll get extra interactions with each skill level built. Here's what each option does and how much it will increase your skill.
- Level One: Sense Spiritual Volatility
This interaction will tell you how haunted the current lot is and how friendly any specters are. It doesn't build a lot of skill, only around 5% or so, but is quick and useful to keep an eye on what's likely to occur in your house. It can be used on regular lots but gives you no useful information.
- Level One: Perform Ceremony (Haunted House Lot Only)
If the levels of chaos are too high you can use the Perform Ceremony interaction to make the place a little friendlier. This builds a good amount of skill, approximately 20% of your level, but will drain your energy and can only be performed intermittently.
- Level One: Commune With The Departed
This is your basic skill. It will give around 20% of a level increase and you'll see a message from a departed soul appear in the top right corner. Most are amusing but some can be sinister and can scare your Sim. Using this is the fastest and easier way to build up the levels.
- Level Two: Group Séance
This option unlocks with level two skill and allows up to three other Sims to perform a séance with you, regardless of their skill level. You'll gain skill at a slightly lower rate, closer to 10 -15% depending on the number involved, but the other participants will also boost their skills by approximately 5 - 10% so it is a useful way to build skills in a group. Results of the Séance can also vary from regular Séances due to the extra participants.
- Level Three: Summon Bonehilda
Summoning Bonehilda will increase your skill level by approximately 15% and cannot be used again until she leaves the lot. While this interaction won't be of much use for skill-building, Bonehilda is great fun to have around, even if she is missing her coffin.
- Level Three: Invoke The Dead
Expect around a 15% skill increase for this interaction. It will also summon specters onto your lot. This is great if you want to practice building a rapport with spirits but less useful for skill-building.
- Level Four: Ghastly Ritual
The Ghastly Ritual grants a large chunk of skill, around 25%, but there are some side effects to this ritual. If successful you'll turn into a ghost for around four hours. If your ritual fails, you'll take on a different appearance for the duration.
- Level Five: Create Séance Circle
This interaction can be done by clicking on the floor of any lot and selecting the option. Once the circle is drawn you can click it to get all the options from the Séance table except for the Group Séance option. If you have Guidry active in your home you can also use the circle to summon him to your location.
The Rewards
Reaching level five will allow you to gain a free Paranormal Investigator License from Guidry, you simply need to ask. It will also allow you to perform Séances with less of a drain on your energy and increase your chance of success.
The top-level skill is particularly useful for the Paranormal Investigator career mainly due to the ability to create séance circles anywhere and use them to calm spirits or to summon backup in the form of Guidry or Bonehilda.
Alternatively, if all this seems like too much hard work you can always cheat. Simply enable testing cheats then type in the following code:
stats.set_skill_level Minor_Medium 5
Now your skills are maxed out you can get rid of the Séance Table if you wish and simply draw temporary chalk circles on the floor when required. Whatever you do with your new skills make sure you can handle it, things can get pretty rough in a haunted house, especially if you use the hand ornament to set it to Heroic Mode.