The Sims 4 Paranormal Stuff has added a new lot type to the game. The Haunted House Residential trait brings spookiness to any home. The size doesn't matter either. You don't need a rambling mansion to add some ghostly goings-on to your house. Any lot large or small can become spook-central. The only restriction is that it has to be a house since apartments are a separate lot type.
If you want to take on the challenge of taming a haunted house and making friends with your new guests, then this guide will help you out. We look at all the different things you can do to ensure the spiritual harmony of your home is positive.
Preparing A Haunted House For Ghostly Visitors
Before your visitors even arrive you can help make your home a more inviting place. Under wall decorations, you'll find the Good Mojo Macramé. This appears to work in a similar way to the garlic in Vampires.
If you hang several of these on your wall they do appear to increase the initial positive spiritual harmony of your home. The effect isn't huge but when you're trying to keep the peace every little helps. At only $125, one of these in every room is a worthwhile investment.
Scared Candles can also be placed to help cleanse the house's aura. These can be purchased from the rewards store or crafted with the wraith wax dropped by specters.
It's also worth noting that the smaller your lot the more intense the hauntings will feel. Even if the home itself is small, specters can and will appear outside. This is more likely if you are on a larger lot and can help you spread out the chaos a little, making the terrified moodlet a little more manageable.
Getting Crafty
Another good way to prepare for the visiting specters is to get crafting. They love gifts but will only accept homemade items. This means that getting your Sim to produce some handcrafted gifts made with love will help get those specters on your side.
Anything that is made by a Sim rather than purchased will count. This means that gifts can include baked goods, woodworking items, artwork, knitted items, fabricated objects, and much more. The functionality is cross-pack compatible so any physical item Sims can create will count as an acceptable gift. This is a far better option than giving away a literal part of yourself...
Using The Séance Table
The Séance Table is your best tool for both monitoring and adjusting the level of spiritual harmony in your home. From level one of the medium skill, Sims are able to 'Sense Spiritual Volatily' which lets them know the current status of the house. In haunted houses, this will display a message letting you know the frequency of visits and how friendly the specters are. Use this to keep track of your progress.
Sims can also 'Perform Ceremony.' This will cleanse the house's aura and slowly reduce any negative spiritual behavior. Frequently performing the short ritual will help keep the aura of your house more positive.
Once your Medium skill is higher the Séance Table can also be used to summon Bonehilda and Guidry, both of whom are vital allies in keeping on top of spiritual disharmony.
Let Guidry Guide You
If your lot is haunted then Guidry will show up from the second night. Assuming you are happy to let him hang around, then he'll help you out. He appears each night and can offer practical help as well as answering your questions.
We won't go into everything in this guide but the main things you need to know are that he will help clear up paranormal symbols and slime, as well as helping when your needs are low. If your Sim is too terrified to eat or sleep, speak to Guidry and he'll offer you a solution.
The first time SHE appears he will also give you an idol if you ask him what to do. Keep hold of this as it's very important. When placed in the same room as Temperance it will begin to flame, forcing her to cower and reducing the damage she can do.
Speaking To The Specters
When specters appear your Sim can start to try and communicate with them. The more friendly ones will begin to tell stories, although some of the more fiery specimens can't be so easily reasoned with.
You can observe specters to judge how likely they are to engage with your Sim and base your actions on the verdict. If you need to improve your chances of success or ask them to leave, then giving them gifts will help them warm to you.
This is where your stash of crafted items comes in. Keep them in your inventory and offer them to different types of specters to build up good relationships with them. If they like you, they'll still visit but they won't damage your property or cause any mischief.
Getting Help From Bonehilda
Somewhere along the way, it's inevitable that Temperance will appear. While the idols will help keep her under control she won't always co-operate. If you need an extra set of hands Guidry is fairly useless here. While he will give you the initial idol, his presence upsets Temperance further since they have a complicated history.
This is where Bonehilda can help. She's not afraid of a fight and she really doesn't like Temperance. Summon her quickly when SHE appears and watch the sparks fly.
Tips For Keeping Your Haunted House Peaceful
In summary, performing frequent rituals, keeping Guidry around, and being kind to the specters will keep most things under control. Your decor will help with this and so will Bonehilda. However, there are also a few other tips to bear in mind.
- Get Stomping
At night you'll see slime, symbols, tendrils, and dolls appear on your lot. Try and stomp or clean these as soon as possible as they will multiply.
- Use Sacred Candles
Having sacred candles lit close by when using the Séance Table will reduce the chances of things going wrong during rituals. Standing near them also helps Sims feel less terrified.
- Protect Your Séance Room
When Temperance appears not only will she enjoy setting fires and breaking things but she also has a habit of using your Séance table. Adding a bizarre idol to the room it's located in will prevent her from bringing in extra specters of the unfriendly variety.
- Prioritize Your Actions
Sims can get easily scared, even if the specters are friendly, so prioritizing your tasks is a good idea. Running away from any specters and stamping out any tendrils, dolls and other accursed objects can help reduce the ghostly activity. Once you are terrified you can't destroy them so hit as many as you can before the moodlet kicks in. Use the sacred candles to help.
Surviving And Thriving
If you follow these steps then you can keep on top of the hauntings and your Sim will begin to adjust to the unique atmosphere of the house. They will start to sleep better and become less afraid. You can also use the reward points you earn each night to purchase the brave trait and then you'll be even more relaxed with your guests.
If you're ready to challenge your chilled self even further, then you can click on the hand statue and select 'Heroic Mode.' This will increase the paranormal activity and make it so that the spiritual peace decays, meaning you'll need to keep more on top of it.
Good Luck!