For a life simulator, The Sims has always been pretty whimsical; playing with life should be fun, after all. Occults have added a refreshing element to the sometimes mundane realities of going to work and doing laundry. Throughout The Sims series, witches (and/or warlocks) have been one of the most detailed life states.

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They’ve appeared in every game — by different names — and have continued to become more complex over time. From spells and curses to alignments and familiars, here is everything you need to know about Spellcasters, witches, and warlocks throughout the series.

9 Magic Arrived In The Sims

A magician puts on a staged show in Magic Town, with a captive audience enjoying the show.

The first game in The Sims series introduced magic as a concept, but occults didn’t quite exist like they did in other games. Instead, ordinary Sims could use magic wands from the Mystery Man (or buy mode) in The Sims: Makin’ Magic.

Casting the Beauty of Beast charm would temporarily turn an unsuspecting Sim into one of many occults, including witches (for female Sims) or warlocks (for male Sims). Once a Sim changed clothes or took a shower, they’d return to their regular selves, but the charm could be cast again at any time.

8 But Witches And Warlocks Came In The Sims 2

Witch and warlock life states arrived at the end of The Sims 2’s lifespan, with the Apartment Life expansion pack. And with witches being a defined life state, only witches can perform magic; no more wands and charms for regular Sims.

To become a witch, Sims had to befriend a High Witch or High Warlock — an NPC that appears on community lots — and ask to be taught "the ways" of light or darkness. New witches and warlocks receive new clothing, plus their own cauldrons and spellbooks. You’ll have a couple of spells unlocked immediately, but studying magic and purchasing reagents will open up more possibilities.

7 They Return In The Sims 3: Supernatural

The Sims 3 Supernatural Art, Witch Flying on Broom

The Sims 3 abandoned gender-specific names and called all Sims witches. These witches can cast charms, spells, and curses, which have varied effects on the subjects. Now, though, magic can also affect the caster, and if certain curses fail, they can even cause immediate death.RELATED: Things From The Sims 3: Supernatural That We Want In The Sims 4

Becoming a witch is simple: buy a Bottled Witches’ Brew from an alchemy shop, and drink it (or throw it onto another Sim to turn them instead). Or, create witches directly from CAS. The life state is also genetic; if one parent is a witch, there is a 50 percent chance that their offspring will be a witch too, and the chance is 100 percent with two witch parents.

6 The Sims 3 Gave Us Alchemy

Three spellcasters use a cauldron to brew a potion

Alchemy also came with The Sims 3: Supernatural, and while it’s not exclusive to witches, it is exclusive to the pack. Witches also gain the skill faster. The first step to developing the alchemy skill is buying Aleister’s Alchemy Station from the Buy Mode menu, after which your Sim can Research Alchemy. Researching also gives you the chance to find elixirs for alchemic recipes, but the best way to discover new elixirs is by reading recipe books directly.

Elixirs can be successes or failures, and successful elixirs can be ingested, thrown onto other Sims, displayed in an Elixir display case, or sold at the Consignment Store.

5 And A Hidden Spellcasting Skill

A witch casts a spell on an unsuspecting Sim, while another looks frightened after being turned into a toad

Unlike alchemy, spellcasting is a hidden skill, and exclusive to witches. The first spell a witch can cast is Conjure Apple, but as they level up in spellcasting, more spells, charms, and curses become available.

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From upgrading appliances to haunting their enemies, spellcasters can do it all. They can even change the weather, or even the needs of themselves or other Sims. Expert spellcasters can even revive dead Sims as zombies. Duelling other witches is a great way to increase the spellcasting skill, but so is playing with magic, which also increases fun.

4 The Sims 4 Spawns Spellcasters

Two spellcasters practice magic

Finally, spellcasters are introduced in The Sims 4, and they perform similar functions to witches. Any Sim can become a spellcaster by completing the Rite of Ascension, which involves finishing a quest for one of Glimmerbrook’s sages. Spellcasters can fail magic like witches could, but the curses they suffer are akin to the quirks that celebrities or vampires experience.

A spellcaster can have up to three curses active at a time of a total ten. Curses can be lifted with the Potion of Curse Cleaning or the Decursify spell, and the Hexproof perk prevents them entirely. There are a total of 24 spells to learn across three schools of magic, and six spellcaster ranks to achieve.

3 Magical Bloodlines Changed

Two sages pose together

Spellcaster genetics work the same way in The Sims 4 as they did for witches in The Sims 3, but spellcasters also have magical bloodlines. Spellcaster-born children are born with the magical bloodline trait, which makes them stronger spellcasters as teens. Normal Sims that turn into spellcasters develop the Weak Bloodline trait, but can pass on the Magical Bloodline trait to their children.

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If the spellcaster life state is maintained through subsequent generations, the magical bloodline becomes Strong, and eventually Ancient. Bloodlines can also degrade, though, so if the bloodline is not maintained (i.e. if spellcasters marry normal Sims, or other non-spellcaster occults), it will degrade until it's eventually bred out or revived.

2 Good Versus Evil

Sage of Mischief casts a spell

In The Sims 2, witches and warlocks have alignments, ranging from Infallibly Good to Atrociously Evil. Their alignment determines which spells they can cast, and in turn, they unlock more spells related to it. Good and Evil witches and warlocks have robes, hats, and magical tools (like spellbooks and cauldrons) that match their alignment auras.

Atrociously Evil witches will also develop a green skin tone. Spellcasters in The Sims 4 can practice different styles of magic: Mischief, Practical, Untamed, and Alchemy. But, these aren’t proper alignments, so Spellcasters can practice all four styles at the same time.

1 Finding Familiars

A spellcaster and their owl familiar walk through the Magic Realm

Witches in The Sims 2 can summon spectral cats from The Void. Here, familiars act mostly like regular cats do, except they can be summoned from and return to The Void at will. Witches in the Sims 3 get the Animal Familiar moodlet when interacting with their pets. With the moodlet, they gain spellcasting skill faster, and their magic power depletes more slowly.

Spellcasters find familiars by purchasing them in Caster’s Alley, as a reward for winning a duel, or searching for tomes in Magic HQ (or any other bookcase). When a familiar is summoned, they can even protect spellcasters from death. There are 11 types of familiars, excluding cats and dogs which can act as pets and familiars at the same time.

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