2020-01-01_PC_Gamer_(US_Edition

S

pellcasters are back in
the newest game pack
for The Sims 4, Realm
of Magic, but instead
of rehashing the
simple witch skills and traits from
The Sims 3 Supernatural, this game
pack brings the magic of Hogwarts
into The Sims: Wands, curses, and
all. A few familiar spells return with
a new twist, but Realm of Magic lets
you specialize in the school of
magic of your choice, and gives you
the option to either use your
newfound powers for good or evil.

There are 24 spells and 15 potions to
learn in Realm of Magic. Alchemy
recycles some previous spells from
The Sims 3 Supernatural, but it also
has a few fun new ones: You can
make another sim sick to their
stomach with the potion of nausea or
even ensorcell someone into liking
you with the potion of forced
friendship—now you have a way to
get all those five-star celebrities to
pay attention to you.
But the other three schools of
magic—practical, mischief, and
untamed—add a fantastic dynamism
to The Sims 4. Anyone from
pyromaniacs, to backyard gardeners,
to necromancers will find something
useful in their spellbook. You can
light things on fire with a flick of

your wand, summon ghosts from

their graves, bring people back to life,

conjure up a midnight snack without

setting foot in the kitchen—the list

goes on and on.

SCRUB A DUB DUB

Don’t want to give your kid a bath?

The scruberoo spell allows you to

make anyone or anything sparkle and

smell like daisies in an instant. You

can also fix leaky sinks and fried

computers with the repairio spell or

transport yourself to the magical

realm without having to walk or ride

a broom to the portal. Practical spells

are all about making your sims’ lives

that bit easier.

But there’s more malicious spells

than good ones. Mischief magic lets

you turn another sim into an

inanimate object, like a gnome, with a

spell called morphate. You can also

make a sim feel depressed, steal

things that don’t belong to you, and

do other horrible things to your

friends for your own entertainment.

But untamed magic is the most

devilish of them all. If you’re feeling a

little lonely you can clone yourself

and talk to yourself about your own

life, or do what I did and challenge

myself to a magic duel, which I

unfortunately lost. So, of course, I set

my clone on fire to teach her a lesson.

SPELLCASTING

If you want to use any of the

advanced spells like cloning, you’ll

need to get to the top spellcaster rank

and acquire a bunch of perks along

the way. But first you have to become

a spellcaster if you didn’t make one in

the CAS (create a sim): Enter the

magical realm through a portal

nestled in a mountainside of a small,

sleepy-looking town called

Glimmerbrook. Head to the magic

HQ and find one of the three head

mages who keep the realm of magic

in order. Have one of them perform

the Rite of Ascension on you, and

bam! You can now cast spells, brew

potions, and all that good stuff.

However nature must find a

balance or else a spellcaster could

wreak havoc on every city. If you use

too much of your magic it can

overwhelm you and kill you if you’re

not careful. But of course there are

perks, potions, and spells that can

protect you from death, just like

Volde... I mean, he who shall not be

named. Also, each time you level up,

you can buy different things at the

shops—wands, familiars, tombs,

potion ingredients etc, are all

available at Caster’s Alley, which has

a similar feel to Diagon Alley, but the

shops are run by ghosts. I’m

eventually able to buy a bone wand

and a skull familiar that hovers over

my shoulder. I’ve named it Snuggles.

Your spellcasters’ children can be

born spellcasters as well, similar to

The Sims 3 Supernatural. Spells don’t

pass down through the bloodline, but

children born to spellcasters develop

the Magical Bloodline trait, which

varies in strength depending on how

old the magical bloodline is. The

older the family, the more likely their

offspring will inherit the Ancient

Bloodline trait. Oh, and try not to get

cursed—it’s, er, not very pleasant.

NEED TO KNOW

RELEASE

Out now

PUBLISHER

Electronic Arts

DEVELOPER

Maxis

LINK

origin.com

THE SIMS 4

REALM OF MAGIC

Setting fires just got a lot easier. By Joanna Nelius

BE-WITCHED Most useful spells in the home

SCRUBEROO

Why clean the toilet

MINIONIZE

With this you can

force your kids to

do their chores.

PROMPT

RESURRECTION

No inheritance for

the children.

EACH TIME YOU

LEVEL UP, YOU

CAN BUY THINGS

AT THE SHOPS

DELICIOSO

Instant meals with

zero prepwork and

zero cook time.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE BIGGEST GAMES

UPDATE