Detailed Overview of the Werewolves Mod for The Sims 4!
Although The Sims 4 has impressed us with its previous occult Sims like spellcasters and vampires, players have been asking for more types of occult Sims to play with for a long time. Two of the most popular requests are faeries and werewolves. Today, we’re showcasing a new mod that’s just gone public by the very talented SpinningPlumbobs that’s all about werewolves! SpinningPlumbobs has also created a faerie mod. It’s fully compatible with his werewolves mod.
This mod comes packed with new gameplay, including a new occult type, three new skills, a lot trait, and tonnes of perks and objects for our werewolves, both helpful and harmful to them! It’s now free to the public and requires the Vampires game pack to work properly.
Before we get into the mod, we just want to let readers know that this mod does contain some blood and gore; however, it is rather mild. We didn’t see any gore that was super intense or over-the-top during our playthrough (and this author has a very queasy stomach)!
How to Install
Most of this mod’s files just go straight into your Mods folder like most other mods, but SpinningPlumbobs has also included some tray files to generate an NPC Sim who will play the Occult Professor role in your game. Tray files go in your Tray folder. The Tray folder is located in the same place as your Mods folder. He has also made it very easy to identify which files go where.
Download and unzip the mod. Inside the mod’s folder, there will be another folder called ThatcherWolff_TrayFiles. Copy everything inside that folder and paste it all into your Tray folder. Everything else goes in the Mods folder. When you start the game after installing the mod and the tray files, go to your library in the Gallery and tick the Include Custom Content box. Thatcher Wolff should be here for you to move in anywhere in your worlds.
And that’s all you have to do to set everything up! If you can’t get Thatcher Wolff to appear in your library, don’t worry; the game will spawn a new Occult Professor but Thatcher Wolff does come with some unique characteristics a randomly spawned Occult Professor won’t have. If you’re new to installing mods and need some extra guidance, check out our article, Getting Started with Mods and CC.
Becoming a Werewolf
Before jumping into becoming a werewolf, you’ll probably want to learn a little bit about them, first. Your journey to becoming a werewolf starts with the Internet! You’ll find a new option on the computer called LycanSource.com. Under this option, begin browsing werewolf lore. You can also purchase werewolf items from LycanSource.com. There are a few new items you can purchase here to either attract or repel werewolves, like raw meat and wolfsbane perfume. Researching werewolf lore on LycanSource.com builds the new Werewolf Lore skill, which is a major 10-level skill.
At level 2 of the Werewolf Lore skill, you can begin chatting with werewolf enthusiasts in a chatroom. Doing so will put you in contact with Thatcher Wolff if you placed him in your world at the start of your game. If not, a different Sim in your world will be given the Occult Professor role. Once the Occult Professor has reached out to you online, you can invite them over to talk about all things occult and purchase special items from them.
You’ll be able to buy a variety of items from the Occult Professor but the item most of interest to someone wanting to build the Werewolf Lore skill is the Book of the Beast. The Occult Professor also sells silver daggers and moonstone rings which are new objects that come with this mod. More on all the new objects later!
Now that you have some introductory knowledge of werewolves under your belt, all that’s left to do is go find a werewolf and entice them into attacking you! For that, you’ll need to bait a werewolf using raw meat at night on a lot that has the new Frequent Animal Attacks lot trait. Wait for nightfall and then take a piece of raw meat to one of these lots. Click the meat in your inventory to bait a werewolf. A werewolf is not guaranteed to appear but if you’re persistent and keep trying, one should eventually take notice and appear. Because of the lot trait, the werewolf is highly likely to autonomously attack your Sim but you can also initiate an attack by clicking on the werewolf and choosing to provoke it.
Not every werewolf attack will turn a Sim into a werewolf. If you do not see the Mark of the Beast moodlet after the attack, your Sim has not been infected. You can continue to provoke the werewolf into attacking you until you receive this moodlet, which indicates that your Sim has been infected and will transform into a werewolf in a few days’ time.
During the transition process, your Sim will be very uncomfortable and go through stages of transition. The first stage will be accelerated healing and all their wounds from being attacked will disappear. Near the final stages, their eyes will turn yellow. Finally, when night falls, they will forcibly transform into a werewolf.
Customize Your Werewolf
Image Credit: SpinningPlumbobs
To really customize your werewolves to your liking, there are three different styles of werewolf your Sims can become. By default, Sims will transform into a humanoid werewolf but there is also a dog snout style and a beast style. You can control which style of werewolf you want your Sim to be even before the transition to a werewolf is complete. Just click on your Sim to choose the form you wish them to take along with their fur colour.
Werewolf Abilities
Werewolves start out weak and not in control of their animalistic nature. They have a new bar at the top of their motives, called Feral Control. Using werewolf abilities or experiencing negative emotions will cause their Feral Control to decrease. New werewolves will see this decrease much faster than experienced werewolves. Werewolves are always compelled to transform under the light of the moon regardless of their Feral Control but when the Feral Control bar empties, they will also forcibly transform against their will no matter the time of day. Whenever your werewolf transforms against their will, they’ll be unable to transform back into a human for a certain length of time. New werewolves will be stuck in their wolf form longer than experienced werewolves.
While in their werewolf form, werewolves can hunt for treasures, howl at the moon, sleep anywhere on the ground, and even “go tinkle” anywhere outside. Their diet also consists of only raw meat but beware; they can only stomach raw meat while in their wolf form. Trying to eat raw meat in their human form will make them sick and cause them to vomit!
Werewolves also have some unique interactions with other Sims, such as nuzzling their significant other under the Romance category. They have a unique walk and run style as well. Werewolves will walk hunched over like a beast and run on all fours while in their wolf form.
Of course, werewolves can also infect others with the Mark of the Beast to create more werewolves and have either friendly or feral brawls. Some special recipes also require werewolf venom which a werewolf can willingly extract from their fangs after building the Werewolf Lore skill. Be aware that if a werewolf has recently done this, they won’t have any venom left to infect Sims with the Mark of the Beast. They’ll have to wait a while for their venom to replenish.
We’ve only given an overview of some of the new interactions available to werewolves but play with them yourself to see the full range of everything they can do!
Honing Your Skills
This mod comes with three new skills; a major 10 level skill (Werewolf Lore), a minor 5 level skill (Lycanthropy), and a mini 3-level skill that is actually temporary and resets back to zero every time it is maxed out (Werewolf XP).
Werewolf Lore is separate from being a werewolf. Sims can learn and max out this skill even if they are not a werewolf. In fact, building the Werewolf Lore skill will come in handy for those who may want to hunt down and slay werewolves! Build the Werewolf Lore skill by researching on LycanSource.com, then purchase the Book of the Beast from the Occult Professor and continue your studies by reading this rare text. As you build this skill, new recipes will become available to your Sim to make using the Lunar Altar or brewing on a stovetop. The items and concoctions your Sim can craft have the power to help or harm werewolves so this skill is useful for both aiding and eradicating them.
Lycanthropy can only be learned by werewolves. New werewolves start out as Omega werewolves, which is level 1 of the Lycanthropy skill. At this level, they are very susceptible to becoming feral. Their Feral Control bar will deplete faster and when they do transform against their will, they will be stuck that way for a longer period of time. Transformations are also extremely painful for new werewolves. Werewolves can build their Lycanthropy skill by doing werewolf-related activities such as hunting or brawling. As they build this skill, werewolves will become more in control of themselves. Their Feral Control will deplete slower and transforming into a werewolf won’t be painful for them anymore. They can also unlock more perks from the Lunar Altar.
Werewolf XP is another “skill” only available to werewolves. Every time your werewolf maxes this skill out to 3, it resets back to zero and your werewolf is able to purchase a new perk for themselves. More on perks in the following section!
Werewolf Perks and XP
Werewolves can purchase perks for themselves from the Lunar Altar to give them special benefits and added abilities as a werewolf. Purchasing a perk costs 3 Werewolf XP. You can keep track of how close you are to the next threshold by looking in your skill panel but the game will also let you know whenever you’ve obtained three XP and can buy a new perk. Whenever you’ve maxed out your XP at 3, it resets back to 0.
There are many different perks and more will become available through building the Lycanthropy skill. For example, werewolves can purchase the Brute Strength perk for themselves which will give them a great advantage in fights; however, it also comes with the drawback of accidentally breaking objects that they use and unintentionally injuring other Sims they attempt to be close with. The Fine-Tuned Muscle perk will eliminate this hazard. They can also purchase other perks that will make them immune to wolfsbane, allow them to eat raw meat in their human form, and many other benefits. You can see which perks your werewolf has by clicking on them.
Remember; the Lunar Altar draws its power from the moon so it can only be used at night!
Werewolves vs. Vampires
A vampire in the later stages of poisoning from werewolf venom
Of course, what would a werewolves mod be without a rivalry with their known enemies; vampires! Yes, werewolves and vampires do have a rivalry in this mod and will not get along with each other. Vampires and werewolves will make their dislike of each other known whenever they are around each other but that’s not the only way in which vampires and werewolves are incompatible.
Werewolf venom is highly toxic to vampires and will slowly kill them if they become infected by it. Their vampire energy will slowly decline until the bar is empty, at which point, the vampire will succumb to the venom and die. This really adds an element of excitement and risk when brawling with vampires! There could be real consequences if a vampire loses a brawl with a werewolf or is attacked by one!
However, there is a way for a vampire to tap into the nature of the beast without dying!
Hybrid Werewolves
Hybrids are Sims who are half vampire, half werewolf and they come with their own special abilities unique to hybrids. Of course, being highly allergic to werewolf venom, it’s not exactly easy for a vampire to become a hybrid as you might imagine. It’s going to take a special concoction only available to Sims who have built up their Werewolf Lore skill.
Simply infecting a vampire with werewolf venom will kill them, but Sims well-versed in Werewolf Lore can make a special concoction called the Amalgam Elixir. If an infected vampire drinks the Amalgam Elixir, it will not only cure them of their affliction but it will also turn them into a hybrid!
Hybrids can be differentiated by their eyes, which glow red instead of yellow like pure werewolves. Hybrids also have a unique motive called Beastly Power. Unlike werewolves, whose Feral Control decreases with negative emotions, a hybrid’s Beastly Power increases. The higher their Beastly Power is, the stronger they are and they will win fights and brawls more easily. However, when the bar maxes out, hybrids will transform into a werewolf against their will and be compelled to attack any nearby Sims so there is a risk involved with increasing Beastly Power too far.
Hybrids can also sync their werewolf form to their dark form which is an interaction available by clicking on them. This just applies their werewolf characteristics to their dark form so they can have a cool, unique dark form that has visual elements of both their vampire side and their werewolf side.
Running with the Pack
Werewolves have special interactions and relationships with each other. When a werewolf creates another werewolf, they become that werewolf’s Sire. A Sire has great control over the werewolves they turned. They have the ability to call these werewolves to them whenever they want and make them do their bidding. Werewolves who have been called by their Sire cannot resist their Sire’s commands. They are compelled to come when called by their Sire and to carry out their Sire’s orders. The only way for a werewolf to free themselves of their Sire’s control over them is to kill them; however, this comes at a price because killing their Sire also kills the werewolf curse. This means that any Sims sired by that werewolf will become human.
Werewolves must be killed with a silver dagger which the Occult Professor sells. Sims can attempt to slay a werewolf by clicking on the silver dagger in their inventory, which will initiate a fight with the werewolf. The higher your Lycanthropy and/or Fitness skill, the better your chances are of winning the fight. If your Sim wins the fight, they will pull out the dagger and stab the werewolf, which will be the final death blow.
Werewolves and hybrids can also form packs. Werewolves/hybrids can ask each other to form a pack. You can choose to be the pack leader yourself or ask the other Sim to be the pack leader. The pack leader is the one who decides which werewolves join the pack or which ones need to leave the pack. Werewolves who are in a pack together have a special relationship bit with each other and have some unique interactions with each other. There is no limit to the number of werewolves that can be in a pack. Werewolves who are part of a pack can call their packmates to them and hunt together.
Make sure you are staying on good terms with all your packmates! A werewolf who is dissatisfied with their leader may decide to challenge them for dominance! The outcome of the brawl determines whether the current pack leader retains their status or if the challenger becomes the new pack leader.
Raising a Werewolf Family
Werewolves can pass on lycanthropy to their offspring! Werewolf/human pairings have a chance at producing a werewolf baby, while werewolf/werewolf pairings guarantee a werewolf child. If your child is born a werewolf, you’ll receive a notification when the child is born, letting you know. If a Sim is born as a werewolf, their mother automatically becomes their Sire at birth.
Wolf children aren’t too different from human children; they have all the same needs as human children but they do have a habit of being rather… destructive. Mainly to your furniture. Like their parents, they also transform into their wolf form at night. We highly recommend having a werewolf toddler howl at the moon. Seriously, it’s the cutest thing ever.
Curing Lycanthropy
As mentioned before, a Sim can rid themselves of the beastly curse by killing their Sire, but if you don’t want to resort to murder, there is another option.
At level 10 of the Werewolf Lore skill, Sims can craft the Lycanthropy Cure. Simply have a werewolf drink this to be free of the trappings of life as a beast!
New Objects
Of course, this mod comes with many new objects that can aid or hinder your werewolves! Here’s a quick breakdown of all the main objects your werewolves and werewolf enthusiasts will likely be making use of. This list does not include all crafted recipes, just the buyable ones and the craftable necklace.
- Lunar Altar – This is the main object you will probably use the most. Werewolves can purchase perks from the moondial and Sims with Werewolf Lore skill can create a variety of objects by placing ingredients on the stone platform. If the altar is not creating the items, try rearranging the placement of the ingredients and make sure the top of the altar is clear with nothing on it.
- Moondial – Werewolves can use the moondial to replenish some of their Feral Control when it has been depleted. This can help them avoid forcibly transforming.
- Dwayne Wolff’s Scarfing Table and Lord Lycan’s Dining Table – Both these objects serve the same purpose. They are simply lower dining tables to allow werewolves to scarf down their food like a dog rather than having to sit and eat at a proper dining table.
- Chiseled Lycanthrope – This is an interesting object that does different things depending on what you have placed on it. For example, placing a moonstone on it will deplete the Feral Control of any nearby werewolves while putting raw meat on it will attract werewolves! It’s a good way to either deter or encourage werewolves to visit the lot.
- Moonstone Ring – While a werewolf has this ring on, they are immune to the effects of moonlight and will not transform at night. However, they can still transform if their Feral Control gets too low. Purchase it from the Occult Professor.
- Hematite Amulet – This amulet can be crafted on the Lunar Altar with high enough Werewolf Lore skill. It will slowly replenish a werewolf’s Feral Control while they are wearing it. If a hybrid wears it, it prevents them from forcibly transforming when their Beastly Power becomes maxed out.
- Silver Dagger – This is used to slay werewolves. Purchase it from the Occult Professor.
- Wolfsbane Perfume – This is used to repel werewolves. Purchase it from LycanSource.com
- Wolfsbane Bracelet – This is another werewolf deterrent. Purchase it from LycanSource.com
- Book of the Beast – This rare text contains limitless knowledge on Werewolf Lore. Read it to build the Werewolf Lore skill. Purchase it from the Occult Professor.
- Raw Meat – Food for werewolves! Can also be used to bait a werewolf into appearing on a lot at night. Purchase it from LycanSource.com
Our Thoughts
Our minds are completely blown by this mod! This is an entire game pack in one mod. SpinningPlumbobs didn’t miss a single detail anywhere. Absolutely every small aspect of being a werewolf was thought of and fleshed out. From the Occult Professor to forming packs, to Sires, to hybrids, to raising werewolf children, right down to the smallest details like scratching up furniture and special wolf interactions with others just bring this whole mod to life. I completely forgot this wasn’t a Maxis game pack. In fact, it has more in it than any Maxis-released pack has offered in a very long time and it’s free.
It was hard for me to even tear myself away from the game long enough to write this overview because I was just having so much fun playing with it. I didn’t want to stop! I was never a big fan of werewolves before but this mod has turned me into a werewolf fanatic! I want a whole save filled with these werewolves and hybrids!
If we were to make any suggestions for improvement, we’d probably recommend an easier way to view all the perks and learned crafting recipes we’ve unlocked. We’d love it if we could just scroll over a perk on the Lunar Altar to get a tooltip description of what it is rather than having to click it. It’d also be nice to have some sort of alchemist’s handbook or notes section that lets us see a list of all our unlocked crafting recipes and the required ingredients. Other than this small organizational detail, we really don’t have any other critiques. This mod is simply fantastic.
