To become a witch in The Sims 3, you need the Supernatural expansion pack; then either create the Sim as a witch in Create-a-Sim, or have an existing teen or older Sim drink a Bottled Witches’ Brew elixir. Witchcraft is also genetic, so a witch’s children can be born with it. This guide covers all three routes, the elixir’s real recipe, what a new witch can do, and how to reverse it.
What You Need
Witches in The Sims 3 come from Supernatural, released in September 2012. EA’s own description of the pack promises you can “create witches, vampires, fairies or werewolves right from the beginning” and “use your wand to cast spells or collect ingredients and mix dozens of elixirs.” No other expansion adds witches, although vampires and a few other life states appear in earlier packs.
Method 1: Create a Witch in Create-a-Sim
This is the quickest way and needs no skill at all.
- Start a new household from the main menu, or edit a household in Edit Town.
- In Create-a-Sim, open the life state selector on the basic info screen (where you set age and gender) and choose Witch.
- Finish the Sim as normal.
Witches look like ordinary Sims; there is no special skin or feature. The robes, gowns and pointed hats in CAS are regular clothing any Sim can wear. A teen or older witch starts with a basic wand, the Classic Witch Wand, and can cast straight away.
Method 2: Drink Bottled Witches’ Brew
Use this to turn a Sim who is already in your game. The Bottled Witches’ Brew elixir transforms whoever drinks it, or whoever you throw it at, into a witch. There are two ways to get one:
- Buy it. Moonlight Falls, Supernatural’s town, has an elixir consignment store where finished elixirs are sold. Stock depends on what has been consigned, so check back if it is not there.
- Brew it. Buy Aleister’s Alchemy Station in Buy mode (Hobbies and Skills) and level the Alchemy skill to 9. Per the community wiki, the recipe calls for a Toad, a Light Beetle and a Moonstone, and like most elixirs it has to be learned through research at the station first. Guides listing Red Toadstool are mixing it up with other recipes. If you want the Alchemy skill to pay, our Sims 3 alchemy career guide covers self-employment.
Two warnings, both from the community wiki. The brew overwrites whatever occult state the Sim already has, so a vampire who drinks it stops being a vampire. And it cannot be used on pureblood aliens.
Method 3: Be Born a Witch
Witchcraft is inherited. The community wiki gives each witch parent a 50 percent chance of passing it on, and two witch parents always have witch children. Young witches cannot use real magic until they are teens, but witch toddlers will sometimes make toys vanish and reappear, and witches show a yellow border in the relationship panel, which is the easiest way to check a baby.
Mods such as the well-known master control mods can also assign the witch life state directly, but that is outside the game’s own systems.
What Witches Can Do
- Spellcasting. Witches build a hidden spellcasting skill by playing with magic, conjuring apples, and casting. Higher levels unlock more charms, spells and curses and make them fail less often. At level 3 witches can duel each other; at level 8 they learn the Sunlight Charm, which clears zombification and most negative moodlets (see our guide to curing zombies in The Sims 3).
- Magic power. Every spell drains a magic meter. It refills over time, faster while riding a broom, and instantly with the Essence of Magic elixir. During the full moon, spells cost less and succeed more often.
- Brooms. Witches use a magic broom for long-distance travel whether or not they own one.
- Alchemy. Witches learn Alchemy faster than other Sims and get a discount at elixir stores.
- Familiars. A cat or minor pet gives the Animal Familiar moodlet, which speeds up spellcasting skill gain.
- Magic Hands. The Magic Hands lifetime reward (20,000 lifetime happiness points, per the community wiki) lets a witch cast without a wand.
For other magical life states from the same pack, see our guides to becoming a fairy or a werewolf.
How to Stop Being a Witch
Two ways to reverse it:
- Potent Cure Elixir. This Alchemy level 7 elixir removes any occult life state, including witchcraft. Drink it or throw it at the witch.
- Forsake Witchitude. A witch’s romantic partner can ask them to give up magic, which starts an opportunity. Per the community wiki, completing it at the Vault of Antiquity or the science lab cures the witch.
More life state walkthroughs are on our Sims guides hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which pack do you need to be a witch in The Sims 3? Supernatural. Witches, spellcasting, the Alchemy skill and Bottled Witches’ Brew all come with it.
What is in Bottled Witches’ Brew? Per the community wiki, a Toad, a Light Beetle and a Moonstone, mixed at an alchemy station by a Sim with Alchemy level 9. You can also buy it at the elixir consignment store in Moonlight Falls.
Can a vampire or fairy become a witch? Yes, but they lose their old life state. Bottled Witches’ Brew replaces any existing occult status.
Can children be witches? Yes, if born to a witch, but they cannot use real magic until they become teens. The elixir route is for teens and older.
How do you cure a witch in The Sims 3? Use a Potent Cure Elixir, or have the witch’s romantic partner ask them to Forsake Witchitude and complete the opportunity that follows.