With the addition of The Sims 4: Island Living, we have been given a brand new type of occult sim, the mermaid! The mermaids have been added alongside the brand new island world, Sulani, and are a fun and adorable addition to the game with their features and abilities.
In this guide, we will discuss how you can become a mermaid, how to take care of your mermaid needs, and all the powers and abilities that come with being a mermaid. And of course, we’ll talk about how to stop being a mermaid if you just want to get back to normal sim life.
How to become a mermaid
To become a mermaid in The Sims 4, you have two options. You can make your own mermaid in create-a-sim, or you can find or purchase mermaid algae.
Become a mermaid in Create a Sim
When you create a sim, you can create a mermaid in the same way you would create a vampire or alien sim using the stealth option. You cannot change an already created sim into a siren using CAS but you can use the algae siren option.
When creating your own mermaid, you will need to create both their mermaid shape and their normal sim shape. Their sim form will be designed just like any other sim you create, you can choose all of their clothing options and proceed as you would any other sim.
Their mermaid shape will only have swimwear and no other clothing options, as these mermaids only exist when your sim is in the water. You will be able to choose your mermaid tail and tail color options, all of which are quite vibrant and colorful.
For female mermaids, you’ll be able to choose a swimsuit top (including shells or coconuts, haha) for the mermaid top half, but male mermaids don’t need to wear anything on top. You also have some interesting new face paints to choose from that you can pair with your mermaid’s fin.
There are also special eye options for mermaid sims that can make them look even more interesting and mermaid-like!
Become a mermaid with Kelp
Mermaid Seaweed can be found in the Rewards Shop for the very low price of 500 Satisfaction Points, so it’s extremely affordable for your sim to transform into a mermaid without having to pay a ton of points.
You can also choose to take the more difficult route to find mermaid algae and try to find it somewhere in Sulani. If you dive near any of the water buoys you may find some algae, or when you explore the cave located on the mountainside at Mua Pel’am.
Once you have acquired your mermaid alga, you just have to consume it and you will have the ability to transform into a mermaid. However, you need to make sure your sim goes into the ocean within the first 24 hours or that the mermaid algae have no effect.
Taking care of a mermaid
Unlike vampires in The Sims 4, mermaids are much more like humans and just have a different need than a normal sim. Their need for hygiene will turn into a need for hydration. The rest of their needs will be just like a regular sim, so don’t worry too much about not knowing how to take care of them.
To satisfy your mermaid’s need for hydration, you just need to get in the water. This could mean taking a shower or bath, or taking a swim in the ocean or pool.
Don’t worry, your siren’s hydration doesn’t work like a vampire’s vampire energy. Your mermaid won’t die or turn into a human if her hydration runs out completely. They will just spend some time feeling really uncomfortable.
Fun fact: when your mermaid enters a bathtub, her mermaid tail will appear and hang from the side of the tub! So don’t waste your time on boring showers!
Powers of the siren
Mermaids have a number of powers that they can use to change other sims’ emotions, bring different animals to them, and maybe even take down another sim. Mermaids are really powerful and can do a lot of things with these powers.
The mermaid lullaby
The powers of the mermaid lullaby can be targeted at another sim and each of them will use -30 of hydration. They are used to change the way a sim feels about their emotions.
- Requiem of the Night: Will make the targeted Sim sad
- Inspirational Berceuse: Will make the targeted Sim feel inspired
- Aegean Question: Will it make the targeted Sim tense
- Enchanter’s Lullaby: Will make the targeted Sim fall in love
Aquatic bait
The aquatic bait will cost your mermaid -30 hydration, but it is done correctly from the water, so you can easily retrieve it. You can only use it at a fishing spot or when your sim is on a boat.
Your mermaid will blow directly into a shell and this will bring you more interesting and rare fish, as well as a lot more fish for your mermaid to catch. You can also get a little boost in developing your sim’s fishing skills.
The kiss of the siren
The mermaid kiss will cost your mermaid -30 of hydration. This makes it possible for a mermaid to kiss another sim without ever having to build a romantic relationship which makes it extremely valuable if you are trying to get your sim to do the 100 child challenge or complete the serial romantic aspiration.
You can use the mermaid kiss on land as well as in water, however, it is much more effective and powerful when used in water.
Call the blue dolphins
The dolphin call will cost your sim -30 of hydration and is used to bring dolphins to your sim. Dolphins are great for mermaids because they can become best friends and help your mermaid’s social needs.
Any sim can start building relationships with dolphins, but mermaids are the only ones who have the ability to call dolphins towards them.
Summons ocean threat
Any mermaid with the good trait is unable to use Summon Ocean Threat, as they would not want to cause damage to another sim. This costs your sim -30 of hydration and can only be done in water.
Your mermaid will start singing and this will cause whoever is targeting the mermaid to start squirming in the water. This can lead to sim drowning if you do it more than once, so for an evil mermaid this is a great way to kill a sim.
The call of the siren
This is another one that is not available for a mermaid who has the good trait. Your mermaid will make another sim approach the water and shallow water and the mermaid will go underwater and drag the sim down.
Many times, the sim gets tense and leaves the water. However, if they are unable to get out of the water fast enough, they have a chance to drown. When used, the siren call will give your siren motifs a +100 and fill them completely.
Skill of the mermaid
Mermaids are mysterious creatures and have some abilities that a regular sim can’t perform, so they can definitely be a fun addition to any player’s game.
First of all, mermaids are able to swim like mermaids inside a pool and their mermaid tail will appear whenever they are in a bathtub, which leads to some really fun animations! Mermaids also have the ability to talk to fish found in an aquarium, finally a use for an aquarium I can’t stand.
Mermaids are able to swim faster than any other type of sim, this makes them swim at the same speed as the Aqua-Zips the sims are riding on and they can travel anywhere pretty quickly.
Mermaids are capable of free diving at any stage of the fitness skill, not just when they have reached level 3. They are also known to make some dolphin sounds when on land, so make sure you get your sound at least once to hear the wonders.
A pregnant mermaid is able to go for a swim even when she is in the third trimester, and since normal sims are unable to do any real physical activity in the third trimester, a pregnant mermaid can be fun!
Mermaids can sunbathe in the water and get a tan. They can even sleep in the water! This means that the only time a mermaid needs to leave the water is to eat, so you can make your game entirely water based if you like.
Check the time
If you have The Sims 4: Seasons in the game, your mermaid has the ability to actually control the weather. Doing any of these interactions will decrease your mermaid’s hydration by -75, so you should put them in the water as soon as possible to avoid being uncomfortable.
There are 3 ways your siren can control the weather:
- Call thunderstorm: this will evoke a thunderstorm
- Call clear skies: not possible for a mermaid who has the evil trait, but this will eliminate the rain or thunderstorms that are currently happening
- Call thunderstorm: Not possible for a mermaid with the good trait, but this will summon a thunder storm
Go back to being a regular Sim
If your mermaid sim is simply tired of being a mermaid, she has the option to revert to a sim. All you’ll need are two mermaid algae, which you can get in the reward shop, and access to the ocean.
To reverse your sim’s mermaid sense, you just have to eat two mermaid algae in a row and then get your sim into the water and their need for hydration will return to hygiene and they will have normal legs in the water again! So you don’t have to be a mermaid forever.
Final thoughts
Being a mermaid in The Sims 4 can be a really fun level of play that adds a fun new occult, and for some players the occult is the best kind of game! Are you a fan of the siren system in The Sims 4: Island Living? Let me know how you feel in the comments!