Moonwood Mill: A Guide + Official Screens

6/14/2022

An Overview

Sims 4: Werewolves launches June 16 to millions of hungry Simmers. This game pack ships with a whole host of changes to Sims 4, not the least of which is the folding of werewolves into standing Sims 4 lore.

Accompanying the introduction of this fresh occult to Sims 4 is the revelation of a new world, too: Moonwood Mill.

Formerly a lumber mill town, the abandoned Moonwood is a thickly forested world littered with the the remnants of industry: looming metal cranes, crusty sewage waterways, busted pipes and barrels, and roughly hewn libraries held together by crumbling brick and beams. According to the world's lore, after a massive conflict between vampires and werewolves, the werewolves took over the town as their own.

While it only boasts five livable lots, Moonwood Mill attempts the feeling of “open-world”ness, so players can run and roam the punk-inspired paradise unencumbered by pesky loading screens.

Indeed, Simmers will need all the time they can manage to fully explore Moonwood, which houses a host of well-connected, hidden secrets and lore that players can unravel through gameplay.

Moon Phases

Naturally, a game pack which features werewolves must orient itself around the moon. Werewolves are famously, physically connected to the moon; a full moon is said to transform affected humans into half-beasts.

The Sims 4 team has deeply integrated the moon and its various phases into every day game play. Simmers will be able to check the current moon phase using new in-game UI and in the game’s calendar.

There are now eight phases of the moon:

New Moon
Waxing Crescent Moon
First Quarter Moon
Waxing Gibbous Moon
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous Moon
Third Quarter Moon
Waning Crescent Moon

Players can toggle how long the lunar cycle is, stick with their favorite phase in perpetuity, or even disable the lunar cycle all together in the gameplay options menu.

Certain phases of the moon will affect werewolf Sims in different ways. As in the picture above, the selected werewolf will experience a buff to their fitness under the “waxing crescent moon.” Other phases will have other effects on werewolves. According to the developers, the full moon makes werewolves feel a "little more wild."

But werewolves are not the only Sims whom the moon affects! Various occults will react to the changing moon phases. During certain phases:

Spellcasters can perform spells more easily
Mermaids will lose hydration more slowly
Vampires recharge their powers slower
Aliens will receive special moodlet buffs when “Moon bathing”

If that were not all, children will also now ask about the moon, can say goodnight to the moon, and have moon dreams!

Players can easily track the lunar cycle using the in-game calendar, a change which has come to base game.

In Moonwood Mill, the current phase of the moon affects how easily a player can collect certain fish, plants, or spot a certain infamous werewolf who may or may not be named Greg.

Underground Tunnels

Running beneath Moonwood's surface is a complex network of Underground Tunnels. These tunnels were "created by and for" werewolves, according to game developers. They allow swift travel between key points in the world if discerning denizens take the time to learn the twists and turns of its dark pathways.

Players can enter the tunnels through an entrance within derelict porta potties, a tree-choked bunker entrance, or the thoroughly slimy sewage drain.

While the underground tunnel network essentially works like a "rabbit-hole," an area of the game that the player does not get to see, the game offers players several pop-up prompts to respond to in order to navigate through the tunnels. There are a plethora of secrets and treasures to uncover in the tunnels, some of which are only unavailable to werewolves of a certain skill level.

While non-were humans can also explore these tunnels, they will find it nearly impossible to uncover all of its secrets.

In the above dialogue box sequence, the Sim has successfully navigated from one point of entry (the porta potty) to a separate point of entrance (the bunker.) Once a Sim has successfully done such a thing, they can easily navigate between these two points without a loading screen.

Collectibles

Another facet of what makes Moonwood special is the number of special collectibles that players can gather. During the full moon, players can travel to "Howling Point" the huge cliffside that dominates Moonwood's horizon and overlooks Lake Ludvick, to collect the elusive Moonpetal. This plant only ever sprouts during a full moon, so the discerning Sim must time their visits accordingly.

Similarly, Lake Ludvick dazzles beneath the moonlight, yielding the new Luna Fish. This special fish will be incredibly difficult to catch; only the full moon will properly assist the wishful fisherman's desires.

Moonwood Mill is full of mushrooms, berries, and other collectible plants for harvesting. A new plant - Wolfsbane - can be found here.

Get to Know Greg

While Werewolves offers a whole host of delightful new characters with whom to woo and make nice, Greg is the barrel-chested, broad-shouldered, misunderstood hermit-wolf who has captured Simmer imaginations.

Greg is an ornery werewolf that lives in Moonwood Mills. He is often found skulking around a squat shack in the middle of the forest, baying at the full moon or snacking on large slices of meat. Hopeful travelers can interact with the homespun caution sign to encourage his appearance.

Once he appears, Simmers can try to get to know him through a variety of available socials, but this is no easy task. Greg harbors a dark past that must be unraveled over time, and he is more likely to acknowledge a Sim who shares his beastly form.

Otherwise, curious Simmers should be prepared to shiver at the very sound of Greg's voice, which often elicits a fear moodlet from unlucky travelers. But persistent players can rest assured that Greg will eventually open up and relay his story to those he deems worthy.