Crystal Creations stuff pack review

At first glance, the Sims 4 Crystal Creations stuff pack confused the heck out of me. The core gameplay mechanic is the new Gemology skill, which has a bewildering number of choices:

• Gemstone shape (11 options) + crystal (27 options) = 297 possible combinations
• Jewelry type (12 necklaces, 12 rings, 12 bracelets, and 12 earring options) + metal (25 options) + crystal (27 options) = 32,400 possible combinations.

Yes, those numbers are correct! I double-checked with my math friend Dorothy.

It turns out the crystal is the most meaningful choice. Each crystal has different benefits, which are the same whether you cut a gemstone or make and wear a piece of jewelry.

These benefits are AMAZING. Like, game-breaking-ly good.

Here’s a complete list of the available buffs. They include buffs to improve the likelihood of romance actions, buffs to reduce need decay, buffs to prevent death by anything other than old age, and more.

If you cut a gemstone and leave it out, every Sim within range experiences the benefits.

This stacks, meaning that every Sim in the room can simultaneously experience the benefits of all 27 crystals. However, jewelry only provides a buff when it’s being worn, and only to the Sim who’s wearing it.

There are only a few limitations:

1. Your Sim has to level up the Gemology skill to unlock all the options.
2. Although you can buy most crystals directly from the Gemology Table, you can’t order the most powerful crystals. You have to collect these yourself.
3. Gemstones and jewelry must be charged overnight. Each charge lasts only 2 days. After the charge drains, you have to recharge the item again.

Crystal effects are so easy and powerful that I foresee them being banned from a lot of Sims 4 challenges in the future. It’s definitely worth suffering the learning curve and the cost of the pack.