I wanted to write this introduction to Phasmophobia to help new players adjust to the game. Starting can be overwhelming, the tutorial doesn’t really explain much of the mechanics and gameplay. It’s difficult to know what to do, especially if you don’t have a tour guide on your team. Add in the layer of social stress from working as part of a team and almost everyone is starting this game in a panic. So here’s a little jump start just to calibrate and help you enjoy the game.

Equipment

You’ll want to pick up and play with everything possible to get to grips with how it works but before we get into ghost hunting let’s talk about lighting.

Being able to see can really help especially in the early stages. I spent a lot of my first few games
running into walls and getting stuck on objects so here’s what you need to know:

• The default torch is practically useless because the beam is so small. It’s workable if necessary but you’ll find things a lot easier if you shell out for a strong flashlight.
• Check your brightness settings. The game by default is pretty dark, presumably to help with the spookiness, but you can adjust the brightness settings to find that elusive balance between
  atmosphere and being able to see.
• If you’re feeling brave in the dark then carrying a candle is handy. That’s because candles count as a light source and reduce the rate at which your sanity drops. You’ll need to carry a lighter with it as the candle will go out if you carry it in the rain or the ghost blows it out. If you’re not up to a candlelight run then make sure to use the property’s light sources.
• Switch on lights and lamps in rooms you’re spending a lot of time in. There is a maximum number of lights that can be switched on before the fuse box / breaker trips and plunges you into darkness. I’m unsure of exact numbers and will science this later but as a guide: small maps – 9, medium maps 8, large maps – 7. Make sure to turn lights off that you aren’t using to avoid hitting the limit. Both lamps and light switches count towards the total.
• Making a note of the breaker location early in the game will help you find it if you lose count or the ghost interferes.

Using additional light sources

When you first start playing it can be pretty spooky and you’re prone to panicking, particularly when a ghost starts hunting. To help you out in the early days you can use glowsticks and unneeded dots projectors to light the way to a hiding place. Once you’ve found your ghost room, find a nearby hiding spot (a locker or cupboard works well) and strategically place your spare projectors and glowsticks to help you find your way to safety. This will increase your survival rate substantially.

Make sure to turn your torch and any equipment off before entering your hiding spot. You can also use these methods to mark important locations (like the ghost room) on unfamiliar maps to help you find them quicker when going to and from the van.

Cameras and photography

The photo camera is used to take photographs of evidence. Each camera has 5 uses so make every
picture count. The photo camera does not switch off and must be dropped during a hunt to avoid
the ghost detecting you. Photographs will reward additional money so it’s worth knocking off as many as you can during your investigation. To take a good photograph get close to the object and centre it in the photograph to get the best star rating. A better star rating equals more money.

You should try to find the bone and take a photograph before picking it up. It can look like any bone
and be present anywhere in the house. Typically it will be on the floor but may take some searching.

If you see a sink full of dirty water photographing it will reward additional money.

Several types of evidence can be photographed for rewards:

• Ghost writing – take a snap of the book after the ghost has written in it
• Fingerprints (UV light does not have to be shining on it for the photograph to count)
• Footprints from the salt, either the salt pile or the UV visible footprints will count towards a photo
• A burnt crucifix

You can also photograph a team mate’s corpse, the ghost and any cursed object. Interactions can
also provide photograph rewards but can be tricky to grab in practice.

Detecting ghosts

Your goal is to find the ghost room as quickly as possible and set up your equipment to detect evidence. Some evidence will only present in the ghost room and that’s why it’s important to lock it down as quickly as possible. The ideal order of equipment varies between ghost hunters but it can help to know how things work to make your decisions.

When starting out you should always grab a strong flashlight and a thermometer (with the exception of the campsite map) and the third one is up to you.

The thermometer detects the ambient temperature in the room. You’re looking for a sudden drop in temperature below 10 degrees, this drop signifies that you’ve found the ghost room. Ideally look for temperatures between freezing and 7 degrees, but anything below 10 is usually the real deal unless you’re in a cold location. It’s worth noting that the power going out will cause temperatures to become unreliable. When you begin to play at higher difficulties you’ll need to switch the breaker on first and wait for the building to warm up before relying on your temperature readings.

If you’ve forgotten to pack a thermometer you’ll want to use your EMF reader first to detect the ghost room. When it goes off you’ve likely found your room, confirm it by gathering other evidence. As it’s a little less reliable to use the EMF reader keep a careful ear and eye out for ghost interactions. If you see or hear doors opening and closing or objects being thrown, head towards it, that’s likely your ghost room.

I like to carry a video camera initially as the presence of orbs indicates the ghost room. This can confirm you’ve got the right location if orbs is a piece of evidence for your ghost. Plus, it’s handy to set up a video camera quickly in case you need to monitor from the van.

Next I like to set up the dots projector in front of the camera (place it on the floor or a wall,
preferably with a lot of flat surfaces in front of the video camera).

I will usually take the ghost book at this point since the ghosts can take their sweet time drawing you
a doodle. Make sure the book is properly placed (not dropped) inside the ghost room. If you plan on van camping try to position the book in front of the camera. It’s difficult but with a bit of practice you can identify if the book has been written in from the van. Look for the pen moving and being thrown, or the absence of the pen resting on the book.

The EMF reader should be switched on and dropped in the ghost room somewhere you can easily
check it if it goes off. We usually just drop it in the middle of the room, making sure the lights are facing up. If you hear the reader go off give it a glance to see what level it’s at. It only counts as evidence if the reading is 5.

Now for the fun stuff. A UV torch or glowstick is required to detect fingerprints. Glowsticks have a
larger range so are recommended but a UV torch will do the job fine. Fingerprints will be left by some ghosts after interacting with the environment and only show up under UV light. Ghosts will not always leave a fingerprint after interactions and any that are left will fade after a minute so you really do have to keep checking and fast. This is often the most difficult and elusive piece of evidence to find so start your searching early and check doors, light switches and windows immediately after an interaction occurs. If you see one, grab a photo fast before it fades (the UV light does not have to be on the fingerprint for the photo to count).

The spirit box is another fussy piece of evidence and with the amusing yet frustrating quirk of dropping your sanity like you’ve licked a ghost, so it’s best left till last. Pay careful attention to the journal at this point. If the ghost ‘responds to everyone’ you’re good to go whilst your team mates mill around looking for evidence but if it ‘only responds to people who are alone’ you will not get an answer unless you are the only person in the room. Vacate your team mates if necessary and make sure to switch the lights off before firing up the box.

The spirit box responds only to certain questions, there are lists available and we will compile one soon but we’ve found the most reliable ones to be: “Where are you?” and “How old are you?”

Repeat these a few times under the right conditions and see if you get a response. You’ll know the spirit box is registering your questions if the black cross flashes. The spirit box can sometimes bug or struggle with accents so do pay attention and make sure your voice is registering.

The spirit box can be dropped in the room and it will pick up nearby voices and elicit responses but
it’s not recommended. Do not talk to the ghost any longer than is necessary unless you’re trying to drop your sanity super fast. Once you’ve got a response, switch off the box and head back to the van, you’ll likely need some pills if you’re not vying for a hunt.

Cursed objects

Sometimes the van narrator will mention the presence of a cursed object. This can be one of six
objects:

• Ouija board
• Voodoo Doll
• Haunted Mirror
• Summoning Circle
• Music Box
• Tarot Cards

The object is randomly generated and each one has a specific spawn location per map. Whilst they can theoretically be handy in completing some objectives they usually just get everyone killed so use with caution. It’s usually better to take a photo and leave it be. The one exception is the Ouija Board. If found early, activate it and ask ‘what is your favourite room?’ and it will tell you the location of the ghost room. Say ‘goodbye’ to deactivate the board or you’ll suffer a cursed hunt.

Surviving hunts

When the ghost starts hunting you’ll have 5 seconds (on amateur mode) to get a head start. During this grace period the ghost cannot see you and does not know where you are. It has likely spawned close to you or a team mate. You’ll know a hunt has started when your flashlight starts flickering, cameras and radios show interference and you may hear footsteps, singing or talking from the ghost. As soon as you register a hunt occuring make your way to a hiding spot. Remain quiet and turn off all of your equipment including your flashlight. Any sound or active technology will alert the ghost to your location. To adequately hide you need to make sure the ghost cannot see your character model – particularly the head. Hiding behind doors or furniture or darting in rooms and closing the door can all be effective. Closets and lockers are usually safest but the ghost does have a chance of randomly opening doors. If the ghost begins to chase you, you can kite it around objects and through maps to try to survive the hunt. Try to break the line of sight between you and the ghost as often as possible to slow it down.

A hunt can appear exactly the same as some ghost events but an event will be over very quickly with no attacks. Play cautious and you’ll soon get used to the difference.

That’s all for now, happy hunting! 👻