Is something wrong with ghost now?

[Chaplain_Grim]

Played phasmophobia a long time ago and decided to give it another try yesterday & today to just have some fun. Been playing for around 5 hours now with only guessing the right ghost once the whole time. I understand there are more ghost and most of the "good" items are at higher levels, but I never had this low of a correct answer rate. Is something bugged in the game? Just spent 46 minutes trying to guess the right ghost and concluded it was a Raiju due to EMF 5, ghost orbs, and DOTS but it was a Jinn apparently? We never got freezing temps or UV anywhere. Is something broken?

[Cool Cereal]

Nope nothing like that is broken at the moment. You should refamiliarize yourself with the ghost types and what confirmed evidence qualifies as. I have my doubts about your Dots evidence and have zero idea how you thought you got orbs unless it was snow/rain clipping into the map.

[Voxel]

Originally posted by Corrupted_God:

Played phasmophobia a long time ago and decided to give it another try yesterday & today to just have some fun. Been playing for around 5 hours now with only guessing the right ghost once the whole time. I understand there are more ghost and most of the "good" items are at higher levels, but I never had this low of a correct answer rate. Is something bugged in the game? Just spent 46 minutes trying to guess the right ghost and concluded it was a Raiju due to EMF 5, ghost orbs, and DOTS but it was a Jinn apparently? We never got freezing temps or UV anywhere. Is something broken?

I got back into Phasmo after 2 whole years just 4 days ago and relearned every single ghost's behaviours, special abilities, etc, within just a couple of hours of watching insym and some other's videos, unfortunately this game teaches you nothing about what each ghost can or can't do from just playing, most you'll pick up on without trying to 'science' is obvious things like revenant being almost max speed with LOS, or Shade being shy, etc.

[Emurinus]

Originally posted by Voxel:

Originally posted by Corrupted_God:

Played phasmophobia a long time ago and decided to give it another try yesterday & today to just have some fun. Been playing for around 5 hours now with only guessing the right ghost once the whole time. I understand there are more ghost and most of the "good" items are at higher levels, but I never had this low of a correct answer rate. Is something bugged in the game? Just spent 46 minutes trying to guess the right ghost and concluded it was a Raiju due to EMF 5, ghost orbs, and DOTS but it was a Jinn apparently? We never got freezing temps or UV anywhere. Is something broken?

I got back into Phasmo after 2 whole years just 4 days ago and relearned every single ghost's behaviours, special abilities, etc, within just a couple of hours of watching insym and some other's videos, unfortunately this game teaches you nothing about what each ghost can or can't do from just playing, most you'll pick up on without trying to 'science' is obvious things like revenant being almost max speed with LOS, or Shade being shy, etc.

I think the game would benefit a lot from a "personal notes" section in the journal where certain ghost behaviors are recognized the more times you successfully ID them, so long as the recognized behaviors still leave some mystery to the ghosts or simply don't explain stuff in extreme detail.

[Watcher Rat]

Originally posted by Corrupted_God:

Played phasmophobia a long time ago and decided to give it another try yesterday & today to just have some fun. Been playing for around 5 hours now with only guessing the right ghost once the whole time. I understand there are more ghost and most of the "good" items are at higher levels, but I never had this low of a correct answer rate. Is something bugged in the game? Just spent 46 minutes trying to guess the right ghost and concluded it was a Raiju due to EMF 5, ghost orbs, and DOTS but it was a Jinn apparently? We never got freezing temps or UV anywhere. Is something broken?

With T1 equipment, it just sounds like some things were misinterpreted, so here is some info to help avoid that in future investigations:

-The T1 EMF reader can fake you out; an EMF 4 reading, for instance, can bounce the needle up to where it looks like it hits the 5. A true EMF 5 rating on the T1 equipment will set the needle all the way over to the right and hold it there with some minor fluctuations - when I've trained friends to play, I like to tell them to look for "EMF 6" (pretending there's another reading) to be sure.

-The T1 light stick has to be shaken up periodically to collect evidence. Make sure to check both sides of doors that get touched (UV prints will only ever appear on one side of any given door, and always the same side every investigation). Can check coolers and windows for prints as well. If you place a salt pile down and the ghost steps in it, for a very short period afterward, you can see UV footprints walk around with the light if it has UV for evidence, but they fade fast.

-The DOTS readers are VERY easy to misinterpret if you are not used to what they look like now - many players will see their cold breath in the DOTS and think that was the ghost moving around. What you are looking for is the full, mobile model of the ghost to be walking around, illuminated by the DOTS (it can help to overlay two DOTS pens, one in your hand, one across the room, to get a better view). The interaction makes the ghost model visible for you when it occurs, so the ghost will be mobile.

-If you're looking for DOTS, see the ghost appear and walk to you with audible footsteps, then hiss/moan/yell at you, that was a ghost event and NOT a DOTS interaction. The evidence interaction will always be silent, with no footsteps or other audible noises (barring the ghost tossing something as it moves around).

-For ghost orbs, it is very easy to see some of the lighting oddities and mistake them for an orb, especially with the T1 camera when you're not used to it. You can walk into a room and see the light reflection on a window frame, for instance, and that can look like an orb briefly until you realize it's not moving at all. Keep your eyes peeled, and if you see a "maybe" orb, observe it for a few seconds to be sure it's moving. With the T1 equipment, it's best to either keep the camera in-hand, or if you put it on a Tripod, go back to the van and look there. Remember that cold breath can fake people out as well, so if you have multiple people, it's always a good idea to have someone else confirm the orbs!

-For freezing, stick with the T1 thermometer. This is where some mechanics are in play, as the ghost only cools the room it is actively in (which is not guaranteed to be its favorite room). Placing motion detectors can help ID where the ghost is roaming, and turning off the breaker can help reduce the temperatures (albeit at the cost of faster sanity drain from the darkness). As you can't be 100% sure where the ghost is at all times, it's best to keep checking the thermometer(s) regularly throughout your time inside.

-Motion sensors are great for spirit box too, since you'll get more replies if the ghost is close. Wait for a sensor to trigger, then run over with the spirit box and ask questions. This should raise your success chances there.

[BrendyBear]

I'll add some more tips to add to Watcher Rat's comment.

- EMF 5 can be implied from the activity graph. If you see large spikes of 4 or 5 on the activity graph when the ghost is not doing an event, then it's likely to be EMF 5 (you should check this with EMF reader to make sure). Any interaction has a 25% chance of being EMF 5. This is best if you check it every time you go back to the truck to get more gear. Alternatively, if over the course of an investigation you never see any large spikes on the activity graph, and lots of low level activity, then it probably doesn't have EMF 5. This can be useful if someone falsely calls EMF 5, or if it is too dangerous to go and check the EMF in person. Note that the activity spikes in the truck range is the true EMF value to that value -2. (X = true EMF value, activity spike range is [X-2:X])
Also, when a ghost is hunting, it's activity level will always be 10. If it's activity level is not 10, it is not hunting. Sometimes a ghost event, or even ghost activity, can give a 10 activity level, so it doesn't always mean a hunt.
Activity graph can also be used to spot The Twins ability (large spike with a longer slope than a single spike), Poltergeist ability (very large spike without event or hunt), Demon's faster hunts (hunting again in less than 30 seconds from last hunt), or a Mimic mimicking these abilities.

- A few maps have particle effects that are almost indistinguishable from ghost orbs. These can be a pain. Ghost orbs can sometimes be hard to see, so it's usually something I check from the truck after I setup a camera (or 2) in the suspected ghost room. Ghost orbs are easiest to see with the lights off, and can only be seen in the night vision of a video camera. Works well to combine checking this with watching for DOTS on cameras. If a ghost has ghost orb, then there will always be precisely 1 orb in its room at all times. They will spawn from an invisible particle system, move randomly for a bit, then disappear as a new one spawns. Also mimics will always have an orb, even if it's not a listed evidence.

- Safest way to check DOTS is to setup a camera that can see an area highlighted by the dots in the ghost room. This way you can easily watch from the truck without having to worry about sanity drain or being hunted. You can also look for ghost orbs while doing this. Alternatively, setup the DOTS early, then you'll likely see it while you bring in other gear and do other checks. Be aware there is 1 ghost that can only have it's DOTS visible on a camera, not in person. Also taking a photo of DOTS counts as a ghost picture, and you can only have 1 ghost picture.

- Best way to check freezing temps is to just leave a T1 thermometer in the ghost room and check it every so often. Freezing temps can be hard to get if the ghost is roaming around a lot. I've had games where we had a ghost with freezing temps and it never cooled it's room down to below freezing, even with the breaker left off for about 5 minutes. If it's between freezing temps and another evidence you can't get after extensive checking, best to guess freezing temps is the evidence (if you can't figure the ghost out from it's behaviour anyway).
The T1 thermometer is probably the best way to find the ghost room. The ghost will cool whatever room it's currently in, so sometimes the coolest room (mainly corridors) might not be the ghost room if it's roaming a lot, especially if the actual ghost room is really small.

- If the ghost is in a room with lots of doors, and keeps moving them all the time, then you can check those and be confident whether it is UV or not. Check a few, because one ghost has a chance to hide their UV. However, sometimes the ghost will spawn somewhere without any doors and so you can't check those. Then I use salt and check for UV footprints after it has stepped in it. I have been caught out by this though, as often a ghost with UV does not leave a visible UV footprint. Either the footprint gets obscured by something, or the ghost simply stops moving when it steps in salt, leaving no footprints. You can also check light switches for UV if the ghost likes playing with the lights. Often UV is the easiest evidence to get, but sometimes it can be really difficult, and be careful ruling it out.

- I will also recommend using motion sensors to confirm the ghost room. If you suspect a room is the ghost room due to dropping temperatures, setup a bunch of motion sensors in there. Back at the truck you can watch them for a bit and see if the ghost keeps triggering them to tell if the ghost is in that room. They are also good on higher difficulties (professional+) to know when the ghost has changed rooms.

- Something that is very underrated are sound sensors. Not very useful on small maps or playing solo, but they can be incredibly useful on larger maps to narrow down a search area instead of wandering around in the dark draining your sanity. I've also used them to warn teammates when a ghost starts hunting, and to listen to how fast a hunting ghost is (something that is a useful skill to learn at high difficulties), all from the safety of the truck. With good placement, you can know the rough location of a hunting ghost, and this can sometimes be useful information to relay to teammate in the investigation area. Combining sound sensors with the activity graph can allow you have a good idea when a hunt starts, and always know when it ends. Once you figure out it's unique hunt noise, you'll always know instantly when it starts hunting, something that's useful to tell people who are inside. Note that you can toggle the listening range of sound sensors from the sound sensor panel in the truck. Also note sound sensors with extended range can pickup things on floors above and below where it is placed.

- Lastly, a more general tip is that you should manage your sanity well. While it's not the most exciting game play, the easiest way to play this game is to always stay in the light wherever possible and never let your sanity get to a point where the ghost can hunt (50 for most ghosts, with some major exceptions). When a whole team of people does this you are on easy street and make a lot of easy XP and money with little risk. When your team insists on staying in the dark and draining their sanity, you are on a time limit to get the evidence before the ghost hunts. These are the games where people die, and people get the ghost wrong because you didn't have enough time to get all the evidence.
And a last little bit on a similar note: I generally don't use cursed items because I rarely feel like the benefit is worth the price/risk, but I can see their utility in some situations. Mainly on the large maps or limited evidence difficulties. People using cursed items, especially without warning their team, is probably the most common reason for a team wipe. Rarely, people use them to troll and get people killed intentionally, so watch out for that if you play with randoms.

[konstantynopolitaneczka]

Originally posted by BrendyBear:

I'll add some more tips to add to Watcher Rat's comment.

- EMF 5 can be implied from the activity graph. If you see large spikes of 4 or 5 on the activity graph when the ghost is not doing an event, then it's likely to be EMF 5 (you should check this with EMF reader to make sure). Any interaction has a 25% chance of being EMF 5. This is best if you check it every time you go back to the truck to get more gear. Alternatively, if over the course of an investigation you never see any large spikes on the activity graph, and lots of low level activity, then it probably doesn't have EMF 5. This can be useful if someone falsely calls EMF 5, or if it is too dangerous to go and check the EMF in person. Note that the activity spikes in the truck range is the true EMF value to that value -2. (X = true EMF value, activity spike range is [X-2:X])
Also, when a ghost is hunting, it's activity level will always be 10. If it's activity level is not 10, it is not hunting. Sometimes a ghost event, or even ghost activity, can give a 10 activity level, so it doesn't always mean a hunt.
Activity graph can also be used to spot The Twins ability (large spike with a longer slope than a single spike), Poltergeist ability (very large spike without event or hunt), Demon's faster hunts (hunting again in less than 30 seconds from last hunt), or a Mimic mimicking these abilities.

- A few maps have particle effects that are almost indistinguishable from ghost orbs. These can be a pain. Ghost orbs can sometimes be hard to see, so it's usually something I check from the truck after I setup a camera (or 2) in the suspected ghost room. Ghost orbs are easiest to see with the lights off, and can only be seen in the night vision of a video camera. Works well to combine checking this with watching for DOTS on cameras. If a ghost has ghost orb, then there will always be precisely 1 orb in its room at all times. They will spawn from an invisible particle system, move randomly for a bit, then disappear as a new one spawns. Also mimics will always have an orb, even if it's not a listed evidence.

- Safest way to check DOTS is to setup a camera that can see an area highlighted by the dots in the ghost room. This way you can easily watch from the truck without having to worry about sanity drain or being hunted. You can also look for ghost orbs while doing this. Alternatively, setup the DOTS early, then you'll likely see it while you bring in other gear and do other checks. Be aware there is 1 ghost that can only have it's DOTS visible on a camera, not in person. Also taking a photo of DOTS counts as a ghost picture, and you can only have 1 ghost picture.

- Best way to check freezing temps is to just leave a T1 thermometer in the ghost room and check it every so often. Freezing temps can be hard to get if the ghost is roaming around a lot. I've had games where we had a ghost with freezing temps and it never cooled it's room down to below freezing, even with the breaker left off for about 5 minutes. If it's between freezing temps and another evidence you can't get after extensive checking, best to guess freezing temps is the evidence (if you can't figure the ghost out from it's behaviour anyway).
The T1 thermometer is probably the best way to find the ghost room. The ghost will cool whatever room it's currently in, so sometimes the coolest room (mainly corridors) might not be the ghost room if it's roaming a lot, especially if the actual ghost room is really small.

- If the ghost is in a room with lots of doors, and keeps moving them all the time, then you can check those and be confident whether it is UV or not. Check a few, because one ghost has a chance to hide their UV. However, sometimes the ghost will spawn somewhere without any doors and so you can't check those. Then I use salt and check for UV footprints after it has stepped in it. I have been caught out by this though, as often a ghost with UV does not leave a visible UV footprint. Either the footprint gets obscured by something, or the ghost simply stops moving when it steps in salt, leaving no footprints. You can also check light switches for UV if the ghost likes playing with the lights. Often UV is the easiest evidence to get, but sometimes it can be really difficult, and be careful ruling it out.

- I will also recommend using motion sensors to confirm the ghost room. If you suspect a room is the ghost room due to dropping temperatures, setup a bunch of motion sensors in there. Back at the truck you can watch them for a bit and see if the ghost keeps triggering them to tell if the ghost is in that room. They are also good on higher difficulties (professional+) to know when the ghost has changed rooms.

- Something that is very underrated are sound sensors. Not very useful on small maps or playing solo, but they can be incredibly useful on larger maps to narrow down a search area instead of wandering around in the dark draining your sanity. I've also used them to warn teammates when a ghost starts hunting, and to listen to how fast a hunting ghost is (something that is a useful skill to learn at high difficulties), all from the safety of the truck. With good placement, you can know the rough location of a hunting ghost, and this can sometimes be useful information to relay to teammate in the investigation area. Combining sound sensors with the activity graph can allow you have a good idea when a hunt starts, and always know when it ends. Once you figure out it's unique hunt noise, you'll always know instantly when it starts hunting, something that's useful to tell people who are inside. Note that you can toggle the listening range of sound sensors from the sound sensor panel in the truck. Also note sound sensors with extended range can pickup things on floors above and below where it is placed.

- Lastly, a more general tip is that you should manage your sanity well. While it's not the most exciting game play, the easiest way to play this game is to always stay in the light wherever possible and never let your sanity get to a point where the ghost can hunt (50 for most ghosts, with some major exceptions). When a whole team of people does this you are on easy street and make a lot of easy XP and money with little risk. When your team insists on staying in the dark and draining their sanity, you are on a time limit to get the evidence before the ghost hunts. These are the games where people die, and people get the ghost wrong because you didn't have enough time to get all the evidence.
And a last little bit on a similar note: I generally don't use cursed items because I rarely feel like the benefit is worth the price/risk, but I can see their utility in some situations. Mainly on the large maps or limited evidence difficulties. People using cursed items, especially without warning their team, is probably the most common reason for a team wipe. Rarely, people use them to troll and get people killed intentionally, so watch out for that if you play with randoms.

tl;dr
skill issue

[Estellese]

Friends and I are currently batting a 100% success rate over the last week. So no bugs or issues that are making them hard to identify.

Just follow the guides the others have shared. You just misinterpreted evidence somewhere.



I will add, as others said there are sometimes lights or dust that kinda look like ghost orbs. Watch the orb when you see it, it will usually repeat the exact same movement a few times. It always moves, it is never stationary. It's movement pattern always takes the same amount of time (I think 0.8 seconds? I don't have an exact number, just a feel for the duration.) before it repeats. Takes some practice but once you learn to identify the orb you can pick it apart from dust or lights. Keep an eye out for that specific orb shape and the short, repeating pattern that moves to a different spot in the room every once in a while.


As for dots, just ensure what you saw was actually dots. Not another player walking through the dots, or the ghost manifesting and walking through dots. Those do not count.

[Voxel]

Here's a some easy to identify/disqualify traits for certain ghosts if anyone is wondering:

Wraith: Will never step in salt
Phantom: Always disappears when photo is taken (will still say ghost photo)
Poltergeist: Throws 1 object every 0.5 seconds during a hunt (Also object explosion ability)
Banshee: 30% chance to 'scream' into the para mic
Mare: Will NEVER turn on a light, can turn on tv and monitors though, can also instantly turn off a light after a player turns it on, good chance that's the Mare using it's ability
Jinn: NEVER turns off the breaker
Yurei: AFAIK only ghost that can 'interact' with the front door outside events/hunts, leaves an emf 2 at the front door also
Oni: Will never do a 'ghost ball event' (loud hiss floating mist) with no footsteps (abstract and weird i know)
Yokai: Can't hear or detect equipment from more than like 3.5m away (or somewhere around that range it's very short)
Onryo: Initiates a hunt after blowing out 3 candles, cannot start a hunt with a lit candle, if the crucifix gets used and a candle is lit ON TOP of it, it's NOT an Onryo
The Mimic: Guaranteed ghost orb because it isn't evidence but in fact an ability, even on no evidence AFAIK

There's all kinds more identifiers with each ghost mentioned and otherwise but that'd take up a whole guide worth of material which there probably is already. Anyways happy ghost hunting :)

[Captain Oveur]

I think T1 thermo is bugged. Well, it is, and that’s why it works so well, but that’s not what I mean. Chances are I’m wrong here, but the thermo just feels bugged.

If temps seem like they don’t want to drop to ghost room temps and you’re pretty confident you found the room, grab the thermo and walk into a different room. When the temp starts to rise, go back to the ghost room. I’ve had the ghost room temps start to rise like the ghost decided to move on to the afterlife before. I’d carry the thermo into what was definitely the wrong room and back and it would start to drop rapidly again. It was like the thermometer stopped updating to the room temps and tried to report the normal average (like it forgot it was in the ghost room). By carrying it out and back in, it felt like I was forcing it to update again.

[VulgarMonkey]

Originally posted by Corrupted_God:

Played phasmophobia a long time ago and decided to give it another try yesterday & today to just have some fun. Been playing for around 5 hours now with only guessing the right ghost once the whole time. I understand there are more ghost and most of the "good" items are at higher levels, but I never had this low of a correct answer rate. Is something bugged in the game? Just spent 46 minutes trying to guess the right ghost and concluded it was a Raiju due to EMF 5, ghost orbs, and DOTS but it was a Jinn apparently? We never got freezing temps or UV anywhere. Is something broken?

How the heck did you see Ghost Orbs and DOTS and it had neither of those evidence types? This isn't even a case of misinterpreting the T1 equipment - you just straight up seeing things that aren't there?

[Captain Oveur]

Originally posted by VulgarMonkey:

How the heck did you see Ghost Orbs and DOTS and it had neither of those evidence types? This isn't even a case of misinterpreting the T1 equipment - you just straight up seeing things that aren't there?

I’m guessing they were using old evidences. Idk what the old evidence for that ghost was, but I do know a few ghosts got evidence swaps.

[VulgarMonkey]

Originally posted by Captain Oveur:

Originally posted by VulgarMonkey:

How the heck did you see Ghost Orbs and DOTS and it had neither of those evidence types? This isn't even a case of misinterpreting the T1 equipment - you just straight up seeing things that aren't there?

I’m guessing they were using old evidences. Idk what the old evidence for that ghost was, but I do know a few ghosts got evidence swaps.

But they would have had to have seen Orbs or Dots - and the ghost didn't have these as an evidence type. Like he's seen these two evidence types when they shouldn't have been present in the game. That I don't grasp. He get's EMF right with the T1 of all things that could be misinterpreted. I don't know about half the things posted here sometimes. If you don't see Orbs or Dots you don't tick them in the book. Simple stuff.

[Captain Oveur]

I misinterpreted, then, lol.
I had a game where I thought I saw a single ghost orb in the room. Must’ve been a lighting glitch or something (I didn’t pay attention to what weather we had). It was a Phantom (if I recall).

[BrendyBear]

There's plenty of things that could be misinterpreted as either DOTS or orbs if you aren't familiar with them. For example your cold breath gives a dots distortion that new player could think is the ghost. Other players give these too, and if they move away and the breath stays there for a bit, it looks like it was independent of them. The ghost doing an event in the DOTS area could also be misinterpreted.
Similarly with orbs, there's particles or light reflections that a new player could think is the orbs. Even when looking at the screen in the truck, if someone has a flashlight or head light on behind you, it kinda looks like an orb moving around on the screen.