Smudging For Activity

[Captain Oveur]

I’ve heard/read a few times that smudging the ghost will make it more active for a period of time. Does this work for every (or most) ghost? I’m looking for ways to make my brutal custom difficulty go a little bit easier. It’s the low interaction rate that does it (the other settings just compound on top of it).

[Radiate88]

Smudging the ghost does make it more active, but certain ghosts are more active under certain conditions. As a couple of examples, shades cannot interact while you are in the same room as them, and mares are more active in the dark. You can also use cursed possessions to force interactions or increase the interaction rate. Each pin you pull on the voodoo doll forces an interaction if it's not the heart pin. Wishing for activity with the monkey paw increases interaction rates at the cost of locking the front door temporarily and permanently destroying the breaker during that match. Another way to increase interaction rates is having lower sanity. The lower your sanity, the more active the ghost is.

[Captain Oveur]

I would try the lower sanity thing, but I’m afraid of getting Thaye’d lmao. The game has been wanting to give me the mirror, monkey paw or Ouija board as the cursed item (apparently I’m going to have to force the summoning circle and tarot cards to finish collecting them).

The problem with using the ghosts’ general behavior to help determine the type is that it doesn’t work well with my play style. For example, the Mare; I generally leave as many lights on as I can (while not overdoing them). I’ll have all the lights on between the front door to the ghost room, plus a lit pathway to the breaker and a looping spot. It’s enough light I can roam around the more critical areas comfortably but not so much the breaker might trip if the ghost turns some lights on itself, ya know?

The high roaming with low interaction/event makes Shade especially hard to figure out because every ghost acts like one lol. I’ll go full minutes without the ghost doing a single thing sometimes. Then when it does do something, chances are it’s on the opposite side of the house.

What I need is a way to force more ghost activity while preserving my sanity, which is where the smudges come in, though I do still need to force a hunt (most of the time) when I finally have my two evidences. So maybe I could/should change my play style some. I don’t really need to protect my sanity that much—just long enough to get the two evidence.

[steventirey]

I don't know if they lower sanity, but saying phrases the game recognizes (like the ghosts name) can cause the ghost to do something. There is a list on the wiki[phasmophobia.fandom.com].

Of couse if the ghost is a yokai, you can also cause it to hunt sooner this way.

[underscores222]

Smudging outside of a hunt only prevents the ghost from being able to start a hunt for a period of time (120 seconds if I recall correctly). This is actually the same if you smudge a ghost during a hunt (time starts from when the ghost is affected by the smudge). When not hunting, you do still have to smudge near the ghost (basically the same mechanic as during a hunt, the ghost exists at all times you just can't see it). Spirits won't be able to start a hunt for longer (180 seconds I think), demons can start a hunt sooner (90 seconds I think), and Yuri? I think? get trapped in the room they were smudged in for the duration (mentioned in the journal). Otherwise it doesn't affect ghost behavior.

[steventirey]

Originally posted by underscores222:

Otherwise it doesn't affect ghost behavior.

While it can certainly be wrong, the wiki says in multiple locations smudging increases ghost interactions. It never gives specifics other than saying it increases the chance marginally. So its not a huge increase.

[Captain Oveur]

Originally posted by steventirey:

<snip>

Oh yeah, I forgot to try saying the ghost’s name. Been wanting to try that for a while lol.

Originally posted by steventirey:

Originally posted by underscores222:

Otherwise it doesn't affect ghost behavior.

<snip>

I haven’t read the wiki, but I did hear [what steventirey said] a few times across multiple videos. I don’t think I ever saw it get tested, though.