Summoning Circle is BS now

[Ume Ito]

I've never had trouble before using the circle to get a free ghost photo, but now every time I use it the ghost is just mid-hunt for no reason. T3 crucifix in the ghost room? Useless. Ghost smudged five seconds ago? Useless. Sanity shots taken between candle lighting? Useless.

Every. Single. Time. I light the fifth candle, no matter the circumstance, it's hunting and I get cheated out of a photo.

[Maya-Neko]

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

I've never had trouble before using the circle to get a free ghost photo

It was never a free ghost photo, but rather a calculated risk.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

but now every time I use it the ghost is just mid-hunt for no reason.

The ghost starting a hunt is pure RNG. It has nothing to do with the summoning circle, but only if you're below the threshhold and the ghost randomly checks for a hunt opportunity in that very moment. And since the summoning circle drains tons of sanity, it is highly likely that you've left a window for it starting.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

T3 crucifix in the ghost room? Useless.

It doesn't matter where the crucifix lies in relation to the ghost room, but it's important where it lies in relation to the ghost. That said, the ghost has multiple ways to still hunt, for example by leaving the room or at higher difficulties changing ghost room completely. Also most rooms are too big for even T3 to be fully covered, especially the corners are common hunt starting points with a crucie in a room. They give some, but not complete safety (and if you're expecting it, then you deserve to die to it, until you've learned it)

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

Ghost smudged five seconds ago? Useless.

Sounds like you didn't hit it.

Also keep in mind, that when an incense timer is already running, then a new incense won't override the previous timer. So if you're at like 10 remaining seconds of the last incense and then smudge it again before using the summoning circle, then it's not reset to 90 seconds, but it keeps the 10 seconds.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

Sanity shots taken between candle lighting? Useless.

Sounds like you're not wating for the sanity to actually build up. Mind that it takes 10 seconds for T2/T3 to restore the sanity and 20 seconds for T1. If you keep lighting summoning circle candles while the recovery is still running, then you can still drop below the sanity threshhold

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

Every. Single. Time. I light the fifth candle, no matter the circumstance, it's hunting and I get cheated out of a photo.

And lastly, if you've less then 16 sanity on the last candle, then the event will be skipped and the hunt will instantly start with the usual 1 second grace period from the summoning circles position.

[Ume Ito]

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

I've never had trouble before using the circle to get a free ghost photo

It was never a free ghost photo, but rather a calculated risk.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

but now every time I use it the ghost is just mid-hunt for no reason.

The ghost starting a hunt is pure RNG. It has nothing to do with the summoning circle, but only if you're below the threshhold and the ghost randomly checks for a hunt opportunity in that very moment. And since the summoning circle drains tons of sanity, it is highly likely that you've left a window for it starting.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

T3 crucifix in the ghost room? Useless.

It doesn't matter where the crucifix lies in relation to the ghost room, but it's important where it lies in relation to the ghost. That said, the ghost has multiple ways to still hunt, for example by leaving the room or at higher difficulties changing ghost room completely. Also most rooms are too big for even T3 to be fully covered, especially the corners are common hunt starting points with a crucie in a room. They give some, but not complete safety (and if you're expecting it, then you deserve to die to it, until you've learned it)

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

Ghost smudged five seconds ago? Useless.

Sounds like you didn't hit it.

Also keep in mind, that when an incense timer is already running, then a new incense won't override the previous timer. So if you're at like 10 remaining seconds of the last incense and then smudge it again before using the summoning circle, then it's not reset to 90 seconds, but it keeps the 10 seconds.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

Sanity shots taken between candle lighting? Useless.

Sounds like you're not wating for the sanity to actually build up. Mind that it takes 10 seconds for T2/T3 to restore the sanity and 20 seconds for T1. If you keep lighting summoning circle candles while the recovery is still running, then you can still drop below the sanity threshhold

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

Every. Single. Time. I light the fifth candle, no matter the circumstance, it's hunting and I get cheated out of a photo.

And lastly, if you've less then 16 sanity on the last candle, then the event will be skipped and the hunt will instantly start with the usual 1 second grace period from the summoning circles position.

God one of these mountain replies that make it really annoying to reply to.

It's been pretty free for a long time now, solo sanity drains of all forms are halved. No reason to be getting tanked this hard from max. I light the candles pretty quickly so for it to be this consistent now means the ghost is taking the earliest possible opportunity, which is hilarious because when I wait around for a hunt to start, the ghost just takes a nap. I know how a crucifix works, especially T3 in a tiny ass room. I know how smudges work both in and out of hunts. I know how sanity recovery works. And I know how the circle works.

I appreciate the attempt to explain game mechanics to me but I didn't get the game yesterday. I know when the game is misbehaving and in a game where ghost tells are as ridiculous as "50% chance to be a shadow model during the 1/7 chance summoning circle cursed possession," I hardly think it's fair to expect this game to behave as-intended 24/7. This is far from the first time this game has refused to do as it's programmed to do.

[Blockhead]

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

solo sanity drains of all forms are halved.

Isn't it only passive sanity drain is halved?

[Maya-Neko]

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

It's been pretty free for a long time now, solo sanity drains of all forms are halved. No reason to be getting tanked this hard from max. I light the candles pretty quickly so for it to be this consistent now means the ghost is taking the earliest possible opportunity, which is hilarious because when I wait around for a hunt to start, the ghost just takes a nap. I know how a crucifix works, especially T3 in a tiny ass room. I know how smudges work both in and out of hunts. I know how sanity recovery works. And I know how the circle works.

The only sanity drain that is halved is passive drain for single player. Active drains like from summoning circles are still at normal rates, which means that the summining circle still drains 80 % from you or 16 % per candle.

And no, it doesn't take the earliest opportunity. It just constantly tries to hunt every x seconds, while it is determined by RNG, how long apart the checks are and it is prevented, when something blocks it (like sanity or being smudged). Though given that you seem to be unaware of how much the circle really drains, having it run due to being unable to light the last candle seems to be the more likely reason, given that this doesn't need the RNG roll

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

I appreciate the attempt to explain game mechanics to me but I didn't get the game yesterday. I know when the game is misbehaving and in a game where ghost tells are as ridiculous as "50% chance to be a shadow model during the 1/7 chance summoning circle cursed possession," I hardly think it's fair to expect this game to behave as-intended 24/7. This is far from the first time this game has refused to do as it's programmed to do.

I know it can be annoying to be subject to RNG or missing knowledge, but as of now you've not shown anything that makes it clear this being a bug and the only thing we can say for sure is, that you've wrong knowledge about how sanity loss on cursed possessions work.

And sure, it doesn't behave perfectly in all situations, but the core features usually work properly, which includes the cursed possessions functionalities, as well as the smudge timers and cruciefixes.

But overall, feel free to report a bug, though i would recommend to send a video with it, for example one that shows your sanity situation or the ghost being actually smudged. Without that it honestly just sounds like you're trying to declare the game being bug, just to avoid learning from your own mistakes.

[TheNightglow]

for the curcifix, if the ghost is not in the ghost room (like ghost teleported (circle) or roamed out), then a cruci in the ghost room is not doing anything (which is why cruci are often not super reliable)
same for smudge cleansing, if the ghost happened to have moved away for a moment, the cleansing doesnt work

but for the sanity, if you fill up with sanity after lighting the first three or four candles then you are fully safe in solo (unless its a demon thaye or mimic, or the ghost did a sanity draining event or ability)

on any difficulty up to and including nightmare, 4x sanity meds set you to 100% sanity, the last 2 candles would reduce you from 100% to 68%
on solo if you arent talking, only 3 types of ghost are able to hunt here, if its not one of those 3 and the circle still fails, I d call it a bug

[TheNightglow]

Originally posted by Blockhead:

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

solo sanity drains of all forms are halved.

Isn't it only passive sanity drain is halved?

yea, ghost events, ghost abilities and cursed items still reduce your sanity by the full amount, no matter your difficulty setting

[WolfLink0370]

From what it sounds like... the ghost was not trapped by the circle and just hunted immediately, which is actually intended functionality.

Originally posted by Phasmophobia Wiki - Summoning Circle:

In the following cases, there will be no "ghost event" period; the cursed hunt will immediately begin, potentially killing players on the spot:

* If the player has 16% sanity or less when lighting the last candle
- There will be a 1-second grace period before the hunt starts.
- If the Friendly Ghost difficulty option is turned on, the candles will extinguish in succession instead of hunting.
* If the last candle is lit while a hunt is ongoing (this will not restart the current hunt's timer)

So in this case, and considering the other information provided, it is almost assuredly the former condition that applies here - your sanity was most likely below the 16% threshold when the final candle was lit up, and it needed more time to build up between each candle (You said you took the medication partway through, but this is basically a heal over time now since Ascension... instead of instantaneous). Like others have said - the sanity reduction from solo play only applies to the passive drain that occurs for being in the dark, which is another thing that probably tripped you up here.

So in the future, you should use the sanity medication -BEFORE- you begin lighting the candles of the circle. This should let the regenerating sanity cover some of the costs of each candle, and leave you with enough to get the event trigger.


This all aside however - you did also mess up significantly, if I can be brutally honest about your experience. If you are rocking T3 crucifix like you claimed, then one should have been placed within the Summoning Circle for absolute safety before you began.
This is because you are going to literally be teleporting the ghost into the circle (and thus into crucifix range), and... more importantly... the T3 Crucifix is capable of stopping a cursed hunt, which would have happened regardless of the summoning being successful or not.

[Maya-Neko]

Originally posted by WolfLink0370:

This all aside however - you did also mess up significantly, if I can be brutally honest about your experience. If you are rocking T3 crucifix like you claimed, then one should have been placed within the Summoning Circle for absolute safety before you began.
This is because you are going to literally be teleporting the ghost into the circle (and thus into crucifix range), and... more importantly... the T3 Crucifix is capable of stopping a cursed hunt, which would have happened regardless of the summoning being successful or not.

That's why i say it's a calculated risk. It's reasonable to not use the crucifix on the crucifix, if you want to keep the charges to prevent later, way less predictable hunts.

So you've to make a decision: Do you take the risk of getting a random hunt or do you take precautions to prevent the start of a hunt.

[GWOP-W×TCH]

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

I've never had trouble before using the circle to get a free ghost photo, but now every time I use it the ghost is just mid-hunt for no reason. T3 crucifix in the ghost room? Useless. Ghost smudged five seconds ago? Useless. Sanity shots taken between candle lighting? Useless.

Every. Single. Time. I light the fifth candle, no matter the circumstance, it's hunting and I get cheated out of a photo.

Have you tried putting the T3 cross near the summoning circle? Because you should put the T3 cross (preventing 1 cursed hunt) near the summoning circle; not the ghost room.

[WolfLink0370]

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

Originally posted by WolfLink0370:

This all aside however - you did also mess up significantly, if I can be brutally honest about your experience. If you are rocking T3 crucifix like you claimed, then one should have been placed within the Summoning Circle for absolute safety before you began.
This is because you are going to literally be teleporting the ghost into the circle (and thus into crucifix range), and... more importantly... the T3 Crucifix is capable of stopping a cursed hunt, which would have happened regardless of the summoning being successful or not.

That's why i say it's a calculated risk. It's reasonable to not use the crucifix on the crucifix, if you want to keep the charges to prevent later, way less predictable hunts.

So you've to make a decision: Do you take the risk of getting a random hunt or do you take precautions to prevent the start of a hunt.

While that may be a risk - I'd personally avoid using the circle until the end of the contract... because at that point I don't plan on staying around much longer. so I don't need the protection.

Besides, nothing really stopping you from putting one in the ghost room and one on the circle.

[Maya-Neko]

Originally posted by WolfLink0370:

While that may be a risk - I'd personally avoid using the circle until the end of the contract... because at that point I don't plan on staying around much longer. so I don't need the protection.

Besides, nothing really stopping you from putting one in the ghost room and one on the circle.

Yeah, that's also an option. I personally don't really like to use it at all though. If you light it early, you already waste all sanity medications on it or cause constant chain hunting, if you wait for after when you've already done everything, then there's usually no reason at all anymore. The summoning circle is just in a very strange place for quite a while.

[WolfLink0370]

Originally posted by Maya-Neko:

Originally posted by WolfLink0370:

While that may be a risk - I'd personally avoid using the circle until the end of the contract... because at that point I don't plan on staying around much longer. so I don't need the protection.

Besides, nothing really stopping you from putting one in the ghost room and one on the circle.

Yeah, that's also an option. I personally don't really like to use it at all though. If you light it early, you already waste all sanity medications on it or cause constant chain hunting, if you wait for after when you've already done everything, then there's usually no reason at all anymore. The summoning circle is just in a very strange place for quite a while.

Yeah I'd probably only use it to ensure a ghost photo for an objective... there's not really a reason to lose so much sanity otherwise.

Like the only ones I use are the ones with an immediate benefit, such as the Ouija Board and the Haunted Mirror - Board can let me toss about 10-15 sanity away as a fairly consistent EMF 5 test (asking for age)... and the mirror I can usually tell what room it is at a peek. I sometimes use the Monkey Paw (but not in solo), and I just draw Tarot Cards for fun mainly.

[Tracker]

So people don't know that using cursed items drains sanity?

Do love the bit about the tier 3 crucifix not stopping hunts in progress. Can we get a tier 4 crucifix that we can use to stop hunts in progress? Hurl at ghost, burns tier 4 once, ends hunt immediately. You gotta chuck it good though. Little baby toss will have a 50% chance to enrage the ghost adding 60 seconds to the hunt duration.

[Emurinus]

The ghost doesn't get trapped if you light the whole circle while it is currently hunting, or you lit the last candle while out of sanity.

Originally posted by Ume Ito:

T3 crucifix in the ghost room? Useless.

Crucifix only works when it's around the ghost itself. The room the crucifix is in doesn't matter (hence the rare cases of crucifixes burning in the truck).

Ghost smudged five seconds ago? Useless.

Then you never hit the ghost with the smudge or smudged it before the first timer was up.

Sanity shots taken between candle lighting? Useless.

Sanity isn't instantly restored. Takes 20s for T1 and 10s for the higher tiers. Lighting all five really quickly will burn through sanity faster than the meds can restore.

Every. Single. Time. I light the fifth candle, no matter the circumstance, it's hunting and I get cheated out of a photo.

Summoning circle is the most cumbersome cursed object cause of its risk. Too cumbersome imo. It's only worth using if you need a perfect game but got stuck with photo and/or ghost event objectives.

Originally posted by Tracker:

So people don't know that using cursed items drains sanity?

Do love the bit about the tier 3 crucifix not stopping hunts in progress. Can we get a tier 4 crucifix that we can use to stop hunts in progress? Hurl at ghost, burns tier 4 once, ends hunt immediately. You gotta chuck it good though. Little baby toss will have a 50% chance to enrage the ghost adding 60 seconds to the hunt duration.

Tier 5 crucifix lets you backstab the ghost.