How to play Ghostface

Greetings fellow fanboys of Scream, Scary Movie 1 and Ghostface.

I am here because I have found an abundance of fairly bad / inexperienced Ghostfaces when playing as Survivor, with the exception of that one really good Ghostface I had went up against not a few days ago. I am here to educate you all on how to play Ghostface and some tips and tricks that may help with that 4K everyone so desperately wants. Whether you are just getting into the game or just getting into Ghostface, here is the guide on How to play Ghostface well and efficiently.

This guide is dedicated to a friend of mine who is considering playing Ghostface, I hope you find this useful.

Overview

Within this guide you will learn how Ghostface is best played and how efficient each playstyle is with him. These are my personal opinions and can be deemed wrong by better Ghostfaces, however, not to toot my own horn here, I have never seen a better Ghostface than I am, and my friends think the same.

General Synopsis

In this section, I will tell you the basics and essentials all Ghostfaces need to know when beginning to play him. These include his base kit, power and maps going for and against his advantage. These are extremely important and some may take time to get used to, kind of like how if you play a game long enough, you will develop muscle memory and do things on instinct. This is the aim of this guide, to help people get better at this underrated Killer.

Base Kit

He is a standard KIller with 4.6m/s Movement Speed, 32m Terror Radius and Average height. However, he can crouch to become small, unlike all other Killers in the game beside Pig.

Taking one from the game, his perks I'm All Ears, Thrilling Tremors and Furtive Chase, give him the ability to locate survivors, defend generators and make his chases unpredictable.


I'm All Ears - Any survivor performing a rushed action within 48m of Ghostface reveals their aura for 6 seconds. Triggered once every 60/50/40 seconds

Thrilling Tremors - After picking up a survivor, all generators not currently being repaired are blocked by the Entity and cannot be repaired for the next 16 seconds. Triggered every 100/80/60

Furtive Chase - When the Obsession is hooked, Furtive Chase receives a Token, up to a maximum of
2/3/4 Tokens. Each Token decreases the Terror Radius by 4m when in a chase. When someone rescues the Obsession, they become the Obsession. All Tokens are lost upon death of the Obsession.

In my personal opinion, only one ( Thrilling Tremors ) of these perks are viable as I feel no use out the others due to experience and knowledge of how the survivors think.

Power - Night Shroud

When the power gauge is full, Ghostface is granted Undetectable, the ability to 'Mark' survivors through Stalk and the ultimate ability Crouch.

However, he can also be revealed by the Survivors after 1.5 seconds of direct sight. Night Shroud takes 30 seconds to recharge. Crouching reduces his hitbox, and thus can sometimes stop the reveal progress, but this will be covered in a later section.

Ghostface's ability to stalk and mark Survivors is what makes him a viable Killer, otherwise he would be pretty weak. It takes 5 seconds in Stalk to Mark a Survivor while not leaning and 2.5 seconds while leaning. Leaning essentially doubles the stalk progress.

Add-ons

Ghostface has 4 Add-ons which affect his non leaning Stalk positively* ( *We'll get to that later ).
Ghostface has 3 Add-ons which affect his Night Shroud Recovery time.
Ghostface has 3 Add-ons which affect his Stalk Movement Speed.
Ghostface has 3 Add-ons which affect the length of his Stalk Timer.
Ghostface has 3 Add-ons which affect his Crouch Movement Speed.
Ghostface has 3 Add-ons which affect his Detection Range.
As well as an Iridescent Add-on which reveals Survivors' locations when a Marked Survivor is downed.

"Philly", Telephoto Lens, Knife Belt Clip and Night Vision Monocular decrease his non leaning speed to 4.75/4.5/4.25/4 seconds.

Walleye's Matchbook, Olsen's Address Book and Chewed Pen reduce his Night Shroud recovery time to 26/24/22 seconds.

Headlines Cutouts, Olsen's Journal and Olsen's Wallet increase his Movement Speed ( Standing ) while stalking to 1.38/1.84/2.3 metres per second and increase Movement Speed ( Crouching ) while stalking to 1.08/1.44/1.8 metres per second.

Cheap Cologne, Telephoto Lens and Lasting Perfume increase the time that the Survivor is Marked to 50/50/54 seconds.

Cinch Strap, Leg Knife Sheath and Drop-Leg Knife Sheath increase his Movement Speed while Crouched to 3.7/3.8/3.9 metres per second.

Victim's Detailed Routine and Driver's License decrease the Detection Range to 30/28 metres.

Marked Map and Victims Detailed Routine increase Killers' Instinct time to 3/3.5 seconds.

"Ghostface Caught on Tape" is an iridescent Add-on that Tremendously increases the rate at which the Survivor is Marked when leaning and Considerably decreases the rate at which a Survivor is Marked when not leaning.* ( *This is the negative balance for the previously aforementioned point about stalking when not leaning ). Stalking while not leaning takes 6 seconds while stalking while leaning takes 2 seconds.

Outdoor Security Camera is the second iridescent Add-on that reveals all Survivors auras that are outside Ghostface's Terror Radius upon downing a Marked Survivor.

Advantageous and Disadvantageous Maps / Realms

Well covered maps are generally the maps that you want and are typically more efficient in such as Yamaoka Estate, The Game, Léry's Memorial Institute, Backwater Swamp, Macmillan's Estate, Crotus Prenn Asylum ( Father Campbell's Chapel ) and Hawkin's National Laboratory.
These are maps that give you a decent advantage and keep you unseen due to the colour selection or sheer amount of cover.

Less covered and large, sizeable maps are the maps you want to stay well away from and are typically or much less efficient in such as Coldwind Farm, Badham Preschool, Haddonfield, Crotus Prenn Asylum ( Disturbed Ward ), Red Forest and the dreaded and feared Ormond Resort.
These are maps that give you either a small or massive disadvantage as there is little to no cover or due to the maps being so large you cannot get to the other side in time for a stalk ( on a gen for example ) or for a notification.

I say Coldwind Farm because you cannot Stalk through the corn, especially when it's a thick layer. You can Stalk through the small space beside the corn but it is not very efficient therefore deemed Less Covered / Too Covered.

Do Not Use Your Power Recklessly

Knowing when and when not to use your Power is the most crucial part of being a Ghostface player. If you activate too soon, too late or while in a difficult situation, you have just lost your power for 30 seconds. This mistake happens more often than you may think, and is why it is being addressed in this guide.

Immediately activating Night Shroud after hooking a Survivor is a dangerous and risky play. This is because the hooked Survivor can and may reveal you before you can reach the distance or corner to stop the reveal. If you ever need to activate Night Shroud after hooking someone, do it just before or just after you have reached the corner. I say just before to be a little smug that they didn't quite get you revealed in time. I do, however, advise against this if you are just starting out and do not know the timings of the reveal and estimating the distance to the corner or outside the Terror Radius.

Immediately activating Night Shroud while in a chase can also be bad if the Survivor has good map knowledge and looks behind them to reveal you even while running and does not bump into things. Plus there is a chance that another Survivor can break you out of it from behind while you are still chasing the initial Survivor, rendering your trick useless. To avoid this, wait until you know the other Survivors have left or are not in range of detection and then use it while in a chase with a Survivor to down them.

The only time you should use your Power is if you intend to Stalk a Survivor, traverse the map without being spotted or while in a chase to mindgame ( Or if they are 99'd, stalk and down ). I do not condone camping ( Which is legitimately something Ghostface's do, so I'm told ) which is why I did not officially add it to this list.

Playstyles - Aggressive

So as with every Killer there are certain "playstyles" that people like to adopt for that Killer. In Ghostface's case there are 3 of these. The following are tested at Red Ranks and I have found conclusive proof of their efficiency and based a ranking system for each of them following my results.
The ranking system I am using is based on Sacrifices and Length of the trial.

These results are all based on the same perk build without Add-ons. Thrilling Tremors, Corrupt Intervention, Whispers and Save the Best for Last. I will start with my results on each of these playstyles, firstly being the Aggressive playstyle.

Keep in mind that Perks can be changed and can have a different effect on the outcome of the game and these are my unique results from the games I played with these builds.

This playstyle is heavily reliant on not stalking, hence aggressive, and keeping pressure on the game through typical hit and down means. It uses the Night Shroud and Crouch ability while in chases to mindgame the survivors. It is a fairly effective strategy scoring a magnificent 17 Kills out of 20 with an average of ~9 minutes per game.

This strategy complements perks that help during chases such as Brutal Strength, Enduring, Spirit Fury, I'm All Ears to name some of the few. Since it relies on not stalking, the general tactic to go with here is to use Night Shroud While in a chase to remove the red stain and preemptive movements that the Survivors utilise during chases to gain an advantage, instead giving you the advantage of surprise, heightening the chances of a hit or down.

Playstyles - Semi-Aggressive

These results are all based on the same perk build without Add-ons. Barbeque and Chili, Thrilling Tremors, Pop Goes the Weasel and Brutal Strength.

It is a decent strategy scoring a good 13 Kills out of 20 with an average of ~12 minutes per game.
This is a particularly long strategy that relies on the game being slowed down a little bit.

This strategy complements perks that help slow down the game such as the aforementioned Pop Goes the Weasel, Thrilling Tremors and hasten chases slightly such as Brutal Strength. The strategy mainly depends on the strength and ability of the player being able to chase and end loops quickly just as much as Stalking and downing the Survivors.

Playstyles - Passive Pressure

These results are all based on the same perk build without Addon-ons. Corrupt Intervention, A Nurse's Calling, Thanatophobia and Sloppy Butcher. This strategy didn't rank as highly as the other 2 simply because it is more Survivor dependent as you will need to find the Survivors and their movements are, to you, unpredictable. And so, this strategy got 9 Kills out of 20 with a time ~10 minutes per game. ( I'm not the type of guy to keep pressure on through injuring and slowing the game down as Red Ranks typically see this as a massive opportunity to get things done faster, so be my guest if you want to try this playstyle ).

However, I do feel like at lower ranks Survivors will be less prioritised and focus on healing and doing other miscellaneous tasks instead of the main objective, suggesting that this build could be viable for Purple ranks and below.

This strategy massively complements Perks that help slow the game down like the perks shown in the image as well as Dying Light. The strategy heavily depends on the Night Shroud ability and how it can be used to hide your approach. It is wise to use your perks to the advantage of this strategy as Night Shroud can massive help you find and kill those pesky survivors trying to heal within your invisible Terror Radius, Perks such as A Nurse's Calling do this and the removal of your Terror Radius makes this that much better to catch them off guard. Just be ready to be called a sweat or tryhard in the afterchat though.

The pressure part of this playstyle comes from the fact that you can hit someone and find them later when they're healing, if they have just been unhooked or you have hit and run, that is if you have A Nurse's Calling. If you are within 8m of the Survivor you can here them whimpering and groaning if they are injured. I believe 2m or 4m for their footsteps and breathing, but keep in mind they can also hear your footsteps and breathing from this range. "If the enemy is in range, so are you" - Murphy's War Law.

Pair this with Sloppy Butcher and you have an amazing slow down tool, 40 full seconds of finding them and killing them, should be plenty of time.

My Personal Preferences

Although those playstyles mention specific Perks that fit well with those playstyles, meme builds can also be made as well as unorthodox builds. In fact that's how I managed to discover my main build, shown in Playstyles - Aggressive.

My personal preference to Ghostface is of course the Aggressive playstyle, simply because it is very straightforward and easy to me. The Perks I use maybe a bit strange but they work, and they were the Perks that led me to Rank 1 Ghosty boy. Here's my logic behind the build;

Corrupt Intervention - The standard replacement for Hex: Ruin. Since Ruin got nerfed into the ground and Surveillance is massively suggested with it and I don't like having to use 2 Perk slots for the exact same reason, I like to use Corrupt Intervention. Along with the added bonus of one being completely useless when cleansed making the other pretty much useless. It is also a Perk which you can just ignore for a while, since the Survivors have to be attentive as to when the generator is coming back but you don't because it's a one time Perk.

Thrilling Tremors - For the added slowed down section of the game. Albeit a 16 second slowdown per activate, it can still sometimes make a difference. It has not failed me when I have needed it most. Although does require some degree of using the timing skill correctly and not picking up Survivors willy-nilly.

Whispers - Since finding the first Survivor can be a pain sometimes, and every good build has a tracking Perk, Whispers allows me to find the first Survivor and potentially mark them for a free down. Although this may go against my Aggressive playstyle description, I never really end up using Night Shroud to stalk after the first or second down since I don't really need to because of the rush of altruistic Survivors free for picking off.

Save the Best for Last - Oh my favourite Perk in the game. This has came in useful so many times it is genuinely unbelievable. Although sometimes 8 stacks can be a bit hard to get, when you do get them and you Mark 2 people together and snipe the first one down then chase and get the other right away, it becomes the most satisfying thing in the entire game ( Coming close with 4King with Devour Hope ). It is also beneficial for me because it shortens chases: Ghostface's worst attribute - Long chases. Since Ghostface doesn't have any natural abilities to stop chases other than the Night Shroud ( Which not many people use actually ), it often takes a little time to kill the Survivor, sometimes due to the fact that the successful hit animation takes too long. Not to mention you can save stacks by Marking the Obsession and only losing 2 stacks instead of 4.

Well there you have it, my thoughts on my build. However, I do have some honourable mentions;

Barbeque and Chili - I use this when I desperately need bloodpoints, which is coincidentally almost never. So I basically never use it on Ghostface. Plus Barbeque and Chili is only really used for the bloodpoints, the aura reading is just the bonus that comes with it, let's face it. Therefore, I did not incorporate it into my main build.

Brutal Strength - I didn't put this on but mentioned it a few times simply because I never really need it. Most of the pallets in most of the maps are mindgameable and have Line of Sight blockers, to which I use backpedalling and stain hiding techniques to catch the Survivors before they have a chance to knock down the pallet. Same goes for Enduring and Spirit Fury.

Agitation - Yes, this may seem a bit unorthodox but I promise it's here for a reason. You see, on my other Killers such as Doctor and Myers, I like to use Agitation because it gets me to the hook faster and wastes less time ( Also because sometimes I need to get to the hook faster so I can retain the memory of something or quickly catch up to another Survivor ). Plus there is the added bonus chance of the Survivor not wiggling ( Due to being death hook ) and I can get a free hit from a cocky, over-altruistic, baiting or bodyblocking Survivor. Pairing with Save the Best for Last ( Combo I use on Doctor ), it can be brutal.

Monstrous Shrine - Come on, it's the best perk in the game, why wouldn't it be on this list?

Play With Your Food - If you are trying for a meme build or a snatch and grab build then this Perk is so much fun, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ insane fun. Going around yoinking people off of generators with 3 stacks and the crouch Add-ons make Ghostface fun to play just by itself. Although this rarely works in the high ranks, it's very fun to equip and make it on this list.

Shadowborn - This is a good knowledge gaining Perk since seeing 9/12/15% more of the game is incredible. Like a few Youtubers, namely Bricky, are basically obsessed with this Perk because it's just fun to use and gain a slight advantage with, using it can help games. However, it's not recommended over something like Corrupt Intervention or Barbeque and Chili, it's not too game altering.

Pop Goes the Weasel - I, personally, don't use this because I much prefer the Thrilling Tremors method of halting generators, since it covers more and is, just in general, lazier.

A Nurse's Calling - Although it is generally considered a very sweaty Perk, It's pretty good on Ghostface due to the lack of Terror Radius and the easy sneak upon Survivors. I don't use it and decided it belongs on the Honourable Mentions list simply because I rarely find use for it. When I injure someone, I typically go for the down and for a recently unhooked Survivor, I tend to try not to tunnel if I can avoid it.

Recommendations and Tips

A main tip for Ghostface is "Please for the love of God, don't hit a Survivor who isn't fully Marked" - My friend. This is particularly useful because a healthy Survivor with ~40% or more stalk isn't worth the 2 hit down. It is best to just go after someone else who either is 90% Marked or isn't at all.

Another tip would be the '99%' tactic. When Stalking someone, don't just go balls deep and Stalk them right away. Find a spot where they are vulnerable then Mark them and down them. For instance, if a Survivor is working on a generator inside a Jungle Gym, don't Stalk them from a distance then run in for the kill as this is very unsurprising. Stalk them until their bar hits roughly 95-99% then complete the Stalk when you are near, hitting them as they try to run away.

When using your power, find some good coverage when Stalking. Nothing is better than seeing the Survivors panic when / if they see you Stalking from a distance. Although you can Stalk from close up and without leaning, it is generally best to find cover so the Survivors can't immediately cut you out of your power, leading me onto my next tip.

There is a tactic I have dubbed 'Catch me if you can' which basically consists of ducking and Stalking behind cover to Mark the Survivor. It is particularly powerful since the Survivor can't snap you out of your power when you're the one behind cover. This often confuses the Survivor, making them stand still trying to reveal you, and makes them an easy target.

Sometimes Stalking from a distance is good to gain a small advantage over the Survivors by gaining a few Stalk Points before they know what's going on. Most times you can Stalk them and come back to them later for a nice, swift kill.

Only use your Power during chases that you are sure you can win with it out. A safe pallet for the Survivors makes using your Power pointless because they can see you clearly, without the red stain aiding them. An unsafe pallet or a sight blocking pallet loop is the time to whip out your Power. Just take note that unsafe pallets can also not have a sight blocker, this comes with common sense to not use your Power at this time.

Furthering from the previous point, using your Power during chases is ideal because it removes the need to mindgame manually, such as Moonwalking / Backpedalling to hide your stain isn't really useful anymore since you can just walk forward in Night Shroud and have the same effect. It goes without saying that it is useless against predictions* ( *Anticipating the Survivors movements during a chase ).

Conclusion / Closing Remarks

Alright, the finale of the guide. If there's absolutely anything I want you to take away from this is a few small things; NEVER use your Power recklessly, ie - not in a chase, when a Survivor is already looking at you, the Power is only ever used during a chase, to Stalk or traversing the map and remember to keep playing Ghostface, you'll start to develop a sort of muscle memory with his timings ( Power recovery, Crouch speed, etc ). Keep replaying him as this muscle memory can deteriorate over time and halt to a point where you need to practise again.

So the main body of the guide covered the basics of Ghostface, his ideals maps and suggested Perks along with my personal preferences after being a Ghostface main for a few months, well since he came out really. If there are any other questions, feel free to leave them here, I'll respond the best I can.

Also, I need to thank Jokerfopl for the help he has given, helping with all the timings and Add-on effects.

Hope this guide has helped you. Good luck mastering my boy.

[Masadaeus]

I would say the best is Prestige 3 however, since most don't actually have that, I would say the original Ghostface outfit. The classic outfit is a little too black if you know what I mean.

[Presco]

Whats the best outfit to kinda blend in the enviroment? Im currently using classic ghostface

[Masadaeus]

Personally I'd replace Thrilling Tremors since they're both tracking perks, but I know that Save the Best for Last doesn't always get value especially if you don't play to it's advantages. If you just willy-nilly attack everyone you see, replace Save the Best for Last.

[Ramaro]

what would you recommend to replace in the aggressive build to put bbq in