Phasmophobia Ghost Danger Tier List - NOW UPDATED TO 0.4.1!

A quick glance guide at how dangerous the ghosts you're dealing with are and why, and my personal recommendations for dealing with them, especially the more dangerous ones. Now updated to 0.4.1!

Overview

A bit of a disclaimer before we begin; this guide has been updated to represent Nightmare difficulty, which is by far the hardest challenge in the game in a long time. Even if the ghost is the lowest on the tier list, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE their abilities on Nightmare mode. Additionally, the Tier List is now entirely dependent on Nightmare mode and has been changed thusly; the ability to hide evidence has changed the game considerably, and we will account for that in each ghost's section.

This guide in its entirety is meant to serve one purpose: To tell you which ghosts you can scream their name and make mad, and which ghosts you should leave to rest as soon as you can. Certain ghosts pose much more of a threat than others in this game, especially on Nightmare difficulty. Each ghost will be getting a rating of 1-10 based on their Danger Level, and is sorted in that order. These statements assume you are on Nightmare difficulty, however certain comments will account for specific maps and difficulties. (In the event of a tie, I sorted the ghosts based on my experience/frequency with them, and therefore consider one to be ever so slightly more dangerous.)

All of the information in this guide has now been updated to the 0.4.1 version! I decided to add another new category for the new ghosts from the Nightmare update, the Nightmare Fuel section of the guide. They are still sorted in order in the TL;DR section, however the newcomers may be adjusted in the future due to my limited experience with them compared to the others.

If any of my information in my guide is inaccurate, please let me know and I'll fix it! I do ask that you have sources to back up your information, not including the Phasmophobia wiki as that is outdated.

DISCLAIMER: All ghosts are dangerous in some way, and can sometimes be more aggressive for no real reason. I have had Spirits on Amateur that hunt shockingly early, and Revenants that never hunt the entire time even with someone at zero sanity. Just because these behaviors are what they normally do does not mean there won't be exceptions. Welcome to the world of ghosts, they're unpredictable and terrifying.

The True Hunters

The most dangerous category of ghosts, true hunter ghosts attack very often and are generally the most likely to kill you when encountered. They do all have weaknesses, but some are much more pronounced than others. Be prepared when finding out it is one of these, as by the time you have your sanity is likely to be within kill percentage (if they even respect that).

The Revenant - 10/10
If you've got a Revenant, there's good news and bad news. The good news is that if you can run faster than your friends, it will likely kill them first. As of the Nightmare update, there is no longer good news. A Revenant will wipe your entire team. RUN. People tend to die when a Revenant hunts, especially if you're in an open area. Revenants are incredibly fast when hunting and, depending on other factors such as map and room, it may be near impossible to hide from it in time. If you see the Revenant during a hunt past the first few seconds, don't bother running; it won't save you, especially on Nightmare. If you are forced to run, split the team up; at least if one person dies, the others might be able to hide in time.

The one way to deal with Revenants, as of the Nightmare update, is to quickly find their evidence, as they cannot hunt if you do not drop below the sanity threshold. As of 0.3.0, the Revenant is easier than before to identify due to Freezing Temperatures. Additionally, instead of the Spirit, you will now often end up in a tossup between the Revenant, the Yurei, and the Hantu. While the Hantu is relatively easy to counter by keeping the power box on, the Yurei has a tendency to drop sanity hard, unlike Revenants.

The ONLY other way to counter a hunting Revenant is to hide and pray it doesn't enter where you are. Hiding slows the Revenant, but only if you are actually obscured. If it sees you, it will increase its speed dramatically, and at that point, hiding won't save you because it's already bee-lining for your location. Revenants are the fastest hunters in the game when they see you, so the only option to deal with a Revenant is to make sure it never sees you. The Revenant, in my opinion, earns the title of most dangerous ghost in the game, because once it sees you, you're already dead.

The Demon - 9/10
Demons are highly aggressive and hunt at relatively high sanity levels. At lower sanity levels, Demons will hunt incredibly often and like to manifest themselves for fake-outs constantly as well, keeping you on your toes. Demons are one of the most active ghosts in all departments, but the fact remains that the Demon is here to kill you, not to mess with you. The Demon believes in the "quantity over quality" approach when it comes to hunts, which can result in an entire team wipe if a Demon hunts before you are prepared.

We can't talk about a Demon without talking about its listed weakness: the Ouija Board. A Demon, as of the Nightmare update, drains 20% less sanity on a successful question. That said, if you already know it is a Demon, it is my professional opinion that one should never use an Ouija Board if you already know it is a Demon. At that point, you already have the answers you need, and a Demon can still drain your sanity significantly depending on the questions asked; if it does so, it will likely drop your sanity enough that it can hunt. And trust me, if a Demon can hunt, it will. The only question worth asking with a Demon is your sanity, as the drop is usually worth knowing how much danger you are in.

So then, a Demon's true weakness is skill and preparation. Sanity Pills are often a must for dealing with a Demon, as the Demon has no passive way to drain your sanity (at least, in-game). Combining pills with keeping the lights on wherever you go (while still managing power properly) will hopefully keep your sanity above the Demon's threshold. If the Demon begins to hunt and you have Sanity Pills still available, it is a must to leave the building and take them before returning. With a Demon, the risk is not worth the reward.

The Wraith - 8/10
As of the various updates that have come forth, Wraiths are easier to identify, but don't be fooled; a Wraith is a serious problem for the player. They never leave footprints (though they can still make footstep sounds), and they can teleport onto players randomly and emit an EMF signal which can mislead the players. In houses with lots of small rooms, finding a hiding place can be tricky, since they may teleport into your room before hunting. They also have toxic reactions to Salt, which will permanently increase their activity.

Because they can teleport to players, they will often mislead you into thinking the room is somewhere else by leaving signs in the wrong area. Updates since 0.3.0 have made DOTS Projector more consistent, and additionally, Wraiths teleporting onto players increases their chance of receiving EMF Level 5. You can even get Spirit Box in the wrong room if the Ghost isn't near you, and can theoretically get all of their evidence outside of their room if you are lucky enough.

Adding everything together: a Wraith can start a hunt from anywhere, after teleporting to players; they unintentionally make their room harder to find, thus making it difficult to gather all three pieces of evidence but always easy to find one; and Salt might save you, but it will make your lives more difficult overall. Wraiths always make me struggle with the whole process, and they're incredibly dangerous because of it.

The Banshee - 7/10
Banshees are one of the most interesting and hard-to-beat ghost types in the game, while still having clear and concise weaknesses that work to great effect. A Banshee can theoretically hunt twenty seconds after the front door is unlocked, even if everyone is in the light at all times. Additionally, Banshees can find their target very quickly and will often spawn near their target, even if they are on the other side of the building. On large maps, a Banshee can make finding the Ghost Room much harder than actually gathering the evidence.

The exact way a Banshee works is simple: It has an ability that it can randomly use at any time, except while it is hunting. Once it uses that ability, it will navigate to its chosen player. Nothing stops this; it ignores line of sight and essentially just goes straight to them. Around 20 seconds after using this ability, it will begin a hunt. This ability is canceled if their chosen player is not in the building. It is unknown if this player is chosen randomly, or if it is based on Sanity, ghost anger, or other factors. My own experiences tell me it is random, as it seems to target me despite me not angering it, but I have no evidence to back up this claim.

In a four player lobby, a Banshee means you have a three-in-four chance of the Banshee completely ignoring you, which is the only reason it is a 7 and not a 10. While a Banshee may initially ignore you, Nightmare mode has increased the difficulty of the Banshee since the hunt will not end after it catches its target. For the player the Banshee has chosen: All you can do is pray it doesn't find you; in the case of a large map like the High School, make sure to take corners and break line of sight so it cannot outspeed you. If the players figure out who the Banshee is hunting, that player needs to stay away from the group, as the Banshee cannot change targets after it has picked someone unless they leave the building or perish. Let them be the bait, and allow the rest of the team to safely get evidence.

The Sanity Drainers

Still gruesome threats, the sanity drainers all drain your sanity in one way or another and thus are more dangerous to deal with on higher difficulties. These ghosts will often be a huge threat no matter the difficulty, and these ones may even be the most dangerous on Amateur as they can get your sanity down into lethal levels (however Revenants and Banshees are still huge problems).

The Jinn - 7/10
On the top half of the danger board, Jinns will mess you up if you aren't prepared to deal with them. In addition to the evidence, you can often identify a Jinn by the constant flickering of lights. A Jinn has the power to flicker every light in a large radius (potentially the whole house; need more testing). When it does so, it can cause massive sanity drains (according to the Phasmophobia wiki, 25% of your sanity is drained). It also has the power to quickly approach players at a much higher velocity, until it is close to them.

A Jinn's weakness is to turn off the power box in the house, which disables both powers. A power box, though, keeps your sanity up by giving you light. Except a Jinn drains your sanity by messing with the light. It's a tricky situation with the Jinn, as there is no real way to completely stop it from killing your sanity. The Jinn presents the player with a dilemma: If you keep the power on, the Jinn will drain your sanity and be faster when it chooses to hunt. If you keep the power off, the lack of light will drain your sanity, but at least it will hunt slowly. As of 0.3.0, the Jinn gets worse, having two shared evidence types with the Hantu, the ghost which prefers the power off and its rooms cold. Find either EMF Level 5 or Ghost Orbs as soon as possible to verify which one you are dealing with.

With a Jinn, I recommend candles so it can't affect their light, and keeping the power off. However, you will want to keep an eye on your sanity, as candle light does not completely stop the darkness from sapping you. Ultimately your Sanity will be up to you to keep watch of. A Jinn will eventually get your sanity to lethal levels, so if it comes down to a guess between two or three possibilities, I recommend guessing Jinn, especially if the evidence you are missing is EMF Level 5. With how random the EMF Reader is, it's dangerous to keep trying to push a Jinn out of the nest.

The Yurei - 6/10
There is a lot of misinformation spread about the Yurei, and I regret to admit that I am one of the proprietors of said misinformation. So, I am rewriting the entire Yurei section to make sure to set the record straight. The Yurei drains sanity in two situations; Ghost Events, and hunts. If a Yurei appears and your sanity drops more significantly, you're looking at a Yurei, or a Phantom; if a Yurei hunts, and your sanity drops more significantly, you're likely looking at a Yurei. Unfortunately, Nightmare makes both of these scenarios hard to identify.

Luckily, as of more recent updates, a Yurei's evidence types are pretty easy to identify (Freezing, Orbs and DOTS). If you are not getting at least two of these, it is usually safe to assume it isn't a Yurei in that situation. Considering Freezing is one of the easiest to identify, and DOTS/Orbs can both be handled remotely, dealing with a Yurei is much simpler than expected as of newer updates.

That said, no sanity drainer is without its dangers, and a Yurei having multiple sources to drain your sanity is bad, even if one of them is already during hunts. One could argue that on Nightmare, having hunts drain your sanity further is even worse, as the odds of Pills getting you out of the danger zone are slim to none. Thus, as always, avoid looking at ghosts during events or hunts, especially the Yurei, or you will find yourself unable to continue gathering evidence.

The Phantom - 6/10
A Phantom is a strange ghost. Phantoms drain sanity by appearing; this is both a good thing and a bad thing, as they like to appear. Can you say photo opportunity? As of 0.3.0, the Phantom has completely different evidence, now requiring Spirit Box, Fingerprints, and DOTS Projector. Fingerprints and DOTS are both now much more consistent than previous updates, making Spirit Box the hardest evidence to get here.

The Phantom's most interesting quirk is that taking a picture of it will make it disappear. This doesn't work if it's already hunting, but it makes Phantoms simple; you want photos of the ghost, so take photos when it appears and it will go away. If you don't want it to appear, staying away from it will fix that, so you can use smart setup and video footage to try to get all of the evidence remotely. Phantoms aren't hard to deal with, they just require smart play and not letting it eat your sanity when it appears.

Most sanity drainers in this game are relatively dangerous, and while the Phantom isn't too difficult to deal with, it now has the potential of being mistaken for many other ghosts due to its evidence being relatively hard to find. Once you know it's a Phantom, it is a lot less problematic, but combine a ghost that drains your sanity with one whose evidence is tough to get, and you're still dealing with a rather problematic ghost. Identify it for certain by taking a picture of it, as the Phantom is one of the ghosts with a surefire ID method on Nightmare.

The Poltergeist - 6/10
Poltergeists are spooky. But if you can peel off the exterior ghost that likes to throw things and mess with doors, then a Poltergeist can actually be one of the easiest ghosts to deal with... If you can find it quickly. If you can hear it, but can't see it, you need to find it quickly. A Poltergeist can throw multiple objects at once, and when it does so, will impact your sanity by 2% for each thrown item. This is especially dangerous in rooms with a large amount of interactable objects. While usually not hard to find, a Poltergeist that is left untended can drain your sanity very quickly as it throws things around.

Finding a Poltergeist is simple. Ringing phones, opening and closing doors, walking into a room that has stuff already thrown around; these are all signs of a Poltergeist. Additionally, if someone notices your sanity dropping while you are hearing things, a Poltergeist is a likely suspect. If a Poltergeist inhabits a room that is nearly empty, it will often be very hard to find. The lack of Freezing Temperatures will make this even more difficult, and personally, I think the easiest way to find a Poltergeist is with the UV Flashlight.

The good news is, once the Poltergeist is found, you have trivialized the matter. A found Poltergeist has zero power with no objects to throw (take them out of the room!) and cannot drain your sanity any further. At this point, it becomes a very standard ghost hunt with a Poltergeist, and the only reason the Poltergeist gets such a high ranking is because getting to the Poltergeist in the first place can be rough if you're not quick.

All Spooks, No Danger

This final category goes to ghosts that, as far as I know, have no special abilities to harm the player, and instead rely on scares or other strategies to harm the players. They do not affect the player's sanity other than through normal ghost activities, at least not their in-game sanity; but their activity or lack there-of can be occasionally jaunting and, in the wrong situation or with lack of care, can still be dangerous just like any other ghost.

The Oni - 4/10
There is one single reason the Oni is at the top of this section, and that is because the Oni is the only ghost to make me scream. And it has done it twice. Despite this, I have never been killed by an Oni, as Oni have no sanity affecting abilities and, despite their activity, do not hunt more often than other ghosts. Additionally, Oni are very likely to give evidence very quickly, and I usually know within the first five minutes if it is an Oni.

Oni ARE more active in groups, and in my experience, like to target players to scare. An Oni will repeatedly appear and come after players in an attempt to scare them out. Oni get an honorable mention about potential sanity drain here, as their constant scaring of players can cause their sanity to drop after witnessing repeated events.

That said, Oni are not overall more dangerous than any one specific ghost, and Revenants, Demons and Wraiths are all highly active, but have additional dangers they face the player with, such as high hunting frequency or additional hunting abilities. While an Oni can theoretically be dangerous, it ranks low on this list because it simply doesn't present MORE danger than other ghosts. It is no more likely to actually kill you than any other ghost, and other than the honorable mention for potential sanity drain, is not especially dangerous.

The Shade - 3/10
The Shade is the opposite of the Oni in every way; it is low activity, even lower activity in groups, and overall a quiet ghost that shouldn't pose too much of a threat. However, to get your evidence and your objectives done, you will likely need to be alone. This is where both the strength and the weakness of the Shade lies.

Shades being shy means that they will likely not show much activity if players are together, and the only way to get around this without splitting up is to get it to hunt. That said, a Shade is not faster than the players, and on larger maps, testing it by sticking together until it hunts can work in your favor to identify it. For other objectives, you absolutely need to be alone.

Shades are only dangerous because their shyness will cause you to take longer to complete your objectives, giving it time to drop your sanity slowly; good sanity management and good player baiting will force the Shade out and make the encounter rather trivial.

The Mare - 3/10
On smaller maps, the Mare is one of the easiest ghosts to deal with once identified, as staying in the light will literally keep you alive. The Mare is the only ghost with a negative hunting penalty, which is applied to it when it is in the light; while the Mare is in the light, it can only hunt at incredibly low sanity, in which case you should no longer be in the house anyways. Additionally, they have defining characteristics such as rarely turning lights back on, making them easy to pick out if you're unable to see those Ghost Orbs (I get it, I do).

Be careful not to mistake a Mare for a Demon; Demons will usually give all three pieces of evidence (or two, in Nightmare) very quickly, whereas a Mare is a little more shy. That said, an active Mare will not hesitate to appear often, and it will turn the lights off every time it does so. Mares can troll the player by being hyperactive, but as long as they are diligent about the lights, they will never be in danger. If you're unsure, leave the lights off for a bit; if they don't come back on, the Mare is likely there. My recent Mares have simply liked to play with the lights a lot regardless of off or on; do not trust this previous advice.

While a Mare is initially more dangerous on a map such as Asylum, Mares do not drain sanity quicker than other ghosts, meaning good light management and remembering where your fuse boxes are will once again help against the Mare. (In multiplayer, having a player camp the fuse box is generally a good idea.) Candles do work against the Mare as well, so it is a good idea to bring them to hotspots. Finally, on larger maps, a Mare can simply be outrun if it finds you, so long as you are not cornered. Play safe and stay in the light, and a Mare is simply not a threat; above all else, keep its room and adjacent rooms well lit, or it will show itself.

The Spirit - 2/10
There's not much you can say about the Spirit. The journal wraps up Spirits very nicely; they are bog standard ghosts that will often define their own personality. As the blank slate ghost, it is up to you to find the evidence, as the evidence will be the only defining trait you have to put a name to this ghost.

That said, Spirit Box and Ghost Writing are usually pretty easy to get if it truly is a Spirit; as of 0.3.0, EMF Level 5 will almost always be the hardest one to find. Sometimes Spirits are shy on the Spirit Box, or you may not have the right location; be very careful, however, as if your Spirit is being shy on the box and has the other two pieces, it may instead be a Myling. The Spirit is slightly less dangerous than it used to be due to the fact that it can no longer be the scapegoat for a Revenant.

Spirits get a point for being so widely varied, but at the end of the day I never feel worried when the ghost is a Spirit. They don't pose any additional threats, so when I have to deal with a Spirit, I feel much more relaxed than I would against most other ghosts in this game.

Challenger Approaching!

These ghosts are the newer types from the June update and 0.3.0 that, in all honesty, don't really fit cleanly into any of the other categories. All of them are interesting in their own ways, but how dangerous they are varies pretty greatly. They are all fantastic and creepy additions to the game, and I enjoy encountering each and every one of them. I have attempted to put each of them into one of the previous categories, however they all have their own properties that differentiate them.

The Yokai - 8/10
If I had to put the Yokai in a category, it would probably belong to the True Hunters category. They feed off of something that every player in this game tends to do: communication. While the exact sanity percentage a Yokai can hunt at is unclear, it is like a Demon in that it will kill you if you decide to piss it off. Ironically, they remind me of Shades, as you often have to be alone with a Shade in order to get evidence out of it; a Yokai is like a Shade, if it just killed you for being in a group instead of shying away from you.

Yokai additionally have both Fingerprints and DOTS Projector as evidence types, which means you will likely have to interact with them longer to get evidence. I have found that, in the case of a suspected Yokai, the best way to get evidence is to make activity outside of its room while someone watches the cameras. This seems to be the best method in general for the DOTS Projector in order to get a clear view of it.

While a Yokai's weakness involves only being able to hear voices close to it, the general advice of not talking during a hunt at all still stands. That said, if you know you are decently far away, this can be used to your advantage by allowing you to communicate with your friends when running from a hunt. As the Yokai has no additional features for draining sanity, ones best bet to deal with it is to stay quiet while gathering evidence; let the Yokai sleep, and it will give you what you need.

The Myling - 6/10
Another freaky hunter type, the Myling is a very odd case. It tends to be loud, and is much easier to find with the Sound Sensor and the Parabolic Microphone. It has no additional ways to reduce sanity, and does not hunt more frequently than other ghosts; and while not super reliable, Fingerprints and Ghost Writing are relatively consistent with enough activity, leaving only EMF Level 5 to be left to chance. Even then, with enough activity, that's not too hard to get.

So then, the Myling must fall into the category of All Spooks, No Danger. But this designation would be an awful mistake, actually belonging to the True Hunters category, as the Myling's strongest point is when it hunts. With a Myling, pinpointing it while hunting can be very difficult; you have to rely on instinct and run from the ghost's room, as you can only hear a Myling's footsteps when they are very close to you. The only noise you will hear from a Myling is the guttural sounds they make when they spot you, and like most, that is a bad situation to be in.

The best way to counter a Myling is to just get activity as quickly as possible, and make sure that your sanity stays above the standard 50% threshold. Stay in the light, and as with other non-sanity ghosts, keep an eye on that percentage in order to survive. When it hunts, your goal is to round as many corners as possible and hide as far away as possible. If it follows you, be warned that you may not even hear it coming.

The Goryo - 4/10
The Goryo is the most subject-to-change ghost on this list, as admittedly I have not had many experiences with this type. What I do know is that, similar to the Yokai, being away from its room and viewing it remotely is your best option with a Goryo, as it will not show itself through the DOTS Projector to the naked eye; it must be viewed with a camera.

Another ghost that technically falls into the All Spooks, No Danger category, having no methods to drain sanity or hunt more often, the Goryo is likely the most dangerous on that list simply by proxy of having both EMF Level 5 and a unique DOTS Projector objective. However, this unique DOTS Projector objective is also its weakness, as it is usually a guaranteed ID for a Goryo.

The one saving grace of a Goryo is that, minus when it hunts, it will almost never leave its room; unlike other roamy types such as Banshees and Wraiths, getting evidence for a Goryo should be relatively painless, IF you can find a good spot for that DOTS Projector. If you can't, you're going to have a much more difficult time pinning this on a Goryo. Try to get EMF as soon as possible, as this will help considerably in the final stages of pinning the ghost type. If you have EMF Level 5 and Fingerprints, and Freezing Temperatures is out of the question, consider having it hunt to verify if it is instead a Myling, which will be very quiet when hunting and require Ghost Writing to verify.

The Hantu - 4/10
The Hantu reminds me of the Mare in the fact that it is relatively easy to micromanage. The Hantu is arguably even easier to manage than the Mare due to the fact that you only have to keep power on to manage it effectively, which is something you should already be doing (unless it is a Jinn). It will be very fast inside of its room due to the Freezing Temperatures, but otherwise is relatively lackluster.

The original new member of the All Spooks, No Danger club, Freezing Temperatures and Ghost Orbs are easy to identify once you have the room pinpointed. Fingerprints are a bit more finicky, but definitely far from difficult. The reason the Hantu edges out the Mare and Shade is because the Hantu does get a hunting bonus that can, in rare cases, be incredibly dangerous. Like a reverse Jinn, a Hantu moves very quickly in cold temperatures, so keeping the power on is integral to fighting a Hantu. As of 0.3.0, the Hantu also shares two evidence types with said Jinn, meaning you need to prioritize Ghost Orbs or EMF Level 5 in order to differentiate. The last thing you want to do is turn the power off because you think it is a Jinn, only for it to be a Hantu instead.

If you suspect a Hantu and the power is cut, that should be your number one priority, at all costs. Allowing a Hantu to go unchecked will result in it eventually finding you due to sheer searching speed. However, keeping the power on should be a relatively painless process and therefore managing a Hantu should be the same. If you find that your Hantu really likes the power box, consider posting someone at the power box to keep it on and keep the temperature up. Doing that should nullify any real danger from the Hantu.

Nightmare Fuel

This section is dedicated to all of the new ghosts from the 0.4.0 update, the Obake, Onryo, Raiju, and The Twins. Each of these ghosts is honestly incredibly interesting and range widely in difficulty. They also add even more possibilities on Nightmare mode, making guessing based off of only two evidences very difficult. Let's get into the new Nightmare Fuel ghosts.

The Raiju - 9/10
If it weren't for some of Nightmare difficulty's changes, the Raiju could have overtaken the Revenant as the most dangerous ghost type. However, Raiju counterplay is at least more manageable and will never require a player to die in order to execute. The Raiju, therefore, overtakes the Demon as the second most dangerous ghost in the game.

Let's go over the evidence: A Raiju can hunt at a threshold of 65% as opposed to 50% as long as electronic equipment is nearby it, which is going to be most of the game if you actually want to discover the ghost type; while near electronic equipment, Raijus are much more active and thereby drain sanity faster via ghost events; and when they do decide to hunt you down, all that tasty electronic equipment will be drained of their sweet, succulent batteries in order to gain a speed boost that, if done multiple times, can surpass that of the Revenant and Jinn.

So, how do you counter a Raiju? Don't... have electronic equipment near it. Wait, wait, you're telling me that the way to counter a Raiju is to not play the game? How am I supposed to get evidence from it? Why does it hunt at a sanity threshold of 65%? Who decided that the electronics ghost needed to be more dangerous than the Demon? WHO MADE THIS GHOST? I'm staying in the truck. No, but seriously, your best bet to counter a Raiju is to remove electronic equipment from the area after you're done using it. It's a tough counter, but it's your best bet for survival against it. At least turn your equipment off, please...

The Onryo - 8/10
Onryos are rather dangerous in their own right, providing a counter to an otherwise safe early game strategy of going in with candles to prevent sanity loss. Cuz you see, if that sweet little Onryo shows up and decides to blow out your candle, it could ALSO just immediately decide to murder you for bringing fire within a five mile radius of it. Onryos don't like fire, and will destroy you if you decide to take fire near them. The only catch is that it has to get rid of the fire first.

The Onryo is another ghost that ties both its strength and weakness in one type of object. While there is no fire near an Onryo, its hunt threshold is set to 60%. If you bring fire to it, its hunt threshold decreases to 50%; except that you are then in a more immediate danger, as if the Onryo blows out the candle (or other source of fire), it has a chance to immediately begin a hunt. This makes the ghost simply an above average hunter with hunting bonuses that aren't really avoidable.

As with most dangerous ghosts, your best counter against an Onryo is good sanity management and good hunt management, since the Onryo is not any faster during hunts than normal ghosts. Freezing Temps and Ghost Orbs should be pretty easy to identify, so if it appears to have neither of those, you can safely eliminate an Onryo, even on Nightmare (as a ghost can only hide one type of evidence). Otherwise, watch your candles to identify an Onryo definitively.

The Twins - 7/10
Wait, what? There's two ghosts now? How is that fair and balanced? ...Oh, I'm getting a call from the balance team saying that it's actually not that bad, and that the ghosts both do unique things and can't hunt at the same time. Neat.

The Twins are potentially my new favorite ghost(s), as they have clear indicators that they are around while still being equal parts dangerous and interesting. The way The Twins works is relatively simple; there is a primary twin that gives off all of the evidence types and acts as a normal ghost, and a secondary twin that can only interact with objects (thus only being able to give off EMF Level 5). Additionally, a hunt can begin at either Twin, meaning that identifying where the hunt will start can be very difficult.

Freezing Temperatures is a relatively easy evidence type to find, however the other two (Spirit Box and EMF Level 5) can be difficult. Your best bet to try and identify a set of The Twins is to keep an eye out for multiple interactions from different locations simultaneously. If you hear objects being thrown in another room during a Ghost Event, for example, that is a surefire sign of The Twins.

The Obake - 1/10
A shapeshifter ghost?! Alright, I quit. Does this ghost turn into a monster or something during hunts? Let's take a look at what it can do... Hmm, it only has a 50% chance of leaving Fingerprints, okay... It's kinda shy, and leaves less evidence behind than other ghosts... And sometimes it leaves a six-fingered fingerprint? Interesting. Wait, that's it?

Yup, The Obake is not extra dangerous in any way, being similar to the Shade in the fact that it generally doesn't like to leave evidence. Additionally, it is the only ghost that lacks a 100% chance to leave behind Fingerprints (as of 0.4.1), and has a special interaction with Fingerprints that can cause it to have six fingers. Note that this does not always mean it will leave behind six fingers, simply that there is a chance. I've found it's a pretty high chance, though.

With all these unique traits related to Fingerprints, however, and the inability to hide Fingerprints due to a recent patch, I find that the Obake is by and far the easiest ghost to identify on this patch. If you've got an Obake, chances are you'll identify it pretty early and you can save the rest of your time doing more important things, like getting photos and optional objectives. The Obake just isn't a threat, and is even easier to identify than the Spirit.

TL;DR

Guide too long? Still got six ghosts that you're deciding between? No problem! Here's the short and sweet version, with only one sentence for each ghost:

The Revenant - 10/10
Fast and furious, your only option is to hide when it hunts.
The Raiju - 9/10
I still don't understand who thought an anti-equipment ghost is a good idea.
The Demon - 9/10
Most aggressive ghost in the game, hunts more than any other.
The Wraith - 8/10
It can walk through walls, disappear, and fly.
The Yokai - 8/10
Aggressive librarians who just want you to shut up.
The Onryo - 8/10
Liar, liar, it really hates fire. And you.
The Twins - 7/10
Tweedle-dee and tweedle-dumb are actually pretty dangerous if you aren't ready for them.
The Banshee - 7/10
Will always target one specific player, so pray you aren't that player.
The Jinn - 7/10
Counter it by turning the power off and using candles.
The Yurei - 6/10
Keep your distance, and you'll keep your mind.
The Phantom - 6/10
Take a picture of it and your problems will go away.
The Myling - 6/10
It can hear you, but you can't hear it... when hunting, at least.
The Poltergeist - 6/10
Noisy and therefore easy to find, but the stuff it throws hurts your sanity.
The Goryo - 4/10
Relatively easy to identify, with the proper setup.
The Hantu - 4/10
Keep the temperature high, keep the power on.
The Oni - 4/10
Hyperactive and super scary, but not actually that dangerous.
The Shade - 3/10
Inactive and kinda spooky, prepare for a long game.
The Mare - 3/10
Just act like you're afraid of the dark. Keep lights on constantly.
The Spirit - 2/10
The blank slate of ghosts, they're usually pretty easy.
The Obake - 1/10
The easiest ghost to identify on Nightmare, it has extra fingers.

Thanks for reading my guide! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any differences you'd like to point out or stories that you'd like to share. Additionally, any evidence contradicting my points (preferably video proof from newer versions of the game) would be appreciated so I can update and adjust my guide as needed. Thanks for checking it out!

[PatchieMarxTTV]

Damn that's really unfortunate, hope everything will get better!

[NikkiDarkMatter]

@Patchie I haven't had time recently to update this list as unfortunately I had an incident that caused me to lose my house, so I'm in the middle of moving and trying to get a new job. But I definitely do plan to update it at some point, just not entirely sure when. I apologize!

[PatchieMarxTTV]

Heyyyy, it's been a while, any chance on an update?

[NikkiDarkMatter]

@Chocolate At this point, probably next month after the Custom Difficulty update drops as I'll be playing it a lot in my spare time and on Twitch ( https://www.twitch.tv/nyctodarkmatter ) to really get into the nitty gritty of everything.

[Chocolate]

@TTV.NyctoDarkMatter Update when?

[NikkiDarkMatter]

@Chocolate Agreed! The Deogen will be a very interesting one to place when I update my guide. I'm hoping I can experiment some more with them when the custom difficulty update drops and update the entire guide then.

[Chocolate]

Deogen is a mix of All Spooks and Nightmare Fuel

[Player1]

@NyctoDarkMatter Jinns are very deserving of a increase in danger, with all the buffs that it has received directly or indirectly. Speed is incredibly important for ghosts, I'm not denying that. I'm just voicing my thoughts that early hunting is just as dangerous and with the buffs (and introductions) of super dangerous ghosts like Demons, Raijus and Jinns to a degree, Revenants are not at the top for me anymore. Speaking of speed, hantus could go down a bit just because you can outrun them now as long as you aren't in their ghost room. You can endlessly loop them on any map with a loop with little difficulty. Looking forward to your updates on your guide, no matter where you decide to place ghosts!

[Player1]

@NyctoDarkMatter
Your points are extremely valid, I forgot all about the consequences of Revenants on large maps. I'm not arguing that Revenants are not a threat, because they are if you get caught off guard. However, their evidence is super easy to get and they don't hunt early so most of the time (outside of large maps) you get all the evidence before they can hunt. Shade I'd still argue is a 1/10 just because while it doesn't give evidence very often, it also hunts at even lower sanity than other ghosts. And even despite that it doesn't hunt at all if a person is in its room (I've waited 12 minutes in its ghost room before at 0% sanity before a hunt occurred.)

[NikkiDarkMatter]

@Player1
I will still disagree that a Revenant is not threatening. I have found that speed, especially on larger maps, is incredibly powerful, to the point that I am tempted to bump The Twins and the Jinn up a point.

Thank you for your input! I will be updating this soon now that more concrete details are available. Look forward to an update potentially Thursday.