Phasmophobia – Notes to Take From the New Tutorial

With the new update, the tutorial also got updated, as well as some new things that it notes for evidence.

These can be things that were already part of the game before, or new introductions for evidence, but either way, these are important to note for players who are relatively experienced or haven’t played the game in awhile.

Evidence Basics

Note: Credit goes to Greenmovie13

A lot of evidence got changed in some way with this update, whether through different tiered items or just through how they are revealed to you. These were also revealed through the News of the game, at least to some extent. These will be walked through first, one by one, before other game mechanics that were reworked will be reviewed.

EMF Readers

The new default EMF reader is a rusty, primitive counter that clicks more frequently the higher the reading is. It’s rather inaccurate in its readings, but it displays the relative importance of the readings. For instance, anything the ghost will throw causes the EMF reader to point back and forth around the three value, jumping up to four and back down to three, and down to two, and so forth(Do keep in mind that the movement of the pointer in the reader is pretty much randomized around the value of the interactions it reads). When you get an EMF 5, though, there is a noticeable difference. The EMF reader will significantly increase with the click frequency, and it will jump around the five value. If the pointer ever reaches five from an interaction, you can mark it as EMF 5; ghost events are excluded since they are EMF 4. Ghost events themselves still shouldn’t give EMF 5, but interactions from ghost events like a door closing can still result in EMF 5.

The video below will demonstrate the visual and audio differences of each EMF reading the new default reader can give.

Ultraviolet

This evidence will likely cause confusion among players for awhile, since ultraviolet footsteps are now considered part of the evidence; instead of fingerprints exclusively, any ultraviolet trace the ghost leaves is now considered evidence. Additionally, the ultraviolet light held near one of these traces the ghost leaves will leave them charged if it remains in range long enough, allowing you to take a photo of them. Wraiths will still not step in salt still, which means using the different tiers for their effects likely won’t work against wraiths unless they can step in salt while hunting.

Note: GIFs will be added to this section as well!

Freezing Temperatures

Temperatures got a major rework that may also cause some confusion. In presence of the ghost, cold breath will appear; however, this does not always mean the temperatures are freezing now. The new default thermometer is not as quick and accurate as the one we became used to, as it is a vertical thermometer that is not electronic. While this means it should be able to not be tracked by the ghost if you are holding it, it also means that its readings take more time. A change from 20 C(68 F) to 0 C(32 F) can take upwards of a full minute for the thermometer to adjust, so leaving it in the room where the ghost is located and giving it time to adapt is a good idea for this new default thermometer.

Note: Unless requested, a gif will not be added to this section since the reading change takes so long on the T1 thermometer, and thus with the size limit of images and gifs, implementing one would not be practical.

D.O.T.S. Projector

The newest evidence that has been in the game for a good while now, the Detector of the Supernatural(or D.O.T.S. as we know it) is a laser grid inspired by the Xbox Kinect scene in the Paranormal Activity movie series. The new default projector is basically a laser pen, which is not very useful in seeing the ghost through. Its range is quite limited, so leaving it in one area is a good idea; however, unlike how you could with the ultraviolet light, you cannot stand it straight up(Unless you throw it precisely against a wall, but it will cover the same amount of area as if it were laying on the ground). Normally, the most efficient way to test for D.O.T.S.(Unless it is a goryo) in theory would be to place salt down, and then wait for the ghost to step in it. Then, approach the footsteps with the pen to test the evidence. Salt isn’t something everyone has, though, so leaving it on the ground and watching from a place where your sanity will not drain is a good idea as well. Notably, a counter or table for the pen to rest on will provide the maximum amount of coverage that you can get out of this tiny device.

Note: GIFs will be added soon, displaying the use of this strategy.

Ghost Orbs

For veteran players who have been around since the beginning, the new default camera and its night vision will be a nice nostalgic trip to the original night vision. The only difference with this video camera is that the quality is much, much lower, and it’s prone to interference and light disturbance. The panel displaying the feed on the video camera is also small, so it’s hard to see these ghost orbs with it. No changes were made to the ghost orb evidence itself, but the visibility of this evidence has some more dependence on the equipment now rather than just the weather or the environment.

Note: GIFs may be added here, but some examples in the comments on what scenarios the GIFs should display would prove very helpful 🙂

Ghost Writing

There was a slight visual rework with ghost writing that came with this update, which is the range indicator of the book, but most of all, clarification for the ghost writing as evidence is now much clearer for newer players. Notably, the tutorial mentions that the ghost will either interact with the book by throwing it or by writing in it. Unless there was a change someone discovers where it can throw the book and write in it later, this should conclude that you will not get ghost writing as evidence if the ghost throws it without writing in it first. Do note that on Nightmare difficulty or above, it may throw the book but still have ghost writing as evidence, because it is hiding that evidence. This is an exception where you can’t cross out ghost writing. Do also note that placing the book on the floor or on the table is now implied to not have a different chance of effectiveness, so as long as it’s placed in range of the ghost, the elevation should not matter.

Note: a GIF of the range indicator of the ghost writing book will be added soon!

Spirit Box

Spirit box did not get any major reworks, but the new default spirit box is an antique device. The device works similarly to the spirit box before this update, where there are indicators for both whether your words were processed by the device and for whether the ghost gives a response. The voice of the new spirit box varies with mostly monotone, mundane voices, but to make it easier to tell whether you get a response, pay attention to the light immediately to the right of the ghost icon. If it flashes red, then your question/statement was heard, but not answered. If it flashes white, it means the ghost gave a response on the spirit box. Do make sure the lights are turned off in the room before you use it, otherwise they can prevent you from getting a response.

Note: A GIF will be added soon displaying the indicators on the spirit box.

Other Features: Hunts and Setup Timers

That’s it for evidence, but there’s still plenty to talk about and note in this update especially from the tutorial. The instructions and tips for hiding from the ghost are much more clear for new players now, so this tutorial is definitely a higher recommendation than before for newer players. It tells you to turn off your equipment and hide, and crouch behind something if possible when the ghost is hunting, but also mentions something unique about the setup timers; your sanity will not drop below 50% while the setup timer is active. If your sanity drops below this value because of a cursed object, or using a cursed object, this may cancel the timer entirely, and allow your sanity to drop.

Other Features: Sanity

The new default sanity medication is an elixir in an antique bottle. Unlike what we’re used to with the sanity pills, sanity is not restored instantly, but instead restored over time upon use. This can take 20-30 seconds to finish its effect, so waiting in the van is a good idea while you wait. There is also a timer widget in the shift+tab menu for this game, which you can use if you’re not good at counting accurately. By default, the elixir restores around 40% sanity over the span of 20 seconds, from observations.