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Whether you're a seasoned Phasmophobia veteran or a wide-eyed newbie, paranormal investigations are hard work. The task is straightforward on paper: going solo or as part of an online multiplayer team, you have to identify the ghost type, snap pictures to earn in-game cash, and avoid getting throttled by one of 23 vengeful, violent spirits in the process.

Related: Ways To Get More Money In Phasmophobia

Even with a formidable arsenal of tools at your disposal, it can be tough to narrow down the list of culprits. The Oni ghost type is not dissimilar to the loud and messy Poltergeist, for example, and who knows when a pesky Mimic will rear its head and throw you off mid-hunt? These and other sneaky tips in this guide will help you guess the ghost type more efficiently.

Updated October 1st, 2022 by Jasmine Gould Wilson: With the Apocalypse update came a host of changes to ghost behaviours and temperaments. From the Oni's reworked abilities to its original tell being given to the Poltergeist, it's getting trickier and trickier to accurately guess the ghost type on those no-evidence hunts. Playing in Sunny Meadows Asylum means that each wing gets blocked off during the hunt, so how are you meant to tell if the ghost is angrily slamming doors or not? By paying attention to each entity's unique quirks and attributes, you'll be able to use your surroundings to your advantage when your tools fail to convince you.

Banshee

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Banshee
  • Marked: The Banshee targets a single member of your party and will gun for that person during a hunt, ignoring nearby teammates. It will hunt depending upon its target's individual sanity rather than the average. Figure out who the target is, keep their sanity above 60 percent, and the Banshee effectively cannot hunt. If the target is left outside on van duty, however, the hunt will operate as normal with the ghost chasing whoever it finds first.
  • It Follows: The Banshee tends to follow its target around the map, interacting with items as you pass them, even if you are far from the ghost room.

Demon

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Demon Ready Or Not: Unlike most ghosts who may start hunting when you drop below 65 percent sanity, Demons can begin hunting at any time from 70 percent sanity or higher, starting the moment you enter the map. They will also ignore any grace period on Amateur or Intermediate difficulty.
Antisocial Distancing: Demons fear the crucifix. The presence of one within eight metres of the ghost (as opposed to the usual effectivity radius of three metres) will prevent it from hunting.

Deogen

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Deogen
  • Eye See You: This ghost's name translates from Dutch as The Eyes, so it only makes sense that Deogen can sense your presence no matter where you hide. Instead of hiding, the trick with Deogen is to loop them around furniture, cars, or large rooms since it's impossible to break their line of sight. Luckily, they move quite slowly, so this shouldn't be an issue if you don't panic and slow down!
  • Wake Me Up When This Ghost Hunt Ends: Deogen can't early hunt, usually only triggering one when the average sanity is below 60 percent. If you're not quite ready to brave the looping ghost, you should have plenty of time to gather evidence and set up crucifixes and candles before they come looking for you.
  • Mouthbreather: Rather than a word or statement, Deogen have a chance to respond to spirit box questions by breathing heavily and taking audible steps towards you. This is a hidden ability that is a surefire way to identify them.

Goryo

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Goryo No Paparazzi Please: The Goryo only shows DOTS via the video camera — and even then, only if nobody is in the near vicinity. If you see DOTS evidence from inside the ghost room rather than over the van's camera feed, it is definitely not a Goryo.

Hantu

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Hantu Blizzard: The Hantu is a big fan of the breaker being off, keeping the map nice and frosty. The temperature in the Hantu's favourite room will be far colder than the usual sub-zero reading for a freezing ghost, usually sounding off between -11 to -20 degrees Celsius.
Let It Go: The Hantu's own icy breath can also be seen in their ghost room and as they move around during a hunt.

Jinn

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Jinn
  • Pass The Remote: Jinns are noisy, roaming ghosts who love to mess with electrical items such as TVs, radios, and mobile phones. If your ghost is extremely vocal and fond of the car alarm, use motion sensors to confirm its erratic wandering; that's Jinn-y behaviour.
  • Achey Breaker Box: The Jinn will never turn the breaker box off since it needs electricity to use its special abilities. However, it might accidentally short-circuit the breaker by turning on too many lights at once. The breaker will also register on your EMF metre after the Jinn has used its ability, which it will do when you come within three metres of it.

Mare

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Mare
  • Kill The Lights: Being more likely to attack in the dark, the Mare will never turn the breaker box or any lights on. It instead will turn off as many as it can and has a chance of using its unique ability to immediately turn off a light you have just switched on — no matter the distance from its room

Mimic

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Mimic
  • Mismatched: The easiest way to catch a Mimic is to discover four pieces of evidence rather than the usual three (or three rather than four if playing Nightmare).
  • Orb-viously: The Mimic will change its type occasionally to throw you off, but it will always provide tell-tale ghost orbs on top of its copied traits.
  • Switcheroo: When the ghost's behvaiour changes dramatically from hunt to hunt, or if important pieces of evidence have vanished and you have confirmed that the ghost's room has not changed, this is tell-tale Mimic behaviour.

Moroi

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Moroi
  • Can't Be Tamed: Moroi ghost types are quick on their feet, easily distinguishable by their rapid footsteps during the hunting phase. Since they move so quickly, these ghosts cannot be looped around furniture. Pick a hiding spot far from their room to avoid a nasty end!
  • A Plague On Both Your Houses: Once you enter the ghost's domain, your sanity will experience a steady drop of 20-30 percent, known as the curse of the Moroi. Counteract this by taking some sanity pills and heading back to the van frequently.
  • Sensitive Snout: This ghost type's weakness is hyperosmia, or being overly sensitive to strong odours. Light a smudge stick whilst they are chasing you to disorient them for a long time, giving you a fair chance at escaping to a distant hiding spot.

Myling

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Myling
  • Silent As The Grave: Listen out for distinctively quiet ghosts during the hunting phase, as the Myling's footsteps and paranormal sounds (if any) will be virtually inaudible, making it much harder to evade if it's chasing you - but much easier to guess its type.

Obake

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Obake
  • Six Finger Death Punch: The Obake's giveaway is a chance to leave a six-fingered handprint when it gives fingerprint evidence.
  • Vanishing Act: Obake prints tend to vanish much quicker than regular evidence types (within 40 seconds of appearance as opposed to the usual 70-80 seconds).

Oni

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Oni
  • Intruder Alert: Oni types are volatile, often causing ghost activity to spike when you enter the map. This can be tracked in the van using the activity screen. Similarly, ghost activity should drop down to next to nothing when your team is outside.
  • Flicker Flicker Fade: During its hunting phase, the Oni will appear for longer than they blink into invisibility.
  • The Dark Descent: Compared to other ghost types, the Oni will drain considerably more sanity during ghost events or hauntings.

Onryo

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Onryo
  • Pyrophobia: A lit candle is to the Onryo what the crucifix is to a regular ghost. Onryos cannot use a crucifix or hunt at all if a lit candle is placed nearby. When the flame is extinguished, this will enrage the Onryo and make it more likely to hunt by knocking your sanity with ghost events.

Phantom

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Phantom
  • Picture Day: The Phantom's strength is vanishing after its photo is taken, so you only have one chance to snap a picture. Check your journal to see if the image shows signs of glitching. If the ghost photo is clear and glitch-free, it is a Phantom.
  • Now You See Me: All ghost models flicker during the hunt, but a hunting Phantom will only take corporeal form for one second after an invisibility period of five seconds.

Poltergeist

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Poltergeist
  • Tantrum: The well-known Poltergeist can throw multiple items in a room at a markedly faster speed compared to other types. It can throw these items simultaneously, especially when they are piled up on the floor. Be careful: every time it throws an item, it docks your sanity by a percentage.

Raijiu

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Raijiu
  • Buzz Buzz: Raijius give themselves away due to their weakness in triggering electrical devices during a hunt, differing from the Jinn, which will conduct this behaviour outside of the hunting phase.

Revenant

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Revenant
  • Greased Lightning: The sluggish Revenant hunts slowly if it isn't giving chase (listen for slower footsteps), but it is impossible to outrun if it spots you. If you can, open doors as you run away to break its line of sight!

Shade

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Shade
  • Casper: Somewhat of a "friendly" ghost, Shades are reticent to hand over evidence. Playing on Professional makes it easier to identify all ghost types, but it is especially useful for the relaxed Shade as it forces them to be more active. Converse to the Oni, activity levels rise when nobody is nearby.
  • Hunting Season: The Shade will only enter hunting mode when the average sanity drops below 35 percent. Cheers, friend.

Spirit

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Spirit
  • Restraining Order: If you suspect a Spirit, burn a smudge stick near it and start counting. Spirits are rendered totally inactive for 180 seconds after getting smudged — twice as long as all other types.
  • Red Herring: Despite the in-game claim of being "the most common ghost type," the Spirit is not programmed with a higher probability to spawn (unless stated in patch notes).

Thaye

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Thaye
  • Aggression Regression: In a total reversal of the Shade, Thaye ghost types start off incredibly powerful and aggressive, interacting with or throwing multiple items and dashing around the map during its first hunt. However, they lose momentum gradually over time, moving slower and becoming less active. If you suspect a Thaye, you may have to trigger a hunt early on (they hunt between 50-75 percent average sanity) to ensure that you can collect evidence and complete all objectives before it essentially goes dormant.
  • Time Warp: Though the hunting ferocity of most ghost types is tethered to team sanity, Thaye ghost behaviour is dependent on the actual time and length of the investigation itself. If you hear distinctly slower footsteps with each hunt and if interactions go from haywire to feeble, first rule out the Jinn or Raijiu by checking that the breaker is turned on. Since electricity empowers these two similar ghost types, it should be easy to tell when you have an idle Thaye on your hands.

The Twins

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
The Twins
  • Twinteractions: The Twins are tricky, with one stationed in the ghost room to give key evidence and the other clattering about elsewhere to throw you off. They tend to perform back-to-back interactions and hunts, forming the dreaded chain hunt. Remember: either Twin can trigger a hunt. Keep an eye on them both.

Wraith

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Wraith
  • Spotless: When a Wraith steps in salt piles, it will never provide footprints. This can be checked with a UV torch or by snapping a photograph.
  • Zap: Unlike the Banshee, which follows its target on foot, the Wraith can teleport to you from anywhere on the map in an instant. This is a dead giveaway if you have confirmed the ghost room and yet experience interactions, events, or any other activity far from its spot.

Yokai

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Yokai
  • No Cold Callers: The Yokai is very reactive to the sound of human voices, making it more likely to early hunt from 90 percent sanity if you are too liberal with the push-to-talk button. Keep the group nattering to a minimum until you rule this one out.

Yurei

Ghost Type Tips And Tricks
Yurei
  • Must Be The Wind: The Yurei has a secret ability to slam many doors at once. Unlike regular door touches, snapping a picture of a slammed door shows that this ability does not count as an interaction and will not give photo evidence — but will drain your sanity by a steep 15 percent.

Next: Phasmophobia: Tips That All Players Should Know