The new 4-player co-op ghost hunting game Phasmophobia is the debut title from independent developer Kinetic Games, and it’s proven to be a hit among Twitch streamers and casual players alike. The game’s novel concept and simple but unique mechanics, combined with the eerie level design and terrifying ghosts, make for an unforgettable gaming experience. Given the massive success the game has experienced, the developers have already promised to flesh out the game further, meaning players can rest assured knowing they’ve only just seen the beginning of this unique game’s life cycle.
Phasmophobia leaves a lot for its player base to discover when it comes to invoking each type of ghost in the game. While Phasmo veterans have already begun to suss out which spoken phrases can best be used against each ghost, newer players may be lost on how they should approach each specter when they first start their ghosthunting career. While most ghosts in Phasmophobia share the singular goal of getting their rotten hands on any ghost hunter in their midst, some are uniquely shy and will instead hide when confronted by large groups of people. Each type of ghost has strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited to make invoking them and collecting evidence a little bit easier, and new players will benefit greatly from learning them.
The Strengths & Weaknesses of Each Ghost in Phasmophobia
Spirit – The most common ghost players will encounter in Phasmophobia. This will usually be the first ghosts new players encounter.
- Strength: Spirits have no strengths in particular, as they are geared towards new players.
- Weakness: Smudge Sticks will prevent Spirits from attacking for a period of time, allowing players to freely collect evidence.
Wraith – An extremely dangerous variety of ghosts, Wraiths can fly and are capable of traveling through walls and doors.
- Strength: Since they fly, Wraiths cannot be tracked by their footsteps.
- Weakness: Wraiths are weak to salt, and will stop attacking upon coming into contact with it. This can be easier said than done, however, as the Wraith will typically fly right over salt piles.
Phantom – Also fairly common, although Phantoms are more aggressive than Spirits.
- Strength: Phantoms will take an extreme toll on players’ sanity. Avoid being in the presence of, or looking directly at a Phantom for too long.
- Weakness: Taking a photo of a Phantom will cause it to temporarily disappear, giving players an opportunity to escape.
Poltergeist – Poltergeists will manipulate and throw physical objects in their space.
- Strength: Poltergeists can have a heavy influence on the space players are in, being capable of throwing numerous objects as well as producing loud noises.
- Weakness: Players can remove physical objects in the room, rendering a Poltergeist ineffective.
Banshee – Highly effective at hunting and killing players who have been singled out.
- Strength: Will focus on one player, especially those who attempt to confront the Banshee alone.
- Weakness: Susceptible to the use of a crucifix to cull their aggression.
Jinn – An extremely quick ghost that will readily attack players when provoked.
- Strength: A Jinn’s speed makes it an extremely difficult ghost to escape from once it begins hunting.
- Weakness: Jinns rely on the map’s power source to achieve their high speeds, so players should look for the building’s circuit breaker in order to limit the Jinn’s abilities.
Mare – An extremely powerful ghost who becomes even more powerful in the dark.
- Strength: Mares thrive in the darkness, and will very likely begin to attack as soon as the lights go out.
- Weakness: Keeping the lights on in a Mare’s area will lower the likelihood that it starts to hunt.
Revenant – An aggressive ghost that can attack at high speeds.
- Strength: Revenants will move extremely quickly when they begin attacking, giving players little chance of escaping.
- Weakness: If players do get the opportunity to hide from a Revenant, it’s speed will drastically decrease.
Shade – The so-called “Shy Ghost.” Can be difficult to locate as they will halt paranormal activity in the presence of multiple people.
- Strength: Shades can be difficult to find, and therefore difficult to collect evidence on.
- Weakness: There’s strength in numbers against a Shade, as they will not attack a group of people.
Demon – The most aggressive of Phasmophobia’s ghosts, Demons will attack players extremely frequently, occasionally without provocation.
- Strength: They can be difficult to gather clues on as they will attack players very frequently.
- Weakness: Unlike other ghosts, asking a Demon a successful question via the Ouija Board will not lower players’ sanity. This makes the Ouija Board a very useful tool against Demons.
Yurei – A vengeful spirit who has a significant impact on players’ sanity.
- Strength: Yureis will drop players’ sanity while they are looking at it quicker than any other ghost, but can also decrease sanity even when a player is turned away.
- Weakness: Yureis are vulnerable to Smudge Sticks, and smudging the room successfully will cause the Yurei to remain in place for some time.
Oni – Arguably the most active and violent of any of the ghosts. Onis are effectively a combination of a Demon and a Poltergeist.
- Strength: Onis possess the ability to move physical objects around like a Poltergeist, while also sporting the aggression of a Demon. This makes them challenging to gather evidence around without angering them.
- Weakness: Onis are easy to find, as they can’t resist causing a ruckus when players are nearby.
With the Halloween season looking a little different in 2020, a cooperative horror experience like Phasmophobia is the perfect antidote for gamers’ desire to get spooky. Phasmophobia is also a game that manages to craft an extremely unique gameplay experience, offering hours of entertainment with a group of paranormally-inclined friends. While a lot of the game’s mechanics can elude newer players, it can help immensely for these players to at least be able to determine which kind of ghost they are up against, and how best to handle them. How effectively they use this information, and whether or not they can get out alive, however, is entirely up to them.
Phasmophobia is available for the PC.
