1. BEFORE YOU START
IN PHASMOPHOBIA, YOUR TEAM OF PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS TRAVELS TO A LOCATION HAUNTED BY AN UNKNOWN ENTITY. THE GOAL OF A CONTRACT IS SIMPLE ON PAPER: FIND 3 PIECES OF EVIDENCE OUT OF 7 THAT LET YOU PRECISELY IDENTIFY THE ENTITY, THEN MAKE IT OUT ALIVE. YOUR VAN, PARKED IN FRONT OF THE HAUNTED LOCATION, SERVES AS A SAFE BASE — THE ENTITY CAN NEVER ENTER IT — AND DISPLAYS IN REAL TIME THE EVIDENCE ALREADY COLLECTED BY THE TEAM.
2. STARTING EQUIPMENT
EVERY PLAYER STARTS A CONTRACT WITH A FLASHLIGHT AND AN IGNITER, FREE AND UNLIMITED. EVERYTHING ELSE (EMF READER, CAMERA, THERMOMETER, SPIRIT BOX, UV LIGHT...) IS BOUGHT BEFORE STARTING THE CONTRACT, FROM THE LOBBY. EARLY ON, IT'S BETTER NOT TO BUY EVERYTHING AT TIER 3 (THE MOST EXPENSIVE): FOCUS YOUR BUDGET ON 3-4 EVIDENCE TOOLS AT TIER 1, PLUS A BAG OF SALT AND SOME INCENSE. THE DETAILS OF EACH ITEM, ITS TIERS AND ITS COST ARE ON THE EQUIPMENT PAGE.
3. FINDING THE 3 PIECES OF EVIDENCE
ON AMATEUR, INTERMEDIATE OR PROFESSIONAL DIFFICULTY, THE ENTITY LEAVES 3 PIECES OF EVIDENCE OUT OF 7 POSSIBLE: EMF LEVEL 5, GHOST WRITING, SPIRIT BOX, D.O.T.S PROJECTOR, ULTRAVIOLET, GHOST ORB AND FREEZING TEMPERATURES. SPLIT THE EQUIPMENT BETWEEN TEAMMATES AND EXPLORE METHODICALLY ROOM BY ROOM RATHER THAN STAYING GROUPED IN A SINGLE AREA — EVERY ENTITY HAS A "FAVORITE ROOM" WHERE IT SPENDS MOST OF ITS TIME, OFTEN WHERE EVIDENCE SHOWS UP FASTEST. THE FULL LIST OF THE 30 ENTITIES AND THEIR EVIDENCE IS ON THE GHOSTS PAGE; FOR A MORE DETAILED INVESTIGATION METHOD, SEE THE GUIDE TO IDENTIFYING A GHOST QUICKLY.
4. KEEPING AN EYE ON YOUR SANITY
THE LOWER YOUR SANITY, THE MORE LIKELY THE ENTITY IS TO TRIGGER A HUNT — AND SOME ENTITIES HUNT FROM A HIGHER SANITY THRESHOLD THAN OTHERS. STAYING TOO LONG IN THE DARK OR TOO CLOSE TO THE ENTITY MAKES IT DROP FASTER. A LIT FLASHLIGHT AND REGULAR BREAKS AT THE VAN ARE USUALLY ENOUGH EARLY ON. FULL DETAILS ON THE MECHANIC ARE IN THE SANITY GUIDE.
5. IF A HUNT STARTS
THE LIGHTS FLICKER, A HEARTBEAT CAN BE HEARD, AND ALL THE EXIT DOORS LOCK INSTANTLY — NO POINT HOPING TO RUN OUTSIDE ONCE THE HUNT HAS STARTED. THE BASIC REFLEX: TURN OFF YOUR FLASHLIGHT AND GET TO A NEARBY HIDING SPOT (WARDROBE, LOCKER) WITHOUT PANICKING, DURING THE FEW SECONDS WHERE THE ENTITY CAN'T SPOT YOU YET. THE DETAILS OF THE RIGHT REFLEXES AND THE MISTAKES TO AVOID ARE IN THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING A HUNT.
6. THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES EARLY ON
- SPLITTING UP WITHOUT COMMUNICATING: AN ISOLATED TEAMMATE WITH NO LIGHT IS THE EASIEST TARGET FOR A HUNT
- STAYING IN THE DARK "TO SAVE TIME": SANITY DROPS FASTER THAN THE TIME YOU SAVE
- CONFUSING A GHOST EVENT (A TOY TURNING ON, THE SOUND OF A THROWN OBJECT, A SLAMMING DOOR...) WITH OFFICIAL EVIDENCE: ONLY THE 7 EVIDENCE TYPES ABOVE COUNT FOR IDENTIFICATION
- FORGETTING TO WATCH THE ENTITY'S SPEED AND BEHAVIOR: WHEN ONLY ONE ENTITY STILL MATCHES THE EVIDENCE ALREADY FOUND, THERE'S NO NEED TO HUNT DOWN THE 3RD PIECE OF EVIDENCE AT ALL COSTS
7. GOING FURTHER
ONCE YOU'VE GOT THE BASICS DOWN, THE MAPS PAGE AND THE CURSED POSSESSIONS PAGE DETAIL THE SPECIFICS OF EACH LOCATION. SPOOKY SOLD-OUT, IN THE SPOOKY GAMES, IS A GOOD WAY TO IMPROVE: IT FORCES YOU TO PLAY WITH THE BARE MINIMUM OF EQUIPMENT.