1. WHY A METHOD BEATS GUESSWORK
RUNNING FROM ROOM TO ROOM HOPING TO STUMBLE ON EVIDENCE WORKS, BUT WASTES PRECIOUS TIME — AND THEREFORE SANITY. AN EFFICIENT INVESTIGATION RELIES ON THREE THINGS: SPLITTING UP EQUIPMENT SMARTLY, TESTING THE FASTEST EVIDENCE TO CONFIRM FIRST, AND USING CLUES THAT AREN'T OFFICIAL EVIDENCE TO RULE OUT CANDIDATES WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE 3RD PIECE OF EVIDENCE.
2. SPLIT UP EQUIPMENT FROM THE START
AS A TEAM, THERE'S NO POINT IN EVERYONE CARRYING THE SAME TOOL. AN EFFICIENT SPLIT: ONE PLAYER WITH THE EMF READER AND THE GHOST WRITING BOOK (BOTH GET CHECKED WHILE EXPLORING NORMALLY, NO SPECIAL ACTION NEEDED), ANOTHER WITH THE SPIRIT BOX (TO USE IN THE DARK AND QUIET), AND A THIRD WITH THE CAMERA/UV LIGHT OR THERMOMETER DEPENDING ON THE MAP. FULL DETAILS ON EACH EVIDENCE TOOL ARE ON THE EQUIPMENT PAGE.
3. THE ORDER TO FAVOR
EMF LEVEL 5 AND GHOST WRITING TRIGGER WHEN THE ENTITY INTERACTS WITH ITS ENVIRONMENT (THROWING AN OBJECT, WRITING IN THE BOOK). LEAVING THE EMF READER AND THE GHOST WRITING BOOK IN THE FAVORITE ROOM OFTEN GETS YOU BOTH PIECES OF EVIDENCE WITHOUT EXTRA ACTION WHILE YOU EXPLORE ELSEWHERE. ORBS AND FREEZING TEMPERATURES REQUIRE MORE PASSIVE OBSERVATION. THE SPIRIT BOX AND THE D.O.T.S PROJECTOR REQUIRE A DELIBERATE ACTION (ASKING A QUESTION, TURNING ON THE PROJECTOR IN THE DARK): SAVE THESE FOR WHEN THE FAVORITE ROOM IS ALREADY LOCATED, SO YOU DON'T WASTE TIME IN THE WRONG SPOT.
4. CLUES THAT AREN'T EVIDENCE BUT HELP YOU RULE OUT
MOVEMENT SPEED, HUNT BEHAVIOR, AND EACH ENTITY'S QUIRKS (VISIBLE ON EVERY DATASHEET ON THE GHOSTS PAGE) DON'T COUNT AS OFFICIAL EVIDENCE, BUT THEY OFTEN LET YOU RULE OUT SEVERAL CANDIDATES AT ONCE. AN ENTITY THAT MOVES ABNORMALLY FAST, IGNORES INCENSE, OR TRIGGERS SPECIFIC EVENTS DURING A HUNT ALREADY NARROWS THE LIST, EVEN BEFORE THE 2ND OR 3RD OFFICIAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE.
5. USE THE SITE'S FILTER
SPOOKY GUIDE'S GHOSTS PAGE HAS A BUILT-IN EVIDENCE FILTER: CLICK A CONFIRMED PIECE OF EVIDENCE TO KEEP ONLY MATCHING ENTITIES, DOUBLE-CLICK A PIECE OF EVIDENCE TO RULE IT OUT (IF YOU'RE SURE IT'S ABSENT), AND DOUBLE-CLICK AN ENTITY TO MANUALLY DISCARD IT IF ONE OF THE CLUES ABOVE MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE. HANDY DIRECTLY FROM THE TRUCK, PHONE IN HAND, DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
6. WHEN TO STOP
AS SOON AS ONLY ONE ENTITY REMAINS COMPATIBLE WITH THE EVIDENCE AND CLUES ALREADY GATHERED, THERE'S NO NEED TO KEEP CHASING THE 3RD OFFICIAL PIECE OF EVIDENCE AT ALL COSTS — EVERY EXTRA MINUTE ON SITE COSTS SANITY FOR NOTHING. IT'S BETTER TO CONFIRM AND HEAD BACK.