1. Introduction
   
2. Electronic vs. Non Electronic Items
   
3. Detection and Empowerment
   
4. Crucifix
   
5. D.O.T.S. Projector
   
6. EMF Reader
   
7. Firelight
   
8. Flashlight
   
9. Ghost Writing Book
   
10. Head Gear
    
11. Igniter
    
12. Incense
    
13. Motion Sensor
    
14. Parabolic Microphone
    
15. Photo Camera
    
16. Salt
    
17. Sanity Medication
    
18. Sound Recorder
    
19. Sound Sensor
    
20. Spirit Box
    
21. Thermometer
    
22. Tripod
    
23. UV Light
    
24. Video Camera
    
25. Conclusion
    
26. Credits and References

There are (21) types of equipment, also known as gear, that can brought along by investigators to a contract and of these there are 8 types of equipment known collectively as "starter items".

The starting items are the eight pieces of equipment that every investigation receives for free, although each investigation (not each player) only receives one of each item for free. It's possible to bring along more copies of the starting items, but they don't fall into the starting items category.

The starting items, sometimes called starter gear, can't normally be taken away or lost due to investigation failure. There are also special challenges regarding using starter items only.

The other items are unlocked between Levels 3 and 16 and must be purchased by a team member before they can be brought along to a contract. This also includes additional starter equipment if the team wants multiple instances of those items.

Some items are considered electronic while others are purely non-electronic and most electronic items can be turned off to avoid detection, disruption, and empowerment.

The Crucifix, Firelight, Ghost Writing Book, Lighters, Incense, Salt, Sanity Medication and Tier I Thermometer are purely non-electronic items.

The D.O.T.S Projector, EMF Reader, Flashlight, Headgear, Parabolic Microphone, Spirit Box, Tier I UV Light, Sound Recorder, and Video Camera are electronic items that can be turned on and off -- while off they can't be disrupted or detected by a Ghost nor do they empower a Raiju.

The Motion Sensor and Sound Sensor are electronic items when deployed but are automatically turned off when being held by a player and aren't currently deployed.

The Tier I Photo Camera is a mostly electronic item but functions as a electronic item in the moment it takes a photograph as it doesn't have an electronic viewfinder like the Tier II and Tier II Photo Cameras.

Most Ghosts can disrupt any electronic device at a range of 9 meters and will cause strange readings and visual flickering on electronic displays. This occurs during Ghost Events and Ghost Hunts and is often a strong clue that one or the other is currently happening at the location. The Raiju disrupts electronics at a much larger range of 15 meters.

Most Ghosts can detect active electronics either held by the player as their active item or on a VR toolbelt at a range of 7.5 meters during a Hunt. This lures the Ghost towards the active electronic and evidently, the player holding it. This doesn't apply to active electronics not being held by a player such as Motion Sensors or Sound Sensors nor to any electronic being held by a player but has been turned off. It also doesn't apply to other items held by the player but isn't the player's current active item. The Yokai can only detect electronics at a range of 2.5 meters.

The Raiju and a Mimic currnetly mimicking a Raiju have the ability to be empowered by nearby electronics which increases their hunt threshold to 65% and gives them a sufficient speed boost during a Hunt while near those active electronics. This applies to active electronics being held by the player and being deployed at the location.

The Tier I Crucifix, unlocked at Lvl 8, has a single charge that allows it to negate one normal Hunt attempt within a range of 3 meters. This range is increased by 50% for a Demon (for 4.5 meters) or a Mimic mimicking a Demon.

NOT ELECTRONIC

If the Ghost provides D.O.T.S. evidence it may enter a D.O.T.S state briefly during which it can be illuminated by a D.O.T.S Projector. It may also walk towards the player holding the D.O.T.S projector but otherwise doesn't manifest nor can it harm a player.

The basic Tier I model is a handheld pen-sized device, similar to a laser pointer, which casts a small matrix of green dots out to a range of 5 meters. While a player can hold it it can also be placed on the ground or on top of an object such that it's oriented in a certain direction.

ELECTRONIC ITEM but can be turned off to avoid detection.

The Electromagnetic Field (EMF) reader allows an investigator to see unusual EMF signatures generated by the ghost within approximately 1.7 meters of the reader.

The basic Tier I model of EMF Reader is analog and imprecise so look for readings that push the needle past a number to determine the actual EMF signature level. The typical Ghost Interaction leaves an EMF Signature for approximately 20 seconds so you may need to be quick for the signature to register on the reader.

ELECTRONIC ITEM but can be turned off to avoid detection.

The Type I Firelight is a candle that lasts for five minutes once lit and will slowly burn down to just the candle holder. It has an effective range of 2 meters and within that radius it'll reduce passive sanity drain by 33% and wards off the Onryo.

It is possible to determine approximately how much more burning time the candle has by looking at it and the candle can be voluntarily extinguished at any time and then re-ignited for the rest of its duration.

It is a consumable item so it will have to be re-purchased from the Shop UI even if the entire duration hasn't been used up. It provides more light than a single-lit match from the Type I Igniter and for a much longer duration.

NON ELECTRONIC ITEM

The flashlight provides a directional light allowing the player to see in the dark or illuminate specific points in a room. The basic Tier I model has low intensity and a narrow spotlight and used to be called the "Weak Flashlight".

ELECTRONIC ITEM that can be turned to avoid detection.

The Tier I Ghost Writing Book, often called the journal, is used to gather the Ghost Writing evidence from a Ghost if that Ghost has Ghost Writing as a piece of evidence. While it's usually laid out in the Ghost's favorite room this evidence can be gathered from anywhere the Ghost roams throughout the map. If the Ghost is within range, 3 meters in the case of the Tier I Ghost Writing Book, it may choose to write in the book if capable.

The interaction rate for the Tier I Ghost Writing Book is low so it might take a while for the Ghost to choose to interact with it. This can be helped with using the Tarot Cards, assuming you draw a Tower card, or the Voodoo Doll as they both increase the chance of a book interaction.

The actual writing it leaves is purely cosmetic and has no actual bearing on the investigation, however, this may change in a future update. While the writing animation is ongoing, and for about 20 seconds afterward, it should leave an EMF signature at the book, usually level 2.

NON ELECTRONIC ITEM

The Tier I Head Gear unlocked at Level 13, allows a player to have a portable camera without taking up an inventory slot. It is monitored from the video feed in the Truck. However, it's generally useless in single-player since it requires, at least, a second player to monitor the feed from the Truck.

ELECTRONIC ITEM that can be turned off to avoid detection.

The Tier I igniter is a small box of 10 matches, each burning for up to 10 seconds. Each match provides a little bit of light and can be used to ignite other things such as Incense, Firelights (such as candles), and even some other things like the campfires at Camp Woodwind and Maple Lodge Campsite.

It has several disadvantages over the Tier II and III Igniters in that it takes some time for the igniting animation to complete and thus isn't instantaneous, it has a short duration, it is consumable, and it doesn't provide much light compared to other light sources. The fact that it is a consumable item means any use of it, even a single match, requires you to re-purchase it from the Shop UI.

One key advantage to the Igniter, this applies to all the tiers, that they aren't considered Electronic thus can't be detected by the Ghost during a Hunt.

NON ELECTRONIC ITEM

The Tier I Incense is unlocked at Lvl 14, has a range of 3 meters, and will burn for a duration of 5 seconds during which it will try and apply its effects at least once each second and possibly several times each second. The Ghost must be at least within 3 meters of the burning Incense during this period to be affected by the smudge.

The first effect is the Ghost will be prevented from attempting a Hunt for a certain period of time, usually the next 90 seconds in most cases. This effect is still applied whether or not the Ghost was smudged outside of a Hunt or during a Hunt. Conversely, the Demon is only affected for 60 seconds and the Spirit is affected for 180 seconds.

The second effect is it will disorient the Ghost for 5 seconds, or 7.5 seconds in the case of Moroi, where it enters a wandering phase and randomly sets waypoints. It can't see, detect, or kill any member of the investigating team; however, there are always specific cases (usually bugs) where it doesn't seem to work or work for as long as it should.

Since both effects are applied to the Ghost at any time, a smudge during a Hunt can greatly extend the period before Ghost can attempt to hunt again after the previous hunt has finished. There are reports that it won't reset the timer if the Ghost has been smudged multiple times during a Hunt so, for certainity, you should start the timer from the first time it has been smudged during a Hunt.

NON ELECTRONIC ITEM

There is also a slight increase in activity while a Ghost is under the smudge effects and outside of a Hunt -- as such smudging can be a way to attempt to coax activity out of a fairly inactive Ghost.

The Tier I Motion Sensor, unlocked at Level 5, is a fairly simple device; it projects a laser beam away from where it's placed, and if either the Ghost or a player intersects that beam it will trigger the Motion Sensor. It responds to that intersection by brightly lighting up and making a single beep sound which can be seen and heard both at the sensor's deployment and in the Truck via the Map Monitor.

The Motion Sensor is an electronic device and as such can be detected by the Ghost and can empower the Raiju but can't lead the Ghost to a player location since it's not turned on when being held by a player. This also means the device can be turned off at the source but, unfortunately, not in the Truck.

ELECTRONIC ITEM but may be turned off and is turned off automatically when being a player so can't lead Ghost to player.

The Tier I Parabolic Microphone is unlocked at Lvl 7 and allows the player to pick up and amplify noises, both those that can already be heard and those paranormal noises that can't normally be heard by players. This also allows the investigating team the ability to complete the optional objective, "Detect a paranormal sound with a Parabolic Microphone" if it is present for their investigation. It has a range of 20 meters which should cover most if not an entire floor on smaller maps but is a pretty short range on larger maps such as Brownstone High School and Prison.

There is also a visible indicator on the parabolic microphone that a sound has been picked up but it doesn't indicate what that sound is or where it's coming from at the location. There is also a muffling effect on nearby audio outside of the device's parabola which will give an audio cue that the device is turned on and functional.

ELECTRONIC ITEM that can be turned off to avoid detection.

The Tier I Photo Camera is unlocked at Level 3, and unlike previous updates, has an unlimited number of uses and while additional cameras aren't strictly necessary to complete the game they allow more players to carry a camera at the same time. It is based on the classic Polaroid 600 model and as such takes a significant amount of time per shot, although it doesn't develop them in the game like the Polaroid did in real life.

The device is considered Electronic while a photograph is being taken since there is no electronic displays like the other photo cameras. There is a short wait time in between taking photographs that offsets this advantage. While in use it can be detected by the Ghost and can empower the Raiju.

Mostly NON ELECTRONIC ITEM but is a ELECTRONIC ITEM in the moments its taking a photograph.

The Tier I Salt is unlocked at Level 9 and comes in a plastic shaker or salt bottle that has two uses thus being able to create two different Salt piles. The typical investigation allows you to bring in (3) Tier I Salts for a potential total of six different Salt piles.

If a Ghost steps into a pile of Salt it will leave a permanent impression which indicates the Ghost's physical presence and can recorded as a video with the Video Camera. It will also place a sort of "debuff" on the Ghost which increases its activity slightly and, if it steps further while having this "debuff", will have audible footsteps and which, if it leaves Ultraviolet evidence, will leave glowing footprints.

The exceptions to this are the Wraith won't disturb a Salt pile nor will a Mimic when it is mimicking a Wraith. It should also be noted that players can't disturb the piles of Salt nor pick them up once they have been placed.

Tier I Sanity Medication is unlocked at Lvl 16 and is the last Tier I item to be unlocked. It can extend the time of investigation by restoring some of the Sanity lost during the investigation and nullifying the Moroi curse (if present). The amount of Sanity it restores is based on the difficulty or difficulty setting but takes 200 seconds to restore the full amount -- a change from previous updates where the restoration was instantaneous.

The amount that is restored is fixed at certain difficulties but can be set to any value for a Custom Difficulty and is frequently set to 0 during weekly challenges.

NON ELECTRONIC ITEM

The Tier I Sound Recorder is unlocked at Lvl 4 and is a new Media equipment introduced in the Chronicles update. It allows a player to record paranormal and non-paranormal sounds and retain up to three sound clips for media rewards.

It can record certain sounds that can normally heard by the player and other paranormal noises that can only be heard through the Parabolic Microphone.

ELECTRONIC ITEM that can be turned on or off to avoid detection.

The Tier I Sound Sensor, unlocked at Lvl 11, is a fairly simple device; it is essentially a large deployable microphone that can be monitored from the Truck. The Truck's Sound Sensor monitor can track up to four different Sound Sensors with each being programmable individually.

The Tier I Sound Sensor can operate in two different modes -- a 5-meter radius and a 10-meter radius -- which can be adjusted from each individual entry on the Sound Sensor monitor. It picks up sounds in a flat circle and won't pick up sounds on different floors; however, it can also pick up sounds generated by players. It may also pick up background noises from whirling fans, generators, or other location electronic items.

Since it is an electronic device it can be detected by the Ghost and can empower the Raiju but it's automatically turned off when picked up by a player. If you wish to turn off the device you can simply click on it at the source to deactivate or re-activate it. It is automatically activated when deployed on an object successfully.

The Spirit Box is a device that scans radio frequencies looking for a vocal response from the ghost. The investigator turns on the spirit box, asks one of several questions, and looks to see if there is a vocal response from the ghost. A vocal response from the ghost indicates a piece of evidence and responses themselves don't have much effect on the actual investigation.

The basic Tier I model is imprecise with a range of 3 meters and a positive response from the Spirit Box will show like radio chatter as opposed to a direct answer from the Ghost. You may need to attempt to use it several times when the Ghost is within range to get a successful response.

It can be interacted with both by voice recognition or with text -- an option that has set in the options menu.

ELECTRONIC ITEM that can be turned off to avoid detection.

The thermometer allows the player to determine the current temperature in one of the rooms at the location. This can indicate the current ambient temperature, recent Ghost presence, and the Freezing Temperatures evidence if the Ghost lowers the temperature in a room below 32 F / 0 C.

The basic Tier I model is an old style mercury thermometer and can require several minutes to settle at the current temperature in a room. The presence of the Ghost will probably lower the room temperature below 41 F / 5 C in which case the player may see their breath in front of them but isn't an indicator in itself of Freezing Temperatures. It also benefits from not being an electronic device, unlike the other tiers of Thermometers, which may be to the player's advantage as it can't be disrupted or detected by the Ghost.

The Tier I Tripod is unlocked at Level 10 and can be used to both elevate and stabilize the Video Camera. It reduces the chance of the Ghost knocking both items over by a small amount but if the Ghost knocks one or both items over it'll knock the entire thing down.

The Video Camera be placed on the Tripod and they both can be moved together, switching away from the Tripod will cause it to be immediately dropped at the player's feet.

NON ELECTRONIC ITEM

The Tier I UV Light is a small handheld flashlight that can act as both a low intensity light source and illuminates any Ultraviolet evidence the Ghost leaves, if it can leave that evidence at all. However, it takes a full 5 seconds for it to fully charge Ultraviolet evidence to allow it to continue to glow even while not being illuminated.

It is an Electronic device and can be detected by the Ghost and empowered by the Raiju.

The Tier I video camera is a small portable camcorder that allows a live video feed for both the investigator through an attached screen and to the computer monitor inside of the truck. It can be set down or deployed on the ground as well as on top of other objects. It automatically turns on outside of the truck and automatically turns off while inside the truck.

The camera has two modes including a night vision mode and is primarily used to detect Ghost Orbs in a given location if the Ghost provides that piece of evidence. It can also be used for simple monitoring purposes such as looking for D.O.T.S. signatures or activity in a given room from the safety of the Truck.

it also allows for the recording of video clips, five of which can be turned in for media rewards.

The basic Tier I model has a small screen and can be difficult to see -- it can also be disrupted by or, rarely, knocked down by the Ghost.

ELECTRONIC ITEM that can be turned off to avoid detection.

I hope this guide has been useful in giving you a brief summary of each of the twenty pieces of Tier I equipment and how they can be used.

“Phasmophobia Wiki | Fandom.” Phasmophobia Wiki | Fandom, https://phasmophobia.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page. Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.