1. Introduction
   
2. Common Misconceptions
   
3. What makes somebody an expert at Hunts?
   
4. When can a Ghost hunt?
   
5. Hunt Attempts vs. Hunts
   
6. How can I prevent a Hunt?
   
7. What do I do during a Hunt?
   
8. Why does the Ghost keep spawning on top of me?
   
9. How does the Ghost know where I am?
   
10. Normal vs. Cursed Hunts
    
11. Hunt Durations and Grace Periods
    
12. Electronic interference
    
13. "Normal" Ghosts
    
14. "Special" Ghosts
    
15. Early Hunters
    
16. Late Hunters
    
17. Conclusion
    
18. Credits and References

An investigating team is normally safe from interference or harm during a contract, except when a Ghost can materialize, lock the Exit doors, detect players, and attempt to kill them. This is called a Hunt and is one of the major potential aspects of an investigation. It's entirely possible to conduct an investigation without incurring a single Hunt but many factors including Sanity and Ghost Type make this improbable and something that players have to get used to as they become more experienced and attempt higher difficulties.

There are a number of common misconceptions about Hunts that are especially held by newer players, often because of faulty logic or hearsay from a friend of a friend on a website somewhere. This can lead to some confusing scenarios including a potential for unproductive arguments during multiplayer games.

• The most common misunderstanding, especially among newer players, is when can the Ghost kill a player. It's not unusual for players to mistake Ghost Events for Ghost Hunts and believe they, or a friend, were killed during a Ghost Event. A player can usually only be killed during a Hunt although they can also die from drawing the Hanged Man card from the Tarot Cards.
  
  This is compounded by the fact that bugs sometimes occur when a player dies, perhaps the Exit Doors didn't shut and lock during a Hunt, or perhaps the Ghost was invisible during the entire Hunt, etc. It's also not unheard of for a Ghost Event to occur, end, and immediately afterward a Ghost Hunt begins leaving newer players confused as to why they died.
  
  
• Another misunderstanding is how the Crucifix works -- because of similar games doing this you often have newer players assume that a Crucifix can stop or ward off a Hunt after it has already started. The Crucifix will have no effect on a hunting Ghost once the hunt attempt has been successful and the Hunt has already begun (even during the grace period).
  
  
• Another one is that a Hunt can occur even if the entire team is outside of the location, this is usually believed in the hope that certain objectives can be completed without endangering the team. This misconception often results from a bug where a Ghost is continuing to hunt or has started a Hunt even without the presence of players.
  
  
• There is sometimes a correlation versus causation fallacy made when a player picks up a specific object or takes a certain action and it's believed it caused a Hunt. I've seen this argument made for everything from opening specific cabinets to rapidly switching the lights on and off to playing with the potato on Tanglewood. It is true that the use of Cursed Possessions may trigger a Hunt, normal or cursed, but most actions don't cause a Hunt onto themselves.
  

The image of an expert at dealing with hunting Ghost is somebody with fast reactions, quick judgment, no fear, and almost a foreknowledge of what to expect from a hunt. While this is an exaggeration it's worth going over it to show you what separates the novice from the expert -- at least when it comes to dealing with hunts.

• Fast reactions
  
• Having a plan
  
• Being ready
  
• Knowing your stuff
  
• Situational awareness

Phasmophobia can require good reaction times but generally speaking doesn't need the lightning-fast reflexes that other games may require for excellent performance. A ghost hunt on Amateur difficulty gives you 5 seconds of grace period to react and respond to a successful hunt attempt and depending on the Ghost Type and where the Ghost is, you may still have additional time to put your plan into action.

You should already have a basic plan of what to do if the Ghost starts a hunt. It doesn't have to be detailed but you should decide if you want to be ready with Incense and smudge the Ghost or immediately run to a preferred hiding spot and what to do if the Ghost is getting closer to you or has suddenly detected you in your hiding spot.

If you plan to smudge the Ghost then you should already have Incense and an Igniter either in your inventory or nearby that you can pick up even in darkness or flickering light conditions. This is often what gets players killed -- they thought about grabbing Incense but kept putting it off in favor of investigating and then a hunt catches them off-guard.

It helps if you know your Ghosts, Maps, Rooms, and game mechanics to know what to expect, where to find a place to hide, and how hunts work. This guide should have covered much of that although it doesn't cover specific maps or their rooms. You should have a general idea of when you're in danger of a hunt and whether or not your Crucifix strategy (if any) will combat this possibility.

You should be aware of your surroundings at all times -- if the lights go out, if the Fuse Box is switched off (or broken), and especially if there is a hunt. It might be too much to ask of newer players but seasoned veterans should be able to navigate out of the room and into a nearby hiding spot even in darkness. You can't be expected to be able to navigate an entire map in darkness but it helps if you immediately orient yourself and know where to go on any given map.

One of the questions that most players have when they first play Phasmophobia and learn about Hunts is, "When can the Ghost hunt me?", and this can be a deceptively simple question.

The most common answer, which is correct most of the time, is when Average Team Sanity is lower than 50% Sanity. This is generally true for 14 out of 24 of the current Ghost Types but even in those cases there may be exceptions especially when Cursed Possessions are used.

If during the course of your investigation, you keep the Average Team Sanity well above 50% and don't use any of the Cursed Possessions you can almost certainly avoid a Hunt. However, it's not quite that simple because there are a number of sources that will be constantly draining your Sanity including the Passive Sanity Drain, Ghost abilities, and model collisions during Ghost Events.

It's important to keep track of your Average Team Sanity and to possibly recover it via the usage of Sanity Medication. You should keep in mind that Sanity considerably lower than the hunt threshold will increase the chances of the Ghost attempting to hunt until, potentially, you reach a point where it is attempting to Hunt every chance it can get and thus hunt-related cooldowns become extremely important.

There is a difference between the Ghost attempting to hunt and the Ghost successfully beginning a Hunt which is often misunderstood by players, especially newer ones. The Ghost must go through a series of checks when it decides to attempt a Hunt. The first thing it checks for is the Average Team Sanity and then proceeds through some Ghost-specific checks and finally a Crucifix check. It either fails to make one of these checks or passes them all and begins a Hunt.

There is no way to tell how many times the Ghost checks Average Team Sanity and checks reaching that point have no bearing on the game. However, if a Ghost successfully hunts at a certain Average Team Sanity that might be an indicator of the Ghost Type in certain circumstances.

There are a number of Ghost Type specific checks such as a lit Firelight functioning like a Crucifix in regards to the Onryo and the presence of a player within 4 meters functioning like a Crucifix in regards to the Shade. These are performed before the Crucifix check and a Crucifix being used indicates it passed these checks.

Lastly, there is the Crucifix check where it has picked a spot to attempt to hunt from and it checks if it is in the range of any Crucifixes. If it is and there are charges left on it it will expend one of those checks and fail its Hunt attempt. There is a cool down on Hunt attempts after using up a Crucifix check and that is 25 seconds in the case of most Ghosts or 20 seconds in the case of Demons.

It should be noted that the Tier I Crucifix only has a single charge, the Tier II and II Crufixes have two charges, and the Tier III Crucifix expends two charges if it stops a Cursed Hunt attempt.

The first step in Hunt prevention is managing the Average Team Sanity -- only two Ghosts, currently the Demon and Mimic mimicking a Demon, can hunt at any sanity and even then it's an ability it uses instead of its regular Sanity threshold. You should try and become familiar with the Sanity thresholds of each of the Ghost Types.

The second step is to don't play around with Cursed Possessions -- each of them exposes you to a risk of sanity drain which can lead to a normal Hunt attempt or could immediately start a Cursed Hunt which is longer and less preventable. They can be extremely fun objects to play around with -- especially in multiplayer -- but they always come with an inherent risk in their use.

Next, you should try and identify the Ghost's favorite room early in the investigation and attempt to ward it with Crucifixes -- it is more likely to hunt there simply because it spends much of its time in or around that room. This is how you defend yourself against a Demon and it should always be a priority especially if you suspect a Demon or Mimic.

Lastly, you can use Incense to prevent the Ghost from hunting for a specific period of time - usually 90 seconds -- and have them on hand early in the investigation. This becomes invaluable with Sanity considerably below the hunt threshold when you need to pay more attention to cooldowns and are faced with chain hunting which is where the Ghost tries to hunt at every possible opportunity.

The Ghost has passed all of its checks and has now begun a Hunt, what do you do?

Don't Panic! This is often what gets players killed because they spend several seconds panicking trying to figure out what to do now that the Ghost is hunting them. You should have an escape plan both for getting away from the Ghost and a designated hiding spot.

Be Prepared! You should have a basic escape plan in mind even before the Hunt begins including the availability of hiding spots. You shouldn't rely on the same hiding spots and you should also keep in mind that anywhere that loses or blocks line-of-sight with the Ghost is effectively a hiding spot.

Know your Difficulty! You should know how long the Hunt duration is on the difficulty you are playing. It is only 15 seconds on Amateur on a Small map, for example. This is compounded if there has been a previous Cursed Hunt (or this is a Cursed Hunt) where it'll be 20 additional seconds longer. You should also know the availability of hiding spots, per the difficulty. and whatever or not the difficulty extends the Hunt based on player kills.

Know the Map! The ideal player should be able to move around almost completely blind from room to room -- at least enough to orient yourself immediately and get yourself to your desired hiding spot. This may be a lot to ask of novice players but just some understanding of your orientation can mean the difference between dying and surviving a hunt!

Smudge sticks are your friend! You should have Incense and an Igniter ready to go, either on you or next to you that you can immediately pick up. This is your last line of defense if a Ghost sees you and you can't get away. It'll give you five seconds where the Ghost can't see, detect, or kill you, and to an experienced player this is a lot of time to get away and hide.

This is a common question and it can be a frustrating situation where you feel the Ghost always seems to know exactly where you are and chooses to hunt you right in that spot. While this may sometimes just be heightened paranoia it can actually be true in a couple of circumstances.

The first is the Banshee which roams to its target player and, among other choices for actions, can choose to start a hunt at that location. The action may not be immediate so you might actually move, at least a bit, when the Banshee decides to hunt. This isn't quite as precise as other Ghosts with similar abilities but can be very frustrating if you happen to its target. The first thing to keep in mind is it has a specific target player it chooses at the beginning of the investigation and it'll only roam to its target until that target is either dead or no longer inside the location.

The second is the Phantom which can walk to a specific player, not a pre-designated target, and perform an action there which, among other possibilities, could be to decide to attempt a hunt at that location. This is a bit more precise than the Banshee but on larger maps, especially Large maps, it can take a long time for the Phantom to actually reach its target before choosing an action to perform. If it does this enough and players are scattered you may start to see Ghost interactions and Ghost Events far from the ghost's favorite room which might give you a clue to its Ghost Type.

The third is the Wraith and the fact that it can instantly teleport to a player and perform an action, including a hunt attempt, makes it a bit more deadlier than the Banshee or Phantom. It doesn't choose a pre-designated target like the Banshee and unlike Phantom, it can happen extremely quickly to an unsuspecting player.

A fourth possibility is the Deogen because new players often aren't ready for the fact they can't hide from it during a Hunt. This may confuse some new players after they've been told that they should run and hide from a hunting Ghost. Ideally you should already know it's a Deogen before it hunts as it has a lower hunt threshold but it can definitely catch players off-guard as it hones right to them.

A more general explanation might be that you are in or near the Ghost's favorite room where it is more likely to be during most investigations. This is a more probable culprit when there is no placed Crucifix to offer protection and doubly so if there is either no or a relatively short grace period like on higher difficulties.

Lastly, it could be bad RNG (bad luck) and you happen to always be where the Ghost decides to hunt at that moment. You can hedge your bets, so to say, by staying as close to a deployed Crucifix as possible but that might handicap you for the rest of the investigation. This happens to the best of us and we've all been there with that type of frustration with Phasmophobia.

This is a common question and sometimes the answer is that it doesn't know where you are it just happened to wander there and see you. However, there are plenty of ways a Ghost can see or detect you during a Hunt, and in this section, I'm going to go over them.

The Ghost can see 360 degrees at all times but only on the same floor. You can't hide from the Ghost by being behind it nor does the direction it's traveling have anything to do with its detection abilities. The Ghost has unlimited visual range so it can see you down a long hallway provided nothing else is blocking its line of sight. Lastly, seeing you is a matter of whether or not it sees three points in your upper body or three points in your lower body and this is affected by whether or not you are crouching. This prevents you from being seen if your foot is suddenly sticking out of a closet or your model is interacting strangely with whatever you are hiding behind. You should also keep in mind the height of objects as they may block your lower body but not your upper body.

The Ghost can normally detect any player voice chat within about 9 - 10 meters, so any significant noise detected and transmitted by your microphone may alert the Ghost. If you are having trouble with significant background noise or involuntary noises you may switch to either "Push to Talk" or "Toggle to Talk" options under Settings. You should also keep in mind that in multiplayer if the Ghost detects the voice of somebody you are hiding with it has effectively also detected you. The Yokai, or a Mimic acting as a Yokai, can only hear voices at a range of 2.5 - 3 meters which is its primary weakness.

The Ghost can detect the usage of electronics at a range of 7 to 8 meters and this includes both active electronics currently held in the player's hand and radios, both local and global. This means the activation of the radio, even if there is no discernable speech, can alert the Ghost to your presence. There is a bit of a safeguard where radio activation detection only applies to the specific player using their radio and not to those receiving it. Lastly, the Yokai, or a Mimic acting as a Yokai, can only detect electronics at a range of 2.5 - 3 meters which is its primary weakness.

Lastly, the way the Ghost actually chases after a player is to set a waypoint where it last saw or detected the player. It will continue to that waypoint regardless and then immediately start searching in the immediate vicinity. It also remembers where it last saw a player and has a 50% chance immediately setting a waypoint at that point when it begins a new Hunt.

This can be a bit of an advanced concept but when Cursed Possessions were overhauled they added a second type of Hunt called a Cursed Hunt as an additional risk for using Cursed Possessions. it is impossible to get a Cursed Hunt without first having used a Cursed Possession -- all Hunts will be normal otherwise.

A Cursed Hunt is both a special type of Hunt and an ongoing mechanic that affects all other Hunts afterward -- normal or Cursed -- by permanently increasing the Hunt duration by 20 seconds. A Cursed Hunt has a 1 second grace period, regardless of difficulty settings, and can't be negated by the Tier I or II Crucifixes -- although a Tier III Crucifix with both charges still available can negate a Cursed Hunt.

It is possible to already be playing with no grace period which means the only real change will be the addition of 20 seconds to the Hunt duration. This can be a huge increase in difficulty for players who are used to having at least several seconds to get away before the Ghost begins to actually hunt them. It more than doubles the hunt duration on Amateur difficulty on Small maps, for example.

When players, especially newer players, are playing on Amateur difficulty they are usually taking full advantage of the short hunt durations because the Ghost may not even reach the player's position by the time the Hunt is over.

A Cursed Hunt and its after-effects can sometimes be useful because if players are attempting to identify the Ghost during a Hunt this gives them more time to observe the Ghost or to take a risky photo, video or sound recording of it during the Hunt.

The duration of a Hunt varies based on difficulty and map size with the following tables showing times for both normal Hunts and Cursed Hunts (including all other hunts after a Cursed Hunt) as well as the related Custom Difficulty setting:



The grace period of a Hunt is when the Hunt hasn't actually begun, the lights flicker, there is interference with electronic devices and ghost noises but the Ghost can't see, detect or kill players. It doesn't count as part of the actual Hunt duration and is entirely based on difficulty or Custom Difficulty setting.

It is a common misconception that the Ghost interfering with electronics means it has either detected them or now knows the position of nearby players. Most Ghosts interfere with most electronics within about 10 meters although their actual detection of them is a bit shorter -- 7.5 meters for most Ghosts or 2.5 meters for the Yokai. This is extended to 15 meters for a Raiju or a Mimic mimicking a Raiju even though the empowerment radius for electronics for a Raiju is only 2.5 meters.

This can also be an important tell for a Myling where footsteps are normally heard at about 20 meters but only 12 meters for a Myling -- just 2 meters longer than the electronic interference range. While this isn't a precise tell it is a good rough estimate if you see interference but don't hear ghost noises.

A "normal" Ghost is a community definition of a Ghost that either hunts at the typical 50% Sanity threshold or hunts at this threshold and exhibits no unusual behavior during a Hunt. It sometimes also means a ghost that hunts at 1.7 m/s unless it starts to gradually increase speed based on being line-of-sight of a player in which it very slowly starts to speed down until it is 1.7 m/s again.

The following speed indicates which Ghosts operate at a normal hunting speed of 1.7 m/s with gradual line-of-sight speed increases, hunt at a typical 50% Sanity threshold, and have no discernable abilities or traits during a Hunt:



The Ghosts with the most *s are the most normal acting during a Hunt and in many ways are some of the easiest for a player to deal with during a Hunt. The Banshee has a special mention because while it targets a specific player's Sanity instead of Average Team Sanity it's otherwise a fairly normal Ghost.

A special Ghost, in this context, means a Ghost that does special or unusual during a Hunt such as having a different speed, special circumstances where it doesn't act like a "normal Ghost", or exhibiting other special behaviors during the Hunt.

The Banshee acts like an otherwise "normal Ghost" except that it only checks its target's Sanity and only focuses on its target during a Hunt. The other players on the team are totally immune to the Banshee during a Hunt unless it kills its target then it chooses another target. If the target is outside of the location during the Hunt it will choose a secondary target.

The Deogen is anything but a "normal Ghost" and can see and detect all players inside the location at any time. It's speed is entirely based on its distance from its current target and slows down to a crawl of 0.4 m/s when within 2.5 meters for its target. It can decide to switch targets to the nearest player suddenly if another player other than its target gets too close. This can make it the easiest Ghost or the most terrifying if the team isn't prepared for it.

The Hantu's speed is entirely based on the temperature of the current room and can change drastically between warm and cold rooms, especially its favorite room, based on vastly different temperatures. If the Fuse Box is currently OFF or BROKEN it may exhibit freezing breath unique to this Ghost Type.

The Jinn's status as a special Ghost is entirely dependent on the status of the Fuse Box, if it is OFF or broken it's an extremely normal Ghost with normal Ghost traits. If the Fuse Box is currently ON, it has line-of-sight with a player, and is more than 3 meters away it will rocket towards the player at 2.5 m/s. If any of the criteria aren't met it will be the usual 1.7 m/s with gradual line-of-sight speed increase.

The Moroi's speed is entirely based on Average Team Sanity with lower sanities equalling higher speeds. It also has the usual gradual line-of-sight speed increase and can become the fastest Ghost in the game at a whooping 3.71 m/s. Its speed between 35% and 49% Average Team Sanity is actually slightly slower or normal for most Ghosts so it can be mistaken for a slower Twin, Hantu in warm rooms, or a normal Ghost quite easily.

The Myling is an otherwise normal Ghost except for the fact its noises and footsteps are muffled beyond 12 meters instead of the usual 20 meters for most Ghosts. If you are on a Small map or the entire hunt is fairly near to you it's entirely possible to mistake this for a normal Ghost.

The Obake is an otherwise normal Ghost except that it has a special tell during a Hunt where, at least once, it will shapeshift to a different ghost model for a brief moment. It is entirely possible that it'll do this multiple times in a Hunt, especially for a longer duration. There are also reports of a special double footstep you might hear when it starts the Hunt because of having to load two different ghost models at once. It's entirely possible that this will be removed in a future update.

The Oni is an otherwise normal Ghost except that it will be visible 2/3ths of the time during a Hunt and as a result, will be more visible although technically the flickering rate is the same as most Ghosts.

The Phantom is an otherwise normal Ghost except it won't appear in the actual Ghost photo if you take a successful photo of it during a Hunt and it flickers slower -- being invisible for up to 1 - 2 seconds per flicker.

The Poltergeist has the usual hunting speeds but has a 100% chance of throwing any item that it comes within 0.5 meters of it during a Hunt. It also has a chance to throw multiple items during a Hunt and has a chance of throwing them much further than any other Ghost. This makes for an extremely noisy during a Hunt provided it comes within range of enough items.

The Raiju operates like a normal Ghost during a Hunt except if it is within 2.5 meters of active electronics then it operates at a fixed 2.5 m/s speed until it's out of range. While it won't increase speed based on line-of-sight of a player it will accumulate that value and could potentially be extremely fast once it is outside of it's empowerment radius.

The Revenant only operates at two speeds -- slow and fast -- based on whether or not it has or has recently had line-of-sight with a player. If it is currently wandering it'll be a slow 1.0 m/s and if it's chasing it'll be a fast 3 m/s. It never operates the normal 1.7 m/s nor does it have a gradual increase of speed via line-of-sight with a player.

The Thaye's speed is entirely based on its current "age" of which it has ten age categories ranging from 2.75 m/s down to 1.0 m/s where it can be easily mistaken for a Revenant. It does not gradually increase speed based on line-of-sight of a player and will always be a steady speed during a hunt.

The Mimic can be any Ghost and can change to another Ghost every 30 seconds to 2 minutes with a pretty good possibility it won't be the same Ghost during a Hunt twice in a row assuming its been smudged each Hunt.

The Twins can be a faster Twin which operates at 1.9 m/s and the slower one which operates at 1.5 m/s but otherwise follows gradual speed increases within line-of-sight of a player. This isn't too difficult to determine from multiple Hunts but can be difficult to identify from a single Hunt.

The Yokai's detection ability is very limited during Hunt to a range of 3 meters but otherwise operates like a normal Ghost.

While a significant portion of Ghosts hunt below 50% Average Team Sanity there are a number of them who early hunt, sometimes under specific circumstances, and sometimes just in general. These Ghosts can be difficult for newer players as they try and become accustomed to Hunt threshold conditions.

The Demon can use an ability to hunt at any Sanity which is supposed to be rare but should more accurately be described as uncommon. This currently makes it the most dangerous Ghost in the game as only a setup grace period can restrain it from immediately hunting at the beginning of an investigation. If it doesn't use its ability it can normally hunt at either 75% or 80% Average Team Sanity which in itself makes it incredibly dangerous.

The Mare can hunt at 60% Average Team Sanity if the spot its trying to hunt from is in a dark room or, conversely, 40% Average Team Sanity in a well-lit room. It also has a preference for roaming into dark rooms and turning off lights so that it's often an early hunter as opposed to a late one.

The Onryo can technically hunt at any Sanity for every third lit flame it blows out which includes Firelights, campfires, and candles found at the location. It can also more generally hunt at 60% Average Team Sanity even if candles aren't involved.

The Raiju normally hunts at 50% Average Team Sanity but when it's within 2.5 meters it becomes empowered which allows it to start a hunt at 65% Average Team Sanity and once it starts hunting it also gets a significant speed boost previously mentioned in this guide.

The Thaye can be an early hunter if it decides to hunt at one of its younger ages which can be as soon as 75% until it's middle-aged when it hunts approximately around 50%. This makes it the second most dangerous Ghost in the game, second only to the Demon or the Mimic acting as one or the other. It attempts to age every 1 to 2 minutes when near a player beginning at 0 and not aging further, in terms of effects, when it hits 10.

The Mimic can effectively any Ghost and changes every 30 seconds to 2 minutes and can certainly be one of the early hunters including Demons and Thayes. If it mimics a Thaye it picks a random age which could be one of the younger ages.

The Yokai hunts at a normal threshold unless there is a nearby player talking in which case it can hunt as early as 80% Average Team Sanity -- often a pretty weak Ghost to single-players and incredibly dangerous in multi-player games with chatty teammates.

The Deogen hunts at 40% Average Team Sanity and has special rules for its abilities during a Hunt making it unlike any other Ghost in the game, at present.

The Shade is the classic example of a late hunter who won't hunt until 35% Average Team Sanity and for the longest time was the only real late hunter in the game.

I hope this guide has given you a pretty good idea of what to expect from a Ghost Hunt, how it relates to specific Ghost Types, and cleared up any confusion about misunderstandings you might have had from hearsay and faulty logic. There are other guides which may give you more specific information, especially if it pertains to specific maps and more specialized tips and strategies.

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