1. Introduction
   
2. Custom difficulty settings
   
3. Equipment
   
4. How to approach
   
5. How to handle the Hunt and learn something from it
   
6. What can a van camper do?
   
7. What to do before the first hunt
   
8. What to look for during a hunt
   
9. What to do after the first hunt
   
10. The usual suspects
    
11. The special ones
    
12. The normal ghosts
    
13. Custom Difficulty variations
    
14. Conclusion
    
15. Credits and References

The Camp Woodwind (CWW) grind strategy, also known as the Doof strat, Doof Goober strat, CWW strat/grind, or Madixx strat is a popular method for grinding levels, money, and prestige for Phasmophobia. In most cases it allows for a 12.97x rewards modifier which means potentially several thousand cash ($2000 - $5000+) and experience for a few minutes of work in correctly guessing the Ghost Type. It is not the only grind strategy and there are variations on this strategy which operate with different rewards modifier usually somewhere between 11x and 13x.

The basic idea is to have a zero sanity / zero evidence run where you base your prediction on either a single Hunt or a couple of Hunts with the priority being to correctly guess the Ghost Type. It's not hard to complete some if not all of the optional objectives and that is usually a secondary goal to ensure at least a little bit of a payout.

The strategy can be done just as easily with any number of players although your tactics may vary on going solo or with others. The inclusion of other players does make the scenario potentially more chaotic however, as trying to coordinate responses to Hunts and tactics within each Hunt can be difficult.

The Woodwind strat is done on a Custom Difficulty with settings that, usually, provides a 12.97x Reward modifier for pretty significant contract payouts if the Ghost Type is guessed correctly for a relatively brief amount of time and work.

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This means that a hunt will happen very quickly, sometimes instantaneously, when the first player enters the location so you should get setup before anybody opens the gate into Camp Woodwind.


Sanity medications won't do a thing here so you shouldn't even bring them along, otherwise they'll get wasted, or worse, consumed for no reason.


This should be set to the highest Sanity, not that you'll have any Sanity worth draining though.


You can't sprint away so just pretend like it doesn't even exist.


This is one of the settings we don't make any harder and it restrains the reward modifier as a result.


Flashlights won't work at all so don't even bring extra ones.


If you turn this off, you turn off any reward possibilities.

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The Ghost will walking be all over the place and could hunt from anywhere.


The Ghost's favorite room might change once even in a short game, each round probably won't last long enough for it to change it multiple times.


Honestly, its rare for me to get a Ghost that isn't at least a bit active before or after its first hunt of the round so don't worry too much about this setting.


You'll probably still have a good chance of getting at least one Ghost Event and multiple ones if you stay around for multiple Hunts.


You have to turn this off to get ANY Rewards.


This is often the most difficult settings for most players as it can immediately start a hunt on top of you and kill you.


The hunt duration on a medium setting on a Small map is 20 seconds, any longer and many tactics won't be as effective in keeping you alive.


I originally thought this was neccesary but apparently it won't increase the rewards if you turn this ON.


This is another ones of the keys to this setting is this is a No Evidence run so no need to even use most of the evidence-gathering equipment.

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There is no setup time as that's primarily just for Amateur and Intermediate difficulties. You should do any needed setup BEFORE you open the gate.


Fog lets you see most things but Windy makes it easier to see false orbs with a Mimic or freezing breath with a Hantu.


You can't use the presence of open tents to let you know where the Ghost currently is -- needed for the higher rewards modifier.


Everything that blocks line-of-sight is a hiding spot, you'll be looping the Ghost most of the time anyway.


It'll be broken so you won't need to see your Sanity is at 0, when you already know it's at 0 from the other settings.


You won't be able to see EMF activity from the Truck, then again, nobody should be staying in the Truck.


The fuse box will be broken and all rooms will be at their ambient temperature except for the Ghost's favorite room and current location which will be colder. This means you should check what ambient temperatures are for the chosen weather.


No cursed possessions, it annoys the kids, but would 0 gives you more rewards and less ability to troll the rest of the team.

Unless you don't have them or you are attempting a minimalist approach this is a must-have for this strategy. It allows you to protect your position from sudden hunts so you have time to react and it allows you to potentially complete an optional objective. You should always upgrade this when you have the chance and bring the highest tiered ones to the investigation.


This is largely useless, especially Tier I and II, but Tier III can function as a rather noisy light source in some circumstances.


If you want to check for a Raiju, see where Ghost Interactions and Ghost Events are happening, complete an optional objective, and know if a Ghost is in range for electronic interference this is one of your go-to items. The Tier II model allows for a Raiju test from the computer in the van/truck; otherwise, the Tier III model has more range and a better display.


A good source of light where Flashlights don't work, completes an optional objective, and can sometimes serve as a test for the Onryo. I suggest bringing three along even if you don't need to complete the optional objective. The Tier II model won't extinguish automatically when dropped -- immediately useful if thrown ove rthe gate during setup so it'll illuminate the immediate area on an otherwise dark map.


Completely useless, good for trolling players and that's it.


Completely useless.


It has some value as the Tier I is a camera, Tier II is a light source, and Tier III is an even better light source with night vision. However, it's easy to forget to turn this off during a Hunt and many players have died to that mistake.


A small light source that the Ghost can't detect and is necessary to ignite Incense and Firelights. A somewhat recent game update allows you to now carry an igniter in its own inventory slot leaving your three other slots open for other items. There's no excuse not to carry but keep in mind that the Tier I Igniter is a matchbox of 10 matches and once they are gone, they're gone.


Only bring in Tier I Incense! unless you want to also slow down the Ghost; while that sounds nice in theory it means it'll miss up trying to determine the Ghost's current speed and when disoriented they can't travel as fast away from the player. It can also automatically complete two different optional objectives if used against a Ghost during a hunt.


It mostly serves a purpose to fuillfill a possible optional objective but can be useful to let you track a roaming Ghost and whatever or not it's on top of you. If you have the Tier III upgrade unlocked I recommend regular use as it'll allow you to track the Ghost's movements but Tier I and II are mostly just useful for completing an optional objective.


It's primary value is to complete an optional objective but it can also give you a definite tell for the Banshee and possible clue to the Myling. It also lets you figure out where the Ghost possibly is and where to possibly expect it to begin its Hunt. You should upgrade this as Tier II and III give you additional visual information about where the sound is coming from.


Media rewards mean more money but getting five unique photos may be difficult between Hunts. it can also be used to test if the Ghost is a Phantom during a Ghost Event.


You can photograph it for money and it gives you a definite tell about a Wraith. You should upgrade this to Tier II as soon as possible but avoiding bringing in Tier III as it'll slow down the Ghost during a hunt and potentially cause confusion about its speed.


Completely useless, don't bring unless you want to pay for the consumable.


This can act as a much shorter-range Parabolic Microphone for detecting the Banshee Scream or Deogen Breathing. it can also record sounds and more Media means more money.


Mostly useless given the duration of the typical round, but sometimes useful to guess the Ghost's current location and roaming patterns (if any). It also has some potential value in listening out for Poltergeist multi-throws from safety.


Completely useless except if you need to empower a Raiju, and in that case you should be using an EMF Reader for the job.


Not completely useless but generally something I don't bring along. It might help you to determine the Ghost's favorite room and current location. It also might have some value in determining what a Hantu's speed might be in a given room.


Useful if you intend to setup Video Cameras, Tier II and III models are even more useful as they have full rotational control.


The Tier II version is a decent light source and safe from being detected by the Ghost but otherwise kinda useless. Tier I and III models are electronic and won't work with flashlights being off.


The only use for it is to detect the Mimic's false orbs, which may be difficult in foggy weather. It can also record video which means more Media Rewards.

You can attempt anything from a minimalist approach of just surviving a single Hunt, usually with an Igniter and Incense in hand, or go all out and bring most of the equipment to attempt to rule out various Ghost Types. If you plan to bring in additional equipment it's highly recommended that you throw it over the gate before unlocking and opening the gate. This allows you to have all of the desired equipment at hand as time is an important factor.

• Minimalist approach is meant to determine the Ghost from a single hunt or make a random chance and immediately leave.
  
• Bring along an Igniter and anywhere from one to three Incense for the Hunt.
  
• Get the Ghost to hunt, observe its characteristics, and decide.
  
• You need to be able to effectively observe the Ghost throughout the Hunt while trying to survive.

• More typical approaches would also bring in Crucifixes, Salt, and an EMF Reader minimally to provide protection, testing for Wraith, and a way to empower a potential Raiju during a Hunt.
  
• This also opens up more options to complete optional objectives, netting you at least a small reward for the effort, even if you guess the Ghost incorrectly.
  
• Setting up more equipment requires more time both before you open the gate and before the first Hunt, so it's a balancing act.

• Traditional advice for dealing with a Hunt is "hide, run or fight" and that adage still applies somewhat to this strategy. Your options are, however, limited as you want to observe the Ghost's behavior during the Hunt so you can decide.
  
• You won't have the ability to sprint as it's been turned off so your only defenses will be trying to block line-of-sight and the use of Incense.
  
• Inversely hiding too well means you don't get to observe the Ghost in its chase phase and you probably won't be able to observe the Ghost well enough from your hiding spot.

• The area around the two picnic tables is often the best place for a Hunt however some players choose to use the logs and campfire area so it forces the Ghost to circle around to catch you but offers less affordance for blocking line-of-sight.
  
• You have better reaction times, can take sharper turns, and aren't limited to an algorithm unlike the Ghost. The act of taking advantage of this and moving in a generally circular pattern around objects is known as "looping".

• The Hunt always lasts 20 seconds unless it's ended early by a player's death. This means if it hunts from far away it may take much of that time to even reach you. Of course, it could also hunt on top of you and since there is no grace period you won't have any time to react.
  
• The smudge will disorient the Ghost for 5 seconds or 7.5 seconds if it's a Moroi or a Mimic mimicking a Moroi. The smudge effects begin when the Ghost is smudged (and not the end of the Hunt) so early smudges will allow the Ghost to hunt all the more sooner.

• The Ghost operates in two modes during a Hunt -- wandering and chasing -- once it detects a player it enters into a chasing phase until it reaches the last position it detected the player in which case it'll go back into wandering if it doesn't detect a player anymore.
  
• Ideally you want the Ghost in wandering modes for at least some of the Hunt so you can see what its base hunting speed is but this may be unavoidable if it immediately detected a player when it started the Hunt.
  
• A Ghost in chase mode builds up speed fairly quickly and will be sufficiently faster than its base speed.

If you are playing multiplayer and wondering what a player in the van (or in the area between the van/truck and the front gate) could do, if anything:

• Another pair of eyes that can watch the hunt (if done around the picnic tables) that aren't otherwise busy trying to survive a hunt. They may notice and either confirm or deny other players observations as they can observe the entire chase of hunt with complete immunity.
  [*[ Watch for ghost orbs from The Mimic -- even more effective if a video camera is placed inside the location. It often helps if multiple players check for orbs to reduce the chance of a false positive. If multiple cameras are positioned on Tier II or Tier II tripods then a van player could watch for orbs from various video feeds.
  
• A special test can be done positioned at the computer in the van by holding an EMF Reader and listening -- if you can hear the Ghost while it's hunting around the picnic tables it is not a Myling and if dp doesn't get any electronic interference with an EMF Reader while standing next ot the computer then it's not a Raiju.
  
• Lastly it allows for an investigation to not end in complete failure as even dead players will get some rewards from optional objectives and photos.

You might have a bit of time to setup before the first hunt and that also depends on what equipment you are bringing in but here's a checklist:

• Does everybody in the team have an Igniter and Incense, either on them or nearby?
  
• Have you put additional Incense nearby so it can picked up quickly?
  
• Has Salt been put down in the area where you intend to loop the Ghost?
  
• Is there a Crucifix (with charges left) in that same area?
  
• Is there a nearby active EMF Reader? (for Raiju, EMF detection, and optional objective)
  
• Have you set up motion sensors? (if you have the optional objective)
  
• Have you lit and deployed a Firelight? (for light, optional objective, and possible Onryo test)
  
• Do you have a Parabolic Microphone handy? (optional objective, ghost location, banshee check)
  
• Do you have a Sound Recorder handy (in lieu of a Parabolic Microphone for short range sounds, optional objs)?
  
• Do you have the Photo Camera handy? (optional objectives, media rewards, optional objs)
  
• Do you have the Video Camera handy? (check for Mimic false orbs, media rewards, optional objs)
  
• Have you checked the temperature of your designated looping area? (Know what to expect in speed from Hantu)

The Ghost has successfully started a 20-second hunt, what do you look for:

• How far away can you hear it? Is it 20 meters or only 12 meters? Can you hear electronic interference but not footsteps? Can you hear your heartbeat and still no footsteps?
  
• Is it detecting you beyond 2.5 meters? Does it seem to ignore you even when you stand and make a bunch of noise?
  
• What speed is it starting at? 1.7 m/s? Slower? Faster?
  
• Is it gradually or suddenly gaining speed based on line-of-sight?
  
• What is its flickering pattern? Most Ghosts have the same pattern, Oni is more visible, Phantom is more invisible, Deogen is a bit off too and Mimic can be anything.
  
• Is it slowing down as it approaches you? Dead ringer for Deogen.
  
• Does it seem to have a steady speed that doesn't change?
  
• Suddenly fast or slow based on line-of-sight with no gradual changes?
  
• Is it disturbing Salt piles or lines? Did you make sure it ran over them?
  
• What does it do when you smudge it? Disoriented for 5 or 7 1/2 seconds? Suddenly slow down?
  
• Does it ignore other players for a single target? (Ignore this in Single Player)

You had your first hunt in the investigation and somehow managed to survive, what next?

• You have approximately 20 seconds to 3 minutes of time before the next Hunt. The Ghost doesn't have to hunt at its next available opportunity so your exact window of time could vary greatly and also, keep in mind, that the timer begins when the Ghost was first smudged and not necessarily when the Hunt ended.
  
• Did you learn anything useful from the Hunt? Do you need time to confer with your other teammates (if you're not solo) ?
  
• Were you able to successfully the smudge the Ghost during the hunt?
  
• The following lists likely scenarios although, again, the timer is based off the smudge and not the Hunt itself.

• If you have 20 seconds left then it's a Demon or a Mimic mimicking a Demon and you didn't smudge it successfully.
  
• You have a brief period to setup items you didn't previously setup such as repositing Crucifixes, laying down Salt, taking some quick media, etc.
  
• If a Demon (or a Mimic mimicking a Demon) expends one of the Crucifix charges then this is how much time you have until it can try again.

• If you have 25 seconds left then its not a Demon (or a Mimic not mimicking a Demon) and weren't able to successfully smudge the Ghost.
  
• Pretty much like the previous scenario but 5 more seconds can allow you to take another action or two but don't be cocky. You might be able to get one more piece of Media such as a photo.

• If you have 60 seconds left you successfully smudged a Demon or a Mimic mimicking a Demon so you have roughly triple the amount of time than if you didn't smudge it.
  
• You now have a bit of time to try and look for false ghost orbs (if its a Mimic), possibly find the Bone, position a Crucifix where you saw it hunt from, etc.

• If you have 90 seconds because you smudged the Ghost and it was not a Demon or Spirit nor it was a Mimic mimicking either a Demon or a Spirit. This is the most typical outcome from your first Hunt so best to use it wisely!
  
• You can probably do a quick check for the Bone's location, check for false orbs (if it's a Mimic), and maybe even try and figure out the Ghost's favorite room. You should also remember that this timer began when you smudged the Ghost and not when the Hunt actually ended so it'll probably be less than 90 seconds.

• The last possibility is you have 180 seconds because you successfully smudged a Spirit or a Mimic mimicking a Spirit. You can get a lot done with approximately 3 minutes and its not unheard of for investigators to get perfect games with a Spirit.
  
• Be aware that a Mimic will change Ghost types so this cooldown can decease between Hunts.

The usual suspects is what I call the Moroi, Deogen, Thaye, and Revenant. They are extremely obvious during a Hunt because of their speed or other behaviors although it's not uncommon to mistake the difference between the Moroi and the Thaye. The Deogen is usually the most obvious among them and what most players want to get during a CWW 12.97x game.


Since everybody is at 0% Sanity the Moroi will start out at a fast-paced 2.25 m/s and then with line-of-sight can turn into the fastest ghost in the game at 3.71 m/s. If you see a fast Ghost and it becomes astoundingly even faster as it gets closer to you then it's a Moroi.


It starts out fast at 3.0 m/s but slows down to a crawl of 0.4 m/s when its within 2.5 meters of its target -- this is the best Ghost in the world and means you can loop it every Hunt for as long as you need to. This is the perfect Ghost to attempt a perfect investigation that can net you upwards of $5000 and beyond.


This Ghost speed is dependent on its Age and it'll most lilely Hunt when its either 0 and 2.75 m/s or 1 and 2.575 m/s but a long enough investigation might age it further. The key difference is it won't change speeds at all during the Hunt. This is the Ghost to practice your looping skills to pure mastery.


This Ghost only has two speeds -- slow at 1.0 m/s and fast at 3.0 m/s -- and nothing in between those numbers. If it has line-of-sight of a player or has a last known waypoint it'll be fast then otherwise it'll be slow. If it's smudged it'll also slow down for those 5 seconds so that its major tell for this strategy. This is also why you want to use Tier I Incense only as Tier II and Tier III will artificially slow it while it's disoriented.

The special ones is the name I give to Ghosts which have a distinct tell but aren't as obvious as the usual suspects. You may need to bring in additional equipment to test that tell or to rule them out completely and in some cases it can be down to random chance.


The Banshee has distinct yet different tells -- the unique banshee scream over the Parabolic Microphone and the fact it targets a single player both for roaming and during a Hunt. This is a tougher one of the "special ones" because it's basically a "normal ghost" on single-player and can be iffy even on multi-player. You'll need a Parabolic Microphone or Sound Recorder to listen for its scream but even then it's not a guarantee you'll hear it. You should keep in mind that the Sound Recorder has a much shorter range.


The Demon can be a bit iffy and requires you to keep precise time of when the Ghost has been smudged and when it consumes a charge from a Crucifix. The Demon only has a 20-second cooldown to attempt another Hunt after it uses a Crucifix charge, and smudging only prevents it from Hunting for 60 seconds. There's no guarantee a Demon, even at 0% Sanity, will immediately try to hunt the exact moment it's able to so to completely rule it out might take a bit of time.


It's especially vocal over the Parabolic Microphone and Sound Recorder and can't be heard past 12 meters (instead of the usual 20 meters) during a Hunt. This check requires it to start its Hunt considerably away from the players and becomes a "normal ghost" if it doesn't do that. The range between the picnic tables and the computer in the van/truck is a bit past 12 meters.


The Obake is guaranteed to change models at least once each Hunt, possibly several times, and this is its only real tell for Woodwind strategy. It has also been reported it may take a double-step when it begins the Hunt since it has to load in two different ghost models although this may have been patched already.


The Oni won't perform "air attack" / "mist ball" Ghost Events and while it hunts it'll remain visible 2/3rds of the time, sometimes incorrectly described as "flickering less". This can be a bit harder to see during a Hunt as compared to the Phantom.


There are several tells for this Ghost which can be checked during the woodwind strategy. If you have a photo camera and take its picture it'll immediately disappear even if the Ghost Event continues and it won't appear in its own ghost photo. Lastly, it'll "flicker less" and can remain invisible for a full 1 to 2 seconds at a time during the Hunt -- making it harder to track or loop during a Hunt.


It likes to throw stuff, it can throw stuff hard, and it can make an utter mess of objects during the hunt. It's the only Ghost that can throw multiple objects at the same time either outside or during a Hunt. However, that throw range during a Hunt is only 0.5 meters so it has to be near a lot of objects before it can throw them.


It is empowered by active player electronics within 2.5 meters of it and it will be at a constant 2.5 m/s while it is empowered. However, when it's empowered it's still gaining speed from line-of-sight and applies that once it's no empowered. This means that you should watch out for sudden speed changes as it moves to and fro where you have electronics set up, preferably near the picnic tables or campfire.


It always has one tell, no matter what, and that is when it's smudged it can't hunt for a full 3 minutes while most Ghosts can't hunt for 90 seconds (1 minute, 30 seconds). You need some kind of time-keeper to determine this and a Ghost not hunting for that long isn't a guarantee of it being a Spirit.


The Mimic will probably change Ghost Types its mimicking between Hunts, but that isn't a guarantee, so it may require several Hunts to determine it's The Mimic. You can also check for false ghost orbs through a Video Camera but this can be troublesome as you need to see the false orbs in its favorite room which can also be frequently changing.


The slow one starts out at 1.53 m/s (I round it to 1.5 m/s) and the fast one starts out at 1.87 m/s (I round it to 1.9 m/s) but otherwise, they obey the "normal ghost" rules of gradual speed increase with line-of-sight of a player. You might also look for "Twineractions" but even that isn't a guarantee.


If you put down Salt and it runs over it during the Hunt but doesn't disturb it -- it's either a Wraith or a Mimic as a Wraith. This is one of the easiest Ghosts to test for but it does require you to put down Salt and run the Ghost over it. You might get lucky and it steps in Salt before or after the Hunt.


This ghost can't hear or detect you past 2.5 meters but, inversely to the Myling, it needs to be far enough away from you so you can test this out. However keep in mind that 2.5 meters is a much shorter distance than 10 meters so can often be tested out during a Hunt. It's also possible for to head towards a player's position regardless of whatever or not it has detected them, listening for line-of-sight speed changes is important.

The normal ghosts are what I call ghosts who have no easily discernable tell and have a speed of 1.7 m/s during hunts with a gradual speed increase based on the line-of-sight with a player. They are impossible or near-impossible to determine with a woodwind strategy and are the bane of grinders everywhere.


The only possible tell is that it won't change its favorite room but with this strategy you probably don't have the time to track down its favorite room. You might make an educated guess if, after multiple Hunts, it seems to be hunting from the same area everytime. If the Ghost seems to change its favorite room then that also rules out a Goryo.


The things that make the Jinn unique are absent as the Fuse Box is permanently broken. If you can't find any other Ghost tells then Jinn might be your best default answer.


You are already at 0% Sanity and the Fuse Box is already broken so it shows little uniqueness -- some people guess it if it breaks the lights, especially multiple times.


It won't hunt on top of a player so each player acts as a 4 meter Crucifix with unlimited charges but at 0% Sanity it, more or less, acts like your typical ghost. If you know it's hanging out at your position but doesn't ever seem to consume Crucifix charges it might be a Shade.


If somehow it spends much of its time at the entrance and suddenly the gates close shut and it's not a player, a Ghost Event, or a Ghost Hunt then that's the only way you'll be able to tell if its a Yurei.

While 12.97x is the most common custom difficulty for this strategy here are some variations that alter the reward modifier and conversely make it easier or harder:

• Turning Sprinting ON will reduce it to 11.47x and makes dealing with Hunts a bit easier, helps to conserve Incense, makes Tier III Sanity Medication useful (infinite sprint), and lets you get more done with less time.
  
• Adding 1 second to grace period only reduces it to 12.47x and gives you some actual time to react to a Hunt, especially if its starting a hunt on top of you.
  
• Kills extend hunt does nothing for the rewards modifier because it'd give a decided advantage to solo players.
  
• Setting Changing favorite room to none only reduces it to 12.67x and lets you locate the favorite room more easily but also makes it more difficult to determine its a Goryo.
  
• Setting player speed to 50 and ghost speed to 150 results in 14.97x although it'll make looping virtually impossible unless it happens to be a Hantu or Deogen.

I hope this guide has helped you to learn the woodwind grind strategy and that this strategy won't be nerfed or weakened by the game developers any time soon! You shouldn't be afraid to tailor this strategy to your own needs, perhaps with adjustments to the Custom Difficulty settings or creating your own approach during the investigation.

“Phasmophobia Wiki | Fandom.” Phasmophobia Wiki | Fandom, Accessed 26 Sept. 2023.

Thanks to Madixx and his team for popularizing this strategy in 2023!