Phantoms are very elusive ghosts who don’t like being seen in Phasmophobia. This can make them one of the trickier ghosts to catch, so you must know how to identify one if you’re hoping to catch this ghost.
There’s official evidence and a collection of unique behaviors you can watch for to identify or rule out a Phantom. Knowing all of this information before you tackle a ghost hunt is crucial, so here’s how to identify a Phantom in Phasmophobia.
Phantom evidence in Phasmophobia
All Phantoms have three key pieces of evidence to watch for in Phasmophobia: Spirit Box, Ultraviolet, and DOTS Projector. If the ghost is a Phantom, these are the only three types of evidence you’ll find.
| Evidence | How to get |
|---|---|
| Spirit Box | Ask the ghost questions through the Spirit Box to catch a reply. Any response through this machine counts as Spirit Box evidence since ghosts that don’t have this item as evidence will never respond to you through it. |
| Ultraviolet | Use a UV Light to catch fingerprints, footprints, or handprints around the map. You can find UV prints across most surfaces including doors, windows, light switches, keyboards, remotes, and mirrors. |
| DOTS Projector | Place a DOTS Projector down on the map and see a ghost travel through it. You can see this effect in person for all ghosts who have this as one of their evidence types except for the Goryo, which can only be seen through a Video Camera. |
Phantom behavior, patterns, and clues in Phasmophobia
In addition to the official evidence you can catch to definitively identify a Phantom, you can watch out for several behaviors, patterns, and clues. Here’s a breakdown of all the traits you need to be on the lookout for if you want to catch a Phantom.
- If a photo is taken of a Phantom, it will be invisible in the photo. The photo you take will still be labeled as a ghost photo even though you can’t see any ghost present in it.
- If a photo is taken during a ghost event, the Phantom will disappear, electronic equipment will malfunction, and the heartbeat sound will stop, but the event sound will continue as usual. This means you can catch a Phantom if you snap a photo in an event and the ghost vanishes but the sounds are still active.
- If a photo of a Phantom is taken while it’s in the DOTS Projector, it will disappear.
- If a photo is taken during a hunt, the Phantom will be invisible in the photo but will flash in and out as a visible ghost model for the duration of the event.
- Phantoms are far less visible during ghost hunts than all other kinds of ghosts.
- Phantoms have a special ability that targets a random player and travels to their location. This ability creates an EMF level two reading.
- Being within a Phantom’s line of sight during ghost hunts and events reduces your sanity by 0.5 per second.
Tips for identifying a Phantom in Phasmophobia
Catching this ghost can be tricky, so here are some tips to help make identifying a Phantom easier.
Take pictures often
The biggest giveaway for a Phantom is when it disappears in photos, so taking pictures often is the best way to test for this ghost. If you think a Phantom might be present, make sure someone on your team has a Photo Camera in their inventory at all times and that they’re regularly snapping shots to try and catch it.
Pay attention to how often you see the physical ghost model
Phantoms generally don’t like to be seen, which means they appear physically far less than other types of ghosts, so always pay attention to how often you see the physical ghost model, especially during hunts and events. If the ghost seems to be far less visible than expected, it could be a Phantom.
Trigger a ghost hunt or use a Cursed Possession
The easiest way to get the actual ghost model to appear is through a hunt or a Cursed Object like the Summoning Circle, so consider triggering either one so you can work on snapping some photos. Both of these methods are highly dangerous, so this should be more of a last resort than the main way you try to catch the ghost.
Since Phantoms are way less visible during hunts, you need to be extra careful when dealing with one. You won’t be able to see them as often, so you should rely more on sound than visibility to stay alive and successfully get away during any hunts you experience. A ghost that you can only hear but not really see during a hunt could be a Phantom, so although they’re dangerous, they can sometimes be easier to catch based on this behavior.
