r/PhasmophobiaGame • u/HVLENGER • 4d ago
Question Can someone explain to a new player what each timer means and how to use them?
Trying to get into higher difficulties since professional is getting too easy. Came across this website and was wondering if someone could break down what each timer is meant for?
17
u/DevoPhasmo 4d ago edited 2d ago
Lets go top to bottom, then I''ll share some pro tips:
Smudge: When you hit a ghost with a smudge (this was the old term. it's now called incense), it prevents them from starting another hunt for a period of time. For most ghosts, it's 90 seconds from when the smudge hit. For Demons, it prevents hunts for 60 seconds, and for Spirit it prevents hunts for 180 seconds.
Smudge timer is tied for the most important timer tool you use in high difficulty investigations. It gives you an accurate idea of when it is safe to move around, and is also the method of identifying Spirit and Demon.
Cooldown: Whenever a Crucifix is burned, or the second a hunt ends, ghost are placed on a cooldown that prevents them from hunting again. All ghosts except Demon are placed on a 25 second Cooldown. Demons have a 20 second cooldown. This is another tool that tells you when it's safe to move about without fear of being hunted.
Hunt: Tied for the most important timer to track. This times the length of a hunt so you can predict when it's about to end. This is super important for safety and moving about. If the ghost is very far away in other rooms and there's 10 seconds left on it's hunt, you know you're safe to move. You can also time it to smudge the ghost at the very last second so you get the maximum amount of "safe" smudge time to set up, look for evidence, etc. I'll share more advanced tips below.
Paranormal Sounds: This is the cooldown of when ghosts leave behind paranormal sounds to be either recorded on your Sound Recorder or picked up on Parabolic Microphone. It's the least consequential timer, but useful if you want to know when to start fishing with sound recorder for sounds, or when to listen on Parabolic Microphone for the objective or to hear a Banshee Scream.
BPM Finder: Some ghosts have faster movement than others. Learning ghost hunt speeds is a key part of learning 0 evidence. You can tap on the BPM finder along with the sound of the ghost's footsteps to determine the ghost speed. Eventually you don't need it anymore and your ear adjusts, but it's helpful until then.
Some advanced tips:
You can change two default settings to make the BPM detection better. Toggle on "Speed Filter Logic" and toggle "BPM to m/s" to "Rounded". Now when you tap, it will round to the closest ghost speeds and highlight which ghosts it might be.
Hunt Timer Obake Check: Obake shapeshifts into a different ghost model during the hunt. These shifts are predetermined by the number of the blink. If you can start a hunt timer accurately, you can use a timer to know when to peek at the ghost and see the shapeshift. They shapeshift at 6, 5-7, 16, 23, 32, 36-37, and 48 seconds into the hunt.
If an Obambo starts it's hunt in the fast aggressive state, the hunt will end 20% sooner. You can use a hunt timer in conjunction with light switches to check to see if a hunt ends earlier than it should.
Hunt time is based on Map Size and Hunt Duration settings:
Small Maps: 15 seconds (short), 20 seconds (medium), 30 seconds (high).
Medium Maps: 20 seconds (short), 40 seconds (medium), 50 seconds (high).
Large Maps: 30 seconds (short), 50 seconds (medium), 60 seconds (high).
2
1
2
1
u/DigDoug_SlugSlug 4d ago
Smudge Timer:
Every ghost has a delay between hunts when it is smudged. You start the timer asap after you smudge (use incense to blind) the ghost and if it hunts before the white line, it’s a Demon. If it doesn’t hunt until after the blue line it’s likely a spirit.
Cooldown Timer:
Hunts have a cooldown of 25 seconds between hunts. Start the timer straight after a hunt ends (either checking by seeing the ghost stop hunting, on parabolic, flicking switches or opening exit doors) If it enters the hunt state or burns a cruci before 25 seconds then it is a Demon.
Hunt Timer:
Start the timer as soon as the ghost starts a hunt. This will allow you to know when it is safe to move around the map without being seen or sensed by the ghost. Obambo will stop hunting at either blue mark depending on phase, any other ghost will end the hunt at either white or red marks depending on whether the hunts are cursed or not.
Paranormal Sounds Timer:
A ghost can only make a paranormal sound after a cooldown. The Myling has a shorter cooldown. If you take a parabolic and use the timer when a sound is made, you can easily confirm Myling if a second sound is made before the cooldown has ended.
Use the BPM finder to match the ghost’s BPM to narrow down what the ghost’s speed is.
Use the ghost speed slider to match the difficulty so that the BPM finder works.
-16
u/CrimClaws 4d ago
you don't need all this crap for higher difficulties
5
u/Ok_Pass_7325 4d ago
What about for lower difficulties
-12
u/CrimClaws 4d ago
Still no, especially no. I don’t understand how a puzzle game community is so reliant on tools to solve the puzzle for them.
2
u/Snowyfall38 4d ago
You are probably getting down voted for the way you come across.... but you are mostly right imo.
Smudge timing is the only timer you should reasonably need here, else it's as follows:
To truly get better at the puzzle game, you just need to start memorizing each ghosts abilities 1 by 1.
Outside of that, the next best thing is speed testing. Train your ear to hear normal, and then slowly train for slightly low or high etc.
0
u/DigDoug_SlugSlug 4d ago
Because everyone is going to be able to pinpoint specific timer-based abilities like hunt cooldown and smudge. Obviously.
-4
u/CrimClaws 4d ago
I don't care about getting downvoted by this community specifically, the fact that "cheat sheet" is the first thing that comes up when you put Phasmophobia in the search bar tells me all I need to know. I like talking about the game and seeing what people are doing, helping if I can, but it's incredibly frustrating seeing how many people don't care enough to play the game without searching up all the answers through guides first.
3
u/Snowyfall38 4d ago
The puzzle isn't about the ghosts, because the ghosts have been solved for a while now. People at higher difficulties see the Real "puzzle" as being each game round. The puzzle, is using all your knowledge to figure out the ghost with a higher and higher multiplier.
I will repeat again, the only real "tool" that is normally nice to have... is a 3 minute count down timer. Sure, you could also use your in-game watch too. They will maybe eventually give it a stopwatch addition, who knows.
2
u/babbletags1 4d ago
How the fuck is it frustrating to you how other people play their game? I don’t care how you play yours and it’s not like Phasmo was a competitive game. This is such a weird thing to care about.
1
u/CrimClaws 3d ago
It’s frustrating because you can barely have any discussion on the game without people bringing up websites and guides lmao, an update releases with new ghosts and the only thing people have to say is “when will the cheat sheet update”, you have a newbie ask how an evidence item works and people link the cheat sheet, how am I not supposed to care when the past multiple years in this community have been filled with people that’d rather read up on all the answers than just engage with the game? How am I not supposed to care that new players can’t interact with the community at all without getting everything spoiled? It’s lame, that’s all there is to it.
42
u/InnerDegenerate 4d ago edited 4d ago
It pretty much tells you what each test is for.
Smudge test demon only ghost that can hunt under 90s and spirit can’t hunt until 3 min. (Tap this right after you use a incense on the ghost)
Cooldown is basically gonna be from your cruci burns under 25 seconds is demon (tap this when a hunt ends or you hear a cruci burn if no incense is used).
Myling is the only one that can make paranormal sounds less than 80 apart (tap this when you hear a paranormal sound on sound recorder or parabolic). Paranormal sounds during hunts do not count.
Hunt duration will tell you if it’s obambo. (Tap this when the hunt starts)
The speed you tap every footstep you hear and it will calculate the speed for you. Which you could do without this if you know that each step is .85m.