Sanity, Hunts, and Survival Guide

Sanity is your primary resource in Phasmophobia. As your team average sanity drops, the frequency and danger of ghost events and hunts increase sharply.

This guide covers sanity mechanics, ghost hunt execution, control keybinds, survival tactics, and cursed possessions.

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Sanity Drain Mechanics

Team sanity starts at 100% when stepping off the truck (except on Custom difficulties with lowered starting sanity).

Primary Sanity Drain Sources

• Darkness: Standing in rooms with main lights off drains sanity continuously over time. Small maps drain approximately 0.12% per second per player in darkness.
• Ghost Events: Being touched by a ghost manifestation or standing near a ghost event drains 10% to 20% sanity instantly.
• Ghost Abilities: Special ghost abilities (Yurei door slams, Jinn power siphon, Poltergeist multi-item throws) cause abrupt sanity drops.
• Cursed Possessions: Using cursed items (Ouija Board, Tarot Cards, Haunted Mirror) consumes significant sanity per interaction.

Sanity Management Priority Flow:
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Turn on Main Hallway Lights     │ ──► Keeps passive drain near 0%
└────────────────┬────────────────┘
                 │
                 ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Take Sanity Pills at 50% Threshold│ ──► Delays standard ghost hunt triggers
└────────────────┬────────────────┘
                 │
                 ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│ Monitor Truck Sanity Board      │ ──► Keeps team informed of danger zones
└─────────────────────────────────┘

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Ghost Hunt Mechanics

When team average sanity drops below a ghost's hunt threshold, the ghost rolls periodic checks to initiate a hunt.

Difficulty Grace Periods

During the grace period at the start of a hunt, the ghost is locked in place or invisible, allowing players time to run and hide.

Difficulty	Grace Period Duration	Ghost Speed Acceleration
Amateur	5.0 seconds	Slow
Intermediate	3.0 seconds	Standard
Professional	2.0 seconds	Standard
Nightmare / Insanity	1.0 second	Fast

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How Ghosts Track Players During Hunts

During a hunt, ghosts search for players using three primary tracking mechanisms:

1. Line of Sight (LOS): If a ghost spots a player, it locks on and accelerates over time (except Hantu, Deogen, and Thaye).
2. Active Electronics: Ghosts detect active hand-held flashlights, cameras, EMF readers, or Spirit Boxes within 8 meters.
3. Voice Audio: Ghosts hear player microphones within 8 meters. Speaking or using open mics alerts the ghost instantly.

Ghost Line-of-Sight Acceleration:
[Base Speed: 1.7 m/s] ──► [Spotted Player] ──► [Accelerates continuously up to 2.8 m/s] ──► [Loses sight: returns to base speed over 5s]

Control Keybinds and VR Optimizations

• PC Quick Inventory (Keybinds 1-4): Use numerical keys 1, 2, 3, and 4 for instant gear swapping during hunts instead of scroll-wheel cycling. Press the dedicated watch inspect key to check sanity and contract time without holding an item.
• VR Control Improvements: Headset gaze tracking dictates turning orientation instantly. Upper body animations remain independent of foot locomotion, keeping held video cameras and parabolic microphones completely stable while walking.

Closet and Hiding Spot Rules

• Closets & Lockers: Crouch inside, turn off all gear, stop speaking, and hold one door handle shut if the ghost comes near.
• Furniture Hiding: Crouch behind boxes, beds, or partition walls out of direct line of sight from room entrances.
• Incense Stun Defense: If trapped in a dead end, light Incense when the ghost approaches. Tier III Incense completely halts a charging ghost in place for a moment while blinding it, allowing you to reposition.

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Cursed Possessions Reference

Every map spawns exactly one Cursed Possession at a fixed location (unless playing on Custom difficulty with zero cursed items).

Cursed Items Map Selection:
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ Tarot Cards  │ │ Ouija Board  │ │ Haunted Mirror│ │ Music Box    │
└──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘
┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ ┌──────────────┐
│ Summon Circle│ │ Monkey Paw   │ │ Voodoo Doll  │
└──────────────┘ └──────────────┘ └──────────────┘

1. Tarot Cards (Deck of 10 Cards)

• The Sun: Restores sanity to 100% (5% chance).
• The Moon: Drops sanity instantly to 0% (5% chance).
• The Tower: Forces a ghost interaction and doubles activity for 20s (20% chance).
• The Wheel of Fortune: Grants +25% sanity (green glow) or takes -25% sanity (red glow) (20% chance).
• The Devil: Triggers a ghost event near the player (10% chance).
• The Hermit: Teleports ghost back to ghost room and locks it for 1m (10% chance).
• The High Priestess: Revives a dead teammate or stores a revive charge for the next death (2% chance).
• The Hanged Man: Instantly kills the drawing player (1% chance).
• Death: Triggers a cursed hunt instantly (10% chance).
• Fool: Appears as another card initially, then transforms into The Fool upon drawing (17% chance).
• Active Hunt Override: Drawing ANY Tarot Card during an active hunt forces a 100% hard-coded chance to draw The Fool, preventing the deck from being used as a defense item.

2. Ouija Board

• Purpose: Ask questions regarding ghost room location ("Where are you?"), bone location ("Where is the bone?"), or player sanity ("What is my sanity?").
• Cost: Drains sanity per question answered (-20% to -50%).
• Crucial Rule: Always say "Good Bye" to end the session. Walking away without saying Good Bye shatters the board and triggers an immediate cursed hunt.

3. Haunted Mirror

• Purpose: Peer into the mirror to see a real-time panorama view of the ghost room.
• Cost: Drains sanity rapidly at approximately 20% per second. Peering into the mirror with 0% sanity shatters it and triggers a cursed hunt.

4. Music Box

• Purpose: Plays a tune that forces the ghost to sing along, revealing its location.
• Cost: Ghost walks toward the box while singing. If the ghost gets within 5 meters or touches the player holding the box, it initiates a cursed hunt.

5. Summoning Circle

• Purpose: Light all 5 candles using a Lighter to summon the ghost trapped inside the circle for 5 seconds (great for ghost photos).
• Cost: Each lit candle consumes 16% player sanity. Traps ghost for 5 seconds before triggering a cursed hunt.

6. Monkey Paw

• Purpose: Grants up to 3-5 wishes depending on difficulty multiplier.
• Popular Wishes: "I wish to see the ghost" (forces ghost event, blinds player), "I wish for sanity" (sets team sanity to 50%, accelerates sanity drain), "I wish to resurrect" (revives player, has 50% chance to kill wisher).

7. Voodoo Doll

• Purpose: Push pins into the doll to force ghost interactions.
• Cost: Each pin pushed drains 5% sanity. Pushing the heart pin drains 50% sanity and triggers a cursed hunt.