Phasmophobia Guide | All Ghost Hidden Abilities

In Phasmophobia, abilities help identify ghosts without needing any evidence, which is essential for playing on difficulties like Nightmare, Insanity, or even No Evidence mode. Some ghosts have unique abilities tied to evidence, which we will cover in this guide.

Speed-Based Abilities

Some ghosts have unique movement speeds during hunts.

Raiju

The Raiju speeds up when near powered electrical equipment, such as flashlights or DOTS projectors. It can affect electronics from farther away and may flicker your flashlight from a distance. The Raiju can hunt at 65% Sanity if active electronics are nearby. Unlike most ghosts, it does not gradually speed up with a line of sight while chasing.

Moroi

The Moroi's speed depends on player Sanity. The lower the Sanity, the faster it becomes. It also curses players who receive a response on the Spirit Box or Parabolic Mic, doubling their passive Sanity drain. The only way to break the curse is to take Sanity pills. Smudging a Moroi blinds it for 12 seconds instead of the usual 6.

Revenant

The Revenant is extremely slow when it has no line of sight but becomes one of the fastest ghosts when it spots a player. Breaking or smudging its line of sight causes it to gradually slow down again.

Hantu

The Hantu is faster in colder temperatures and slower in warmer ones. It does not speed up with a line of sight. It has an increased chance of turning off the breaker, and when it is off, it may leave visible cold breath during hunts.

Deogen

The Deogen always knows where players are and cannot be hidden from. It moves extremely fast when far from a player but slows to a crawl once close. It has a unique growl on the Spirit Box that requires the player to be very close.

Jinn

The Jinn speeds up when it spots a player at a distance but slows down when close. This ability only works if the breaker is on. The Jinn is also the only ghost that cannot turn off the breaker. It can drain 25% of Sanity when near a player, leaving an EMF 2 reading at the breaker.

The Twins

The Twins hunt at different speeds—one slightly slower and one slightly faster than normal. They can perform two interactions at the same time in different locations. However, only one twin will hunt at a time.

Thaye

The Thaye starts off young, hunting at 75% Sanity and moving very fast. Over time, it ages, gradually slowing down and becoming less aggressive. It does not speed up with a line of sight and can change its age when asked on an Ouija board.

Appearance-Based Abilities

Some ghosts have distinct visual traits during hunts.

Obake

The Obake has a 6.66% chance to change its ghost model while blinking during a hunt. It leaves fingerprints less often and can create unique six-finger fingerprints. However, as evidenced in Nightmare and Insanity, it always has fingerprints.

Oni

The Oni is very visible during hunts, blinking less frequently than other ghosts. It cannot perform airball ghost events, which means if you get one, you can rule out the Oni.

Phantom

The Phantom blinks very slowly during hunts, making it appear almost invisible for long periods. If you take a photo of it during a ghost event, it will disappear, though the ghost event will continue. Phantoms also have teleportation abilities, which we'll cover next.

Teleportation and Wandering Abilities

These ghosts can unexpectedly appear in different locations.

Wraith

The Wraith can teleport to a player anywhere in the house and will generate an EMF 2 reading when it does. It is the only ghost that does not leave footprints in salt.

Banshee

The Banshee picks a single player as its target and only hunts based on that player's Sanity rather than the team's average. It will always go after its target, ignoring others during hunts. This allows for easy testing in multiplayer mode, as it consistently hunts one player while ignoring the others. It has a unique scream on the Parabolic Mic.

Early Hunting Abilities

These ghosts can hunt before reaching the usual 50% Sanity threshold.

Mare

The Mare hunts at 60% Sanity in the dark and 40% Sanity when lights are on. It possesses the ability to instantly switch off lights upon their activation. While it is rumored to cause more light-breaking ghost events, its existence is not a guaranteed indicator.

Demon

The Demon is one of the most aggressive ghosts, capable of hunting at 70% Sanity with a rare ability to hunt at any Sanity level. Smudging only prevents its hurt for 60 seconds instead of the usual 90. Its crucifix range is increased from 3 meters to 5 meters. It can hunt every 20 seconds instead of the usual 25.

Yokai

The Yokai has trouble detecting voices and equipment during hunts unless the player is within 2.5 meters. If players talk near it, it can hunt at 80% Sanity.

Onryo

The Onryo cannot hunt if there is a lit candle within 4 meters. However, after blowing out three candles, it can hunt at any Sanity level. It frequently blows out candles and sometimes even extinguishes lighters held by players.

Miscellaneous Abilities

These ghosts have other unique traits.

Spirit

The Spirit takes 3 minutes to hunt after being smudged, while other ghosts resume hunting after 90 seconds. This behavior makes it easy to test by smudging and timing the next hunt.

Poltergeist

The Poltergeist is highly interactive and frequently throws objects. It has a special ability to explode a pile of items. Every item thrown by a Poltergeist drains the player's Sanity by 2%. During hunts, it throws objects more frequently than other ghosts.

Myling

Compared to other ghosts, Myling's hunting footsteps are quieter and only audible within a 12-meter radius. The best way to test this is to drop a flashlight on the floor and observe whether its flickering stops at the same time the ghost's footsteps disappear.

Yurei

The Yurei can drain 15% of Sanity when slamming a door fully shut. It can also touch doors twice in rapid succession. Smudging a Yurei will temporarily trap it in its room, making it less likely to wander.

Shade

The Shade is the shyest ghost and will not hunt if a player is in the same room. It rarely performs ghost events, and if it does, they are usually airball events. Shades are generally very inactive.

Goryo

The Goryo always documents DOTS but only shows them on video when no one is present. It is the only ghost that will never change its favorite room.

Mimic

The Mimic can copy the abilities of any other ghost, making it difficult to identify. It always has Ghost Orbs as a hidden piece of evidence. On Professional, it has a spirit box, freezing temperatures, fingerprints, and ghost orbs.

On Nightmare, it has two of those, plus Ghost Orbs. If you see Ghost Orbs with one of these evidence types, check for another to confirm it's a Mimic.