The Monkey Paw in Phasmophobia presents players with a potent yet risky cursed item. While all cursed possessions carry negative effects, the Monkey Paw's benefits can be substantial when used with caution and precision, offering abilities that range from manipulating the environment to saving a fallen teammate. However, every wish granted by the Monkey Paw comes with a price.
Monkey Paw Wishes and Their Outcomes
Using the Monkey Paw involves picking it up and articulating a wish, ideally starting with "I wish...". Alternatively, the text-based UI allows players to select wishes from a menu. For those without microphones or experiencing voice recognition issues, changing the voice recognition mode to 'Text' in the game options can ensure functionality. A successful wish is indicated by a finger on the paw curling closed. If no finger moves, the paw did not register the voice command. A twitch signifies an invalid wish.
Ghost-Focused Wishes
Making a wish to directly interact with the ghost can yield powerful but dangerous results.
- "I wish to see the ghost": This triggers a ghost manifestation event, similar to the Summoning Circle, causing the ghost to appear in its current room. However, it also locks all exit doors and initiates a cursed hunt with obscured vision for the player within five seconds.
- "I wish for activity": This wish doubles ghost activity for two minutes, but simultaneously locks exit doors for the same duration and permanently disables the fuse box.
- "I wish to trap the ghost": The ghost is teleported to its favorite room and its door is locked for one minute, preventing it from hunting, using abilities, or roaming. Concurrently, all doors in the player's current room are locked, and a hunt will commence once the ghost is freed.
Player-Focused Wishes
Player-oriented wishes can be instrumental for survival and recovery during an investigation.
- "I wish to be sane": This wish restores all players' sanity to 50%. The downside is that passive sanity will drain 1.5 times faster for the remainder of the contract, and the ghost's preferred room will change.
- "I wish to be safe": This grants access to the nearest blocked or locked hiding spot. However, the lights in the player's current room will shatter, and the ghost will be able to detect active electronic devices from any distance for the rest of the contract.
- "I wish to leave": All locked exit doors in the investigation area are unlocked, even during a hunt. This comes at the cost of the player's movement speed being reduced for five seconds and their vision becoming obscured.
Other Notable Wishes
The Monkey Paw also offers wishes for more specialized scenarios, including the risky revival of a teammate.
- "I wish to revive my friend" or "I wish for life": This wish brings back the first deceased player in the lobby list order. There is a 50% chance that the player making the wish will also die in the process.
- "I wish for knowledge": This removes one piece of evidence from the player's journal. The consequence is that the ghost teleports to the player, initiating a cursed hunt. Additionally, the player's hearing will be muffled, and their vision obscured for the remainder of the contract or until they perish.
- "I wish for [clear sky/fog/rain/snow/sunrise]": Players can alter the weather conditions by making this wish. It reduces sanity by 25% and temporarily blinds all players, requiring a minimum of 25% sanity to use. The text-based UI offers weather options under 'Weather #1' (sun, rain, clear sky) and 'Weather #2' (fog, snow).
- "I wish for anything": Available only through voice chat, this wish grants a random, unused Monkey Paw wish.
Wish Limits
The number of wishes available is dependent on the game's difficulty setting. On lower difficulties (0x to 1x), players can make five wishes. Intermediate difficulties (1x to 2x) allow for four wishes. Higher difficulties, above 2x, limit players to only three wishes. Once all fingers on the Monkey Paw have curled, no further wishes can be made.
