The Spirit Box is an essential piece of equipment in Phasmophobia for identifying ghosts by gathering specific evidence. Its successful use depends on meeting certain conditions and asking the right questions. When employed effectively, it can provide vital clues to the spectral entity haunting a location, and even help identify unique ghost abilities.
How to Use the Spirit Box
To successfully use the Spirit Box, players must first determine if the ghost will respond to individuals or only to those who are alone. This information can sometimes be found on the board in the van. If this is unavailable, the Ouija Board can be used to glean this information at the cost of Sanity. Once the condition is set, players should take the Spirit Box to the ghost's room, turn off the lights, and ensure they are alone if required. The Spirit Box must also be within a specific range of the ghost: three meters for Tier 1, four meters for Tier 2, and five meters for Tier 3. Higher-tier Spirit Boxes increase the likelihood of a response.
A successful response is indicated by visual cues on the Spirit Box: a white ghost icon for Tier 1, a ghost icon appearing for Tier 2, or a line of white LEDs for Tier 3. If the ghost icon lights up red (Tier 1), an X appears (Tier 2), or red LEDs light up (Tier 3), it means the question was valid but the ghost did not respond. Multiple attempts are recommended before ruling out the Spirit Box as evidence. Invalid questions or issues with microphone recognition will result in other visual feedback.
For players using voice chat, a strategic tip is to activate the Spirit Box and place it on the floor. This allows for continuous questioning and evidence gathering while simultaneously searching for other clues.
Spirit Box Questions and Responses
The Spirit Box categorizes questions into three main types: aggression, location, and age. While the ghost does not answer directly, its responses often contain keywords that align with the question's category, typically delivered as a news report sound bite. Identifying the category of the response is key to gathering evidence.
Aggression Questions
Questions about the ghost's disposition, such as "Are you friendly?" or "Do you want to hurt us?" are designed to gauge its aggression. Responses to these queries will often include words like "attack," "kill," "death," "hurt," or "hate." For example, a response might contain phrases such as "...project killing..." or "...a tragic death..."
Location Questions
To ascertain the ghost's proximity, questions like "Where are you?" or "Are you close?" can be posed. The ghost's response will indicate its distance, typically featuring words like "here," "close," "behind," "away," or "far." A response indicating the ghost is "here" or "close" means it is within two meters, while "far" or "away" suggests a distance of two to five meters.
Age Questions
Asking about the ghost's age, such as "How old are you?" can help identify specific ghosts like the Thaye. The Thaye's age response can change throughout a contract, shifting from "Young" to "Elderly." Standard responses to age-related questions will contain either "Elderly" or "Young," for instance, "...an elderly individual..." or "...a young individual..."
Using the Spirit Box Without Voice Chat
For players experiencing issues with voice recognition or lacking a microphone, Phasmophobia offers a text-based alternative. By changing the 'Voice Recognition Mode' in the game's options to 'Text,' players can select Spirit Box questions from a UI menu. This mode limits question choices to three options but ensures functionality even without voice input.