Though players celebrated the mass release of three new ghosts in Phasmophobia, the update also shifted the frequency of some common behaviors see in older ghosts. There are always going to be fans who love the challenge, but threads on Discord and Reddit have broken out complaining that Kinetic Games moved too quickly, messing up the programming and causing ghost confusion as Moroi cycle like Gallu, Poltergeists rarely throw their explosive pile tantrums, and more than Mares automatically turn off the lights. Whatever is happening on the backend, Kinetic Games isn’t likely to own up if fan suspicions are correct, so unless another update follows that reverses these observations, Phasmophobia enthusiasts need to move forward. To help, check out this quick cheat sheet to separating the new ghosts from our familiar haunts.

Dayan

Of the three new ghosts, I find the Dayan the easiest to identify. If you’re playing on lower difficulties and have the name, you’ll have a quick yes or no depending on if the ghost is a male or female. Kinetic Games generally avoids ambiguity, and there’s only the two options in the game. Early game behavior for a Dayan will be quiet and slow. If you never find the favorite room, it may very well stay that way unless you use a curse item or otherwise massively drain your sanity. However, even if you drain your sanity, without the energy of a cursed hunt or the increased power from player movement in the vicinity of the ghost, the Dayan will remain on the less dangerous side.

If you find the favorite room, it’s a whole new game. EMF readings will often spike with multiple 2-3 level readings on the Tier 3 device while the player is in the room. Setting up a camera on the EMF reader, you can double check from inside the room and compare to when no one is in the room. A female ghost with multiple low EMF readings while a player is in the same room that starts out calmer and grows more active is likely to be a Dayan.

In harder levels of difficulty, you may find confusion between the Dayana and the Twins. The inside the room versus outside the room measurement on EMF will be an important tell between these two. Twins are most likely to have multiple low EMF readings even while all players are in the truck versus a Dayan. Additionally, the Dayan is faster during a hunt if the player is walking within 10m or slower than the twins if the player stops walking. When playing in a group, you can pick a sacrifice and test the pace if you have nothing else to go on. Any confusion between the Dayan and the Gallu can be tested with salt.

Gallu

As mentioned above, the best way to determine you’re hunting a Gallu is to set up your camera and multiple lines of salt that are a bit apart. You should use the longest line possible, and if you’re lucky enough to have the ghost in a hallway like in the Bleasdale Farmhouse, you should set up a camera on either end. When the Gallu goes through the first line of salt, it should shift into an Enraged state. It shouldn’t disturb the next salt in this phase by design, so don’t confuse it with a wraith if you smudge or notice it doesn’t bother with salt during a hunt or other highly active period.

There are no time spans out for how long a Gallu remains Enraged when sanity isn’t low enough to permit a hunt, but if you have a ghost event, it does seem to general shift to its Weakened state following that large energy expenditure. Keeping an eye on EMFs during this time should give you an idea if nothing else.

If you’ve listened to the prior suggestions and eliminated both the Dayan and Wraith, the other ghosts that might try to fool you are Oni, Onryo, and Moroi. Gallu hunts sooner than both, but if you’re on a level where sanity is unknown, you can eliminate the Onryo if the ghost prioritizes flames over crosses; however, the Oni, Moroi, or Gallu debate is where it gets sticky if you can’t eliminate Oni due to a lack of mist form.

On hunts, Moroi and Gallu vary in their speed, and an Oni will blink more than either, making them more visible. If you narrow to Moroi or Gallu from there, it’s a question of incense blindness as Moroi have a slightly longer duration. Either way, a hard draw, and even harder if you’re hunting alone. If you’re a solo hunter and have some better tips, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

Obambo

If you’re seeing a ghost going through phases, you might assume it’s an Obambo when it’s really a Gallu. One of the best ways to test is to start timing the phases. If they end up coming to around 2 minutes apart and stay relatively even regardless of any salt crossings, then the ghost is an Obambo. In any mode without evidence, this is your safest bet although it can be time consuming and may prove impossible if you can’t find the favorite room.

If you’re in Insanity, you might find yourself stuck between Revenant or Obambo. Going for a hunt is highly risky unless you’re confident you can outmaneuver a Revenant, but the speed is clearly different, so if you do a hunt, you’ll be able to split the difference pretty much every single time. Also, if you are stuck between Mare and Obambo, don’t trust that the immediate light switching will be your sign. I’ve caught a number of Obambo that pull this traditionally Mare trick.

Another hunt-related option if you get stuck is that the Obambo’s hunting time will switch and be 20% less than the expected if it begins a hunt in its aggressive state. Again, this requires your stopwatch and a level head, but if you want to go no evidence, you’re already confident of your abilities, so might as well be prepared.

Did I miss any key clues that help you identify the three new ghosts? If so, share your thoughts and join the conversation on Boss Rush Network’s Discord and Facebook.

Featured Image: Kinetic Games

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