Do you know a game that we play a lot, but haven't talked about for a bit? Phasmophobia. Since this scary title first launched on Steam as an Early Access adventure, it has evolved immensely to be even more terrifying. The latest Phasmophobia update brings in new accessibility adjustments, changes to the Sanity monitor, and...oh, yeah...ghosts can now open doors.
Some changes are bigger than others, but many of the quality-of-life improvements tackle the game on a larger scale. But first, let's talk about accessibility tweaks.
Accessibility
Phasmophobia now has an added accessibility page where players can swap their sounds to mono. Also added is the ability to select the contract difficulty (versus it being randomized), a new button to change the ports for the game (which will help with disconnection issues), and new text on the sanity monitor to show the team's average.
Quality of Life
With the latest update, it's easier to stay connected to the server and easier to select contracts via a gamepad. Invite codes can also be added with the keyboard number pad in addition to a new button that allows players to easy-add the max number of items desired before taking each contract.
In an effort to prevent trolling, there is now a delay for closing the truck door once it's been opened. Players will also find changes have been made to swapping characters. This action will no longer "Unready" everyone in queue. An "Are you sure" prompt has also been added after clicking the training button in the game's main menu.
Ghost changes
Ghosts are terrifying in this game. That's not just me being a wimp, either: The slow crawl and the "will they, won't they" regarding the hunt honestly curls my toes every time I play. But, eventually, even the scariest of experiences can lose their edge after a time, which is why the team has implemented the following changes:
- The ghost will now follow your around corners if it has lost sight of you rather than searching a random location.
- The ghost will now listen for player voices when hunting and will search those locations. This will not work if you are not the banshee target.
- The ghost can now open lockers and closets outside of a hunt.
- The ghost will now open doors, closets and lockers during hunts. This can be stopped by holding the door however the ghost can still walk through room doors like usual.
- Slightly increased the ghosts chance to wander on all difficulties.
- The ghost will now search around the location it last saw a player rather than searching a random location.
- The ghost will now target any player that gets close to it whilst it's already chasing another player.
Other tweaks
From temp checks to equipment tweaks, below are the additional changes that Phasmophobia players can look forward to with the latest update on Steam:
Gameplay Changes
- Professional Difficulty: You will no longer be told if the Ghost responds to groups or only if you are alone.
- Professional Difficulty: The power will now always start off.
- Removed the dirty water objective as it was too hard to get. It will still remain as extra photo evidence.
- Removed the temperature objective due to the temperature changes listed below.
- The Activity Monitor will now show an estimated value rather than the true value.
- Glow sticks will now have the same brightness when you are holding them as when they are thrown.
- Improved the movement of ghost orbs so that they stay inside the room longer and are easier to see.
- EMF Readers will now give random values during hunts similar to how the flashlight flashes during hunts.
- The ghost appearing and walking towards you will now count as a ghost event.
- Dead players will no longer count towards the average sanity. Instead alive players will now lose 15 sanity each time a player dies.
- Lowered the resolution of the photos to help with lag spikes when taking the photo.
- The $50 photo reward challenge has been changed to be a total $50 reward over multiple games.
- Banshees will now hunt like other ghosts and target any player when it's target player is outside.
- Improved how the bone spawns to help prevent it spawning in unreachable locations.
Temperature Mechanic Changes
- Lowered the rate the Thermometer updates it's temperature from 1 second to 2 seconds.
- Slightly increased the temperatures variations that show on the Thermometer.
- All rooms will now start with slightly different temperatures.
- If the power is off, the temperature in every room will now slowly drop to 5C/41F.
- If the power is on, the temperature in every room will slowly raise unless the ghost is in the room where it will still drop.
- Professional Difficulty: Due to the power starting off, the room temperatures will start at 5C/41F.
- Each room will now change their temperature at slightly different speeds.
- Lowered the speed that temperature raises in rooms once the power is on.
- Lowered the speed that the ghost lowers the temperature in the room it's in.
- Freezing temperature ghosts will now reduce the room temperature at the same speed as other ghosts. This means that when the power is off, all rooms including the ghost room will drop at a similar speed.
Parabolic Microphone Changes
- The Parabolic Microphones range has been increased from 8 to 30 meters. The width has also been increased from 2 to 6 meters. This is to be used to give you the general direction the ghost and not exactly where it is.
- Reduced the size of the Parabolic Microphone model to give you a better view on Non-VR.
- Removed some ambient sounds from being read by the parabolic microphone and sound sensors that were not caused by the ghost.
- Improved how the parabolic microphone and sound sensors hear player voices to be more accurate.
- Increased the time sounds can be detected by the parabolic or sound sensor from 2 to 3 seconds.
- Fixed several sounds that were not being heard by the parabolic microphone.
Non-VR Changes
- You can now place Candles similar to the Ghost Writing Book.
- Flashlights and UV Lights will now turn on when swapping items if your shoulder light was on.
- Swapping items from a turned on flashlight will now turn on your shoulder light automatically.
- Tripods will now always get placed directly in front of you to prevent situations where you could place them into unreachable locations.
VR Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where VR players could not speak after a game has finished.
- Fixed a bug where teleport grabbing in VR didn't work when you were dead.
- Fixed a bug where several objects couldn't be seen by the smooth VR recording camera.
- Fixed a bug where VR players couldn't be killed by the ghost if they laid down.
- Fixed a bug where VR players were not setting Non-VR players saved voice volumes.
- Fixed a bug where the money value of a photo would get multiplied per VR player.
Prison
- Fixed a bug where the ghosts room boundary from both cell blocks were extended into the bathroom and hallway.
- Prison will no longer be always added to the contract selection.
- Fixed a bug where cell block exit doors would unlock during hunts.
- Fixed a bug where you couldn't take a photo of the fingerprints on the cell doors when it was open.
- Fixed a bug where the main hallway lights wouldn't flash during a hunt.
- Fixed a bug where the ghost could get stuck on the cell block benches.
Asylum
- Fixed a bug where you couldn't take fingerprints photos on the grey doors.
- Significant performance and load time improvements.
- Fixed a bug where the ghost couldn't knock on the windows.
- Moved the light switches in the reception to make what they do clearer and to make them easier to press in VR.
- Moved most CCTV cameras to help with fps when in the truck.
- Several changes to most rooms to make them easier to navigate and to remove safe spots.
General Bug Fixes