The EMF Reader is a crucial tool in Phasmophobia that detects electromagnetic fields produced by ghost interactions. It helps identify paranormal activity and provides key evidence for determining the ghost type. Let’s dive into how the EMF Reader works and how to interpret its readings, especially the elusive EMF Level 5.
Understanding EMF Levels
By default, when the EMF Reader is turned on, it displays EMF Level 1. This indicates no significant activity nearby. However, when a ghost interacts with the environment, it will emit an EMF level that can be detected by the EMF Reader.
EMF Level 2
EMF Level 2 indicates a recent ghost interaction with objects or the environment. Common scenarios that cause an EMF-2 reading include:
- Doors opening or closing.
- Light switches being toggled.
- Items being turned on or off.
Additionally, certain ghost abilities may also cause an EMF-2 reading. Examples include:
- When a Wraith teleports to a player, EMF-2 will be displayed at the teleport location.
- When a Jinn uses its unique ability to drain 25% sanity from a nearby player (while the breaker is on), EMF-2 can be detected at the breaker as the ability is performed.
EMF Level 3
EMF Level 3 is shown when the ghost throws an object, such as a cup, book or a painting. This can also include the ghost-writing book and the video camera. The EMF’s location is tied to the thrown object’s current location, as opposed to its previous location before the throw.
EMF Level 4
EMF Level 4 is typically associated with:
- Ghost Events: You will get an EMF-4 reading at the location where the ghost event started.
- Ghost Hunts: The ghost will generate an EMF-4 reading at the location where the ghost began the hunt.
Note: During ghost events and hunts, EMF Readers may malfunction and display random levels between 1 and 4. Sometimes, it may even look like EMF-5, but this will not count as a proper EMF-5 reading.
How Does EMF-5 Work?
EMF Level 5 is a crucial piece of evidence for identifying certain ghost types. If a ghost has EMF-5 as one of its evidences, any event that causes EMF-2 or EMF-3 has a 25% chance of displaying as EMF-5 instead.
This means you’ll need to repeatedly check interactions with your EMF Reader to confirm whether the ghost emits EMF-5. It may take quite a few tries before an interaction displays a level 5 reading!
EMF Reader Equipment Tiers
There are three tiers of EMF Readers available in Phasmophobia, each with its own strengths and weaknesses:
- Tier 1:
- Range: 1.7 meters
- Can only detect a single interaction at a time.
- You cannot rely upon a noise indicator for EMF-5, as it’s quieter than the other EMF tiers.
- Tier 2:
- Range: 2 meters
- Improved range and reliability over Tier 1, suitable for medium-sized rooms.
- Lets off a distinct noise when the reading is level 5.
- Tier 3:
- Range: 3.5 meters
- Can detect up to three interactions simultaneously.
- Lets off a distinct noise when a reading is level 5.
- Best for covering large areas or tracking multiple activities at once.
Choose the tier that best suits your investigative style and the map size to maximize efficiency. Unlike the thermometer (where I believe Tier 1 is the best to find freezing temperatures), I prefer using the Tier 3 EMF reader, as it’s very beneficial to track multiple readings at once.
Note: Like all electronic equipment, if you’re holding an active EMF reader during a ghost hunt, the ghost can track your position. To stay safe, either turn it off or drop it on the ground.
How to Read EMF-5 from the Truck’s Activity Screen
If you don’t have an EMF Reader, the activity screen in the truck can help determine if EMF-5 is likely a piece of evidence. This is not a 100% accurate method of finding EMF-5, so I would only recommend using this method if you really need to (i.e. you don’t have an EMF reader, or are struggling to find evidence).
The activity screen shows an approximate value of the EMF level caused by all ghost interactions, events, and hunts within the location. Depending on what’s going on inside, the reading will change accordingly. For example, if you see an increase of 1-2, it’s likely the ghost interacting with an object. If you catch the activity jump up to 10, it’s probably a ghost hunt.
If you’re noticing consistent increases (and subsequent decreases) of 4-5 on the activity screen, it suggests that it might be EMF-5. Other factors can produce similar changes, such as a ghost hunt ending, Poltergeists throwing multiple objects at once, a ghost event, and the Twins interacting with multiple objects at once.
A good tip is to observe the activity board while no one is inside the house. Ghosts can still interact with objects but cannot trigger ghost events when players are absent. If you’re playing in multiplayer, you can also communicate with your team to confirm that no ghost event or hunt occurred when you saw an increase of 4-5. This will rule ghost events and hunts as one of the causes of the change on the screen.
Again, using the activity screen is not an exact science, due to the variance of the readings. You can also watch this useful video from horror YouTuber Insym who explains this quite well.
Ghosts with EMF-5 Evidence
The following ghosts may emit EMF-5 as part of their evidence:
- Goryo
- Jinn
- Myling
- Obake
- Oni
- Raiju
- Shade
- Spirit
- The Twins
- Wraith
There are no ghosts with forced EMF-5 evidence in nightmare and insanity difficulty.
With this guide, you should be better equipped to understand and utilize the EMF Reader in Phasmophobia. We hope you’ve found it useful, and if so, check out our other guides on:
