With the console release looming on Phasmophobia, new players will finally get to taste how to be ghost hunters by investigating multiple haunted locations, such as a regular house, farmhouses, or even a massive abandoned mental hospital, alone or with their friends. However, while the true terror within Phasmophobia is its diverse ghost types, there are tools in the game that can enhance and help your ghost-hunting journeys named Cursed Possessions, though these items always ask for something in return…
This guide will help you navigate all the available Cursed Possessions in the game, ranging from the deadly Summoning Circle to the wish-giver Monkey Paw, alongside their effects and downsides. Let’s begin.
Phasmophobia is currently available on PC and was released on October 29, 2024, for PlayStation 5, PSVR2, and Xbox Series X|S.
If you’re looking for more Phasmophobia guides, then you can read them on KeenGamer through the link below:
- Phasmophobia: All Ghost Types Explained | Behaviors, Strengths, and Weaknesses
- Phasmophobia: All Maps Guide | Breaker Locations, Best Looping Spots, and Many More
What Are the Cursed Possessions in Phasmophobia?
Cursed Possessions in Phasmophobia are supernatural items that allow players to interact directly with the ghost. These items include the Music Box, Ouija Board, Voodoo Doll, Haunted Mirror, Summoning Circle, Monkey Paw, and Tarot Cards. When activated, they can reveal ghost activity or provide crucial information at the cost of sanity. However, using these Cursed Possessions also cancels the setup phase and increases the risk of triggering a hunt. While powerful, Cursed Possessions require players to weigh their benefits against potential dangers carefully.
Each contract randomly selects one Cursed Possession and places it at a specific spawn location on the map. However, in some maps like Sunny Meadows, all Cursed Possessions spawn within one room or area. Players don’t need Cursed Possessions to complete objectives, but they can influence the investigation significantly. For example, the Haunted Mirror shows the ghost room, while the Tarot Cards trigger random ghost events. Using them strategically can speed up tasks or fulfill Daily and Weekly challenges. However, careless use can backfire and complicate the mission.
To activate Cursed Possessions, players must pick them up using a free hand. They cannot be stored in the inventory and drop when switching items. The Summoning Circle is the only exception, as it is immovable and must be lit with a fire source. Players can also photograph each Cursed Possession for extra rewards like XP and cash. On Custom difficulty, enabling the “Friendly ghost” option prevents hunts from some Cursed Possession interactions. This option makes tools like the Ouija Board safer while still keeping their effects intact.
Haunted Mirror | A Window to the Netherworld
The Haunted Mirror is a Cursed Possession that helps players locate the ghost’s favorite room. It has a 1 in 7 chance of spawning in each contract on default difficulty, with one fixed location per map. When activated, the Haunted Mirror displays a live panorama of the ghost’s favorite room, revealing items, lights, and players present in real time. This faint glow is visible to all players, making it easier to confirm the room’s location and share the information.
To use the Haunted Mirror, players must toggle it (default: right-click) while inside the investigation area. Each use drains sanity at 7.5% per second or 20% per activation, whichever is higher. Short uses of less than 2.67 seconds still deduct the minimum sanity. If the user’s sanity reaches 0% or they activate the mirror below 20% sanity, it will crack audibly and trigger a Cursed Hunt. Once broken, the Haunted Mirror becomes unusable.
Players can photograph the Haunted Mirror for rewards, whether it is intact or cracked. A labeled photo will grant up to $5 and 5XP, depending on the distance. However, if removed from the investigation area, the mirror will deactivate, preventing further use. While powerful, the Haunted Mirror demands careful timing and teamwork to avoid triggering unwanted hunts.
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- Haunted Mirror.
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- Looking Through the Haunted Mirror.
Summoning Circle | Hell Spawn
The Summoning Circle is a Cursed Possession used to summon the ghost. Players often use it to take ghost photos or complete Objectives. It has a 1 in 7 chance of spawning on a map in preset difficulties, with one dedicated spawn location per map. To activate it, players must light all five red candles using the “Secondary Use” hotkey (default: F) with an igniter. Each candle lit deducts 16% of sanity from nearby players.
Once all candles are lit, the ghost is summoned, fully materialized, and remains motionless for 5 seconds. During this time, it cannot harm players, and the event counts as a ghost interaction. However, the front door locks after lighting the last candle, and the ghost initiates a Cursed Hunt immediately after the stationary period. If the player’s sanity is 16% or lower when lighting the last candle, the hunt starts instantly, skipping the 5-second delay. Friendly Ghost mode prevents hunts, extinguishing the candles instead. The Summoning Circle cannot be reused after activation.
To use the Summoning Circle effectively, place Crucifixes or incense nearby to prevent an early hunt or neutralize the risk after activation. A Tier 3 Crucifix within range can stop the Cursed Hunt entirely. Consider saving the Summoning Circle after identifying the ghost to complete Objectives quickly. When taking a photo, aiming at the center of the circle is sufficient, without needing to capture the entire circle. Just like other Cursed Possessions, taking a photo of the Summoning Circle will grant up to $5 and 5XP, depending on the distance and the stars.
Summoning Circle.
Music Box | The Ghosts’ Tune
The Music Box is a Cursed Possession in Phasmophobia that can help locate the ghost’s position, but using it carelessly comes with significant risk. Each contract has a 1 in 7 chance of including the Music Box, with one specific spawn location per map. It’s a unique tool that offers insight into the ghost’s activity, but players should handle it with caution to avoid unintended consequences.
To use the Music Box, pick it up and activate it with the primary use key (default: right-click). Once activated, it plays a tune, and if the ghost is within 20 meters, it will sing along, revealing its location. If the Music Box is within 5 meters of the ghost, it triggers a ghost event where the ghost manifests and walks toward the box. While active, it drains sanity at 2.5% per second for anyone within about 2.5 meters, totaling up to 75% for the entire song. Be aware that discarding the Music Box carelessly or allowing certain conditions—like throwing it while it’s playing—can initiate a Cursed Hunt.
The Music Box is particularly helpful for tasks requiring a ghost photo or pinpointing the ghost’s favorite room. If used properly, it can provide vital information without triggering a hunt. For example, placing the Music Box on the ground before activation ensures safety, as it won’t immediately cause a hunt if the ghost approaches. It’s also worth noting that the Music Box doesn’t stop the ghost’s regular activities, so careful timing and planning are crucial when using it.
In multiplayer, coordinating roles can make the Music Box even more effective. One player can activate the box while another uses Smudge Sticks to protect the team. If you’re aiming to identify the ghost type or complete hunt-related objectives, ensuring that the activator maintains a reasonable sanity level minimizes the risk of accidental hunts. Taking a photo of the Music Box, whether it’s been used or not, provides up to $5 and 5XP, making it a valuable item both for gameplay and for profit.
Using the Music Box.
Voodoo Doll | Toy for the Dead
The Voodoo Doll is another Cursed Possession in Phasmophobia that is designed to force the ghost to perform specific interactions. Each contract has a 1 in 7 chance of including the Voodoo Doll, with one dedicated spawn location per map. This item is highly interactive but requires careful handling to avoid triggering dangerous events.
Using the Voodoo Doll involves pressing one of the 10 pins embedded in it. Each interaction pushes a pin at random, causing the ghost to act and reducing the user’s sanity by 5%. These actions can generate evidence such as EMF Level 5 or Ultraviolet light traces, but they won’t affect tools like the Ghost Writing Book or D.O.T.S. Projector. However, pressing the heart pin drains 10% of sanity and initiates a Cursed Hunt. Similarly, if the user’s sanity is at 0%, all pins will press simultaneously, automatically starting a Cursed Hunt.
Taking a photo of the Voodoo Doll, whether used or not, provides a photo labeled as Voodoo Doll and rewards up to $5 and 5XP based on the distance. This makes it a useful addition to your investigation for extra experience and cash rewards. However, its primary value lies in its ability to prompt the ghost to interact, speeding up the collection of evidence.
For best results, use the Voodoo Doll after locating the ghost’s favorite room. Triggering interactions near evidence sources like EMF readers or UV-sensitive areas can save time. Be cautious when using it with no sanity, as the resulting interactions can appear chaotic and may lead to misidentifying the ghost, especially as a Poltergeist. Plan its use carefully to maximize its potential without jeopardizing the team’s safety.
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- The Voodoo Doll.
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- Pulling the Heart Pin on the Voodoo Doll.
Ouija Board | The Dead Are Talking
The Ouija Board is a Cursed Possession in Phasmophobia, allowing players to communicate with the ghost at the cost of sanity. Each contract has a 1 in 7 chance of featuring the board, which spawns in a specific location on the map. Players can pick it up, drop it, and use it to ask questions either through voice or text-based UI. Its activation is simple: right-click while holding or left-click on the ground to activate, with the planchette dropping into position. Be cautious, though—using the board improperly can break it, causing a Cursed Hunt.
When activated, the Ouija Board can answer a variety of questions, from the ghost’s location to its feelings or the player’s sanity. If a question is recognized, the planchette moves to spell out an answer, producing an EMF Level 2 reading (or EMF Level 5 if applicable evidence exists). To safely deactivate the board, say “Goodbye,” ensuring no hunts are triggered. Dropping or exiting the investigation area while holding the board also deactivates it. If misused—such as saying “hide and seek” or having insufficient sanity—the board will break, triggering a Cursed Hunt and rendering it unusable.
Players can also take photos of the Ouija Board for rewards: inactive board photos grant up to $5 and 5XP, while interaction photos taken within 20 seconds of a response provide the same rewards. The board is especially useful on large maps or in Nightmare mode, where monitoring sanity and tracking ghost locations are more challenging. However, its power comes with significant risks, so careful planning is key to maximizing its effectiveness.
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- Handling the Ouija Board.
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- Getting Answers from the Ouija Board.
All Ouija Board’s Important Questions
Below is the comprehensive table of all important questions you can ask the Ouija Board, though you can always ask small details (Such as its Purpose or Shyness) or even joke questions (“Are you French?” comes to mind) to the ghosts:
| Question Category | Purpose | Example Questions | Ghosts’ Answers | Sanity Cost | Text Option (Yes/No) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Finds the ghost’s current room. | “Where are you?” | Room name (Example: Master Bedroom) | 50% | Yes |
| Bone Location | Reveals where the Bone is. | “Where is the bone?” | Room name (Example: Dining Room) | 20% | Yes |
| Sanity | Gives the player sanity information. | “What is my sanity?” | Healthy (Above 80%), Good (60 – 80%), Average (40 – 60%), Bad (20 – 40%), and Awful (Below 20%). | 5% | Yes |
| Age | Reveals the ghost’s age. | “How old are you?” | 10–90 years. | 5% | Yes |
| Feeling | Describes the ghost’s emotions. | “How do you feel?” | Angry, Lonely, Trapped, etc. | 5% | No |
| Death | Reveals how long it has been dead. | “How long have you been dead?” | 50–1000 years. | 5% | No |
| Hide and Seek | Initiates a Cursed Hunt countdown. | “Do you want to play hide and seek?” | Countdown from 5 to 0, then the hunt starts. | No sanity drain | Yes |
Tarot Cards | Gambling with Your Destiny
The Tarot Cards are a Cursed Possession in Phasmophobia that can cause various unpredictable effects, influencing both players and ghosts. They offer a high-risk, high-reward element, making them both exciting and dangerous to use during investigations. As one of the seven possible Cursed Possessions, Tarot Cards spawn with a 1 in 7 chance per contract (excluding Insanity difficulty) at specific locations on each map.
Players can pick up the Tarot Cards (default: E on keyboard) and draw one card at a time (default: right-click on mouse). The cards can only be used inside the Investigation Area, and each deck contains 10 randomly generated cards. Every card burns away after use, its flame color indicating its type. Some cards may appear multiple times in a deck, while others may not appear at all. Once all cards have been used, future Hunts during the contract are extended by 20 seconds, regardless of whether a Death card was drawn.
The Tarot Cards’ effects vary widely, from restoring sanity to triggering Cursed Hunts or even instant death. Understanding the cards and their probabilities is essential for players aiming to maximize their strategic potential while minimizing the risk. However, their unpredictable nature means they should be used cautiously, especially during Hunts when every card drawn becomes The Fool with no effect.
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- Tarot Cards Deck.
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- Drawing the Death Card.
Tarot Cards’ Titles and Effects
We have curated the comprehensive effects and titles of every Tarot Cards available in Phasmophobia, a Cursed Possession that forces you to gamble your destiny in-game, through the table below:
| Tarot Card’s Symbol | Title | Effects | Burn Color | Draw Chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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The Tower | Doubles all Ghost Activity for 20 seconds. | Blue | 20% |
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The Wheel of Fortune | Grants +25% sanity (green flame) or deducts -25% sanity (red flame). | Green (gain), Red (loss) | 20% |
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The Fool | Mimics another card but has no effect when burned. Always appears during Hunts. | Light Purple | 17%, 100% during Hunts |
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The Hermit | Teleports the Ghost back to its room and traps it there for 1 minute (does not affect Hunts). | Cyan | 10% |
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The Devil | Triggers a Ghost Event targeting the nearest player to the Ghost. | Pink | 10% |
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Death | Initiates a Cursed Hunt. | Purple | 10% |
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The Sun | Fully restores the player’s sanity to 100%. | Yellow | 5% |
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The Moon | Instantly reduces the player’s sanity to 0%. | White | 5% |
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The High Priestess | Revives a dead player or ensures the next death will be revived (if no one is currently dead). | Light Yellow | 2% |
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The Hanged Man | Instantly kills the player. Cannot be drawn if “Friendly Ghost” is enabled. | N/A | 1% |
Monkey Paw | Costly Wishes
The Monkey Paw is a Cursed Possession in Phasmophobia that grants players the ability to make wishes, offering powerful effects balanced by significant drawbacks. Its versatility makes it one of the most tactical cursed items, allowing players to influence the investigation in unique ways.
As a Cursed Possession, the Monkey Paw has a 1 in 7 chance per contract of being chosen to spawn on default difficulty (except Insanity), appearing at a specific location on the map. Depending on the difficulty multiplier, the Monkey Paw grants a limited number of wishes: five wishes for multipliers below 2x, four wishes for multipliers between 2x and 2.99x, and three wishes for multipliers of 3x or higher.
Players can activate the Monkey Paw through voice chat or a text-based UI (default: right-click on mouse). If using voice chat, recognized phrases will trigger the corresponding wish. For text-based UI, players can select wishes from categorized options. Once a wish is made, the Monkey Paw’s fingers bend, indicating its usage. After all fingers are bent, the Monkey Paw becomes unusable for the rest of the contract.
Monkey Paw.
All Monkey Paw’s Wishes, its Effects and Downsides
The majority of wishes are written on tags scattered throughout Sunny Meadows. Collecting a tag (excluding those for weather and “anything” wishes) will automatically add the wish to the journal. However, finding these tags is not necessary to use the Monkey Paw. Each wish can only be granted once per contract. Below is the full list of wishes you can use on Monkey Paw, the most versatile yet deadly Cursed Possession in Phasmophobia:
| Wish Categories | Wish Activation (Use Voice/Text) | Wish’s Effects | Wishes’ Tags Location in Sunny Meadows (Not Mandatory) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | “I wish to see the ghost” | Triggers a summoning Ghost Event at the ghost’s current location, followed by a Cursed Hunt. The user’s vision is obscured by dark fog until the hunt ends. | Manager’s Office |
| Ghost | “I wish for activity” or “I wish the ghost would do something” |
Doubles ghost activity for 2 minutes. Permanently break the Breaker/Fuse Box and lock the Exit Door for 2 minutes. | Chapel |
| Ghost | “I wish the ghost was trapped” or “I wish to trap the ghost” |
Teleports the ghost to its favorite room and locks all its doors for 1 minute. Locks the user’s current room (and Exit Doors if connected) for the same duration. | Female Dorm Room |
| Player | “I wish for sanity” or “I wish to be sane” |
Sets all players’ sanity to 50%. Increases passive sanity drain by 1.5x, and the ghost’s favorite room is randomized. | Kitchen |
| Player | “I wish to be safe” | Unblocks the nearest hiding spot. Lights in the user’s room shatter, and the ghost can hear them and sense their electronics anywhere for the rest of the contract. | Matron Office |
| Player | “I wish to leave” | Unlocks all Exit Doors, even during hunts. Temporarily reduces the user’s speed and vision, which gradually returns to normal. | Hospital Wing |
| Other | “I wish for life” or “I wish to revive my friend” |
Revives a dead player with a 50% chance of killing the wisher. Cannot be used if no one is dead. | Classroom |
| Other | “I wish for knowledge” | Removes one incorrect piece of Evidence and its related ghost types. Triggers a Cursed Hunt near the user with persistent vision and hearing impairments. | Restricted Area |
| Other | “I wish for [weather]” | Changes the weather (e.g., Clear Sky, Rain, Snow). Causes temporary blindness and deducts 25% of sanity. Requires at least 25% sanity to use. | Morgue |
| Other | “I wish for anything” | Randomly grants any unused wish from the list above. | Waiting Room |
And that’s everything you need to know about the Cursed Possessions in Phasmophobia. Although they are strong and can help players with their ghost-hunting sessions, the items will ask you to sacrifice something in return. Are you ready to pay the price? Happy hunting.
