Phasmophobia EMF Reader: How To Use, Levels Explained, and Tips

August 2024 ยท 5 minute read

Wondering how to use the EMF Reader to gather evidence in Phasmophobia? Here's how.

First Published May 12, 2023, 20:31

There are a wide range of tools you can use to your advantage in Phasmophobia to identify the presence of ghosts and go on to figure out their identities. You have a Thermometer, Video Cameras, UV Lights, and even some technical ghost hunting equipment like an EMF Reader in your van. But how do you use the EMF Reader to capture evidence of ghosts in Phasmophobia? If you haven't yet figured out how to use this handy device, read on. We're here to explain how to use the EMF Reader in Phasmophobia.

12 May 2023 - We've updated this article to reflect the upcoming changes to the EMF Reader tool in Phasmophobia!

Phasmophobia EMF Reader Updates

Like the D.O.T.S. Projector, Thermometer, and other tools whose upcoming updates have recently been revealed in Kinetic Games' development updates, Phasmophobia's newest Development Update #10 revealed changes to the EMF Reader. The developers also explained the changes coming to the games' equipment in general, with the 'Tiers I-III' system coming to all the game's tools.

Here are all of the updated equipment tiers, with information directly from Kinetic Games'  Development Update #10:

How To Use The EMF Reader In Phasmophobia

The EMF Reader in Phasmophobia is one of many tools you can use to gather evidence of ghosts. The EMF Reader works by lighting up with one to five lights. When a few lights turn on, you know that a ghost is nearby or that you might be nearing the ghost room. If you get all five lights, though, that's EMF Level 5, which you can record as evidence to help you narrow down the ghost type.

To actually use the EMF Reader, first add one to your loadout and bring it with you into the ghost hunting match. You'll then need to grab the EMF Reader from the van and head in to the map. From there, you can walk around holding out the EMF Reader. If you see some lights come on, you know that you're nearing the ghost and should thus continue looking around in that area. If all five lights come on, you can mark down EMF Level 5 as an evidence type.

You could also leave an EMF Reader sitting in a room where you believe the ghost is and wait to see if you get a Level 5 reading. Even dead players can sit and watch for this reaction, giving them something to do while you're out searching for more clues with new equipment.

Note, too, that ghosts can set off the EMF Reader to Level 5 during a ghost event or during a hunt. This does not count as EMF Level 5 for the sake of evidence, as all ghosts are capable of tampering with the EMF Reader, Spirit Box, Flashlight, and some other equipment during a ghost event or hunt.

How To Get To EMF Level 5 In Truck

If you're a particularly advanced ghost hunter, you can even get to EMF Level 5 in your truck without even entering the map itself!

EMF readings have an activity level on the Total Activity meter associated with them; for example, certain events will set off an EMF Level 1 and thus a Level 1 on the Total Activity meter. Most ghost interactions will spike the EMF to a Level 2 or 3, but hardly ever a 5. The only time you'll see a Level 5 EMF reading is if the ghost has Level 5 EMF evidence, or a hunt or ghost event is going on.

You can watch these readings on the Activity Meter in the van. If you spot a Level 5 on the Activity Meter while you're not in the house, you know that you're dealing with an EMF Level 5 ghost! So, the best way to determine if a ghost has Level 5 EMF is to head out to the truck after sparking some ghost activity and watching the Activity Meter. Ghost events and hunts can't occur while you're not in the house, so you'll know it's an EMF Level 5 ghost if you see it spike to a 5 or above while you're not inside.

Ghosts With EMF Level 5 Evidence

Many different ghosts have EMF Level 5 as a type of evidence. Here's a list of ghosts that have EMF Level 5 as an evidence type:

That's all you need to know about the EMF Reader in Phasmophobia.

Cole Podany

Written by Cole Podany

Cole is a Staff Writer at GINX Esports TV based in the United States. He's a lover of all things horror and particularly loves old horror games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil. You can also find him writing about Dead by Daylight and a slew of other games. Outside of writing for GINX, Cole loves cooking and his two cats. You can contact Cole for pitches at [email protected].

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