I have had my eye on Phasmophobia ever since I first played it a few Halloweens ago. The concept of hunting ghosts, as well as trying to figure out what kind they are by behaviors and evidence is a satisfying blend of horror and mystery that is fun as a gameplay loop with the right friends.

Over the years, Phas has done many major updates such as graphical reworks, new maps, new ghosts as well as minor reworks, reworking some equipment, adding new equipment, adding new ghost sound fx, cursed items, and more. These updates are welcome and have drastically improved the game from when I played it first. However, despite all the changes the gameplay is essentially the same and while it is a bit more involved it hasn’t changed much from the original formula.

To me the problem lies in how progression and the money system currently exist within the game. It sucks. I am very experienced at the game and I play on professional difficulty by default as the mechanics that it adds are more fun. Nightmare mode I have tried getting into because I like the challenge, and while I agree with some changes like extending hunts after a kill, it has never felt worth it as the game isn’t consistent enough for the guessing game of ghost behaviors and the high risk for no reward.

Presently, the only reward for completing high level or any level for that matter is money. Money is used to buy gear for missions which is essential to play the game and is lost upon death. At first you need to level up to buy certain gear, but it doesn’t take long to be able to buy everything you need.

As you increase the difficulty, the potential money goes up but so does the risk you die and the less forgiving it is about death. The reward for playing on the harder (arguably more fun) difficulty is more money to buy back stuff you’d lose playing on the harder difficulty. It is a means to an end that isn’t fun to interact with because at the end of the day we just want to click ‘Add all’ and start the game.

Thus my proposal for a class system which would give players a solid identity in playstyle and progression that doesn’t feel like a vicious never ending cycle. Giving the players classes to choose from with customizable appearances and buffs to certain gear. It is my theory that with the option to specialize and getting advantages towards finding the particular evidence would make the gear system less monotonous and allow players to find more identity in the way they go about hunting ghosts as well as giving meaning to leveling up.

Here is how I imagine some classes would work:

The Priest

This class would specialize in protecting players from hunts, cleansing the ghost room, and crucifix buffs.

• Crucifix has a bigger protection area and lasts longer
• Smudge sticks have two charges and have a chance to stop the hunt as well as stun the ghost or slow it down
• During the hunt if the player says prayers at the ghost in VC it can stun or slow it.
• More charges per salt. Ghost gets less aggressive after walking through it

The Medium

Good at interaction and communicating with the ghosts.

• More likely to get response from spirit box, works with people even if the ghost requires someone alone.
• Doesn’t lose sanity from Ouija board or other cursed items.
• Ghost is more cooperative of their demands and will interact with the environment when asked by The Medium.
• Ghost writing radius larger when medium is near

The Geek

The tech guy who handles the production of each hunt. Obsessed with collecting the evidence that ghosts are real this class specializes in gathering proof, be it on video or camera. This class would have advantages on cameras, sensors, and intel gathering.

• Can carry multiple video cameras at a time.
• Photo cameras have double the pictures.
• Easier to capture on camera
• Pictures stun all ghost types
• EMF can show from further away.
• D.O.T.S can slow the ghost.
• Headcams get built in UV light
• Has a mini laptop that lets him check the cameras, sensors, and sanity from inside the house.

The Sucker

This class represents the person who dies first, or generally has bad luck in horror. Their goal is to absorb the ghosts aggro, and use their wits to stay alive while drawing the heat. Obviously, they don’t even believe in ghosts so what’s the worst that could happen

• Ghosts that pick a target are more likely to choose this class.
• Has more sprint but makes more noise.
• Can clean out hiding spots to make them usable again if they are blocked.
• Pills restore full sanity
• Ghost events happen more when this class is around

The Investigator

At first, he came to write about the psychos who hunt ghosts for a living, but after going on a few hunts the line between sane and insane is blurred. Now he has a new theory to prove. This class would focus on studying ghost behavior and keeping allies in check.

• Finding evidence restores sanity
• Stronger UV light that can see finger prints for longer
• Can find hints written on the walls and other secrets with the UV
• Ghost room is filled with curse symbols the investigator can see on UV
• Ghosts leaves a trail of cold that can be tracked with a thermometer.

These are some basic ideas that I think would be fun and allow players to specialize in doing the things they like to do each mission.

The goal is not to lock out certain types of gear from other classes as not having things to do after finding evidence would be boring. Rather, the goal is to buff certain classes ability to use gear or set up quickly in their specialized field to make interactions more interesting, and to add some variety. I think leveling up a class and getting stronger perks/ or new outfits is more incentive to play and gain XP than the current system that has no purpose.

Let me know what you guys think of the classes, things you’d change, even ideas of your own!