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The player using Incense in front of a ghost trapped in the Summoning Circle in Phasmophobia.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

What is hyperosmia in Phasmophobia?

It's a helpful tactic you can use to catch one kind of ghost.

Every ghost you can identify in Phasmophobia has its own special set of evidence and unique behaviors. These sometimes come with unique terms you might not be familiar with or understand like hyperosmia.

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Knowing what hyperosmia means in Phasmophobia is crucial for knowing how one ghost functions and how you can identify them with ease. If you’re struggling to identify the ghost and found this term listed in your journal with a ghost you think it could be, here’s what hyperosmia is in Phasmophobia.

What does hyperosmia mean in Phasmophobia?

Burning Tier II incense outside a house under a red sky in Phasmophobia.
You can use this powerful tool to catch a ghost. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Hyperosmia in Phasmophobia is an extreme sensitivity to smells, which is a condition that directly affects how the Moroi behaves. This condition specifically comes into play when you use Incense.

While trying to determine which ghost you’re dealing with, you may have seen the description “Moroi suffer from hyperosmia, weakening them for longer periods” in your ghost-hunting journal but been unsure what this means in terms of gameplay. The journal doesn’t give you any further information about this, but this tip is actually an incredibly useful one once you know what it means.

Hyperosmia specifically plays into how the Moroi responds to Incense. Because of its sensitivity to smell, the Moroi is always deterred by Incense for a longer period of time than other ghosts are during a hunt. All ghosts have some kind of special weakness, and for the Moroi, this is it.

The smell of Incense is overwhelming to Moroi because they are susceptible to hyperosmia. This is an advantage you can use against it to help yourself escape during a particularly tough hunt or one you can use to directly identify the Moroi even with no other evidence.

Incense burning outside bathrooms in Phasmophobia.
This unique weakness can help you identify the ghost with no other evidence. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Other ghosts are only affected by Incense for five seconds during a hunt, but because of hyperosmia, the Moroi is disoriented for a total of 7.5 seconds during a hunt. If you carefully count the time between when you light Incense and when the ghost resumes hunting, you can definitively identify or rule out this ghost even if you haven’t caught any other evidence.

Few ghosts have such reliable behaviors you can use to identify them without evidence. There are certainly some other ghosts that have strong clues, such as the presence of fake Ghost Orbs for The Mimic or the strange activity chart patterns for The Twins, but the Moroi is by far one of the easiest ghosts you can check for during a hunt thanks to hyperosmia.

Which ghosts are affected by hyperosmia in Phasmophobia?

The Moroi is the only ghost that is affected by hypersomia, but it’s important to know how every ghost works, which is why you need to understand how this changes its behavior. Even though it’s the only ghost affected by it, you can use this knowledge to your advantage and sometimes catch the ghost with no evidence at all if you use it correctly. This is especially useful for tricky challenge modes like No Evidence, Tag! You’re it!, and Hide and Seek: Extreme.

Although hyperosmia is a Moroi-specific weakness, the elusive Mimic can copy the behaviors of any ghost. This means you should try to test for this at least a few times to ensure it’s a Moroi and not a Mimic temporarily copying this ghost.

Burning Tier III Incense in the chapel in Phasmophobia.
It’s best to use a few Incense to ensure you don’t get tricked by a clever Mimic. Screenshot by Dot Esports

How to use hyperosmia to identify the ghost in Phasmophobia

If you want to use hyperosmia to help you identify the ghost or rule out the Moroi, here are the exact steps to follow.

  • Wait for a ghost hunt to occur. You can technically use it whenever to prevent the ghost from hunting for a period of time, but if you use it outside the hunt, you’ll have trouble counting the time to check for hyperosmia. Because of this, it’s best to wait for a hunt.
  • Once a hunt begins, get decently close to the ghost. You need to be within a certain range for Incense to work properly. How close you need to be varies depending on which tier of Incense you’re using.
    • Tier I: Three meters
    • Tier II: Four meters
    • Tier III: Five meters
  • Light the Incense and begin carefully counting. If it’s a Moroi, it will be blinded for 7.5 seconds instead of the usual five seconds.

The Moroi is the only ghost you can catch with the hyperosmia trick, but since The Mimic can technically copy any ghost behavior, it’s still best to gather official evidence for it if possible to make sure it’s not this ghost instead. Spirit Box, Ghost Writing, and Freezing Temps are the three types of evidence the Moroi has.

Others Asked

What is the method for identifying ghosts in Phasmophobia?

To identify ghosts in Phasmophobia, players use various tools to uncover evidence fitting the ghost's characteristics. Specifically, each ghost can be identified using three types of evidence out of seven total options: DOTS Projector, EMF Five, Fingerprints (Ultraviolet), Freezing Temperatures, Ghost Orb, Ghost Writing, and Spirit Box.

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How can Phasmophobia players improve their chances of completing the Apocalypse Challenge?

Players can improve their chances by rerolling objectives to find easier tasks, using Cursed Objects to aid them, and trying to get hunted to identify the ghost type and complete tasks easier.

Was this helpful to you?
How is the correct ghost type identified in a Phasmophobia investigation?

The correct ghost type is identified by correctly finding all three pieces of evidence using various equipment like Ghost Writing book, cameras, and DOTS Projector and marking them in your journal. It's essential to strategically use equipment and watch for evidence throughout the investigation.

Was this helpful to you?

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Others Asked

What is the method for identifying ghosts in Phasmophobia?

To identify ghosts in Phasmophobia, players use various tools to uncover evidence fitting the ghost's characteristics. Specifically, each ghost can be identified using three types of evidence out of seven total options: DOTS Projector, EMF Five, Fingerprints (Ultraviolet), Freezing Temperatures, Ghost Orb, Ghost Writing, and Spirit Box.

Was this helpful to you?
How can Phasmophobia players improve their chances of completing the Apocalypse Challenge?

Players can improve their chances by rerolling objectives to find easier tasks, using Cursed Objects to aid them, and trying to get hunted to identify the ghost type and complete tasks easier.

Was this helpful to you?
How is the correct ghost type identified in a Phasmophobia investigation?

The correct ghost type is identified by correctly finding all three pieces of evidence using various equipment like Ghost Writing book, cameras, and DOTS Projector and marking them in your journal. It's essential to strategically use equipment and watch for evidence throughout the investigation.

Was this helpful to you?
Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Disney Dreamlight Valley, Fortnite, Minecraft, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.