Phasmophobia – How to Light Smudge Sticks, and How to Use Them

Your first few hours in Phasmophobia might be the scariest you’ll experience in the whole game. Not just because you’re getting haunted and probably killed by angry ghosts, but also because you need to figure out how all this stuff works.

After a while you’ll get the hang of things, figuring out your inventory limit and how to use items. But then the smudge sticks come along and mess the whole thing up. You have sticks, you may also have a lighter, but how do you combine the two? Here’s how to light smudge sticks, and how to use them to cleanse in Phasmophobia.

How to Light Smudge Sticks in Phasmophobia

Hold the Smudge Sticks in your hand and press the Secondary use key with a lighter in your inventory.

You can also have another player light the smudge sticks you hold with a lighter from their inventory.

Singleplayer Only

You can throw the smudge sticks on the ground, aim a lighter or candle at them, and press the Secondary use key to burn them.

How to Use Smudge Sticks to Cleanse in Phasmophobia

When burned, a single smudge stick will attempt to apply its effect six times over a six-second period. Its effect can only be applied once.

You can use as many smudge sticks as you want without diminishing returns. The smudge sticks burning timer will overlap but not stack. Lighting a second smudge stick will burn concurrently with the first, not extend the first’s timer or stack with its timer. Keep this in mind, so you don’t waste valuable money or resources!

Preventing Hunts

If a Ghost is within 6 Meters of the burning Smudge Sticks, it will increase its activity but be unable to start a hunt.

Smudge sticks have the following timed effects on Ghosts:

• A Demon can’t start a hunt for 60 seconds
• Ghosts can’t start a hunt for 90 seconds
• The Yurei will not be able to leave its current room for 90 seconds
• A Spirit can’t start a hunt for 180 seconds

Smudge sticks will not stop cursed hunts or a hunt already taking place.

Blinding the Ghost

If the Ghost is already hunting and is within 6 Meters of the burning smudge sticks, it will become blind, which makes the Ghost think no players are around. Players can then walk through the Ghost without dying. Smudge sticks affect all players regardless of who lit them.

You and the Ghost may take the same path, and its blindness could run out before you reach your hiding spot, so we recommend you burn a smudge stick near your hiding spot, not in it.

Burn your smudge sticks slightly earlier if you have server lag will prevent you from dying to the Ghost before the blind effect happens.

Phasmophobia is available through Steam on PC.