Phasmophobia smudge sticks – how to use them

Here's how to use this ghost-hunting equipment

A dark room with a light and two brick walls

How do you use smudge sticks in Phasmophobia? For anyone that doesn’t know, smudge sticks are neatly tied herbs used for healing, or in this case, warding off evil spirits. In real life, they can contain all manner of ingredients from rosemary to garlic and are often wafted through the air once lit to rid the area of a bad aura.

Using smudge sticks in Phasmophobia isn’t about healing, though, it’s about staying alive and these little garlicky parcels are super handy to cleanse an area of apparitions and buy yourself some more time for hunting. Smudge sticks are used in a lot of objectives and can be purchased from the menu using the in-game currency you’ve collected from previous missions. You can carry up to four smudge sticks, and will also need a lighter to use them.

Smudge sticks also interact with some of the ghosts in Phasmophobia in different ways: using it on a Spirit will prevent it from attacking and using it on a Yurei will prevent it from moving. Here are the other ways you can use smudge sticks in Phasmophobia.

How do you use smudge sticks in Phasmophobia?

As mentioned, you need a lighter and can use smudge sticks to subdue a spirit and to stop it attacking by either lighting it in your hand, or lighting it in a room. To light a smudge stick you need to use either a candle or lighter. Place it down in a room, or keep it equipped, then pressing F to light. Once it starts to smoke, you can use a smudge stick in two ways – to either prevent a ghost from entering a hunt for 90 seconds if the ghost is within six metres, or to stop a ghost hunting for six seconds, giving you a chance to escape and preserve without risking your sanity levels dropping through the floor.

So, smudge sticks in Phasmophobia can help get you out of a jam, or mellow out a ghost while you scout for clues during an investigation. They do burn pretty quickly, though, so use them sparingly. If you need something else to keep the ghosts at bay, check out our guide to using a crucifix in Phasmophobia and all the questions you can ask on a ouija board. If texting ghosts isn’t your jam then use the undead equivalent of Discord and try these spirit box commands instead.