Phasmophobia Audio Only Challenge Guide

Phasmophobia is full of exciting paranormal challenges for players to embark on daily and weekly, and one of the most difficult of them all is the Audio Only Challenge.

Designed to test your investigative abilities to the limit, Audio Only means that you'll need to focus on figuring out your ghostly culprit almost entirely by sound. If you're wondering the best way to go about it, here's our handy Phasmophobia Audio Only Challenge guide to explain all the tips and techniques you'll need.

How does the Audio Only challenge in Phasmophobia work?

While Daily and Weekly tasks are fairly simple objectives that can net you a little extra cash and EXP, if you're looking for a truly rigorous challenge with a much bigger reward, Weekly Challenges are right up your alley.

As the name suggests, they change weekly and sometimes it will land on an Audio Only Challenge. The goal is the same as any other in Phasmophobia - to correctly identify the ghost haunting the chosen location. However, in this case, you're encouraged "to use your ears" by identifying it almost entirely through sound. It also must be done on the Sunny Meadows map.

If you manage to successfully identify the ghost and end the investigation (dead or alive) three times, the Weekly Challenge rewards you with a staggering $5,000 (plus experience). That can definitely help with level boosting for those Prestige ranks, and unlocking Challenge-related achievements.

What are the rules in the Phasmophobia Audio Only challenge?

As expected, the Audio Only Challenge in Phasmophobia focuses heavily on sound as your primary tool. For those who have done their fair share of ghost hunting in the game already, that may not seem as bad as it...well sounds, the true difficulty of this challenge is where it takes place.

The Audio Only Challenge must be completed at the Sunny Meadows asylum, the largest map in the game to date. Before you ask, this challenge cannot be done on Sunny Meadows Restricted, and it won't count as completed if you try.

When you arrive at the location, you'll be given a specific loadout of tools to use during your investigation. You'll notice that quite a few items are missing that would otherwise make things easier, such as Sanity Meds, Crucifixes, EMF Readers, Salt, and Video Cameras.

As for what tools you are given, by tier they include:

• Tier I: Igniter, Head Gear
• Tier II: Motion Sensor, Photo Camera, Firelight, Ghost Writing Book, Flashlight, DOTS Projector
• Tier III: Sound Sensor, Parabolic Microphone, and Spirit Box.

Only the Tier 3 items cater entirely to sound-based clues, with the lower-tiered items focusing on other types of evidence.

Other important rules to remember are:

• There are NO Cursed Possessions to use.
• The Fuse Box is permanently broken, so it cannot be used (have fun ruling out a Jinn).
• You get a five-minute grace period to find the ghost's location and set up the tools you need.
• You must complete this challenge three times before the end of the weekly timer to receive the full $5,000 reward.

Best tips for completing Phasmophobia Audio Only Challenge

Managing to complete this Audio Only Challenge in Phasmophobia not just once but three times is a serious undertaking that requires exceptional strategy, knowing how to maximize your time and sanity, and above all, knowing the unique traits of each ghost in the game.

That said, here are some tips I highly recommend considering before stepping foot into Sunny Meadows. These can be a make or break for pulling off this challenge and taking home the trophy.

Practice with custom mode

If you've primarily relied on default hunt modes for gaining experience in Phasmophobia, then trying to tackle this unique Challenge Mode will probably make you feel like a fish out of water. Before going into this, you should consider trying some runs on Custom Mode first.

You can use it to design hunts however you like, down to the smallest detail. You can even try and mimic the Audio Only challenge on a smaller map, that way you have a good idea of how to handle it when walking into the giant Sunny Meadows map. You also still get EXP in Custom Mode, so it's a win-win.

Avoid doing this challenge solo

It may not be what you want to hear, but completing the Audio Only Challenge on the gigantic Sunny Meadows map alone is realistically almost impossible. There are several dozen rooms to search in maze-like hallways, your sanity will dip quickly in the dark, and you don't have many protective items to guard you against or during hunts.

The only instance where we could suggest going solo is if the ghost spawns in a room near the front door of the building. That can allow you to set up items quickly and get the clues you need before the worst happens.

However, to maximize your odds of success, we still recommend doing this challenge with friends, ideally as a group of four. This allows you to cover more ground in the asylum quickly to pinpoint the ghost's location and also set things up quicker. A collective mind can also help you rule out those misleading clues and figure out your culprit as efficiently as possible.

Get creative with your tools

You may think that the loadout you're given is all you have to use, but this challenge also encourages you to get creative with other tools that are right under your nose.

For instance, you may not have Video Cameras to place around the asylum to track visual clues like Ghost Orbs or DOTS, but you can still make use of the truck cameras. There are eight cameras total that you can use, and with some luck, your ghost will be in one of those rooms.

While you don't have access to the Fuse Box or Sanity Meds to help replenish your sanity, remember that you can still use the Firelights to keep your sanity high while searching for the ghost's room. Since they are Tier 2, they will burn out eventually, so use them wisely. However, they can ensure that you stay out of hunt range as long as possible.

Another trick to track down the ghost early on, which is already recommended when doing maps of this size, is placing the Sound Sensors in each main area before anything else. Since they're Tier 3, they have a very wide range and can be boosted to listen in on multiple rooms at once. From the truck, you can listen for items being thrown, doors being opened and closed, and other special interactions.

Also, since you don't have an EMF or Thermometer to pinpoint the ghost's exact room/ area, use the Motion Sensors to help.

Pay attention to ghost traits

One other important technique that often goes overlooked by newer ghost hunters is paying attention to unique ghost traits. Aside from the traditional clues that help you determine what a ghost is from the list, each ghost in the game actually has unspoken traits that are unique to them.

For example, some ghost figures are more visible than others when they flicker during a hunt. A Phantom is the least visible, while an Oni is the most visible. A Demon can hunt more frequently (every 20 secs) than any other ghost. A Yokai can hunt at 80% sanity if you talk to it often via the Spirit Box. A Yurei is the only ghost capable of shutting the entrance door outside of a hunt.

Not only that, listening to a ghost's walking speed during a hunt in Phasmophobia is crucial as well. If you listen closely, you may be able to hear them walking slower or faster than normal. This can contribute to figuring out its identity as much as anything else you find.

A spectacular tool for figuring out these particular types of clues is the Unofficial Phasmophobia Cheat Sheet.

Know how to escape a ghost

While being alive at the end of an investigation ironically isn't a requirement for completion of the challenge, knowing how to stay alive as long as possible is still vital for success. While hiding spots are plentiful in much smaller maps like Tanglewood where you don't have much room to run, big ones like the Prison and Sunny Meadows offer very few hiding places.

Instead, you have to use the staggering amount of space in the building to outrun the ghost rather than hide from it. One of the first things you want to know when starting an investigation is your escape route in case of a hunt. Thankfully, Sunny Meadows has ridiculously long hallways as well as a courtyard where you can keep distance between yourself and your ghostly pursuer.

That concludes our Phasmophobia Audio Only Challenge guide. I hope you found this helpful, and let us know if you've managed to complete this challenge. Which tips worked best for you?

Be sure to check out all of our other news and guides for Phasmophobia, such as our Apocalypse Challenge Guide.