Phasmophobia’s weekly challenges are some of the toughest and most rewarding tasks you can tackle in the ghost-hunting game. They’re usually decently balanced, but The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge is a truly terrifying and tough task unlike anything the game has seen so far.
Even if you consider yourself to be an experienced ghost hunter, this challenge is going to be a very formidable one. The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge will be difficult no matter what, but here’s what you need to know to successfully complete it.
What is The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge in Phasmophobia?
The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge can only be completed on the Sunny Meadows Restricted map and includes only tier-three items. You’ll have access to the best form of every piece of equipment, and you’ll also have the maximum number of each one at no cost, but this won’t be all that useful since the ghost won’t give you any evidence.
When you load into this challenge, you’ll also notice the sanity monitor and activity monitor are both broken. You won’t have any setup time, which means the ghost can begin hunting whenever, and it will generally try to hunt you almost immediately.
There are a lot more specifics to this challenge not readily listed on the board or available for you to view. All of the exact settings for this challenge are taken from the Apocalypse III preset except for player speed, so here’s everything you’ll want to know heading into The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge.
- Player settings
- Starting sanity: Zero
- Sanity pill restoration: Zero
- Sanity drain speed: 200 percent
- Sprint: Off
- Player speed: 100 percent
- Flashlights: Off
- Ghost settings
- Ghost speed: 150
- Roaming frequency: High
- Changing favorite room: High
- Interaction amount: Low
- Event frequency: Low
- Friendly ghost: Off
- Grace period: Zero
- Hunt duration: High
- Kill extend hunts: High
- Evidence given: Zero
- Contract settings
- Setup time: Zero
- Weather: Heavy rain
- Doors starting open: High
- Number of hiding places: None
- Sanity monitor: Off
- Activity monitor: Off
- Fuse box at start of contract: Broken
- Cursed Possessions quantity: Zero
How do you identify the ghost in Phasmophobia’s The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge?
To successfully complete The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge in Phasmophobia, you’ll have to move quickly, use equipment strategically, and get lucky with what kind of ghost you’re dealing with. Even if you’re a highly experienced player and even if you do everything right, this challenge is still going to be incredibly difficult and relies a lot on luck.
The devs have this challenge listed as the “hardest possible challenge” and they absolutely mean this.
If you’re ready to tackle Phasmophobia’s toughest challenge yet, the best way you can do so is to try to test for every ghost to check off which ones it can and can’t be by employing most of the same strategies you use during the No Evidence challenge. This is the only way you can successfully complete The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge.
| Ghost type | Unique traits |
| Banshee | Can be heard signing on the Parabolic Microphone. Only targets one player at a time and remains focused on this player until they are killed or leave the game even outside of hunts. Has a higher likelihood of performing singing ghost events. |
| Demon | The Crucifix’s range extended 50 percent farther than it does for any other ghost. Smudging stops the Demon from hunting for a shorter period of time, so if a ghost hunts again around 60 to 90 seconds after being smudged, it might be a Demon. Has a lower hunt cooldown than other ghosts, so if you notice a hunt with a cooldown of less than 25 seconds then it’s most likely a Demon. |
| Deogen | Moves more slowly when near their chosen target, so if you notice a ghost moving rapidly toward a player before suddenly slowing down, it’s likely a Deogen. Always knows where players are when a hunt is active. |
| Goryo | Less likely to wander around. |
| Hantu | Moves more rapidly in colder areas during a hunt. Can produce visible frosty breath during a hunt, which is the easiest way to identify it with no evidence. |
| Jinn | Receives a speed boost when they are chasing a target who is far away. |
| Mare | Is much more likely to initiate a hunt in a dark room and remains in the dark more often than most other ghosts. |
| Moroi | Is affected by smudging for 7.5 seconds rather than only five during a hunt. |
| Myling | Makes sounds on the Parabolic Microphone more frequently. Is much quieter than all other ghosts during a hunt. This includes vocal noises and footsteps. |
| Obake | Will briefly shapeshift during a hunt into another visible ghost form at least once per hunt. |
| Oni | Becomes more active with more players nearby. You’ll see the Oni’s physical model for longer periods of time during a hunt. The Oni cannot create an airball during a ghost event. |
| Ornyo | If a flame is lit, the Ornyo cannot initiate a hunt and will instead blow out the flame. If a flame is extinguished, the Ornyo will become angry and is more likely to hunt. The Ornyo is more likely to blow out flames like campfires and candles as more players become deceased. |
| Phantom | Taking a picture of this ghost will cause it to temporarily become invisible, so if you snap a photo and a ghost does appear in it, you can rule out the Phantom. The Phantom is invisible more frequently during hunts. |
| Poltergeist | Is able to throw more than one object at once and can generally throw items farther than other ghosts. Will throw an item every 0.5 seconds during a hunt. |
| Raiju | Active electronics will boost the Raiju’s speed during a hunt. Messes with electronics from a farther distance when it’s manifesting. |
| Revenant | Moves very slowly when they are unaware of the player’s location during a hunt and moves very rapidly when they are. It’s nearly impossible to run from a Revenant if they know your location, so if the ghost seems incredibly fast, it might be one. |
| Shade | This is the shyest ghost of all and is the least likely to hunt or initiate ghost events. The Shade will be less active with multiple players around. Hisses and appears as a shadowy form more often than other ghosts. |
| Spirit | Is especially weak against Incense and won’t initiate a hunt again for 180 seconds after being smudged instead of the usual 90. |
| Thaye | Becomes much slower and less active over time based on how frequently players are around it. Is very active as soon as you enter, but quickly decays and goes quiet over time. |
| The Mimic | If you see any ghost orbs while completing this challenge then you’ve caught The Mimic. This ghost produces fake orbs that don’t count as part of its actual evidence which are visible even with no evidence turned on because of this. The Mimic replicates the behaviors of other ghosts which makes it highly unpredictable. |
| The Twins | Can create evidence far away from the actual ghost room. The Twins may interact with the environment simultaneously. Each Twin may hunt at a different speed, so if the speed of the ghost hunting you seems to change with each hunt, it could be The Twins alternating. The Twins have a 50 percent chance to hunt from their current location and a 50 percent chance to initiate the hunt instead from wherever their last interaction was. |
| Wraith | The Wraith will never step in Salt, so it’s easy to rule this ghost out by simply placing some down. |
| Yokai | Gets angered by players talking near it but won’t communicate as well through electronic equipment. Is more likely to initiate a hunt when players talk near it. |
| Yurei | Will generally shut doors frequently. If an exit door is shut completely without a ghost event or unit occurring, it is a Yurei. Will become temporarily trapped in their ghost room after a player smudges the area. |
The Apocalypse Draws Near Phasmophobia challenge tips
Beyond using specific ghost traits to correctly identify The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge ghost, here are some other general tips to help you through this daunting task.
Play with friends
As tough as this challenge is, it becomes a whole lot easier the moment you have at least one friend working with you. Even though you’re playing on Sunny Meadows Restricted rather than the full map, it’s still a pretty large maze-like area to navigate and you can be hunted from the moment you enter the door, which means you need to work as quickly as possible.
Having at least one other player on your side will allow you to explore more of the map in a shorter period of time. It also ensures the contract doesn’t end if you die. Ideally, you’ll want a full four-player lobby for the best results, but just gather as many players as you can since even one extra player is immensely helpful.
Use Salt
In addition to allowing you to rule out the Wraith if it’s stepped in, tier-three Salt is a powerful way to deter ghosts during a hunt. All ghosts will be much faster than usual during The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge, but if they step in Black Salt during a hunt, their speed will be decreased by 50 percent for two seconds, which might be just the boost you need to successfully get away and continue your investigation.
Use Crucifixes
The Crucifix can be quite tricky to use, but it is the most powerful tool you have at your disposal for ensuring the ghost cannot hunt. You’ll be granted two tier-three Crucifixes in The Apocalypse Draws Near challenge, so try to place one down where the ghost is spawning and keep the other in your hand for the best protection possible.
Smudge the area
Use Incense to smudge the area and deter ghosts from hunting. Like salt, this is another powerful tool capable of helping you last longer and hopefully complete the challenge without being caught by a ghost.
