How do you level and prestige in Phasmophobia? Previously in Phasmophobia, once you reached a certain level and unlocked all the maps and equipment, there wasn’t much to keep you playing. The progression felt limited, and players often ran out of things to do. That all changed with an overhaul that introduced a Prestige System.
Now, there is a prestige system similar to that of other games like Call of Duty, where you can reset your level in exchange for unique customisation. This keeps players invested in unlocking new ID badges and titles, encouraging them to continue playing.
How to gain XP to Prestige and level up in Phasmophobia
For the most part, the leveling system is straightforward, though it can get a bit grindy later on. You’ll earn money as you complete investigations, identify ghost types, and finish side objectives. This serves two purposes: it gives you cash to buy equipment and upgrades, and fills your XP bar to help unlock said new gear.
As you conduct investigations, you’ll earn experience points and cash rewards. These help you level up and unlock better equipment to improve your ghost hunting. There are many ways to gain experience. Here are the main things you should focus on to maximize your progress:
Side Objectives
As mentioned, you’re rewarded for correctly identifying the ghost. But there are plenty of other ways to boost your profits and XP. For example, completing optional objectives from the board inside the van will stack rewards and increase both your earnings and experience gain.
Difficulty Multiplier
Suppose you’re feeling brave or particularly confident in your ghost-hunting abilities. In that case, higher difficulties add a multiplier to your rewards, letting you double, triple, or even boost your earnings up to 16x on a custom difficulty.
Tip: The higher your level, the more XP you need to level up. Continue on higher difficulties to maintain steady progress.
Perfect Investigation
In Phasmophobia, you can earn a hefty bonus for a Perfect Investigation. To achieve this, you must correctly identify the ghost, complete all side objectives, fill your photo gallery with only 3-star photos, and find the bone. It’s time-consuming, but combined with a higher difficulty, you’ll rack up plenty of XP.
Photos
Another way to earn XP is by taking photos during your investigation. You can take up to 9 pictures with a camera; higher-rated photos (3 stars) earn you more money. Capture ghosts, interactions, and even the hidden bone—taking a photo of the bone before picking it up gives extra cash. This is also required for the Perfect Investigation bonus.
You gain the XP reward at the end of your investigation, but only if you incorrectly identify the ghost. Otherwise, you’ll lose out and get nothing if you die. So take your time and be careful out there.
What You Get for Leveling Up
When you start your ghost hunting career, you’ll begin with a few basic pieces of equipment: a standard EMF reader, a thermometer, and a D.O.T.S. pen. As you level up and gain experience, you’ll unlock increasingly advanced gear that makes finding ghosts safer, easier, and much faster.
Tip: There are three equipment tiers: Tier I is basic and outdated, Tier II is modern and reliable, and Tier III is top-tier gear that makes ghost hunting a breeze.
The first 20 levels will be all Tier I equipment, with most of the ‘modern’ tech (Tier II) being unlocked by level 30. By level 40, you should have most of this modern equipment unlocked. By reaching level 20, you should have most of the Tier I equipment unlocked. By level 50, you’ll be halfway through the equipment progression, with most of the modern Tier II gear unlocked and starting to access advanced equipment—you’ll have plenty of tools to go into contracts with.
At Level 90, you would’ve unlocked the last of Tier III and have nothing else to unlock. Once you’ve reached level 100, you’ll be able to prestige. You can keep going all the way to level 999, but there is no reward as you’ve unlocked everything, so you might as well prestige.
How to Prestige Your Account
Once you reach level 100 and beyond, a new option, “Prestige,” will appear beneath your badge on the main menu. As mentioned, choosing prestige will reset all your money, equipment, and upgrades, sending you back to level 1. But you do keep unlocked maps and difficulty settings (including the option to make customs)
It’s tough to say goodbye to the best gear. After selecting the prestige button, the game will warn you about the consequences of furthering your prestige level. At the bottom, it will show you your current badge and the new ID badge you get for that prestige level. If you’re sure you want to reset all your progress and restart at (prestige) level 1, click ‘yes.’
You don’t have to prestige once you hit level 100—you can keep earning experience and level up to level 999 if you want. The prestige option will always be available, but remember: there’s no new equipment to unlock beyond level 90 (the last unlockable item is the Tier III crucifix). After that, leveling is mostly about bragging rights.
What You Get for Prestiging
Each time you prestige, you’ll unlock a new ID card and badge for your ghost hunter, along with a Roman numeral on your ID card to denote (show off) your prestige level. No matter your prestige level, you’re free to equip and switch between any badges you’ve unlocked whenever you like.
Tip: You unlock the ‘I,’ ‘II,’ and ‘III’ achievements by reaching the first three prestige levels.
You can prestige up to a maximum of Prestige 20. From Prestige 1 through 10, each level unlocks a unique background, title ID card, and badge. After Prestige 10, the ID cards get a visual upgrade—now featuring subtle animations instead of static images. Shiny.
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