How to Spot a Thaye in Phasmophobia

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Learn to identify a thaye and the effects they have on your sanity

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman

Last Updated: November 24, 2023 References

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How to Identify a Thaye

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Thaye Special Ability

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Similar Ghost Types

The Thaye may be a relatively new ghost to Phasmophobia’s roster of specters, but it’s definitely made a name for itself as one of the most difficult ghosts to successfully identify. Thankfully, there are several effective ways to narrow down your search, like watching for early attacks and identifying specific pieces of evidence. Read on to learn everything there is to know about this tricky ghost (including its unique ability), so you can improve your odds of a successful in-game investigation.

Things You Should Know

The Thaye is an aggressive ghost that can attack when your sanity is as high as 75%.
Identify a Thaye by their appearance on D.O.T.S. projectors, their writing in the Ghost Writing Book, and their visible Ghost Orbs.
The Thaye have the ability to “age” themselves throughout the investigation. The older a Thaye gets, the less active they’ll be.

Section 1 of 3:

How to Identify a Thaye

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They attack early on in the investigation. Compared to other ghosts, a Thaye can initiate a hunt when a player’s sanity level is at 75%. If a hunt occurs within the first few minutes of the game (after the setup phase period has passed), you can deduce that the ghost might be a Thaye.^{[1]
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- The setup phase lasts for 5 minutes if you’re playing on Amateur difficulty, and 2 minutes if you’re playing on Intermediate. Professional Nightmare Insanity difficulty has no setup phase, so an attack could happen much sooner if you’re playing at that level.^{[2]
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- Protect yourself early on by putting a crucifix down.
Many ghosts get a speed buff when pursuing a player during a Hunt (also known as having active “line-of-sight,” or LoS). A Thaye, on the other hand, can’t increase their speed during a Hunt; in fact, their speed continues to go down during the investigation.^{[3]
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They appear on the D.O.T.S. Projector. Set the D.O.T.S. Projector on the wall in the room where the ghost is present. If a Thaye (among other ghost types) is present in the room, a silhouette appears within the projected light—in some cases, the silhouette may even run. To improve your chances of spotting the ghost, set up 2 D.O.T.S. Projectors that are on opposite walls.^{[4]
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- The Tier 1 D.O.T.S. Projector (the only model you have access to between levels 1 and 28) functions like a flashlight and can’t be mounted on the wall. Once you hit levels 29 and 60 respectively, Tier 2 and Tier 3 D.O.T.S. Projectors are available for purchase (both of which are wall-mountable). All versions of the device cost $65 in the pre-game shop.
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They write in the Ghost Writing Book. Place the Ghost Writing Book on a surface in the room where the ghost is present. Thaye ghosts (as well as other varieties) write or scribble in the notebook to display their presence.
- Between levels 1 and 22, you only have access to the Tier 1 Ghost Writing Book, which has a smaller radius and a low chance of being interacted with. Tier 2 and Tier 3 notebooks (available at levels 23 and 63, respectively) have a larger radius and higher chance of being interacted with, making it easier to collect this type of evidence. All versions of this item cost $40 in the pre-game shop.^{[5]
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They create Ghost Orbs that are visible on camera. Ghost Orbs are small, white circles that resemble small snowflakes. They drift across any type of Video Camera footage, including the Video Camera, the video feed in the truck, and the Head Mounted Camera. They’re only visible when the night vision feature is toggled, and the Orbs don’t appear in groups (only one Orb floats on the screen at a time). If you spot an Orb in the ghost room, there’s a chance that a Thaye could be present.^{[6]
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- Video equipment can be purchased in the pre-game shop. All Tiers of the Video Camera cost $50, while all Tiers of the Head Mounted Camera cost $60.
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They change their answer during Ouija Board communications. All Phasmophobia maps spawn with a random cursed possession, like the Ouija Board, Tarot Cards, or Haunted Mirror. If you spot a Ouija Board during your investigation, use it to ask the ghost for its age on 2 separate occasions. If the second age the ghost provides is higher than the first, it’s likely a Thaye. Just keep in mind that Ouija Board can rapidly drain your sanity levels, so use it with caution!^{[7]
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Research source} Here’s where you can find the Ouija Board on each map:
- Tanglewood Drive: On a small table in the basement
- Edgefield Road: Beneath the metal rack in the laundry room
- Ridgeview Court: On the rack in the laundry room
- Grafton Farmhouse: In a small room attached to the bedroom
- Willow Street: On the washing machine
- Brownstone High School: Behind a pillar in the auditorium
- Bleasdale Farmhouse: On top of a work bench
- Sunny Meadows: In the chapel
- Sunny Meadows Restricted: In the chapel
- Prison: Behind the counter near the entrance
- Maple Lodge Campsite: On the rack in the storage room near the bathroom
- Camp Woodwind: On a table near the campfire pit

Section 2 of 3:

What ability does a Thaye have?

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A Thaye has the ability to “age,” which decreases its hunting prowess. During every 1-2 minutes that pass in the game, a Thaye tries to “age” itself up by 1 year—however, the Thaye can only do this when it’s in the same space as the player. If no players are nearby, another 30 seconds pass before the Thaye tries to age itself up again. The Thaye’s default age will be a random number between 2 and 90.^{[8]
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- For every year the Thaye ages itself, its hunt sanity threshold lowers by 6% (or 15%, if the Thaye is over 10 years old), starting at 75%. In other words, your sanity only has to be 75% for a Thaye to initiate a hunt at the beginning of the investigation. After aging up once, however, the Thaye will only attack players whose sanity level is 69% or lower, and so on.
- As a Thaye’s Hunt sanity threshold continues to decrease, it becomes harder and harder to detect in-game.

Section 3 of 3:

Similar Ghost Types

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Demon Demons are an aggressive type of ghost that can start a hunt when a player’s sanity level is at 70% (just slightly lower than the Thaye). If a hunt gets initiated early on in the game, a Demon could be to blame.^{[9]
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- Tip: Look for pieces of evidence that the Demon leaves but the Thaye doesn’t, like ultraviolet fingerprints and freezing temperatures.
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Deogen Deogens are ghosts that are always able to detect players (even in hiding spots). Similar to the Thaye, they don’t get a speed buff when the player is in their LoS—in fact, they get even slower. The Deogen also interacts with the D.O.T.S. Projector and the Ghost Writing Book, just like the Thaye.^{[10]
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- Tip: Try to identify a Deogen with EMF Reader evidence, which a Thaye won’t provide.
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Mare Like a Thaye, a Mare can be identified by spotting Ghost Orbs or observing activity in the Ghost Writing Book.^{[11]
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- Tip: Use the Spirit Box to collect evidence of a Mare, which a Thaye can’t provide.
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Raiju Similar to a Thaye, a Raiju can be pinned down by observing Ghost Orbs or by spotting a silhouette with the D.O.T.S. Projector.
- Tip: Use the EMF Reader tool to identify a Raiju.
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Revenant Just like a Thaye, a Revenant can be identified with types of evidence like Ghost Writing and Ghost Orbs.^{[12]
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- Tip: Keep the ghost’s speed in mind during a Hunt. Thayes can’t speed up, while Revenants will increase their speed drastically when approaching a player.
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Yokai A Yokai can be identified with types of evidence like Ghost Orbs and a D.O.T.S. Projector, similar to a Thaye.^{[13]
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- Tip: Use the Spirit Box to identify a Yokai. Just keep in mind that communicating with the Yokai via a Spirit Box may trigger them to become active and start a hunt.
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Yurei Similar to other ghosts on this list, Yureis can be observed via the D.O.T.S. Projector or Ghost Orbs (just like the Thaye can be).^{[14]
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- Tip: Leave the front door of the building open at all times. If you notice the door close on its own without a ghost event or hunt occurring, a Yurei can be identified.