Back in December, the Phasmophobia Tempest update arrived, bringing some changes to the way ghosts work and the way custom difficulty operates. Now, in a new dev preview, Kinetic Games is looking forward to what's coming to Phasmophobia next, including a progression overhaul, more difficulty tweaks, and lots of other stuff.
First up, the devs discuss the new leveling system, which is coming in update 9.0. Upgrades and equipment will be unlocked in a specific order, and you won't level up every time you hit 100XP. Instead, each level will need more XP to reach, and when you reach level 100, you'll be able to reset your progress and gain a badge and title. This overhaul will require a wipe, though, since it's such a major overhaul.
More immediately, update 8.1 will add new value overhauls to Custom Difficulty, which was introduced to Phasmophobia back in September. Changes include a drop in the max reward multiplayer from 24x to 15x, which is intended to bring custom difficulty more in line with Phasmophobia's default difficulty options.
Speaking of default difficulty options, if you feel like Phasmophobia is too easy, update 8.1 should change that. A new official difficulty level, Insanity, is being added. This mode will give you no setup time, almost no hiding places, and smarter ghosts; the devs describe it as "one step further down the rabbit hole after Nightmare".
Phasmophobia is also getting a Challenge Mode in update 8.1, which will rotate different challenges each week for a fresh new ghost-hunting experience. These could include all of the lights being out, an officially-implemented Hide and Seek game, or contracts focused only on specific kinds of equipment, like audio gear.
The shop is getting an overhaul, too. A host of quality-of-life improvements are being added, including clearer communication regarding items, better menu options, and more. Finally, Kinetic is teasing a mysterious set of runes discovered "in the warehouse lobby", so we'll get to find out what those are in Phasmophobia 8.1, too.
Make sure to take a look through the full dev preview on Steam to see everything that's coming to Phasmophobia soon. If you'd like to check the game out, it's currently available via Steam Early Access, where it'll set you back $13.99 or your regional equivalent.
