Most of the equipment players can use to hunt ghosts in Phasmophobia is fairly intuitive and easy to understand, but the Crucifix is an extremely tricky and precise asset that is likely to cause players trouble. The Crucifix is a powerful tool that can save the lives of both you and your friends, but only if you know how to use it properly.
In my experience, this is by far the toughest item to use correctly. Here’s everything players need to know about how the Crucifix functions in Phasmophobia.
What does the Crucifix do in Phasmophobia?
When used correctly, the Crucifix will stop the ghost from initiating a hunt. During a hunt, the ghost becomes visible, locks players inside, and proceeds to chase them down with the goal of killing one of them, so preventing this from taking place is quite powerful.
As powerful as the Crucifix can be, players will want to keep in mind it cannot stop a cursed hunt from happening. Cursed hunts occur when players use one of the seven Cursed Possessions in Phasmophobia and will be initiated whether or not a Crucifix is being used properly.
How do you use the Crucifix in Phasmophobia?
To use a Crucifix in Phasmophobia, you must start by deciding whether you want to hold it in your hand or place it. This item will work slightly differently depending on which method players choose.
- If you choose to hold the Crucifix, you’ll want to stay close to where you think the ghost is otherwise this item will not successfully prevent a hunt. This is tough to do in single-player mode since you’ll need to cycle through and use other equipment.
- If you choose to place the Crucifix, you’ll want to ensure you are setting it down near where the ghost is so it will stop it. In my experience with this item, it’s usually best to place it down as this is the most reliable way of ensuring it will work.
Regardless of which method Phasmophobia players choose, the Crucifix must be within three meters of where the ghost is. The one exception to this rule is the Demon, which the Crucifix will stop up to five meters away.
It is quite difficult to judge what this radius looks like on your own, but you can see the exact radius of the Crucifix by holding down the secondary use button, which is F by default. If you’ve changed your settings around, you can check which button to use by opening up the journal and navigating to the controls page.
A translucent circle will appear on the ground while you are holding this button to show you the exact radius the Crucifix is currently covering from where you stand and where its reach will extend if you place it.
The Crucifix can be used twice within a match before it will break. The first time the Crucifix stops the ghost from initiating a hunt, a bright burning effect will appear and one of its wings will break off. The second time, more of the Crucifix will burn away.
Related: How to use the Monkey Paw in Phasmophobia
The best way to use the Crucifix
The best way to protect yourself and your teammates with a Crucifix is to identify the area the ghost is most active in and then place two Crucifixes near that area covering as much of it as you possibly can.
Only two of these items are allowed in any match, so all players can do is try to identify the area the ghost is active in and cover it with the Crucifixes’ radius.
If a hunt has already begun, the Crucifix is useless, so the only way players can use them for protection is to place them down before a hunt has begun. Players who are struggling to nail exactly how this functions may want to consider creating a custom difficulty mode and testing it out over and over since this will make it so they lose less money or no money at all depending on the exact settings they apply.
While holding or placing this item is easy enough to do, using the Crucifix is tricky since it will only protect players from a hunt when it is close enough to the ghost to do so. In my experience, using this item correctly is incredibly difficult and is all about proper timing, exact placement, and being the correct distance away from the ghost.
Crucifix updates may come soon to Phasmophobia
While all of this is how the Crucifix currently functions, Kinetic Games has also been consistently working on expanding the game as it moves closer to Version 1.0. This process includes overhauling most of the equipment, including the Crucifixes.
If you head over to the equipment wall in the Phasmophobia hub, you’ll find lots of markers that say “coming soon,” teasing what the devs are working to implement.
Next to the current Crucifix players have access to there are two other ones that appear to be of lesser and greater value, so players can expect these to arrive in the future and at least slightly change how the Crucifix functions.
We gathered this information by playing Phasmophobia v0.8.1.7 on PC.
