How to use the Voodoo Doll in Phasmophobia

The Voodoo Doll is a dangerous object, so here's how to use it and what it does in Phasmophobia.

The player holding a Voodoo Doll in front of the night sky with a full moon in Phasmophobia.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

There are seven different Cursed Possessions players can use in Phasmophobia, and each one comes with both massive benefits and drawbacks. The Voodoo Doll is one of the most unpredictable ones, so you might be unsure how to properly make use of this object.

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If you’re unfamiliar with how this object works, you may end up the untimely victim of a cursed ghost hunt. Understanding how it works means you can be prepared for anything that happens, so here’s how to use the Voodoo Doll in Phasmophobia.

What does the Voodoo Doll do in Phasmophobia?

The player holding a voodoo doll in their hand and staring at a lit up camp while searching for a ghost in Phasmophobia.
It’s a useful tool for gathering evidence more quickly. Screenshot by Dot Esports

The main function of the Voodoo Doll in Phasmophobia is forcing the ghost to perform a random interaction. The type of ghost interaction that will trigger is entirely random. but includes activities like making the ghost throw an item or causing the ghost to leave fingerprints on a nearby surface.

Each time you use the Voodoo Doll, one of two things can happen.

  • If any pin other than the heart pin is pressed, the Voodoo Doll causes the ghost to perform a random interaction.
  • If the heart pin is pressed, a cursed hunt is triggered and the ghost tries to kill you.

Depending on what type of interaction the Voodoo Doll triggers, it can be incredibly helpful for gathering evidence if you are struggling to get the ghost to interact with your equipment. But it’s also a highly dangerous and potentially deadly item, which means the Voodoo Doll comes with some drawbacks—as all Cursed Objects do.

How to use the Voodoo Doll in Phasmophobia

To use the Voodoo Doll, you need to hold it in your hand and activate the Use button. Each time you select the Use option, a different pin will be randomly chosen and pushed into the doll until all 10 have been used or the heart pin is chosen, whichever one happens first.

The Use button you need here varies by platform, but you can check what it is in your Journal. Once you have your Journal open, navigate to the Options page on the Pause Menu, select Controls, and find the button next to the word Use. This is the same button you also need to use for most other Cursed Possessions like the Ouija Board and Tarot Cards.

A Voodoo Doll sitting on a green campfire chair under some string lights in Phasmophobia.
Using this item is a very random and luck-based process, so you need to be careful with it. Screenshot by Dot Esports

You need to have a free hand to hold the Voodoo Doll an interact with it. Like most Cursed Objects, you cannot hold onto and use it unless it is the active item in your hand which means it will drop if you attempt to cycle to a different piece of equipment.

All Voodoo Doll effects in Phasmophobia

The Voodoo Doll can force the ghost to perform a variety of different ghost interactions. Since you have no control over what kind of interaction the ghost will perform when using the Voodoo Doll, it’s both a helpful and unpredictable tool.

All effects that can be caused by this Cursed Object are as follows.

  • An EMF level five reading.
  • Lights turning on or off.
  • Ultraviolet evidence including footprints, fingerprints, and handprints.
  • Doors opening or closing.
  • A teddy bear having its head twisted backward or giggling.
  • Showers turning on.
  • A rocking chair rocking on its own.
  • Items being thrown.
  • A fan turning on.
  • Objects being touched or moved.
  • A television being turned on.
  • A phone to ringing.
  • A radio turning on.
  • A musical instrument being played.
  • Bear traps being closed or opened.
  • A car alarm going off.
  • A clock chiming.
  • Computers turning on.
  • A Firelight being blown out.
  • A mannequin rotating or teleporting elsewhere.
  • A campfire being blown out.
A bunch of random objects including a teddy bear, some cooking pans, and a book that were thrown by the ghost while the player is holding and using the Voodoo Doll in front of a lit campfire in Phasmophobia.
Ghosts love to throw lots of objects at you when you use the Voodoo Doll. Screenshot by Dot Esports

How much sanity does the Voodoo Doll drain in Phasmophobia?

The amount of sanity the Voodoo Doll costs varies depending on what it does, but it’s always either five or 10 percent. This amount can quickly add up depending on how many times you use this object.

  • If any pin other than the heart pin is pressed, the Voodoo Doll drains five percent sanity.
  • If the heart pin is pressed, the Voodoo Doll drains 10 percent sanity.

You cannot use the Voodoo Doll if you have no sanity to spend in exchange. If you try to use it with zero percent sanity, the heart pin will always be chosen and a cursed hunt will begin.

The sanity toll the Voodoo Doll exacts is much less than most other Cursed Possessions, so it’s a fairly safe object to use in comparison, but it’s also less precise than some of the other tools, so you may use all the pins but never get exactly what you’re looking for.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.