Getting started with Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is easy and mastering it is extremely fun. Ghostbuster or Ghost, playing is straightforward to pick up…but it will take time—and skill—to master playing either side. Here are some tips and tactics to help you get the most juice out of your proton pack…or the best use out of your ectoplasm.
Illfonic’s BIGGEST TIP –
The more you play, a story arc unveils itself. Follow the needs of Ray Stantz and Winston Zeddemore to uncover cinematics that build to an exciting conclusion! Yes, it’s a multiplayer with more!
Top tips to getting started
Ghostbusters
- Manage your resources. With only three pieces of equipment—the Particle Thrower, Ghost Trap, and PKE Meter—the utility of each is weighted heavily. You can lock down the Ghost with a consistently well-aimed beam, but it comes at the cost of an overheating Proton Pack. Charging the PKE Meter will let out a blast to stun the Ghost and reveal nearby rifts, but the device will become disabled for a short time after. And if you’re caught without a Ghost Trap on you, well….
- Keep your Ghost Trap on you at all times. If you’re actively wrangling in a Ghost, sure, throw down the trap and coordinate with your team to pull ‘em in. But you only have one with you, make sure you pick it up before you focus on finding rifts or valuable time will be lost while you make your way back to the gear cart for replacements. Once you discover a rift, premeditate the Ghost’s arrival by placing a trap down at the rift’s location.
Ghost
- Pace yourself! If you get too spooky too quickly, you’ll find yourself low on ectoplasm and surrounded by Proton Packs. Don’t be afraid of inanimate objects—pick your poison, chill for a second, and watch your spectral powers rebound speedily. Use this time to scout the status and location of your active rifts and strategize.
- Save abilities with bigger cooldowns for high-tensity situations where you almost get trapped. These big panic buttons can turn a situation in your favor on a dime. Spam it while wiggling free from a beam and you’ll escape while spewing around more ectoplasm than you can fathom. Disabling nearby Ghostbusters in these moments can give you all the time you need to get outta dodge.
Top tips to advance your play
Ghostbusters
- Look up. Seriously, sometimes hiding as the Ghost can be that simple. If a Ghost notices these habits, they will take advantage by sneaking up and disabling your Proton Pack from behind.
- Keep an eye out for grappling hook spots to traverse areas with haste. Utilize these to suddenly cut off a Ghost’s escape route or speed to a pinged location.
- Communicate with the team. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed features a dynamic pinging system to help effectively direct your squad. One beam is almost never strong enough to wrangle a Ghost into a trap—working together is (almost always) the best way. Be mindful of others’ pings when exploring the game’s myriad environments, and respond accordingly.
Ghost
- Experiment with different Ghosts! At the Firehouse, enter the spectral realm to change your Ghost’s loadout, including which Ghost you’ll play. Each one comes with its own set of mischievous abilities, so make sure you’re playing with a set of skills that best suits your haunting preferences. Ghosts also have unique stats that affect their ability to escape beams, move quickly, store ectoplasm, and more.
- Hide in plain sight. Floating above the heads of Ghostbusters can be surprisingly effective, but even just finding a random, nondescript chair among a dining room full of seating is quite deceiving. The same strategy can be employed by placing rifts in “obvious” places. Just be mindful of those pesky PKE Meters.
Top PRO tips to get the most out of the game
Ghostbusters
- Create your ideal proton pack setup! At the Firehouse, head upstairs and use the workbench to customize your gear. This goes beyond aesthetics—your choices will affect multiple aspects of your gameplay. If your Proton Pack is overheating too often, there’s a loadout to help accommodate your lead finger. Practice using custom equipment in the alleyway between Ray’s Occult Books and the Firehouse.
- Find mold strewn throughout the different in-game maps to gain access to unlockables that further personalize your Ghostbuster. What’s the point in capturing the Ghost if you don’t look good doing it?
- Keep your PKE Meter out by default. Its activity grants clues as to the whereabouts of the Ghost and their rifts. When the line curves upwards, head up. When it curves downwards, find a lower level. If the line’s straight and the PKE Meter’s wings are out? You’re hot.
Ghost
- Cut off passageways by possessing furniture and moving it. Some pieces of the environment—such as certain dinosaurs—are too big to move, but anything moveable can be left in doorways to obstruct the Ghostbusters’ ability to navigate properly. Even if they get through, it’ll slow them down long enough for you to run and/or hide.
- Assume Ghostbusters are on the way if actively scared citizens surround you. Don’t stay in one spot for too long—spook an unsuspecting passerby and dip out. Alternatively…
- Use fleeing people as an improvised Ghostbuster trap of your own. While they’re locked into the mechanic to calm down a civilian, utilize their immobility to your advantage and sabotage their Proton Pack.