How to light and use a smudge stick in Phasmophobia

Incense is an invaluable tool while hunting and surviving territorial ghosts. But using incense can be tricky for newcomers to the game, even beyond just beating secondary objectives. Here’s how to light and use a smudge stick in Phasmophobia!

Using and lighting a smudge stick in Phasmophobia

You must have both a smudge stick and a box of matches/firelight to use these in Phasmophobia. You can take either approach to use this item:

• While holding your matches, hit the primary action (right-click) to light one
• Cycle to your smudge stick so you’re holding it instead (mouse-wheel)
• Hit the primary action again (right-click) while holding the smudge stick to light it

OR

• Place a smudge stick on the ground or a surface nearby
• Take out your matches or other fire source, and light them if needed
• While targeting the smudge stick, left-click (secondary action) to light the stick in its place

Related: How to use the Monkey Paw in Phasmophobia

This lights the smudge stick for upwards of 5 seconds, with increments of 2 additional seconds for each level of incense you have. But beyond completing the secondary objective, what is the point of the smudge stick in Phasmophobia?

Can you use smudge sticks to stop hunts?

Smudge sticks temporarily delay or reset hunt cooldowns for ghosts if you have one lit with a ghost nearby. This means if you have isolated a ghost’s room, or charted its path using salt, you can strategically prevent hunts long enough to gather more clues. If you’re playing during seasonal updates, you might even enjoy the extra time to shoot some snowmen!

Generally, incense items are a handy tool to have. I’ve been in a bind where a hunt was triggered and I used one late enough in a hunt for the ghost not to be able to find or kill me. The hunt ended, I tucked my tail between my legs, and I ran off with the evidence, photos, and my remaining dignity intact.