(Bethesda)
Prey’s are some of the scariest enemies early on. But with this handy guide, you’ll be mowing them down for their sweet loot.
First of all, get a shotgun. You can either get one in the Security Station or by pre-ordering the game and collecting the bonus in your office. Shotguns are essential as most of the bullets from the spread will hit the phantom, doing big damage. The only downside is that you have to be up close to the phantom, so keep moving to avoid their attacks.
Second, take advantage of stealth. Taking on a Phantom head on is not a good idea unless you have a meaty weapon as their projectile is very powerful. Stealth will give double damage to attacks if enemies are unaware. Phantoms can only see forward, making them susceptible to being sneaked up on from behind. Try to hit them with a charged wrench attack to knock them down and continue pummeling them.
If you do have to fight a Phantom head on, mix in long range attacks with close range ones. Attacking from afar will allow you to dodge their projectile much easier and attacking close up will let you do big damage. Whatever you do, just keep moving and activate sprint for more speed. Be wary of your stamina while sprinting and swinging your wrench. They do have a habit of teleporting short distances so try to spot the trail that forms from them. Sometimes phantoms will stop attacking for a moment, allowing you to score some hits.
By far the best way to take down a Phantom is to use a turret to take them down for you. Either lure one close to it or carry a turret to the entrance of the room where the Phantom is and deploy it. However, be sure to have a backup plan as turrets can only take a few projectiles from a Phantom.
Also keep note of different varieties of phantom, such as etheric phantoms that can duplicate into two and spawn toxic clouds, and thermal phantoms that can spawn pillars of fire. Keep your distance for both varieties and keep moving around. That way you can keep tabs on where etheric phantom duplicates are and dodge the slow attacks of the thermal phantoms.
Happy hunting!