The GLOOM biome in PEAK does not mess around. Between the constant sleep damage and the fog swallowing half the map, it is already one of the more punishing areas in the game. Then the Big Ghost shows up, drifting toward you with those black eyes and purple energy swirling at its base, and suddenly you have a very short window to either earn the Exorcist Badge or eat a face full of cold damage. The good news: once you understand the three fire sources available down there, the whole thing becomes straightforward.
What is the Exorcist Badge and how do you unlock it?
The Exorcist Badge unlocks the moment you burn the Big Ghost inside an active flame source in the GLOOM biome. GLOOM is the swamp area buried under the mist, positioned after ALPINE in the climbing sequence. The badge registers instantly when the ghost catches fire and disintegrates, and it also rewards you with the Frog Hat cosmetic for your collection.
Before you head down there, make sure you are targeting the right enemy. The small, smiling ghosts floating around the swamp are ambient and do not count. You need the large round ghost with black eyes and purple energy at its base. That is the only one that triggers the badge.
PEAK Exorcist Badge Guide: How to Burn the Big Ghost
What fire sources can burn up the Big Ghost?
Three options exist, and any active flame that makes contact with the Big Ghost will trigger the burn. Here is how each one works:
All three work. The Belltower is the most reliable because it does not require finding a specific item first. The Candlestick and Faerie Light are portable options that also protect you from sleep damage while they are active, which makes them genuinely useful beyond just the badge.
PEAK Exorcist Badge Guide: How to Burn the Big Ghost
How to burn the Big Ghost with a Belltower
The Belltower method is the cleanest approach, especially if you are going in without items. Five Belltowers are spread across the GLOOM map, and ringing one creates a safe patch of light in the mist as a bonus.
Here is the step-by-step process:
- Find a stone Belltower in the fog and position yourself at its base so the BELLTOWER [E] RING prompt is visible before anything else happens.
- Hold your position and listen for the Big Ghost's sound cue. It is loud and distinct, so you will not miss it.
- Wait until the Big Ghost drifts directly beside the tower, then press and hold E. A yellow progress ring fills around the prompt.
- Once the ring completes, the tower fires a purple flame from its top. The ghost is engulfed, disintegrates, and the Exorcist Badge is yours.
Ringing all five Belltowers in a single expedition also earns the separate Bellringer Badge, so running the full map and stacking both badges on the same trip is worth doing.
How to burn the Big Ghost with a Candlestick or Faerie Light
If you find a Candlestick inside Luggage while exploring the swamp, hold onto it. When the Big Ghost's sound cue triggers, light the candle and either hold your position or move the flame into the ghost's path during the roughly 30-second active window. The Candlestick also stops sleep damage while it burns, so it pulls double duty if you are already taking status pressure.
The Faerie Light, found in Ancient Idols or Ancient Luggage, works differently. Rather than treating it as a repel tool, let the Big Ghost pass through its flame radius. The burn triggers the same way it does with any other fire source.
PEAK Exorcist Badge Guide: How to Burn the Big Ghost
Why does the burn fail to trigger?
After testing all three fire sources against the Big Ghost, the same mistakes come up repeatedly:
- Wrong target. Burning a small ghost does nothing for the Exorcist Badge. Only the large Big Ghost counts.
- Ringing too early. If the ghost is still outside the flame's reach when the chime fires, the burn is wasted and you have to find another source.
- Ringing too late. Waiting until the ghost physically touches you means it explodes and deals heavy cold damage instead of burning.
- Sleep damage snowball. If the swamp status is stacking fast, close the distance to a Belltower or light a Candlestick to stabilize before baiting the ghost.
The timing window is more forgiving than it looks once you are already standing at the tower base with the prompt locked in. Keep your character close enough that the BELLTOWER [E] RING prompt stays available the entire time the ghost approaches, and you will not need more than one attempt.
Stack your GLOOM badges efficiently
The Exorcist Badge pairs well with the Bellringer Badge since both require you to interact with Belltowers in GLOOM. If you plan to ring all five towers in one expedition anyway, you can pick up the Exorcist Badge along the way without any extra effort. Just make sure the Big Ghost is nearby when you ring your chosen tower rather than burning the prompt on an empty attempt.
For more on surviving the climb and keeping your team alive through biomes like GLOOM, check out our guide on climbing strategies and team survival tips. If your squad keeps going down before you reach the ghost, our teammate revival guide covers every method for getting them back up. The full PEAK guides collection has everything else you need to push further up the mountain.