You're staring at a stone pedestal in the Abbey grounds, and honestly, it’s frustrating. Marvel’s Midnight Suns is a weird, beautiful mix of tactical card combat and a dating sim for superheroes, but the exploration bits? They can be surprisingly cryptic. If you’re hunting for the Midnight Suns moon seal—specifically the first one to kick off the Trial of Atum—you’ve probably realized the game doesn't exactly hold your hand.
It’s easy to get lost in the woods. Literally.
The Abbey is huge. It’s full of secrets, weird reagents, and Agatha Harkness’s ghost constantly popping up to give you vague advice. But getting that first moon seal is the "bottleneck" for the entire early game. Without it, you aren't getting the "Open" Word of Power. Without that, you're stuck in the backyard like a grounded teenager while the rest of the map remains locked away.
The First Moon Seal and the Trial of Atum
Let’s get the basics down. You need the seal to enter the Blood Gate. Most players stumble around the Cave of Whispers or the Elemental Altar thinking they missed a trigger. You didn't.
Agatha is the key. After you do some basic introductory stuff and find her shrine, she’ll eventually lead you toward the first Blood Gate. This is located in the northeast section of the Abbey grounds. You'll see a massive, shimmering blue barrier. That’s the gate. To open it, you need the Midnight Suns moon seal.
Agatha basically hands you the first one after a bit of narrative progression. It’s the "tutorial" seal. But here’s the thing: having the seal isn't the same as using it. You have to place it in the pedestal right in front of the Blood Gate. This triggers the Trial of Atum.
Don’t go in there under-leveled. Seriously.
The trial pits the Hunter and Charlie (your hellhound) against a wave of Lilin. It’s not "hard" in the traditional sense, but if you haven't upgraded your basic strike cards, the dog-demons will chip away at your health faster than you’d expect. Focus on the "Protect" objectives if they pop up, but mostly, just keep Charlie alive. Once you clear the trial, you get the Word of Power "Open."
Why Everyone Gets Stuck at the Elemental Altar
This is where the real headache starts. Once you have "Open," you find the Elemental Altar. There are four slots for four different rods: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. Finding these is a scavenger hunt that spans the entire Abbey.
A lot of people think the Midnight Suns moon seal is just one item. It’s not. There are four seals in total, each tied to a specific Word of Power: Open, Reveal, Purify, and Break.
To get the second seal, you have to find those rods.
- Water Rod: Go to the Grotto. It’s under a small stone bridge near where the heroes hang out to swim.
- Earth Rod: Head to Hunter’s Folly. Inside the tomb where you first "woke up" at the start of the game. It’s just sitting there in the corner.
- Air Rod: This one is up by Agatha’s Altar. You have to look for a narrow path that leads to a cliffside overlook.
- Fire Rod: Go to the Chapel inside the Abbey. It’s sitting on a desk, looking entirely too mundane for a magical artifact.
Once you stick all four into the Altar, you get the second moon seal. This one lets you access the Trial of Hyppus. This trial is located further north, past the stone bridge you can now "Open."
The Reveal Power and the Third Seal
The third Midnight Suns moon seal is where things get genuinely "exploratory." You need the "Reveal" Word of Power. To get this, you have to reach the Standing Stones.
If you’ve been paying attention to the lore notes scattered around the library, you might have seen some weird symbols. Those aren't just flavor text. They are the combination to the Standing Stones. If you enter the symbols in the right order (which changes depending on which "Reveal" mural you're looking at), a chest appears. But more importantly, the path to the next Blood Gate becomes clear.
The third seal is usually found near Shaw’s Church. You have to investigate the secret back room—Hiram Shaw was a jerk, by the way—and find the hidden map. Agatha will help you "spirit away" some of the magical wards.
There's a common misconception that you can brute-force these gates. You can't. The game is hard-coded to check if you have the specific Midnight Suns moon seal associated with that gate's element. If you don't have it, the "interact" prompt won't even show up.
Dealing with the Blood Gate Trials
Each time you get a new seal, you face a Blood Gate. These trials are specifically designed to test your mastery of the Hunter's unique cards.
The Trial of Hyppus (the second one) is a step up in difficulty. You’ll be fighting more Dark Legion enemies. These guys split when they take damage. It’s annoying. My advice? Bring cards that have "Knockback." If you can shove a Dark Legion enemy into a leyline or a rock, you can often kill them without triggering the split.
By the time you're hunting for the fourth Midnight Suns moon seal, you’re heading into the deep woods—the Garden of Envy. This area is beautiful but a total maze. You’ll need to find the pieces of a broken seal this time.
Agatha’s old friend, the "Caretaker," isn't going to help much here. She's too busy being mysterious and grumpy. You have to find three fragments scattered around the cemetery and the greenhouse.
- One is near the hanging tree (creepy, I know).
- One is tucked behind a crypt in the side path of the cemetery.
- The last is inside the greenhouse itself, but you have to use "Purify" to clear out the corruption first.
The Final Word: Break
The fourth seal leads to the "Break" Word of Power. This is the big one. It lets you smash those cracked stone walls you've been seeing since hour one.
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Getting this last Midnight Suns moon seal feels like a victory lap, but the trial itself is no joke. You’ll be facing high-level Revenants. They have a lifesteal ability that can make the fight go on forever if you don't burst them down. Focus fire is your friend here. Don't spread the damage around; pick one and delete them.
Once you have the final seal and the "Break" power, the entire Abbey map is yours. You can find all the legendary chests, all the tarot cards, and finally finish Agatha’s side quest.
What Most People Miss
The moon seals aren't just keys; they are the narrative heartbeat of the Hunter's past. Every time you find one, talk to Charlie. Pet her. She actually gets bonuses in the trials the more you interact with her in the Abbey.
Also, don't ignore the "Wanda's Journals" or "Agatha's Coven" notes. They often give you the exact map locations for the seal fragments so you don't have to wander aimlessly for two hours.
If you're stuck and the seal isn't appearing, check your inventory. Sometimes the game "gives" it to you in a cutscene, and you just haven't walked up to the pedestal yet. It sounds stupid, but it happens to the best of us.
How to Proceed Right Now
Stop wandering the woods and check your quest log. If "Agatha's Request" isn't active, you probably need to go to sleep or complete a story mission with Iron Man or Captain America. The Abbey's progression is strictly tied to the main campaign's "Days."
- Check the Altar: If you have the rods, place them. Don't wait.
- Visit the Library: Look for the book with the gold trim. It usually triggers the next step for the Shaw's Church lead.
- Level Charlie: If you're about to use a Midnight Suns moon seal, make sure you've spent some time with your dog. Her level scales with yours, but her "Friendship" level determines how many moves she gets in the trial.
Once you've cleared the Garden of Envy, use that new "Break" power on the wall directly behind the Elemental Altar. There’s a massive cache of resources back there that most players forget about because they’re too excited to go back to the tactical missions. Don't be that player. Grab the loot. You'll need it for the late-game infusions.
The mystery of the moon seals is basically a long-form puzzle that rewards patience. Take your time, enjoy the weird ghost-story vibes, and remember that "Open" is just the beginning of the Hunter's real power.
Next Steps for Your Hunter
- Locate the Blood Gate: Travel to the Northeast corner of the Abbey grounds to find the first gate.
- Talk to Agatha: If the seal isn't in your inventory, find Agatha at her shrine; she won't give it to you until you've completed the "Ariel" mission.
- Prepare for Combat: Ensure the Hunter has at least two "Quick" cards and one "Heal" card equipped before interacting with the pedestal.
- Find the Rods: If you already have the first Word of Power, start the scavenger hunt for the four Elemental Rods to unlock the second seal immediately.