Music Box route · Official updates checked Aug 2026
Shift At Midnight Music Box: Find It and Beat the Marionette
- Reading time
- 7 minutes
- Difficulty
- Randomized location
- Checked
- 2026-08-29
On this page
Guide details
Before you begin
A five-zone Night 9 search, the three-play melody route, fight order, and the current official changes to Marionette health and Jack-in-the-box audio.
This note covers the Night 9 trigger, the five supported search areas, three complete plays, the linked Marionette encounter, and current official HP and sound changes. It does not provide unsupported exact coordinates or a copied screenshot route.
- Status
- Route cross-checked with current patch notes
- Edition
- Official updates checked Aug 2026
- Platform
- Windows PC · Steam
- Checked
- 2026-08-29
- Check note
- The route source supports Night 9, five areas, three complete plays, and ranged combat; the official Day 1 patch lowered Marionette HP and made the Jack-in-the-box louder.
Before you set out
Prerequisites#
- Reach Night 9 and wait until the Music Box email establishes the encounter.
- Keep a ranged weapon available before beginning the three-play sequence.
- Plan to clear or control the main Entity before focusing on the floating Marionette.
Visual reference
A complete five-zone search loop#
Survey 02
Check all five supported Music Box zones#
The box is described as randomly placed, so use one deliberate loop instead of repeatedly checking a favorite corner.
Garage entrance#
Begin at the garage approach and scan the usable floor and nearby edge before entering the main store loop.
Starting here prevents an outdoor-to-indoor backtrack later.Store aisles#
Walk each accessible aisle once and listen for the now-louder Jack-in-the-box cue.
Do not assume the box will be visible from the aisle entrance.Back room#
Sweep the back-room floor and the route between the sales floor and staff space.
Finish the room before returning to the front counter.Restroom#
Open the restroom and check the small floor area before leaving the interior.
Its compact footprint makes it a fast full check.Bins outside#
End at the exterior bins so the route finishes outside instead of cutting across completed rooms.
If all five areas are clear, confirm the Night 9 email appeared before restarting the loop.
Route 03
Complete the three-play route without losing control#
The task is not finished by merely finding the box; the melody must complete three times and the linked encounter must be handled.
Confirm the email trigger#
Do not spend the shift searching before the Night 9 Music Box email establishes that the encounter is active.
Run the five-zone loop once#
Check the garage entrance, aisles, back room, restroom, and outside bins in order, using the louder audio cue as support rather than relying on sound alone.
Let the melody finish three times#
Allow each play to complete. Do not fully rewind the box between plays; the supported route calls for three complete melody cycles.
Control the main Entity first#
Avoid splitting attention between the usual breach threat and the floating Marionette. Stabilize the main Entity encounter before committing ranged fire.
Keep range on the Marionette#
Use ranged weapons against the floating target. The route source says bear traps do not work, and the official patch now gives the Marionette less HP.
Margin corrections
Mistakes that waste the Night 9 attempt#
Searching before the email
The evidence route begins with the Night 9 email. If it has not appeared, do not treat an empty five-zone sweep as a broken spawn.
Stopping after one melody
Finding and playing the box once is not the whole route; let the melody complete three times.
Using bear traps on the floating target
Keep a ranged option ready instead. The route source specifically marks bear traps as ineffective against the Marionette.
Field questions
Music Box and Marionette questions#
- Which night starts the Music Box route?
- The current route source starts it on Night 9 with an email.
- How many times should the melody play?
- Three complete times, without fully rewinding the box between plays.
- Do bear traps kill the Marionette?
- The route source says no. Keep range and use a ranged weapon against the floating target.