Music Box

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> „*A music box, the song is nice, but creepy.*”
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—Objective Board

The **music box** is a cursed possession that can be used to pinpoint the location of the ghost, though one is at considerable risk if one is careless with it.

## Mechanics

A music box has a 1 in 7 chance per contract of being chosen as the cursed possession that will spawn, with one specific spawn location per map.

### Activation and usage

When picked up, the music box will open (this does not mean it has been activated). The music box can then be activated using the primary use (default: right click on mouse) key. Doing so will end the setup phase early if it is ongoing. The music box cannot be activated during a hunt, and can only be used once.

Once activated, if the ghost is within 20 metres of the music box, it will sing along, broadcasting its current location while remaining invisible.

If the music box is within 5 metres of the ghost, it will trigger a ghost event where the ghost manifests and begins to walk towards the box. The music box can be handheld or placed on the floor, the latter being the only safe way to discard the box without triggering a cursed hunt before the ghost event. In all cases, the box will close once it stops playing.

### Cursed hunt

While using the music box, a cursed hunt will be initiated if one of the following occurs:

* The ghost is within a short distance of the player holding the box
* The ghost walks during the box-triggered ghost event for more than 5 seconds
* The box is thrown while the tune is playing

A standard hunt will occur instead if:

* The player reaches or is already at 0% sanity
* The ghost initiates a hunt on its own due to meeting normal hunt conditions rather than the box itself, causing the hunt

By avoiding all of the above, it is possible to use the music box without causing any hunt:

* Ensuring that no one is inside the investigation area when the above occurs (future hunts will be extended if the breaking method would have caused a cursed hunt)
* When the music ends without the ghost ever being near enough, the music box will automatically close
* If the player brings the music box near the ghost only just before the music stops playing, the ghost will simply disappear when the music ends.

### Other effects

Being within ~2.5 metres of an actively functioning music box drains the player's sanity at a rate of 2.5%/s, totaling approximately 75% if the entire song is listened to. This applies to all players within the range, regardless of who activated the music box.

As long as the box-triggered ghost event has not occurred, an active music box will not prevent regular ghost activity, which means that the ghost can continue to roam, interact with objects, use its abilities, or even perform regular ghost events and hunts. While the ghost will not actively walk towards the music box if it is out of range, it can happen to roam close enough to trigger the ghost event.

If the music box is brought outside, the box will close. If the music is also playing, the sanity drain will pause, but the music will technically continue. It will reopen and function normally once the music box is brought inside again.

### Ghosts

* The Shade has a chance of appearing as a black shadow rather than in its full form while walking towards the box.
* Compared to other ghosts, the Yokai must be closer to the player holding the box (within 2.5 metres) to trigger the ghost event.

### Photo rewards

*Main article: Photo Rewards*
Taking a photo of a music box, used or not, will yield a photo labelled as **Music Box**, and reward up to $5 and 5XP, depending on the distance it was taken from.

## Strategies and tips

The music box can be broken down into two primary uses: 1) utilize the triggered ghost event and following hunt to complete relevant objectives or to identify the ghost type. Like with any other hunt-related activity, Smudge Sticks are highly recommended to avoid death, or 2) get the ghost to broadcast its current position to narrow down and locate its favourite room.

The music box is an easy way to obtain a ghost photo. In multiplayer games, one way is to have the photographer carry the smudge stick while another player activates the music box. The player holding the music box should refill their sanity to a comfortable level to avoid a 0% sanity-triggered hunt.

## Gallery

Music box in the lobby showcaseMusic box in Camp WoodwindMusic box in RidgeviewMusic box in EdgefieldMusic box in Bleasdale FarmhouseMusic box in Willow Street House
## Trivia

* The tune of the music box was composed by Lavender, one of the game's developers, and is titled "Adrift".
	+ The name and sheet music for the song can be seen inside the top lid.