The Merlin Trials are often hidden in plain sight. Therefore, this article provides the locations and the best ways to complete all 5 Merlin Trials in the Hogsmeade Valley.
The Hogsmeade Valley is the first area that you unlock after exiting Hogwarts Castle. Most sections of this area are crawling with poachers and other weak enemies. Moreover, you can also find tons of places to explore and gather in this region. There are 5 Merlin Trials in the Hogsmeade Valley region waiting to be solved.
Most of these challenges are suitable for beginners, considering your navigation skills. However, you might still need some help in finding these puzzles and understanding their nature. Therefore, this article will guide you to the locations and solutions of all Merlin Trials in Hogsmeade Valley.
Merlin Trials in Hogsmeade Valley:
The 5 Merlin Trials require basic magic knowledge and some navigation skills. If you pay a little attention to the tutorial classes, you will face no problems in solving all of them. Here is how to find and solve the Merlin Trials in Hogsmeade Valley:
Puzzle 1: Moonlight Challenge
The first Merlin Trial in the Hogsmeade Valley region uses the Lumos spell. The goal of this puzzle is to find the three Moonlight pillars near the Merlin stone and the three clusters of Lacewing Flies. Once you find all the components, you must guide the flies to the pillars to activate them and complete the challenge. You can find this Merlin Trial east of Hogsmeade, near the edge of the mountains, as shown in the picture:
Once you reach the Merlin stone, activate it by using the Mallowsweet Leaves. Next, use the Revelio spell to reveal all three Moonlight pillars near the Merlin stone. To find the first cluster of Lacewing flies, you must travel east from the stone and go along the path. Next, cast Lumos while standing near the flies to catch them and run back to the first Moonlight pillar. The second cluster of flies is further east on the road near the small encampment. Finally, the last cluster of flies is on the edge of the cliff on your right. You can either run to the edge by traversing around the cliff or fly to it on your Broom. Bring the flies to the Moonlight pillars one by one to complete the challenge.
Puzzle 2: Moonlight Challenge
The next Merlin Trial is pretty much the same as the previous one. However, to find this Merlin stone, you must travel through a small stone structure, as the puzzle isn’t directly listed on the map.
To reach this Merlin Trial, head to the marked location near Falbarton Castle, as shown in the picture. Next, use Confringo on the vines to burn them and destroy the small door with any destruction spell. Enter through the door and exit through the small opening to your left side. Finally, climb up the hill to find the Merlin stone.
After activating the Merlin stone, use Revelio spell to locate the first Moonlight pillar and take the Lacewing Flies found near the stone to the pillar. The second cluster of flies is on the small slope in the southeast of the stone, and the pillar is in the far west on the hill.
Finally, the last cluster of flies is in the south of the Merlin stone, and the Moonlight pillar is directly opposite it on the upper side of the slope. Once you find all the elements of the puzzle, use Lumos while standing near the flies to catch them and run toward the nearest pillar to activate it.
Puzzle 3: Giant Stone Ball
The third Merlin Trial in the Hogsmeade Valley region is a slightly different challenge. The goal of this puzzle is to find the giant stone ball and guide it to the large hole in the ground. However, the hole and the ball are placed quite far apart, and you must guide the ball with spells to the hole while removing the barriers in your way.
You can find this Merlin Trial between the East Hogsmeade Valley and Falbarton Castle fast travel point in the northeastern section, as shown in the picture:
Activate the Merlin stone and use the Revelio spell to locate the large hole at the bottom of the cliff. Next, go up the hill to find the giant stone ball with a steep slope to its left.
Stand on the right of the ball and either use the Depulso spell to push it down the slope or hit it with any destruction spell a couple of times to make it go. Once the ball starts moving, simply follow it to the hole and let gravity do its job to complete the challenge.
Puzzle 4: Light the Braziers
The second last Merlin Trial in the Hogsmeade Valley region is a time-based puzzle. To complete the challenge, you must find all three braziers in the area, ignite them, and keep them lit simultaneously. The only problem is that the brazier will start to descend into the pond below it as soon as you ignite it.
So, you must always start with the tallest brazier and then move to the smaller ones. You can find this Merlin Trial northwest of the East Hogsmeade Valley fast travel point as shown in the picture:
After initiating the Merlin Trial, use the Revelio spell to locate all three braziers in the area. The first brazier is directly in front of the stone, and the other two are located on top of the parallel cliffs behind the Merlin stone. To solve this puzzle, start by igniting the brazier on the left cliff with the Confringo spell, then ignite the one opposite to it. Finally, ignite the last brazier near the Merlin stone to complete the Trial within the given time.
Puzzle 5: Destroy Stone Pillars
The final Merlin Trial in the region is the easiest of them all. To solve this puzzle, you must find and destroy the 5 large pillars near the merlin stone. The order of destroying the pillars doesn’t matter, so go nuts with the destruction spell. You can find this Merlin Trial on the small island in the north of Hogsmeade, as shown in the picture:
First, initiate the puzzle with Mallowsweet Leaves and use the Revelio spell to locate all 5 pillars around the Merlin stone. Four of these pillars are pretty easy to find, even without Revelio. However, the last one is placed on higher ground, making it a little hard to see.
Once you find all 5 pillars, use Confringo spell to destroy them one by one. Alternatively, you can also use Incendio while standing close to the pillar to destroy it in style.
The challenge will complete after you destroy all the pillars in the area.
Conclusion:
Merlin Trials in the Hogsmeade Valley are some of the easiest ones in the game. Once you start the Trial, all that stands between you and victory is the right technique. However, finding the locations for these puzzles can be a little challenging for new players. Furthermore, understanding the nature of the puzzle is as important as solving it. Therefore, this article provides the best way to complete all Merlin Trials in the Hogsmeade Valley.
