Dark Moon EA

Dark Moon is recommended on EURUSD, GBPUSD, NZDUSD, and USDCHF, covering a diversified set of major and minor pairs with different volatility profiles. Timeframe selection is flexible — M5 suits active scalping with higher trade frequency, M15 provides a balance between signal quality and activity, and H1 works for lower-frequency setups with larger point targets. The EA adapts to other pairs and instruments with appropriate parameter adjustments, but always run a thorough backtest on any new instrument and broker spread conditions before deploying real capital.

Dark Moon includes an optional grid recovery module that can be enabled or disabled entirely. When enabled, choose from four lot management modes: Fix (equal position sizes throughout), Lots Sum (progressive addition per direction), All Lots Sum (counts both buy and sell orders combined), or classic Martingale (exponential lot multiplication with a configurable coefficient). Conservative traders typically use Fix or disable the grid entirely for pure single-position scalping mode. The Martingale mode carries significantly higher risk and requires larger account buffers. Always understand the selected lot management mode and its maximum exposure implications before applying to a live account.

For single-pair operation with the grid disabled and conservative fixed lot sizing, a minimum of approximately $300 to $500 on a standard account is workable. Running all four recommended pairs simultaneously with grid enabled requires at least $1,000 to maintain adequate margin during recovery sequences without risking margin calls. Traders with smaller budgets can use cent accounts available at brokers like RoboForex, which reduce per-trade risk dramatically by treating micro-lots as nano-lots, making the EA viable on accounts as small as $100 equivalent in real capital terms with appropriate lot sizing.

Dark Moon is accessible to beginners at the installation and basic configuration level — downloading from MQL5 and placing the EA on an EURUSD M15 chart takes under 10 minutes, and default settings provide a working starting point without deep technical knowledge. However, the optional grid recovery system introduces complexity that demands understanding before enabling in a live account. Beginners should start with grid disabled in pure scalping mode, run at least two to four weeks on demo observing how Dark Absolute Trend signals behave, then gradually explore grid options once comfortable with the baseline performance.

A VPS is not technically mandatory but is strongly recommended for consistent performance, particularly on M5 or M15 timeframes with the grid enabled. High-frequency scalping requires uninterrupted connectivity — even brief internet disruptions can leave grid positions unmanaged during volatile moves or cause missed entry signals during your configured trading window. A low-latency Windows VPS near your broker's server (ideally under 10ms ping) improves fill quality and reduces slippage. Monthly VPS costs typically range from $15 to $30 for specifications adequate for running multiple MetaTrader chart instances continuously.

Dark Moon is generally not suitable for most proprietary trading firm challenges due to its optional grid recovery logic. The majority of prop firms prohibit position averaging, grid strategies, and martingale position sizing regardless of how conservatively configured. Running with grid disabled in pure single-position scalping mode might comply with some firm rules, but you must verify every aspect against your specific firm's terms before attempting a challenge. Scalping restrictions, minimum trade duration requirements, and daily drawdown limits vary significantly across firms and may present additional compatibility challenges.

Every major parameter is externally adjustable through MetaTrader's EA input panel without source code access. Configurable settings include lot sizing method, risk percentage, maximum lot cap, Dark Absolute Trend strategy selection and indicator periods, trading hour start and stop times, individual weekday toggles, grid management type and coefficient, minimum grid distance in points or ATR multiples, distance multiplier, take target and stop loss distances, stop target calculation mode, monetary and percentage drawdown stops, average trailing stop values, and Friday close behavior. This level of granularity makes Dark Moon one of the most configurable free Expert Advisors available.

Strategy 1 (Buy Bull Arrow, Sell Bear Arrow) enters in the direction of the arrow signal — buy on a green bull arrow, sell on a red bear arrow. Strategy 2 (Buy Bear Arrow, Sell Bull Arrow) reverses this logic, treating arrows as counter-trend signals. Strategy 3 (Buy Uptrend, Sell Downtrend) uses the continuous trend line — buy while the line is green, sell while red. Strategy 4 (Buy Downtrend, Sell Uptrend) reverses Strategy 3 for counter-trend line trading. Strategies 1 and 3 suit trending conditions; Strategies 2 and 4 suit ranging markets. Apply the Dark Absolute Trend indicator to your chart to visually verify each mode before selecting.

Dark Moon stands out among free Expert Advisors for its parameter depth and strategy variety. Most free EAs offer a single fixed strategy with minimal customization — Dark Moon provides four distinct entry strategies, four grid lot management modes, ATR-based grid spacing, a distance multiplier, weighted average trailing stops, and layered risk controls including both monetary and percentage-based loss stops. The indicator transparency is also notable: the underlying Dark Absolute Trend is publicly available on MQL5, allowing independent signal verification. This level of configurability in a free product is uncommon in the algo trading space.

Dark Moon receives updates through the MQL5 Marketplace and the Dark EAs Telegram channel as the developer addresses compatibility with new MetaTrader builds, refines parameters based on forward-testing results, or adds strategy options. As a free product, update frequency varies and follows no fixed release schedule. Follow the Dark EAs Telegram channel for update announcements and download new versions promptly to maintain compatibility. The developer maintains an active catalog of free and paid Dark EAs products on MQL5, indicating ongoing development activity across the product family.

Dark Moon is completely free. There are no purchase fees, monthly subscriptions, license renewal costs, or premium tiers requiring payment. The full-featured EA — including all four Dark Absolute Trend strategies, the optional grid recovery module, average trailing stop, monetary and percentage drawdown stops, and all risk management controls — is available in the free download with no locked features. Download it from the MQL5 Marketplace or directly from the Dark EAs website at zero cost. This free model makes it an accessible starting point for traders exploring automated scalping before committing to premium paid systems.

ECN or RAW spread brokers with tight execution are recommended for optimal scalping performance. Spreads consistently below 1.5 pips on EURUSD and GBPUSD during active sessions significantly improve the economics of scalping on M5 and M15 timeframes. RoboForex is officially recommended by Dark EAs, offering competitive spreads, cent account options for small capital, and 1:500 leverage. Other compatible brokers include IC Markets, Pepperstone, and Fusion Markets. Avoid brokers with dealing desk execution, excessive requotes, or artificially widened spreads during news events, as these conditions erode scalping edge rapidly regardless of strategy settings.

Yes, Dark Moon can run on multiple pairs simultaneously by assigning a unique Magic Number to each chart instance. This prevents order conflicts, as the EA uses Magic Numbers to track and manage only its own positions on each chart. Running all four recommended pairs — EURUSD, GBPUSD, NZDUSD, and USDCHF — simultaneously is common among portfolio traders. The key consideration is ensuring combined margin requirements across all active instances remain within comfortable limits for your account balance, particularly when grid recovery sequences are open on multiple pairs simultaneously during adverse market conditions.

Yes, the grid is fully optional and can be disabled entirely through the Enable Grid toggle in the EA input panel. With the grid off, Dark Moon operates in pure single-position scalping mode — one trade per direction, closed at your configured take target or stop loss without any position averaging or recovery logic. This mode carries much lower risk, requires significantly less account capital, and is the recommended starting configuration for new users. Conservative traders and those concerned about grid drawdowns often prefer this approach permanently, particularly on smaller accounts or during higher-volatility periods.

Yes, Dark Moon EA is a fully automatic expert advisor that handles signal detection, order placement, and trade management without manual input. Once installed in MetaTrader and attached to a chart, the EA monitors the Dark Absolute Trend indicator continuously and opens or closes positions based on your selected strategy. You only need to configure parameters once, enable auto trading, and the system runs on its own. A VPS keeps it running through the week without leaving a home computer powered on.

Dark Moon ships with a complete user manual covering every parameter in detail. The settings guide is included with the EA download from the MQL5 Marketplace and the Dark EAs website. There is no separate scalping trading PDF, the user manual itself walks you through Dark Absolute Trend strategy selection, grid management, risk controls, and hour filters. The Dark EAs Telegram community also shares set files for different pairs and brokers, useful when you want a tested starting configuration before doing your own analysis.

Yes, set files for Dark Moon are shared through the Dark EAs Telegram community, often posted by experienced users running specific pair and timeframe combinations. These files contain pre tuned parameter values for the EA's input panel, letting you load a working configuration in seconds. To use a set file, load it through the EA properties window in MetaTrader. Always backtest any community set file on your own broker first, because spread conditions and execution quality can change how the same configuration performs.

Yes, Dark Moon runs cleanly on the same MetaTrader terminal as other Dark EA products. Each EA needs its own Magic Number so order management stays separate, and using different charts per EA avoids conflicts. Portfolio traders often combine Dark Moon with Dark Rea or Dark Titan to spread exposure across pairs. Just keep an eye on combined margin and correlated exposure, particularly when multiple Dark EAs open positions during the same market move on related pairs.

Yes, Dark Moon supports hedging style MT5 accounts as well as netting accounts and standard MT4 accounts. Hedging matters when you want long and short positions open on the same pair simultaneously, which can happen with certain grid configurations and the Buy and Sell direction settings. Most retail forex brokers offer hedging MT5 accounts by default. If your broker uses MT5 in netting mode, the EA will still work, but be aware that opposite direction trades close each other rather than coexisting.