Welcome to Level 4. You have the core game down, so this level is about the hardest challenges Arnak offers. It starts with what changes it: player count, board side, the solo rival in the base box, and the expansions. Before you shop for expansions, it is worth knowing what you already own. For a general way to think about add-ons, our guide to when expansions are worth it has a simple test.
Two, three, or four players
The board adjusts for player count with blocking tiles at the 5 starting sites.
- Four players: no blocking. Every starting site has two spaces.
- Three players: 3 starting sites, picked at random, lose their second space.
- Two players: all 5 lose their second space, so each starting site holds one archaeologist.
The research track adjusts too. Temple tile stacks and the Lost Temple bonus stack have one tile per player, and some bonus tile spaces are used only with 3 or 4 players. The publisher lists about 30 minutes per player, so a four-player game runs noticeably longer than a two-player one.
Solo play: the rival
The solo game uses the two-player setup and a rival expedition run by 10 action tiles. Your rival goes first in every round, takes archaeologist actions to block the resources you want, discovers sites, researches, overcomes guardians, and buys cards. It never gains or spends resources and never takes Fear, but it does score points.
You set the difficulty yourself. The rival’s actions come in green and red pairs, with red the more aggressive version. The number of red tiles you use, from 0 to 5, is your difficulty level. Start low and add one red tile when you win comfortably.
Our list of the best solo board games covers why playing alone can feed your social life instead of replacing it.
The Snake Temple side
The back of the main board is the Snake Temple. It has different travel costs and a different research track, and it adds a few rules:
- An assistant rescue space, where your magnifying glass can rescue one of the stranded first expedition’s assistants.
- A bridge that costs an idol from your supply, removed from the game.
- A row whose magnifying glass effect gives you a Fear card.
- A row with 2 or 3 bonus tiles, where you choose one.
The rulebook recommends the Bird Temple side for your first game. Once your group knows the rhythm, the Snake Temple side is the cheapest new challenge there is: it is already in the box.
Free downloads
The Downloads section of the publisher’s Lost Ruins of Arnak page has more at no cost: the rulebook, a player aid, a score pad, a solo campaign with its rules, solo mini expansions, and rules for the promo cards. The rulebook describes the solo campaign, The Search for Professor Kutil, as four chapters, each with its own rules and goals.
If you are buying the base game, the same page links to the publisher’s shops.
Expedition Leaders
Lost Ruins of Arnak: Expedition Leaders (2021) adds six leaders, each with their own abilities and starting deck, which makes every seat play differently. It also adds a double-sided research track with two new layouts, plus 18 items and 12 artifacts.
If your group wants one expansion, this is the natural first pick. Leaders add new abilities on top of the turn everyone already knows, so nobody has to relearn the game.
The Missing Expedition
Lost Ruins of Arnak: The Missing Expedition (2023) is a six-chapter, replayable campaign about the missing Professor Kutil, played solo or cooperatively with two players. Its new research tracks, assistants, items, guardians, and artifacts also work in a standard game, and its new leaders are compatible with the ones from Expedition Leaders.
It is the pick for solo players and couples who want a story, more than for a regular group of four.
Twisted Paths and the Adventure Chest
Lost Ruins of Arnak: Twisted Paths (2025) is the publisher’s “final major addition” to Arnak. It brings a larger double-sided map with two new research tracks: the Owl Temple by day, with new temple tiles and a lantern research token, and the Spider Temple by night, with dark tablets and altars. It also adds new guardians, sites, assistants, and solo rival tiles.
The Adventure Chest is a limited-edition storage box with an insert that fits all the Arnak content released before it, and it includes Twisted Paths. It does not include the base game or the earlier expansions.
Upgrades
The publisher also offers upgraded components: metal coins and compasses. Its US store listed them as coming soon when we checked. They change nothing about play. They are a gift for the person in your group who already owns everything else.
A sensible order
- Base game, Bird Temple side, until everyone knows the rhythm.
- The Snake Temple side, and the solo rival if you play alone.
- Expedition Leaders for a regular group, or The Missing Expedition for solo or two-player campaigns.
- Twisted Paths once you want new boards entirely.
Next lesson
Beating the Arnak Solo Rival at Full Difficulty
Next, the hardest opponent in the box: how the solo rival plays, and how to beat it with all five red tiles.
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