Racing to the Lost Temple: Research Timing in Arnak

At Level 1 you learned to research every round. At Level 2 you learned to count the final score. Level 3 puts them together. Strong Arnak players treat the research track as a race with a plan, not a habit. They know when they will reach the Lost Temple before round III is over, and they arrive with enough turns left to buy temple tiles.

All rules here follow the current English rulebook from Czech Games Edition, using the Bird Temple side.

What arriving early is worth

When your magnifying glass reaches the top row, you place it on the empty Lost Temple space worth the most points. On the Bird Temple side, the four spaces are worth 23, 21, 20, and 19.

The gap between first and second looks small. But arriving first also gives you:

• The first pick from the Lost Temple bonus stack, which has one tile per player.
• The tiebreak. Ties go to whoever reached the Lost Temple first.
• More time in the temple. Every research action with your glass after you arrive buys a temple tile, and each round you spend there is another chance to buy one.

That last point is the big one. Temple tiles are worth 2, 6, or 11 points, and each stack holds only one tile per player.

Count the climb

At the start of round III, look at your path and write down:

1. Steps left: the number of bridges between your glass and the Lost Temple.
2. Cost of each bridge: printed on the bridge. Many ask for tablets, arrowheads, or jewels.
3. Main actions available: each research step is one main action, unless a card or bonus does it for you.

Then compare with your rivals. Every token on the track is public, and so are everyone’s resources on their boards. If a rival needs one fewer step and already holds the jewel for their last bridge, you will not beat them there by accident.

Line up the expensive resources early

The rulebook calls jewels hard to find, and the temple itself asks for one in four of its six tile stacks. Look at your own path for bridges that ask for them too. A climb usually stalls on one missing resource, not on a lack of turns.

So plan your digs backwards. If the bridge two steps above you costs a jewel, find your jewel source a round before you need it, from whatever on the board or in the card row offers one this game. Arriving at a bridge with the wrong resources costs you a full round.

Remember the order of research: costs first, rewards after. A jewel on the space you are moving into cannot pay for the step that gets you there.

Do not leave the notebook behind

The notebook cannot enter the Lost Temple, and it cannot pass the glass, but every row it climbs scores at the end. A glass in the temple with a notebook far below leaves points on the track. Once your glass has arrived, notebook steps become an efficient way to turn spare resources into points, alongside temple tiles.

Temple tile timing

Once you are in the temple, each research action with the glass buys one tile. The three costs at the base of the temple combine:

• The 11-point tile costs all three: a coin and 2 tablets, a jewel, and a compass with an arrowhead.
• Each 6-point tile costs two of them.
• Each 2-point tile costs one.

Buying the 11-point tile in one action is better than three 2-point tiles: more points for the same resources and two main actions saved. The scoring lesson has the full table.

Since the stacks are small, a rival arriving after you may empty the 11-point stack before you can afford it. If you are first in the temple, buying the 11-point tile early can be both points and denial. The Inscribed Blade’s discount can also be applied to a temple tile, according to the rulebook’s card notes.

When not to race

Not every game needs a temple sprint. If two rivals are clearly ahead on the track, chasing third place in the temple may cost more than it pays. Look instead at:

• Notebook rows, which score points for every step.
• Guardians, which are 5 points each and save Fear.
• Cards with high corner points in round V.

The goal is the most points, not the fastest glass.

A two-round plan

At the start of round IV, you should be able to say:

1. Which round my glass enters the temple.
2. Which bridges I cross in round IV and what I need for each.
3. How many temple tiles I can buy in round V, and which ones.

If the plan holds, round V is a conversion round. If it breaks, the plan still tells you what to fix.