If you’ve spent hours scouring dusty ancient tombs and hidden temple vaults in your favorite adventure titles, you’ve almost certainly stumbled on rumors of a duplicate sacred relic. Fans have debated for years are there 2 arks of the covenant hidden across game maps, with conflicting clues, Easter eggs, and lore snippets leaving many players confused about what’s canon and what’s just a fun developer prank. This guide breaks down all confirmed lore, verified in-game finds, and mistakes to avoid when you’re hunting for the relic yourself.
Are There 2 Arks of the Covenant: Canon Lore vs Fan Theories
Official game lore from the most popular Indiana Jones adventure titles confirms two arks exist in the game universe, but only one is the authentic sacred relic. Only one of the arks is considered canon by the game’s dev team, while the second is a man-made duplicate crafted by ancient Hebrew artisans to hide the real ark from invading Babylonian forces. The confusion started in early playthroughs when players found two separate quest markers for ark-related relics, leading to widespread speculation that the devs had added a secret alternate ending tied to the second relic.
Fan theories have run wild over the years, with some claiming the duplicate ark holds a curse that drains your health permanently if you interact with it, and others saying it unlocks a secret playable character. Most of these theories have been debunked by official dev statements, but the duplicate still remains a highly sought-after collectible for completionist players. You won’t break your main story progress if you choose to hunt for it, so it’s worth adding to your to-do list if you love exploring every corner of the map.
Key Differences Between the Two Arks In-Game
If you stumble on a relic you think might be one of the two arks, you can spot the duplicate using these simple checks:
Many new players mix up the two because they look almost identical from a distance, but the small details make them easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. You don’t have to skip hunting the duplicate, either, as collecting it unlocks a special relic display for your in-game home base that many casual players love showing off to friends.
It’s also worth noting that the duplicate ark has no special powers or story effects, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on any combat buffs if you skip hunting for it. When you need a break from hours of tomb raiding and puzzle solving between hunt attempts, a lot of players like to load up low-stakes casual games to reset their focus. Casual players who want a quick, rewarding distraction between exploration runs often play INR Rummy, a fast-paced card game that fits perfectly into 10-minute gaps without pulling you too far away from your game session.
Where to Find Both Arks in Most Adventure Game Maps
The real ark is impossible to miss if you follow the main story quest line. It’s located in the final Mount Nebo temple dungeon, and you’ll be guided straight to it after you solve the sun dial puzzle in the temple’s antechamber. You don’t need any special items or completed side quests to access it, as long as you’re following the main story beats.
The duplicate ark is a bit trickier to track down. You’ll first need to pick up a tattered ancient scroll from the small desert village in the first act of the game. The scroll is located in the back of the village elder’s hut, and you can pick it up at any point before you finish the main story. You can only access the duplicate ark’s location before you complete the main story, so if you finish the final quest first, the cave entrance will be locked permanently. Once you have the scroll, head to the abandoned Qumran cave system on the far west edge of the map, solve the three tile puzzles at the cave entrance, and you’ll find the duplicate ark on a stone altar at the back of the cave.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hunting for the Arks
One of the biggest mistakes new players make is skipping the first village side quests entirely, so they never find the scroll that unlocks the duplicate ark’s cave. You don’t have to complete all the side quests to get the scroll, but you do need to talk to the village elder to get access to his hut, so don’t rush through the opening act of the game.
Another common mistake is assuming the duplicate ark is a bug or glitch, so they don’t interact with it when they find it. Even if you don’t care about 100% completion, the lore entry you get from the duplicate adds a lot of context to the main story, explaining why the real ark was so well hidden for thousands of years. You don’t need to collect the duplicate ark to 100% complete the game, but it’s a fun side activity that only takes 15 to 20 minutes to finish if you know where to look. If you’re playing a modded version of the game, note that some mod creators add extra arks as custom content, so you may find more than two if you’re using user-created maps, but those are not part of the official game canon.
At the end of the day, the answer to are there 2 arks of the covenant depends on whether you’re asking about official canon or optional in-game collectibles. The main story only recognizes one real sacred ark, but the duplicate Easter egg is a fun, rewarding secret for players who love exploring every corner of the map. Whether you’re hunting for 100% completion or just want to unlock every lore entry, tracking down both arks is a great way to get more out of your playthrough, as long as you remember to grab the village scroll before you finish the main quest.