This card shares some similarities with Flashlight: It has 3 charges and reduces shroud by 2. However it costs 4 XP, is a free action and can also help other investigators.

It's so much better:

• Flashlight stacks with this card, which makes it very powerful on Hard and Expert, as you can reduce shroud 4 to 0, for nearly auto success (only auto fail)
• Any test that is based on shroud benefits here (some enemies depend on local shroud, like spoiler)
• As a Spell, can be searched with Arcane Initiate (only Daisy Walker at this time)
• Can be used to trigger Rex Murphys ability more often

• Can be Recharged

• Not sure about it, but i think if several players have this card at same location, they can stack it's effect. It think the limit on the card is player specific, otherwise i'd have to be "Group Limit once per turn"

Posting a clarification ruling here from Matt!

Question:

Arcane Horror reads, "[Free Trigger]: While an investigator is taking his or her turn, spend 1 charge: Your location gets -2 shroud until the end of this turn. (Limit once per turn.)" My question is, if I use this effect during my turn, and then I move to a new location, is it the old location or the new location that now has its shroud reduced? That is, does the phrase "your location" mean the location that I was at when I triggered the effect, or is "your location" continually re-evaluated by the game to be whatever location I'm currently at? Does the shroud reduction effect "stay" with the old location where I used the effect, or does the effect "move" with my investigator?

Answer:

Greetings, Since this is a triggered ability and not a constant effect, “your location” refers to the location you were at when you triggered the ability, and lasts until the end of the turn even if you move away from the location. In other words, if you are at Location A, trigger Arcane Insight, and then move to Location B, Location A keeps its –2 shroud; it does not move with you to Location B.

Cheers,

Matthew Newman

Senior Card Game Developer

Fantasy Flight Games

Now in Hemlock Vale survivors got the much better version of this card, Matchbox.

No xp, no slot, lower cost, is an item (can be found with Backpack and can be scavenged). If you combine two of them you can get the same effect as this 4xp card and you can just use one if you need less shroud reduction. Get them into play with Scavenging and you never run out of uses.

Updated for the Scarlet Keys.

This is the only card that I have found that can reduce a location's shroud outside of an investigation test. This opens up cool interaction with two interesting new cards : Power Word and Runic Axe, specifically with the "Confess" and "Elders" upgrade. Both allow you to automatically discover clues, but depend on the shroud of the location, which you can lower via Arcane Insight.

Who could use this / be interested :

For the Arcane Insight + Power Word combo :

-Daisy Walker and Mandy Thompson have access to both (limiting their Power Word to level 2 and 1, respectively), but probably have better ways of getting clues.

-Marie Lambeau has access to Arcane Insight as a spell, can upgrade Power Word to the max and can also take advantage of the lowered shroud by investigating normally. She can also use her extra Spell action on the Power Word parley.

-Akachi Onyele has access to Arcane Insight since it uses charges, gets an extra charge and can upgrade Power Word to the max.

For the Arcane Insight + Runic Axe combo ("Can I axe you a question ?") :

-Akachi again has access to Arcane Insight and Runic Axe because charges, can upgrade the axe to level 4, and has a surprisingly decent Fight.

-Ursula Downs could take the Runic Axe as a Relic, but her low Fight would make it difficult to wield.

-Joe Diamond can upgrade the axe to level 2, and it plays into his strength as a flex fighter/cluever (perhaps for solo ?)

Finally, since you can use this card during another investigator's turn, any Seeker (except Vincent Lee) could do these combos with their Mystic or Guardian buddies.