9 Kings is a roguelike city builder where you place buildings, troops and spells on a grid and defend your capital against eight rival kings. Each king starts with a different deck, and you take their cards by declaring war on them, so a run gradually becomes a collage of everything you have conquered.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Your capital | Card based building placement basics | Warlock summoner | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | The grid perimeter | Rival king decks mastery | Warlock summoner | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Rival kingdoms | Gold economy + gear | Knight commander or Warlock summoner | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Quest Mode | Build optimization | Knight commander | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Endless Mode | Min-max | Knight commander or Mercenary buyer | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
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Phase 1: Getting Started (Your capital)
The centre of the grid that recruits units and grows their power. Losing it ends the run, so everything else exists to keep it standing.
Level/Difficulty: Whole run Key Rewards: Unit recruitment, power growth
What to Do in Your capital
- Learn Card based building placement. Buildings, units and spells all arrive as cards you place on the grid. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Warlock summoner as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Placement decides more runs than card quality does. A mediocre building covering the lane enemies actually use outperforms a strong one sitting where nothing walks, so read the approach before you commit a card.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Wizards or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Card based building placement fundamentals
- Warlock summoner selected and functional
- Your capital main content cleared
- Ready for The grid perimeter
Phase 2: Early Game (The grid perimeter)
Where waves arrive and where placement decisions pay off. Coverage gaps on the edge become breaches at the centre.
Level/Difficulty: Whole run Key Rewards: Defensive positioning
What to Do in The grid perimeter
- Work on Rival king decks. Each of the nine kings owns a distinct starting deck of buildings, troops and spells. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Wizards if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Convert gold into defence before each wave rather than after it. Mercenaries bought at the last moment still fight; gold in the treasury when your capital falls does nothing at all.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Rival kingdoms.
- Consider whether Knight commander might suit your playstyle better than Warlock summoner.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Rival king decks integrated into gameplay
- Wizards acquired
- The grid perimeter fully cleared
- Ready for Rival kingdoms
Phase 3: Mid Game (Rival kingdoms)
The eight other kings, each holding a deck of cards you can take by declaring war on them.
Level/Difficulty: Mid run onward Key Rewards: New buildings, troops and spells
What to Do in Rival kingdoms
- Master Gold economy. Gold accumulates between waves and buys mercenaries and expansion. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Knights. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Declare war deliberately on kings whose decks fill a hole in yours. If your run has no area damage, the king who fields bombers is worth fighting even when he is not the easiest target.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Escalating enemy waves for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Gold economy mastered
- Knights acquired or in progress
- Rival kingdoms fully cleared
- Ready for Quest Mode
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Phase 4: Late Game (Quest Mode)
The structured run where you face the kings in order and collect their crowns.
Level/Difficulty: Main progression Key Rewards: Crowns, unlocks
What to Do in Quest Mode
- Finalize your build. You should be running Knight commander or Warlock summoner with optimized gear.
- Knights should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Glass cannon units need a body in front of them. Wizards and bombers put out enormous damage and die to the first enemy that reaches them, so a knight line is not optional.
- Declaring war optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Endless Mode.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Knights upgraded to max
- Quest Mode fully cleared
- Ready for Endless Mode
Phase 5: Endgame (Endless Mode)
Survival against waves that never stop escalating, used to test whether a build actually scales.
Level/Difficulty: Post unlock Key Rewards: Score, build validation
What to Do in Endless Mode
- Endless Mode tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Think two waves ahead when placing permanent buildings. What clears the current attack comfortably is frequently obsolete by the time the following wave arrives, and the grid space is already spent.
- The endgame loop: run Endless Mode, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Mercenary buyer for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Declaring war mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Endless Mode fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Placing strong cards in lanes enemies never approach
- Sitting on gold through a wave that then breaks the capital
- Fielding wizards and bombers with no front line to protect them
- Declaring war on the easiest king rather than the one with the cards you need
- Building only for the current wave and having no grid space left later
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Placement decides more runs than card quality does. A mediocre building covering the lane enemies actually use outperforms a strong one sitting where nothing walks, so read the approach before you commit a card.
- Convert gold into defence before each wave rather than after it. Mercenaries bought at the last moment still fight; gold in the treasury when your capital falls does nothing at all.
- Declare war deliberately on kings whose decks fill a hole in yours. If your run has no area damage, the king who fields bombers is worth fighting even when he is not the easiest target.
- Glass cannon units need a body in front of them. Wizards and bombers put out enormous damage and die to the first enemy that reaches them, so a knight line is not optional.
- Think two waves ahead when placing permanent buildings. What clears the current attack comfortably is frequently obsolete by the time the following wave arrives, and the grid space is already spent.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More 9 Kings Guides
- 9 Kings 9 Kings Overview
- 9 Kings Best Builds
- 9 Kings Tier List
- 9 Kings Beginner's Guide
- 9 Kings Tips & Tricks
- 9 Kings Weapons Guide
- 9 Kings Combat Guide
- 9 Kings Boss Guide
- 9 Kings Maps & Locations
- 9 Kings Crafting Guide
- 9 Kings Classes & Characters
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