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.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knights | S | Early waves and any formation that needs a durable anchor. | Sturdy front line troops that hold a lane long enough for ranged units behind them to work. |
| Wizards | A | Killing dense waves quickly when you have screening troops to spare. | Glass cannon casters with heavy output and almost no survivability, so they need a line in front of them. |
| Warlocks | A | Attrition builds that win by never running out of defenders. | Summoners that generate additional bodies over time rather than dealing damage directly. |
| Bombers | B | Waves that arrive in tight clusters rather than spread across lanes. | Area damage specialists that clear grouped enemies far more efficiently than single target units. |
| Mercenaries | B | Emergency reinforcement when a wave outscales your placed troops. | Bought with stockpiled gold rather than drafted, turning a healthy economy into immediate defenders. |
S-Tier: Knights
Sturdy front line troops that hold a lane long enough for ranged units behind them to work.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Early waves and any formation that needs a durable anchor. |
| Key Mechanic | Card based building placement |
| Recommended Build | Knight commander |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Knights: Pairs naturally with Knight commander thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Wizards
Glass cannon casters with heavy output and almost no survivability, so they need a line in front of them.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Killing dense waves quickly when you have screening troops to spare. |
| Key Mechanic | Rival king decks |
| Recommended Build | Warlock summoner |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Wizards: Pairs naturally with Warlock summoner thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Warlocks
Summoners that generate additional bodies over time rather than dealing damage directly.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Attrition builds that win by never running out of defenders. |
| Key Mechanic | Gold economy |
| Recommended Build | Wizard artillery |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Warlocks: Pairs naturally with Wizard artillery thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Bombers
Area damage specialists that clear grouped enemies far more efficiently than single target units.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Waves that arrive in tight clusters rather than spread across lanes. |
| Key Mechanic | Escalating enemy waves |
| Recommended Build | Imp swarm |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Bombers: Pairs naturally with Imp swarm thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Mercenaries
Bought with stockpiled gold rather than drafted, turning a healthy economy into immediate defenders.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Emergency reinforcement when a wave outscales your placed troops. |
| Key Mechanic | Declaring war |
| Recommended Build | Mercenary buyer |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Mercenaries: Pairs naturally with Mercenary buyer thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Your capital
- Wizards → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Warlocks → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Knights → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- 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.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More 9 Kings Guides
- 9 Kings 9 Kings Overview
- 9 Kings Best Builds
- 9 Kings Tier List
- 9 Kings Walkthrough
- 9 Kings Beginner's Guide
- 9 Kings Tips & Tricks
- 9 Kings Combat Guide
- 9 Kings Boss Guide
- 9 Kings Maps & Locations
- 9 Kings Crafting Guide
- 9 Kings Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy 9 Kings, check out these related guides:
- Risk of Rain 2 Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Hades Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
