What changing difficulty does
Higher standard difficulties in 9 Kings strengthen enemies without otherwise changing the core rules, and clearing a tier unlocks the next for every king. King experience depends on years played, including failed runs, while Quest Mode has its own difficulty settings and completion rewards.
Follow the standard difficulty ladder
Peasant is the starting difficulty. Each clear opens the following tier across all kings, so you can continue climbing with another available ruler. The ladder continues into higher King tiers after the initial named ranks.
| Standard difficulty | How it becomes available |
|---|---|
| Peasant | Available from the start. |
| Squire | Clear Peasant to unlock it for all kings. |
| Knight | Clear Squire to unlock it for all kings. |
| Lord | Clear Knight to unlock it for all kings. |
| Baron | Clear Lord to unlock it for all kings. |
| Count | Clear Baron to unlock it for all kings. |
| Duke | Clear Count to unlock it for all kings. |
| Prince | Clear Duke to unlock it for all kings. |
| King | Clear Prince to unlock it for all kings. |
| Higher King tiers | Continue clearing successive tiers; the ladder extends to King IX IX. |
Experience, achievements and challenge unlocks
A failed run can still earn king experience through the years you played. Clearing a standard difficulty advances the shared ladder, while surviving longer contributes to that king's experience. Choose your next attempt around the goal you want to pursue: opening a tier, developing a ruler or practicing a build.
Some rewards have their own difficulty conditions. Smurf requires playing on Peasant with a king at level 9 or higher. The Conqueror requires beating all 81 Quest Mode quests on any difficulty, and completing those quests on any difficulty also unlocks Daily Mayhem.
Match the difficulty setting to the mode
The PC full release arrived on November 12, 2026. Keep its standard difficulty ladder separate from Quest Mode's Knight, King and Chaos settings. When following a quest strategy, match the scenario and difficulty before copying its opening, because those challenges have their own starting rules and victory or defeat conditions.
| Mode | What changes the challenge |
|---|---|
| Standard single-player | Higher difficulty strengthens enemies while the core rules stay the same. |
| Quest Mode | Knight, King and Chaos apply to scenario challenges with specific starting rules and objectives. |
| Endless Mode | Survival continues against enemy attacks that become increasingly powerful. |
| Joker Mode | Unlock all kings to access custom decks and adjustable rules, including gold, lives, rerolls, events and enemy kings. |
Check your ruler and card effects before climbing
Difficulty unlocks and king unlocks follow separate conditions. A locked king displays its own unlock objective and your progress on its card. If the next difficulty is available but your preferred ruler is locked, check that ruler's objective before choosing another run.
Check card stats in the Compendium before rebuilding around a remembered interaction. Holding an upgrade card over a placed card previews which stats or effects it improves. Use that preview to decide whether the upgrade fixes the weakness that ended your previous attempt.
Prepare your next difficulty attempt
- Choose a carry you understand before committing to the climb. This gives the run a clear damage or survival engine to develop against stronger enemies.
- Place the carry's support on adjacent plots early. Establishing that engine promptly gives its effects time to contribute before enemy pressure overwhelms it.
- Preserve enough gold for necessary rerolls. A reserve gives you room to pursue missing pieces instead of spending everything on optional improvements.
- Declare war on rival kings whose cards fit the missing part of your build. Looting those enemies gives access to cards from their decks and opens additional combinations.
- Add reliable defense against the opposing army most likely to break your engine. Protecting the carry lets its scaling matter instead of losing it before the build develops.
- Clear your current standard difficulty to open the following tier. The unlock applies to every king, letting you approach the tougher setting with a ruler whose build you already understand.
Fix the weakness that ended your run
| Problem | Adjustment before the next tier |
|---|---|
| Paladins hold enemies, but the fight never ends. | Improve the Castle's damage contribution. Keep the Blacksmith, Farm and Library touching the Paladin plot; Blacksmith damage buffs also raise Paladin HP, while concentrated Steel Coat helps the front line survive. |
| Your Greed army shrinks while you shop. | Hold the treasury that supports your Mercenaries and let placed Vaults level automatically. Merchant purchases and rerolls reduce the army when you pay, so judge each purchase against the strength you give up immediately. |
| Stone's walls buy time, but enemies survive the traps. | Place a Cauldron touching the Trappers and, where possible, the Stronghold. Traps stun enemies while poison damages them; a Wallmaker buys time for that combination, giving the defense a way to finish enemies. |
Use the failed fight to choose your next adjustment. If the carry dies, improve its protection; if enemies remain alive, strengthen the damage engine. Keeping the rest of the plan familiar makes it easier to judge whether that change helped.