9 Kings XP: Level Your King and Unlock Perks

In 9 Kings, your king earns experience at the end of a run based on the years played, whether you win or lose, and leveling unlocks more perk choices for future runs. For steady progression, choose a difficulty you can survive consistently, aim for year 33, and continue into Endless when your kingdom can keep going.

Experience is awarded when the run ends, and the award depends on the years played. A defeat still contributes toward king progression, so an unsuccessful attempt can help open more perk options. Winning is a useful target, but you do not need a victory for the run to award experience.

Use that rule to judge your attempts by how far they get. A setup that repeatedly survives is a sensible foundation for leveling, even while you are still learning how to finish with that king. Afterward, review your available perks and adjust the next attempt around the problem that ended the last one.

Start with a classic run you can repeat comfortably, using year 33 as your initial target. Endless gives a strong kingdom room to accumulate more years, but you should decide whether to continue from the position you actually have. If battles are becoming difficult to clear, focus on keeping the kingdom alive before planning a much longer attempt.

Choose harder difficulties when you can still sustain your runs. If raising the challenge repeatedly leads to early defeats, return to a setting where you can practice the build and survive more consistently. When comparing approaches, consider both the years reached and the time you spend playing; a spectacular attempt is less useful as a routine if you struggle to repeat it.

Keep year 99 as the stopping point for an XP-focused run. Beating it brings up the final victory and results screen, and you can choose to continue playing afterward. Those additional years award no experience, so continue for the kingdom itself once leveling is no longer the goal.

King-level unlocks alternate between universal and king-specific perk choices, with Rainbow perk milestones at levels divisible by three. You then choose which unlocked perks to equip. Check the new options after leveling so your next run can benefit from the wider selection.

For a straightforward survival option, Resilient starts you with +1 life. Consider it when you want more room for mistakes while learning a king. For other choices, match the perk to the cards and strategy you intend to use, especially if your current setup consistently struggles at the same point.

The full-release perk selection includes 9 perks per king, 9 Rainbow perks, 9 multiplayer perks, and 18 universal perks. Universal Perks occupy two pages following a layout fix. Check both pages when reviewing your selection so you do not overlook an available option.

9 Kings reached its full release on November 12, 2026, and version 1.0 introduced new universal and multiplayer perks. Older detailed perk tables can therefore give an incomplete picture of your choices. Read the perk descriptions in your game before committing to an older leveling setup.

The clearer year 99 ending did not introduce a new XP penalty. Experience already stopped beyond that year; the update made the ending and continuation message clearer. If an older route recommends staying indefinitely for king experience, stop at the cutoff and begin another progression attempt.