Difficulty levels in 9 Kings, Peasant to King IX IX
- Updated
- Game version
- 1.0
- Topic
- Progression
There are 25 difficulty levels: nine named ranks from Peasant to King, then King II to King IX, then King IX II to King IX IX. Winning a run on the highest level you have unlocks the next one for every king. Higher levels make enemy armies larger and stronger and award more experience.
All levels
The four numbers are stored for each level in the 1.0 game data. “Enemy troops” multiplies enemy unit counts; “Wave HP” and “Wave damage” are the per-level strength factors applied to enemy waves; “XP” multiplies king experience. The game does not show these numbers, and how they combine inside a battle is not published, so compare them between levels rather than reading them as exact enemy stats.
| Level | XP | Enemy troops | Wave HP | Wave damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peasant | 1.3 | 3 | 1.1 | 1.025 |
| Squire | 1.6 | 4 | 1.2 | 1.036 |
| Knight | 1.9 | 5 | 1.4 | 1.05 |
| Lord | 2.3 | 6 | 1.55 | 1.054 |
| Baron | 2.6 | 7 | 1.65 | 1.058 |
| Count | 2.9 | 8 | 1.75 | 1.062 |
| Duke | 3.2 | 9 | 1.95 | 1.068 |
| Prince | 3.5 | 10 | 2.25 | 1.07 |
| King | 4.0 | 11 | 2.4 | 1.072 |
| King II | 4.2 | 12 | 2.7 | 1.09 |
| King III | 4.3 | 12 | 3.1 | 1.1 |
| King IV | 4.4 | 13 | 3.3 | 1.11 |
| King V | 4.5 | 13 | 3.5 | 1.12 |
| King VI | 4.7 | 14 | 3.7 | 1.13 |
| King VII | 4.9 | 14 | 3.9 | 1.15 |
| King VIII | 5.1 | 15 | 4.1 | 1.16 |
| King IX | 5.3 | 15 | 4.3 | 1.18 |
| King IX II | 5.5 | 16 | 4.5 | 1.19 |
| King IX III | 5.7 | 16 | 4.7 | 1.2 |
| King IX IV | 5.9 | 17 | 4.9 | 1.22 |
| King IX V | 6.1 | 17 | 5.1 | 1.24 |
| King IX VI | 6.3 | 18 | 5.3 | 1.26 |
| King IX VII | 6.5 | 18 | 5.5 | 1.28 |
| King IX VIII | 6.8 | 19 | 5.7 | 1.3 |
| King IX IX | 7.0 | 19 | 5.9 | 1.35 |
From Peasant to King the experience multiplier roughly triples (1.3 to 4.0), so king levels and new perks come about three times as fast on King difficulty for the same number of years. From King to King IX IX, experience rises by 75% while the wave HP factor more than doubles.
Beating King and the King IX levels
Patch #11 describes King as the intended difficulty. For the run plan, perk board, enemy re-rolls and year-33 battle, see How to beat King difficulty. For each king’s carry, perks and decrees, see Builds for every king.
Unlock rules
- A new save has the lowest levels open. Winning on your highest unlocked level opens the next one, for all kings.
- Since Patch #17, beating a level also marks every lower level as beaten.
- Difficulty does not change events, cards or the calendar, only enemy strength and experience.
Difficulty achievements
| Achievement | Requirement | Global rate |
|---|---|---|
| True Royalty | Beat the game on King difficulty | 26.2% |
| Self-Sufficient | Win a run on King difficulty with no perks | 17.7% |
| King of Kings | Beat King difficulty with all kings; any level above King also counts | 3.3% |
| Smurf (1.0) | Play on Peasant with a king at level 9 or higher | new |
Quest mode difficulties
Quest mode has its own three settings: Knight (forgiving), King (the intended challenge) and Chaos (for players who have finished the quests). See Quest mode.
Sources
- 9 Kings game data, Difficulties table (official wiki import)The 25 difficulty rows with their multipliers, imported 13 November 2026.
- 9 Kings official wiki, DifficultyOrder of levels and how the next one unlocks.
- Patch #17 notesBeating a difficulty marks all lower ones; experience bonus on all difficulties.
- Patch #19 notesBeating any difficulty above King also triggers King of Kings.
- Patch #11 notesDifficulty rebalance; King difficulty described as the intended experience.
- Steam discussion on King IX IXPlayers treat King IX IX as the top level.
Related
How to beat King difficulty and King IX IX in 9 KingsA run plan for King to King IX IX in 9 Kings 1.0: perk boards, one-carry scaling, which enemy kings to re-roll, the year-5 decree, the year-33 final battle and the usual reasons runs die.
Builds for every king in 9 Kings at King difficulty and aboveOne working high-difficulty build per king in 9 Kings 1.0: the carry card, the perks to stack, the decree to re-roll for, the enemy kings to avoid and how many player guides agree.
How to unlock every king in 9 KingsUnlock goals for all nine kings and the Joker in 9 Kings 1.0, from Use 9 spells to Play for 999 years, plus how to unlock Quest mode, multiplayer, daily mayhem and higher difficulties.
Perks and king levels in 9 KingsHow 9 Kings perks unlock with king levels, how the 9-slot perk board and ranks work, when Rainbow perks unlock, and which universal perks change a run most.
Hardest 9 Kings achievements and how to get themMethods for the rarest 9 Kings achievements: Wall Street, The Spire Slays, King of Kings, Your Grindness, Spoiled, Time Bender, Nobel Prize, Wonderwall, the speedrun and the 1.0 additions.
First run in 9 KingsHow a year works in 9 Kings 1.0, what each card type does on a plot, how lives and loot work, and the settings and perks to check before your first run.