9 Kings Unlock Guide: How to Get Every King
Every 9 Kings unlock condition in the 1.0 build, from spending 999 gold to surviving 999 years, plus the fastest way to unlock each king.
Quick answer: 9 Kings unlocks kings through account-wide milestones. Nothing is free, Spells wants nine spells, Greed wants 999 gold spent, Blood wants 9,999 kills, Nature wants 999 units trained, Nomads wants 99 troop cards, Stone wants 99 buildings, Progress wants 299 plot upgrades, and Time wants more than 999 total years.
The unlock system is the long game. Each king asks you to play in a specific way, and the milestone is usually a nudge toward that king's identity. Greed wants you to spend gold. Blood wants you to kill. Stone wants you to build.
This guide lists every condition, explains what counts, and gives the fastest route for each one.
The unlock table
| King | Unlock condition |
|---|---|
| King of Nothing | Available from the start |
| King of Spells | Use 9 spell cards |
| King of Greed | Spend 999 gold |
| King of Blood | Kill 9,999 enemy units |
| King of Nature | Train 999 units |
| King of Nomads | Use 99 troop cards |
| King of Stone | Build 99 buildings |
| King of Progress | Upgrade 299 plots |
| King of Time | Play more than 999 total years |
The counts are cumulative across runs, not per run. That means every game contributes, even a loss.
King of Nothing
Nothing is the default. You do not need to unlock it, and it is the best starting king because its deck teaches the core loop: one base, one carry, one support building, one defensive enchantment.
Play Nothing until you can consistently reach year 20. That gives you the gold and card knowledge you need for the other unlocks.
King of Spells
Use nine spell cards. Spells are the caster cards in the Spells deck, and the count is cumulative. You do not need to win with them; you just need to play them.
The fastest route is to pick Spells cards whenever they appear in a draft and play them immediately. Do not save them for a perfect board.
King of Greed
Spend 999 gold. The count is total gold spent, not gold earned, so buying cards and rerolls counts. You do not need to hoard.
The fastest route is to play Greed-adjacent builds with Vault and Dispenser, buy cards aggressively, and reroll when the shop is bad. You will hit 999 faster than you expect.
King of Blood
Kill 9,999 enemy units. This is the longest combat milestone. It counts every enemy unit that dies, including summons and tokens.
The fastest route is a wide Blood board with Bomber and Pagoda. More bodies means more kills. Do not play a single-carry build if you are farming this unlock.
King of Nature
Train 999 units. "Train" means adding units to your troops through cards and buildings, not just playing troop cards. Farm and Procreate both contribute.
The fastest route is a Nature build with Farm, Procreate, and Boar. Every unit added counts.
King of Nomads
Use 99 troop cards. This is the easiest unlock because troop cards are common in every deck. Play a troop-heavy build and you will finish it in a few runs.
King of Stone
Build 99 buildings. Buildings are the static support cards: Farm, Blacksmith, Vault, Library, and so on. Playing them counts.
The fastest route is a Stone or economy build with cheap buildings. Do not destroy them; the count is for building, not owning.
King of Progress
Upgrade 299 plots. Plot upgrades come from cards, the Shrine, and Progress mechanics. The count is cumulative.
The fastest route is a Progress build with Reinforce and Concabulator. Every upgrade counts, including upgrades to plots you later replace.
King of Time
Play more than 999 total years. This is the longest unlock by far. It is cumulative across all runs, so a 33-year run contributes 33 years.
The fastest route is to finish runs rather than restarting. A run that reaches year 33 contributes 33 years; a run that ends at year 10 contributes 10. Playing to the end is more efficient than chasing a perfect start.
Time was added in patch 15, and its unlock was confirmed by the developers in the Steam community.
Which king to unlock first
Unlock Spells first. It is the cheapest condition and gives you a second deck to learn. Then Greed, because the gold milestone comes naturally from playing the economy.
Leave Time for last. It is a long-term goal, not a short-term target.
The quest mode→ page explains how to test a new king before a full run, and the tier list→ ranks the kings for the current build.
Do not restart a run to farm an unlock. Every year, kill, and gold spent carries over.
Milestone tracking without wasting runs
Every milestone is cumulative, so the fastest unlock route is usually the run you were going to play anyway. Do not build a dedicated farm board for 99 troop cards; play a troop-heavy king and the counter finishes itself.
Track one milestone at a time. Spells, Nomads, and Stone finish quickly because their actions happen in normal play. Blood and Progress take longer because they need volume. Time is a background counter: finish runs instead of restarting at year 10.
If two milestones are close, pick the king that advances the more expensive one. A Greed run that spends 999 gold also trains units and builds buildings, so it can finish three counters at once. That is more efficient than four separate short runs.
FAQ
Do unlocks carry across saves? Yes. Unlock progress is account-wide.
Can I unlock a king in multiplayer? Multiplayer contributes to the same milestones. The main paths are solo runs and quests.
What is the fastest king to unlock? Nomads, because troop cards are common and the requirement is only 99.
What is the slowest? Time, because it requires 999 total years.
Sources
Official source: 9 Kings Steam store page ↗