Pick Your Next Goal First
| What you want to do | Route | Requirement to start |
|---|---|---|
| Keep watching your current build develop | Continue the current single-player run | Win the Year 33 final battle |
| Test your build against stronger enemies | Start the next difficulty tier | Any king's first completion at the current tier |
| Take on missions with specific requirements | Enter Quest | Complete a single-player run with any king, at any difficulty |
How Year 33 Counts as Completion
When you reach Year 33, play or discard all remaining cards in hand, then enter the final battle. Winning that battle completes a standard single-player run, and you can still continue this run afterward.
One King's Completion Unlocks the Next Difficulty for All Kings
The starting difficulty is Peasant. Any king's first completion at a given tier unlocks the next tier for all kings. For example, after one king completes Peasant, all kings can enter Squire.
The nine base tiers, in order:
Peasant → Squire → Knight → Lord → Baron → Count → Duke → Prince → King
After completing King, you can keep pushing into even higher difficulties. When playing other kings, you can also use the tiers you have already unlocked.
How Quests Unlock and Progress
Quest opens after you complete any single-player run at any difficulty. The mission route starts at Kingdom of Nothing, and completing challenges gradually reveals new regions and missions across the 9 Lands.
The Quest mission map. Sad Socket / Hooded Horse.
Quest offers three difficulty choices: Knight suits exploration and experimentation, King provides the standard challenge, and Chaos offers stronger enemies to fight.
What Happens If You Continue to Year 99
The current PC version shows the final result after you win Year 99. Experience gains for the run are calculated up to Year 99. Once the result is displayed, you can keep playing the current run to see how your build performs afterward.
Year 33 is the victory point of a standard run, and Year 99 is the point at which final results and experience gains are calculated. To unlock new single-player content, move on to higher difficulties or Quest after completing a standard run; to keep your current build going, you can continue the run.
For the upcoming full-version content, see the 9 Kings 1.0 Single-Player Return Guide.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Can other kings use a difficulty unlocked with one king?
Yes. Any king's first completion at a given tier unlocks the next tier for all kings.
Which difficulty do I need to complete to unlock Quest?
Complete any single-player run at any difficulty to unlock Quest.
Can I keep playing after the Year 99 results screen?
You can continue the current run. Experience gains for the run are calculated up to Year 99.