To beat 9 Kings on the hardest difficulty using a single unit, field only one Thief and refuse all secondary recruits. Running a solo Thief concentrates all resource gain into one carry unit while eliminating army upkeep. Use combat hits to build a gold pool, then spend that surplus to aggressively reroll shop items for attack speed and damage-per-gold relics.
Core Mechanics of the Solo Thief Build
The Thief unit functions as the core carry because it converts combat hits and kills directly into gold. On the highest difficulty setting, fielding a full army dilutes stat scaling and splits resource investment across multiple troops.
To maintain maximum efficiency, follow these fundamental rules:
- Reject Additional Units: Never purchase or recruit secondary units, even in the early stages. Extra units split relic triggers and drain gold needed for individual stat upgrades.
- Maximize Hit Counts: Position the Thief to land as many attacks as possible per skirmish to extract maximum gold from every wave.
- Reinvest Gold Immediately: Funnel all earned currency directly into stat upgrades, shop rerolls, and single-unit defensive items.
Relic and Upgrade Priorities
Achieving infinite damage scaling depends on stacking relics that trigger from individual attacks or exploit high gold reserves. Because you have a continuous gold income, use aggressive shop rerolls to target specific item categories.
| Upgrade Category | Primary Function | Tactical Objective |
|---|---|---|
| Attack Speed Relics | Increases attack frequency per encounter | Enables rapid gold generation and lets the unit eliminate or stun-lock targets before taking damage. |
| Damage-per-Gold Relics | Converts unspent gold into flat attack power | Creates an exponential feedback loop, scaling damage output as your treasury expands. |
| Defensive Utility Items | Provides temporary evasion or invulnerability | Acts as a safety buffer against lethal boss hits or dense enemy swarms. |
Step-by-Step Combat Execution
Because a solo unit lacks a front line to absorb damage, positioning determines whether a run survives the early stages.
- Evaluate Enemy Vectors: Inspect enemy spawn points and movement paths prior to engaging to avoid getting pinned.
- Kite and Pick Off Threats: Target isolated or high-threat enemies first, keeping the Thief moving to avoid taking direct counterattacks.
- Prioritize Speed Over Heavy Damage: Early in the run, choose attack speed over heavy raw damage to increase survivability through faster kill triggers.
- Reroll Shop Offers: If the initial shop offerings do not contain attack speed, damage-per-gold, or survivability items, spend excess gold to reroll until the key relics appear.
Managing Failure Points and RNG
The main weakness of this build is early-game randomness. If shop rolls fail to deliver scaling relics before enemy stats ramp up, progression will stall. Additionally, taking a single unmitigated hit on the hardest difficulty can instantly end the run. Mitigate this risk by securing defensive evasion relics before engaging late-game bosses.
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Emily Johnson
Emily writes practical mobile strategy guides with a focus on resource planning, base progression, and the early decisions that shape a long-term account.
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Player Comments
143 players commented on this guide.
Can you add more details about strategy in a future update?
I wish I had read this before upgrading the wrong thing.
This saved me time in the early game.
The tips are practical and easy to follow.