Unlock perks, then support your main carry
Level your kings through years played to unlock perks, then arrange them before a run around the troop or tower you want to carry the build. Choose perks that strengthen that plan, account for any placement effects, and reset your selection between runs when you change strategies.
How king levels unlock your perk choices
Kings gain experience from years played and unlock perks as they level. Unlocks alternate between universal and king-specific perks, while reaching new multiples of three levels also unlocks Rainbow perks. Keep playing the king whose perk collection you want to expand.
The PC full release launched on November 12, 2026. Its perk system includes 9 perks per king, 9 Rainbow perks, 9 multiplayer perks, and 18 universal perks. Multiplayer uses its own perk pool, so plan its selection separately from your ordinary singleplayer arrangement.
Universal perks now occupy two pages. Use the perk navigation arrows to browse the available categories before deciding what to equip. Make checking those pages part of your setup whenever you return to an established build.
Arrange your perks before starting
- Choose the troop or tower you intend to build around. This gives every perk choice a purpose: helping the opening, strengthening the carry, or supporting its growth.
- Equip your available perks across the nine starting slots before launching the run. Build the selection around cards you intend to use, so your opening bonuses support the same strategy.
- Place your priority regular perk in the top-left regular slot when using Authoritarian. Its effect fixes that perk at ×3, making the position part of your build decision.
- Select Moderate in multiplayer when you want its fixed universal-perk arrangement. It sets all universal perks to ×2, no more and no less; use that fixed value when assessing your selection.
- Check the affected-slot wording of adjacency perks such as Nationalist before finalizing their positions. Follow the effect displayed in your game when arranging the surrounding perks.
- Use the Expander Rainbow perk when you want additional perk slots. Consider which extra choices would help your carry before committing space to the expanded arrangement.
- Reset your perks between runs when changing your main strategy. Rebuild the selection around the next carry instead of keeping bonuses aimed at cards you no longer intend to use.
Perk combinations for different builds
Start with the package that matches your intended carry. Add supporting perks once the central choice makes sense. Treat the supporting cards below as part of the plan, because a perk selection still needs a working kingdom layout.
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Archer volleys | Pair Farsighted with Wrathful: Archers gain +50% range, while troops start with +10% damage. Put Blacksmiths beside the Archers and take Twinshot when offered to strengthen the volley plan. |
| Enchanted Wizards | Choose Arcane for +1% Wizard damage per enchantment carried. Place Libraries against the Wizard plot and put your enchantments on that carry, giving the Libraries useful effects to copy. A Spire supports the casters while the enchantment build develops. |
| Warlock front line | Choose Sorcerous for an extra +1% Warlock HP per Tome used. Pair the Warlocks with adjacent Libraries and seed them with Steel Coat so the copies can support their defence. Keep the enchantment selection focused when you want Libraries copying protection. |
| Bombers with Demon Altars | Pair Explosive with Elevated: Bombers start with +3 units, and summons start +10% stronger. Place Demon Altars in corners while Bombers handle early waves. The Altars grow from allied deaths and provide demons to carry the later fighting. |
| Mangler summons | Pair Butcher with Elevated to support sacrifice scaling and stronger summons. Put the Mangler in the middle with Imps and a Beacon beside it. The Imps provide adjacent fodder, while the Beacon helps the tower send out meat trolls more frequently. |
| Pagoda Ghosts | Pair Diabolical with Elevated: Diabolical adds +9 Ghosts to the Pagoda's summon capacity, and Elevated strengthens summons by +10%. Support the plan with War Horns or Evil Pact when offered, while keeping troops in front to protect the Pagoda. |
| Elves riding Boars | Pair Elven with Wrathful for an Elf-focused army: Elven adds +20% Elf damage, and Wrathful gives troops +10% starting damage. Place Boars beside the Elves and Forests against the Boars, letting the mount's growing HP strengthen its riders. |
| Poison and stalling | For Nature poison builds, Toxic makes poison ticks +10% faster. For Stone Trapper builds, Hunter extends trap stuns by +50%. Support the appropriate plan with a Cauldron and durable walls so enemies remain exposed to poison while your defence holds. |
| Dragon Den growth | Pair Reptilian with Elevated for a summon-focused Dragon Den plan. Reptilian adds a +3% Den buff per destruction effect, while Elevated strengthens summons. Keep the Den beside a Camp and leave movement space for Dwarfs to support the destruction and placement engine. |
| Time enchantments or rifts | Use Brutal to start your troops with +1 Adrenaline stack; an Orbiter also gains pre-applied enchantments when an adjacent troop is placed. For a Bastion-focused plan, Exiler adds another warp, and Loophole doubles the number of rift warps. |
For a Greed treasury build, favour perks supporting early money or merchant access. Vaults support the gold stockpile that determines your Mercenary army. Keep purchases deliberate, because merchant buys and rerolls reduce that army when you spend.
Update the setup when effects change
Check the current perk descriptions when returning to an older build. Arcane and Sorcerous were reworked to interact with their troops' passive abilities. Reconsider the supporting cards alongside the perk selection when adapting an old setup.
After installing a patch, start a new run before judging changed interactions. Existing runs do not store the updates and may cause conflicts. Use that fresh setup to review your perk choices and positioning.