How to Play Nine Chronicles

Nine Chronicles is a fully decentralized idle MMORPG developed by Planetarium Labs, notable for being 100% community-driven with no central servers. The game runs on a custom blockchain (Libplanet), making it one of the most technically unique blockchain games in existence. The entire game state, from player inventories to combat results, is stored on a decentralized network. Available on PC (Steam) and mobile (Nine Chronicles M), the game has surpassed 1 million registered players and maintains over 115,000 monthly active users. The codebase is fully open-source with a $2.5 million developer fund for community contributions.

Getting Started

What you need:

• PC: Windows via Steam (search "Nine Chronicles")
• Mobile: Android via Google Play (search "Nine Chronicles M"); iOS availability varies by region
• An internet connection
• A free game account

Minimum investment: Zero. Nine Chronicles is free-to-play with no mandatory purchases. The game generates NCG (Nine Chronicles Gold) tokens through gameplay, which serve as the in-game currency. Premium features and faster progression are available through spending but not required.

Blockchain: Libplanet (custom peer-to-peer blockchain by Planetarium). Nine Chronicles M uses the Heimdall blockchain for mobile. NCG is the primary currency.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Download the game:
   • PC: Search "Nine Chronicles" on Steam and install. Approximately 2GB download.
   • Mobile: Search "Nine Chronicles M" on Google Play.
2. Create an account. Set up your player credentials. The game generates a blockchain key pair for your account.
3. Create your character. Customize your avatar and enter the game world.
4. Understand the idle system. Nine Chronicles is fundamentally an idle RPG. You set actions in motion (combat stages, crafting) and they execute automatically. You check results and make decisions between actions.
5. Start adventuring. Begin with the earliest stages and work your way through increasingly difficult combat encounters.
6. Join the community. The Discord and GitHub communities are active, with players contributing code, mods, and strategies.

Core Gameplay Loop

Nine Chronicles is an idle RPG with deep crafting and progression systems:

• Stage Combat: Select a combat stage appropriate for your level. Your character fights automatically through waves of enemies. Each stage has specific enemy types and difficulty levels. Clearing stages rewards experience, items, and materials.
• SWEEP and REPEAT: Once you have cleared a stage, use SWEEP to instantly complete it for rewards (no waiting), or REPEAT to auto-run stages for extended farming. Recent updates increased these limits for faster progression.
• Equipment Crafting: The core progression system. Craft weapons, armor, and accessories using materials dropped from stages. Equipment has randomized substats, creating a compelling optimization loop.
• Equipment Enhancement: Upgrade equipment to increase stats. Recent updates removed the failure rate for enhancements, making progression more reliable and less frustrating.
• Collections: Permanently valuable reward collections have been added. Completing collections provides lasting bonuses and serves as long-term goals.
• World Boss: Cooperative events where all players contribute damage to a massive boss. Rewards are distributed based on contribution. Enhanced reward systems were recently introduced.
• Arena PvP: Compete against other players' characters in automated battles. Ranking earns seasonal rewards.
• Crafting and Pets: Summon pets using Soulstones and craft specialized items. Pets provide passive bonuses to your character.
• Adventure Boss and Custom Creation: Newer features that allow players to take creative roles in generating dungeon content.

The idle nature means Nine Chronicles can be played in short sessions. Queue up your activities, check back later for results.

Earning Mechanics

NCG (Nine Chronicles Gold): The primary in-game currency. Earned through gameplay activities and tradeable. Used for marketplace purchases, crafting, and character progression.

Equipment Trading: Crafted equipment with strong stats is tradeable between players. High-quality rolled items can be valuable.

Staking and Node Operation: As the game transitions to proof-of-stake, opportunities for staking NCG and running validator nodes will emerge.

Open-Source Economy: The $2.5 million developer fund pays community developers and modders who contribute to the game. Technical contributors can earn grants for meaningful contributions.

Realistic expectations: NCG has value within the game economy but modest exchange rates. Active daily players earn NCG steadily through gameplay, but this is supplemental income at best. The most lucrative path is crafting and selling high-quality equipment to other players. For technically skilled players, the developer fund offers a more significant earning opportunity.

Beginner Tips and Strategy

• Focus on clearing stages progressively. Stage rewards improve at higher levels. Push your stage progress as high as possible before farming lower stages for materials.
• Prioritize weapon crafting. Your weapon determines your damage output more than any other equipment piece. Craft and enhance your weapon before investing heavily in armor or accessories.
• Use SWEEP for efficiency. Once you have cleared a stage, SWEEP is the fastest way to farm materials. Do not waste time watching auto-combat on already-cleared content.
• Understand stat priorities. Each piece of equipment rolls random substats. Learn which stats are valuable for your build. Attack and critical damage are generally prioritized for progression.
• Engage with the community. Because Nine Chronicles is open-source and decentralized, community knowledge is essential. The Discord has active theorycrafting, trade channels, and newbie help.
• Consider contributing to the codebase. If you have development skills, the $2.5M ecosystem fund pays for meaningful contributions. This is a unique earning path available in very few blockchain games.

Common Issues and Solutions

"The game feels slow to start." Early stages clear quickly. The idle nature means you are meant to set actions and check back, not watch continuously. Increase your SWEEP and REPEAT limits to speed up farming.

"Equipment rolls are bad." Crafting is randomized. Expect to craft many items before getting strong stat rolls. This is intentional; the crafting chase is the core progression loop. Sell mediocre items on the marketplace to recoup materials.

"I do not understand the blockchain aspect." You do not need to understand blockchain technology to play. The game handles all blockchain operations automatically. Your account has a key pair that secures your assets, but you interact with it like any other game.

"The mobile version feels different from PC." Nine Chronicles M (mobile) runs on the Heimdall blockchain, which is optimized for mobile performance. Core gameplay is similar but some features and progression rates may differ between platforms.

"Connection issues or sync problems." Because Nine Chronicles uses a decentralized network, sync times can vary. If the game seems stuck, try restarting the client. The decentralized nature means no central server outages, but network propagation can occasionally be slow.

FAQ

Is Nine Chronicles really fully decentralized? Yes. There are no central game servers. The game runs on a peer-to-peer blockchain network. All game state (inventory, combat, economy) is stored on-chain. This is technically unique among blockchain games and means the game cannot be unilaterally shut down.

Is it still active in 2026? Yes. The game surpassed 1 million registered players and 115,000 MAUs. Regular updates continue, with the most recent in January 2026. The $2.5M developer fund and open-source model provide ongoing development resources.

Is it actually fun? This depends on whether you enjoy idle RPGs. If you like games like AFK Arena, Cookie Run Kingdom, or similar idle progression games, you will likely enjoy Nine Chronicles. If you prefer active gameplay, this may feel too passive.

Can I mod the game? Yes. The game is fully open-source on GitHub (planetarium/NineChronicles). You can modify the client, create mods, and contribute improvements. The ecosystem fund provides grants for valuable contributions.

Do I need to understand Cardano or Ethereum? No. Nine Chronicles uses its own custom blockchain (Libplanet), not Ethereum or any other public chain. You do not need external crypto knowledge because the game handles everything natively.

How does PvP work? Arena PvP is automated. You set up your character build and equipment, then your character fights other players' characters automatically. Strategy comes from build optimization and equipment choices rather than real-time combat skill.