9 TO DIEGetting Started
How do I start playing 9 to Die?
Open the game in a browser, choose a department, keep the Graduate employee type, stay on the Onboarding floor, and press Clock In. There is nothing to install and no sign-up. You steer with the keyboard and your skills fire on their own, so your only job is staying alive.
Please remain on mute.
- Open the game. Press Play on this site. The office loads behind the menu.
- Pick a department. All 9 are open from day one. Each has its own health, starting skill and skill pool.
- Leave the floor on Onboarding. It is the only floor open to start with. Winning a floor opens the next one for that department.
- Press Clock In. The floor loads, and Monday Morning begins.
- Use Monday Morning. You get 60 seconds to walk the floor. Press E to place up to three Boundaries, or Enter to start the quarter early.
- Keep moving. Your skills aim and fire by themselves. Walk over the silver XP coins to fill your level bar.
- Take a card at every level. Time stops and you get three cards. Press 1, 2 or 3 to choose.
- Press Space when it is ready. That is your department's executive action, a big move on a long cooldown.
- Reach the final boss. It arrives at 16:00. Beat it and the quarter closes, with Stay Late on offer.
- Read your Exit Interview. It shows what got you, what you dealt, and what the run paid. Then go again.
What are the controls?
Move with WASD or the arrow keys, press Space for your executive action, and pick level-up cards with 1, 2 and 3. R rerolls a card offer, T banks it for later, and Tab spends a banked level. Esc pauses, and pressing Esc twice quickly brings up a convincing spreadsheet.
For open-plan seating, L switches to Low-Key Mode, which draws the game in spreadsheet greys.
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Move | W A S D or the arrow keys |
| Executive action | Space |
| Pick a card | 1 2 3 |
| Reroll the cards | R |
| Bank the level for later | T |
| Spend a banked level | Tab |
| Pause | Esc |
| Boss key: pretend to work | Esc twice, quickly |
| Low-Key Mode | L |
| Place a Boundary, in Monday Morning | E |
| Start the quarter, in Monday Morning | Enter |
| Camera distance | Mouse wheel |
Movement, the executive action and Low-Key Mode can be rebound in Options, Controls. On a gamepad the left stick moves, A uses your executive action or picks the middle card, the D-pad picks the side cards, X rerolls and Start pauses. On a touch screen, drag anywhere to move.
What should I watch while I play?
Watch your status dot, because it is your health: Available, then Away under 40 percent, then Offline. Coffee heals 30 percent of your health, boxes hold run items, and the bottom bar counts XP towards your next level. A yellow-and-black band marks an elite; pink-purple means an enemy attack.
Everyone can see your status. Everyone has always been able to see your status.
Coworkers get stuck on the floor during the quarter, up to two at a time. Stand next to one for a moment and they head for the exit, and you get 15 percent of your health and 5 PTO back. That is a rescue, and several achievements count them.
What do I do after my first run?
Every run pays Accrued PTO and talent experience, even a short one. Spend PTO on stars for your gear, spend talent points in the Career window, and check Your Setup for anything a boss dropped. Then go again, because winning a floor opens the next one for that department.
Your new desk is smaller.
Next: How the Quarter Works, Level-up Cards and role builds.