Clash of Clans is a game of strategy, patience, and smart resource management. Whether you are a casual farmer or a competitive war enthusiast, knowing what to upgrade first can dramatically accelerate your progress and prevent costly mistakes. With limited Builders, tight resource caps, and lengthy timers, choosing the right upgrade at the right time is the difference between dominating and falling behind.
TLDR: Always prioritize upgrades that boost your offensive power first, such as laboratory, army camps, and key troops. Keep all builders busy at all times, and never neglect your heroes once they unlock. Upgrade resource collectors and storages strategically, but don’t overinvest in defenses early in a new Town Hall level. Balance offense, heroes, and essential defenses to progress efficiently and win more wars.
Understanding Upgrade Priorities
Before diving into specifics, it’s important to understand a simple principle: offense speeds up progress more than defense. Stronger armies let you farm more resources, win more wars, and climb higher in leagues. Stronger defenses only protect what you already have.
This doesn’t mean you ignore defenses entirely. Instead, you create a balanced development plan where:
- Offense is always slightly ahead
- Builders are never idle
- Heroes are upgrading as often as possible
- Laboratory time is never wasted
Phase 1: Immediately After Upgrading Your Town Hall
Upgrading to a new Town Hall level is exciting—but it’s also risky. You become a bigger target overnight. Here’s what to do immediately after upgrading:
Image not found in postmeta1. Upgrade Laboratory First
The Laboratory should almost always be your top priority. Why? Because troop upgrades enhance every attack you make. A level boost to your main farming troop can increase resource gains significantly over time.
Once upgraded:
- Start with your main farming troop
- Prioritize war meta troops next
- Upgrade spells that support your core strategies
2. Build and Upgrade Army Camps
More housing space equals stronger attacks. At higher Town Hall levels, even 5–10 extra housing space greatly improves your army’s strength.
Rule of thumb: Max your army camps as early as possible.
3. Upgrade Clan Castle
The Clan Castle boost can transform both war and farming attacks. Extra troop capacity, spell storage, and siege machine capability make this building one of the most valuable upgrades in the game.
4. Build New Buildings Immediately
Never leave new buildings unplaced. Even if you don’t plan to upgrade them yet, placing them increases your base strength and protects resources.
Offensive Upgrade Priority Breakdown
If your goal is fast progression, use this order as a template:
- Laboratory
- Army Camps
- Spell Factory and Dark Spell Factory
- Barracks and Dark Barracks (to unlock new troops)
- Blacksmith (for hero equipment at higher TH levels)
- Heroes
Why Heroes Deserve Constant Attention
Heroes scale exceptionally well. A few levels may not seem impressive early on, but higher hero levels dramatically increase damage and survivability.
- Barbarian King: Tank and funnel support
- Archer Queen: Core damage dealer
- Grand Warden: Game-changing ability
- Royal Champion: Defensive sniper
Try to keep at least one hero upgrading at all times, especially during farming periods.
Image not found in postmetaDefensive Upgrade Strategy: What Comes First?
Once your offensive backbone is strong, it’s time to turn attention to defense. However, not all defensive structures are equal.
Top Defensive Priorities
- Eagle Artillery
- Inferno Towers
- X Bows
- Scattershots (high TH)
- Air Defenses
These defenses significantly impact war outcomes. Upgrading them early increases your defensive weight—but also your protection capability.
Secondary Defenses
- Wizard Towers
- Hidden Teslas
- Bomb Towers
- Air Sweepers
Lower Priority Defenses
- Archer Towers
- Cannons
- Mortars
These should typically be done later unless they are quick upgrades to prevent idle builders.
Walls: When and How to Upgrade Them
Walls are important—but they can drain resources quickly. The best approach is strategic dumping.
Best practices for walls:
- Upgrade walls when builders are busy
- Spend excess gold or elixir to prevent resource overflow
- Prioritize key compartments first (Eagle, Town Hall, Inferno section)
Avoid dedicating all builders to walls unless everything else is maxed.
Resource Management Strategy
Smart upgrades depend on staying resource-efficient.
Image not found in postmetaCollectors and Mines
Upgrade these early in a new Town Hall level. Over time, passive income adds up significantly—especially for active players.
Storages
You only need to upgrade storages when:
- A key building requires more capacity
- You frequently hit storage limits
Don’t upgrade them prematurely if it slows offensive growth.
War Players vs Farming Players
Your upgrade priority may slightly shift depending on your playstyle.
If You Focus on War:
- Max core war troops first
- Upgrade heroes aggressively
- Prioritize high-impact defenses
- Avoid rushing too far ahead of your defense
If You Focus on Farming:
- Upgrade farming troops first (e.g., Sneaky Goblins, Baby Dragons)
- Max resource collectors early
- Prioritize army camps heavily
- Keep at least one hero upgrading constantly
Common Upgrade Mistakes to Avoid
1. Over-Upgrading Defenses Too Early
This slows farming and delays hero progression.
2. Ignoring Heroes
Underleveled heroes become a major weakness in both war and multiplayer battles.
3. Letting the Laboratory Sit Idle
This is one of the biggest long-term efficiency losses.
4. Rushing Without a Plan
Strategic rushing can work—but random upgrading creates weak progression.
Builder Management Tips
Your builders determine your speed of progress. Efficient management is essential.
- Always keep 5–6 builders active
- Stagger upgrade timers so all builders don’t finish at once
- Use shorter upgrades before going offline for long periods
- Save one builder occasionally for walls
Pro Tip: Books, Hammers, and Builder Potions should be saved for:
- Long hero upgrades
- Laboratory upgrades
- High-impact defenses like Eagle Artillery
Late-Game Upgrade Philosophy
At higher Town Hall levels, upgrade timers stretch into multiple days—or even weeks. Efficiency becomes even more important.
Late-game strategy should focus on:
- Hero level optimization
- Maxing war armies
- Balancing air and ground troop upgrades
- Strengthening anti-meta defensive layouts
By this stage, marginal gains can significantly influence competitive outcomes.
A Sample Balanced Upgrade Cycle
Here’s what a healthy builder distribution often looks like:
- 1 Builder: Heroes
- 1 Builder: Key defense
- 1 Builder: Utility building (camp, spell factory, etc.)
- 1 Builder: Secondary defense
- 1 Builder: Resource building or shorter timer defense
- 1 Builder: Flexible or walls
This maintains both offensive and defensive development without falling behind.
Final Thoughts: Upgrade Smart, Not Fast
Clash of Clans rewards strategic patience. The “best” upgrade is not always the most impressive-looking building, but the one that creates the most long-term value. Laboratory upgrades increase attack power. Heroes multiply army efficiency. Core defenses shift war outcomes.
If you remember one principle, let it be this: stronger attacks generate faster growth. Prioritize offense, maintain constant builder activity, invest consistently in heroes, and upgrade defenses strategically—not emotionally.
Master this balance, and your village won’t just grow—it will dominate.
