Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Barbarian King is the first hero in Clash of Clans: an oversized Barbarian with a huge health pool who tanks for your army and smashes whatever is in front of him. Since May 2026 he unlocks at Town Hall 4 when you build the Hero Hall, and he can be upgraded to level 110 at Town Hall 18. His old Iron Fist ability is gone; what he does now depends on the two pieces of Hero Equipment you give him.
How the Barbarian King works today
He is a melee fighter with no favorite target. He moves at speed 16, swings every 1.2 seconds, hits one ground target at a time, and looks for enemies within 9 tiles. Each battle he gets one ability activation, which always restores some of his health (the amount goes up every fifth level) and triggers whatever his active equipment does.
A few things changed in the last three years that older guides still get wrong:
- There are no altars. All heroes live in the Hero Hall, which replaced the hero altars in November 2024. On defense he guards a Hero Banner you place on the map, and only if you assign him to it.
- There is no regeneration. Since March 2025 heroes are ready again right after a battle. The only time he’s unavailable is while he is being upgraded, which takes a Builder.
- He doesn’t use equipment on defense. Equipment only applies when you attack with him.
Town Hall 4 to 6: the limited version
At Town Halls 4, 5 and 6 he stays at level 1 and can’t be upgraded. He can’t defend either, because Hero Banners start at Town Hall 7, and you can’t change his equipment, so he always fights with the Barbarian Puppet and Rage Vial. His damage, hitpoints and health recovery are scaled by Town Hall: 50% of level 1 at Town Hall 4, 75% at Town Hall 5 and the full amount at Town Hall 6. Upgrades open up at Town Hall 7.
Barbarian King max level by Town Hall
Hero upgrades cost Dark Elixir and are started from the Hero Hall; the Hero Hall level sets the cap. Stats below are his base numbers at the cap, before equipment bonuses (the game truncates decimals).
| Town Hall | Hero Hall level | Max King level | Damage per second | Hitpoints | Health recovery from ability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 (50% stats) | 51 | 722 | 100 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 (75% stats) | 76 | 1,083 | 150 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 102 | 1,445 | 200 |
| 7 | 1 | 10 | 122 | 1,805 | 310 |
| 8 | 2 | 20 | 148 | 2,309 | 450 |
| 9 | 3 | 30 | 181 | 2,956 | 625 |
| 10 | 4 | 40 | 220 | 3,785 | 850 |
| 11 | 5 | 50 | 282 | 4,845 | 1,125 |
| 12 | 6 | 65 | 385 | 7,024 | 1,700 |
| 13 | 7 | 75 | 468 | 8,755 | 2,150 |
| 14 | 8 | 85 | 540 | 10,200 | 2,500 |
| 15 | 9 | 90 | 574 | 10,838 | 2,650 |
| 16 | 10 | 95 | 608 | 11,475 | 2,800 |
| 17 | 11 | 100 | 643 | 12,100 | 2,950 |
| 18 | 12 | 110 | 713 | 13,350 | 3,250 |
Upgrade prices climb from 5,000 Dark Elixir and 2 hours for level 2 to 490,000 Dark Elixir and 8 days for level 110, before Gold Pass discounts.
Barbarian King equipment
Hero Equipment replaced hero abilities on December 12, 2023. Iron Fist was split into the Barbarian Puppet and Rage Vial. The King can equip two pieces per attack, and almost every piece also gives passive stat bonuses. Equipment is unlocked and upgraded at the Blacksmith (Town Hall 8) using Shiny, Glowy and Starry Ore, and upgrades finish instantly. Common pieces max out at level 18 and Epic pieces at level 27.
| Equipment | Rarity | How you get it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian Puppet | Common | Comes with the King | Ability summons a pack of raged Barbarians at your researched Barbarian level; adds hitpoints and extra health recovery |
| Rage Vial | Common | Comes with the King | Ability enrages him for more damage and speed with a big heal; adds damage |
| Earthquake Boots | Common | Blacksmith level 1 (Town Hall 8) | Ability stomps an earthquake that instantly breaks walls of any level and deals percentage damage to buildings (storages included) and defending ground troops in an 8-tile radius; adds damage and hitpoints |
| Vampstache | Common | Blacksmith level 3 (Town Hall 10) | Passive: heals him a little on every hit; adds damage and attack speed |
| Giant Gauntlet | Epic | Cookie Rumble event (Dec 2023), then the Trader for 1,500 Gems | Ability makes him gigantic: splash damage, hits buildings behind walls, takes less damage; adds damage and healing over time |
| Spiky Ball | Epic | Clash with Haaland event (May 2024), then the Trader | Ability kicks a spiked ball that bounces between buildings, hitting each one once; adds damage and hitpoints |
| Snake Bracelet | Epic | Snake Festival event (Feb 2025), then the Trader | Passive: spawns Snakes that can jump walls each time he takes 300 damage, up to a limit; adds damage, hitpoints and attack speed |
| Stick Horse | Epic | Wise Warriors event (Feb 2026) | Lets him jump over walls and move and attack faster for a while after deployment; adds damage and hitpoints |
Since June 2026 the Hero Journey track in the Hero Hall (Town Hall 7+) also hands out Epic Equipment as you level your heroes, so missing an event no longer means paying Gems.
The Earthquake Boots and the Earthquake Spell weaken each other: whichever hits a target second does less damage to it.
How to use the Barbarian King
- As a tank. Drop him first so defenses lock onto him, then send lower-health damage dealers like the Archer Queen behind him. In air attacks, a hero dive with the King, Queen and Grand Warden often takes out Air Defenses first.
- For funnels (a “King Walk”). With no gap in the walls he stays outside and clears buildings on the edge, opening a lane for the main army. Watch for single-target Inferno Towers and Monoliths, which shut him down quickly.
- Save the ability until he has lost health, since the heal is a fixed amount. Turning on “Automatically use Hero Abilities on KO” in settings has no downside.
- With the Barbarian Puppet, fire the ability before a single-target Inferno locks onto him so the Barbarians soak its beam, and avoid using it next to suspected Giant Bomb spots.
- Healing Spells heal heroes at 55% of the troop rate, while Druids, the Unicorn pet and the Healing Tome work at full rate or better.
For pets, the Mighty Yak (Town Hall 14) breaks walls for him, since he is the only hero who can’t hit over them, and the Phoenix (Town Hall 15+) keeps him alive mid-ability. Both come from the Pet House.
Recent changes
- December 12, 2023: Hero Equipment replaced Iron Fist; Earthquake Boots and Vampstache added; base stats lowered with the difference moved into his starting equipment.
- November 25, 2024: Hero Hall replaced the Barbarian King Altar; levels 96 to 100 added.
- March 2025 (Clash Anytime): hero regeneration removed.
- October 6, 2025: levels 81 to 85 moved from Town Hall 15 to Town Hall 14.
- November 17, 2025: levels 101 to 105 added for Town Hall 18.
- February 9, 2026: Stick Horse released.
- May 26, 2026: unlock moved from Town Hall 7 to Town Hall 4, with scaled level 1 stats at Town Halls 4 to 6.
- June 15, 2026: levels 106 to 110 added; Hero Journey introduced.
Barbarian King FAQ
What Town Hall do you get the Barbarian King?
Town Hall 4, when the Hero Hall finishes building. Before May 26, 2026 it was Town Hall 7.
What is the Barbarian King’s max level?
Level 110 at Town Hall 18 with a level 12 Hero Hall.
Does the Barbarian King still have Iron Fist?
No. Iron Fist became two pieces of equipment in December 2023: the Barbarian Puppet (the Barbarians) and the Rage Vial (the rage and heal).
Does the Barbarian King need to heal after battle?
No. Hero regeneration was removed in March 2025.
Sources: Supercell release notes (May 2026 update notes, Anime Fury notes, TH16 notes, Clash Anytime notes) and in-game data.
