Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Battle Machine Altar is the Builder Base building where your Battle Machine parks between attacks. It starts as a broken ruin on your map, and repairing it at Builder Hall 5 for 900,000 Builder Elixir and 12 hours is how you unlock the Battle Machine. Since Builder Base 2.0 it has company: a second altar for the Battle Copter arrives at Builder Hall 8.
What the altar does
The altar is a seat, not a weapon. The Battle Machine never gets up to defend your base, so in a battle the altar is just a 3×3 building with 250 hitpoints that attackers need to destroy for 100%. It has no levels of its own. When you “upgrade the Battle Machine”, the cost and the timer belong to the hero.
A few details that catch new Builder Base players out:
- Until you repair it, the ruin behaves like an obstacle. You cannot move it, enemy troops cannot attack it, and it does not count toward destruction. Attackers still cannot drop troops on the tiles it covers.
- Once it is repaired you can move it anywhere on Stage 1. It cannot go on Stage 2.
- Your Battle Machine can still attack while the Master Builder is busy building or upgrading something else.
- It is one of three ruins you find when you first reach the Builder Base. The other two are the Gem Mine and the Clock Tower.
Battle Machine Altar and Battle Copter Altar compared
Builder Base 2.0 (May 15, 2023) added the Battle Copter, a flying hero machine, along with its own altar. You can take only one hero machine into each stage of an attack, so with both unlocked you pick one before the battle and can switch for Stage 2.
| Stat | Battle Machine Altar | Battle Copter Altar |
|---|---|---|
| Builder Hall needed | 5 | 8 |
| Cost (Builder Elixir) | 900,000 | 2,500,000 |
| Build time | 12h (the hero is being rebuilt) | None, the hero is ready at once |
| Hero level when built | 1 | 15 |
| Hitpoints | 250 | 250 |
| Size | 3×3 | 3×3 |
| Where it can go | Stage 1 only | Stage 2 only |
The Battle Machine Altar is the only Builder Base altar with a build time, because the 12 hours go into rebuilding the broken machine. The Battle Copter starts at level 15, and both heroes top out at level 35 on Builder Hall 10.
Battle Machine upgrade cost by Builder Hall
All hero upgrades are paid in Builder Elixir. This is the short version; the Battle Machine page has damage, hitpoints and ability numbers for every level.
| Builder Hall | Battle Machine levels | Cost per level | Time per level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1-5 | 900,000 (repair) to 1,300,000 | 12h to 1d |
| 6 | 6-10 | 1,500,000 to 1,900,000 | 1d 12h to 2d 12h |
| 7 | 11-20 | 2,100,000 to 3,000,000 | 2d 12h to 4d |
| 8 | 21-25 | 3,100,000 to 3,500,000 | 5d |
| 9 | 26-30 | 3,600,000 to 4,000,000 | 6d |
| 10 | 31-35 | 4,100,000 to 4,500,000 | 7d |
From the repair to level 35 the Battle Machine costs 96,500,000 Builder Elixir. Since the May 2026 update you can also hire an extra Builder Base builder (once every Home Village builder is unlocked), which makes it easier to keep a hero upgrade running next to your buildings.
Where to place the altar
The altar adds nothing to your defense except hitpoints and space, so use it as filler. Two placements work well:
- On an outside corner of Stage 1, far from the Builder Hall. Troops with no preferred target, such as Raged Barbarians, may wander over to it, and an attacker chasing 100% has to send something to finish it before the timer runs out.
- Between two defenses as a buffer, so a Battle Machine or Boxer Giant spends a few swings on 250 hitpoints of nothing while your Crusher or Double Cannon gets to work.
When you attack, a single cheap unit such as a Sneaky Archer is usually enough to pick off an exposed altar for the last few percent.
Builder Base altars and the Hero Hall
The Town Hall 17 update in November 2024 replaced every Home Village hero altar with the Hero Hall. That change did not reach the Builder Base. The Battle Machine and Battle Copter still each have their own altar, and the two-stage rules in the Builder Base 2.0 guide decide which one you bring to each fight.
Battle Machine Altar FAQ
Where is the Battle Machine Altar?
The ruin is already on your Builder Base map, surrounded by obstacles that cannot be cleared until you rebuild it. Tap it once your Builder Hall is level 5.
How much does it cost to repair the Battle Machine?
900,000 Builder Elixir and 12 hours at Builder Hall 5. You get the Battle Machine at level 1.
Does the Battle Machine defend the altar?
No. Neither Builder Base hero defends, and the altar is not a defense.
Can I put the Battle Machine Altar on Stage 2?
No. It is limited to Stage 1, while the Battle Copter Altar can only go on Stage 2.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Supercell, Builder Base 2.0 patch notes, Town Hall 17 update, May 2026 update) and in-game data.
