Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Dark Barracks trains your Dark Elixir troops, from the Minion at level 1 to the Ruin Witch at level 13. You build it at Town Hall 7, the same Town Hall that introduces Dark Elixir, and since October 2022 every village has exactly one. Each upgrade unlocks one new troop; level 13, added in June 2026, needs Town Hall 16 and is the current max.
What the Dark Barracks does
Every troop you unlock here can go into your army, where it takes up space in your Army Camps just like Elixir troops do. Training is instant and free: Supercell removed troop costs in June 2022 and training time in March 2025. That also means the Dark Barracks keeps working at full speed while it’s being upgraded.
The building only decides which Dark troops you can use. Their levels are researched with Dark Elixir in the Laboratory. When you boost a Dark troop in the Super Sauna, its Super version (Super Minion, Super Hog Rider, Super Valkyrie, Super Witch, Ice Hound or Super Bowler) shows up in the Dark Barracks for as long as the boost lasts.
One Dark Barracks since October 2022
Older guides tell you to build and upgrade two Dark Barracks so you can train two troop types at once. That changed with the Town Hall 15 update on October 10, 2022, which merged them into a single Dark Barracks (and a single regular Barracks). You now upgrade one building, and with training instant there’s nothing to queue anyway.
Dark Barracks levels and troops unlocked
The Dark Barracks is a 3×3 building. Upgrades cost Elixir; figures are base values before Gold Pass discounts.
| Level | Troop unlocked | Hitpoints | Cost (Elixir) | Upgrade time | Town Hall needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minion | 500 | 200,000 | 8h | 7 |
| 2 | Hog Rider | 550 | 600,000 | 1d | 7 |
| 3 | Valkyrie | 600 | 1,000,000 | 1d 12h | 8 |
| 4 | Golem | 650 | 1,600,000 | 2d | 8 |
| 5 | Witch | 700 | 2,200,000 | 2d 12h | 9 |
| 6 | Lava Hound | 750 | 2,900,000 | 3d | 9 |
| 7 | Bowler | 800 | 4,000,000 | 5d | 10 |
| 8 | Ice Golem | 850 | 7,000,000 | 6d | 11 |
| 9 | Headhunter | 900 | 7,200,000 | 7d | 12 |
| 10 | Apprentice Warden | 950 | 10,000,000 | 7d 12h | 13 |
| 11 | Druid | 1,000 | 12,000,000 | 8d | 14 |
| 12 | Furnace | 1,050 | 20,000,000 | 9d | 15 |
| 13 | Ruin Witch | 1,100 | 23,000,000 | 10d | 16 |
Town Halls 7, 8 and 9 each give two Dark Barracks levels. From Town Hall 10 to 16 you get one per Town Hall, and Town Halls 17 and 18 add none.
When to upgrade the Dark Barracks
Each level unlocks a troop rather than making one stronger, so plan around the army you want to use. If your attacks lean on Hog Riders, Lava Hounds or Bowlers, the levels that unlock them (2, 6 and 7) are worth doing early at their Town Hall. If your main army is all Elixir troops, the Dark Barracks can wait behind defenses and the Laboratory, though you’ll want it eventually for Dark Super Troops and hybrid armies.
The newest Dark Barracks troops
The last two levels arrived about 15 months apart. Level 12 and the Furnace came with the March 24, 2025 update for Town Hall 15: the Furnace doesn’t move after you deploy it, and as it takes damage it releases Firemites that burn buildings. Level 13 and the Ruin Witch followed in the June 2026 “Anime Fury” update for Town Hall 16. She walks to the rubble of destroyed buildings, works on it for 4 seconds, then summons a Ruin Knight from it. Rubble from Walls doesn’t count.
Dark Barracks FAQ
What Town Hall unlocks the Dark Barracks?
Town Hall 7. Levels 1 and 2 (Minion and Hog Rider) are both available there.
Can you have two Dark Barracks?
Not anymore. The October 2022 update merged them into one building, and that’s still the case at Town Hall 18.
What is the max level Dark Barracks?
Level 13, which needs Town Hall 16 and unlocks the Ruin Witch.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Town Hall 15 release notes, Clash Anytime update notes, Anime Fury update notes) and in-game data.
