Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Dark Elixir Drill is the resource building that produces Dark Elixir, the currency for hero and Dark troop upgrades. You get your first drill at Town Hall 7 and your third and last at Town Hall 9. Max level is 11 (Town Hall 16), and Town Hall 18 adds three Supercharges for up to 218 Dark Elixir per hour per drill.
How the Dark Elixir Drill works
A drill pulls Dark Elixir out of the ground at a fixed hourly rate and holds it until you collect it into your Dark Elixir Storage. When it fills, it stops. Tap any drill with the purple icon to collect from all of them.
- Starting an upgrade collects the drill first; anything that does not fit in your storage is lost. The drill produces nothing while upgrading.
- The small glass box at the back shows the fill level: clear means under 20% full, dark means at least 60%.
- Gems double one drill’s output for a day. A Resource Potion doubles every drill, Gold Mine and Elixir Collector for a day. Unlike Gold Mines, drills can be Gem-boosted at any level.
- Each drill takes a 3×3 space.
Some players call it a “Dark Elixir collector”; the in-game name is Dark Elixir Drill.
Number of drills by Town Hall
One drill at Town Hall 7, two at Town Hall 8, and three from Town Hall 9 through 18.
Dark Elixir Drill levels and stats
Upgrades cost Elixir.
| Level | Town Hall | Dark Elixir per hour | Capacity | Hitpoints | Cost (Elixir) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 20 | 160 | 800 | 180,000 | 4h |
| 2 | 7 | 30 | 300 | 860 | 270,000 | 6h |
| 3 | 7 | 45 | 540 | 920 | 540,000 | 12h |
| 4 | 9 | 60 | 840 | 980 | 900,000 | 18h |
| 5 | 9 | 80 | 1,280 | 1,060 | 1,200,000 | 1d |
| 6 | 9 | 100 | 1,800 | 1,160 | 1,800,000 | 1d 12h |
| 7 | 10 | 120 | 2,400 | 1,280 | 2,100,000 | 1d 18h |
| 8 | 11 | 140 | 3,000 | 1,380 | 2,400,000 | 2d |
| 9 | 12 | 160 | 3,600 | 1,480 | 3,700,000 | 2d 12h |
| 10 | 14 | 180 | 4,200 | 1,550 | 5,300,000 | 3d |
| 11 | 16 | 200 | 4,600 | 1,600 | 12,000,000 | 6d |
Supercharges at Town Hall 18
| Charge | Dark Elixir per hour | Capacity | Hitpoints | Cost (Elixir) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 209 | 4,807 | 1,600 | 5,100,000 | 3d |
| 2 | 218 | 5,014 | 1,600 | 4,500,000 | 4d |
| 3 | 218 | 5,014 | 1,650 | 3,900,000 | 5d |
Three fully charged drills make 654 Dark Elixir an hour, about 15,700 a day. A full drill takes about 23 hours to fill, so collecting once a day loses almost nothing. Each Supercharge also pays 10 Sparky Stones toward the Fancy Shop.
Protecting your drills
Drills are the juiciest collectors in the game for raiders. An attacker can take 75% of the Dark Elixir sitting in a drill, compared with 50% from Gold Mines and Elixir Collectors and only 5% from a Town Hall 9+ Dark Elixir Storage. At Town Hall 16-18 that can mean up to 10,350 Dark Elixir from three full drills, or 11,280 if they are fully Supercharged. Two habits help:
- Keep drills inside your walls and covered by defenses, especially if you log off for long stretches.
- Collect before you go offline, since a drill that is mid-upgrade or freshly emptied has nothing to lose. If a raider does get through, the Loot Cart returns 10% of the take.
When scouting, tap one enemy drill to highlight all of them and see their levels and loot. The base of each drill changes clearly from level to level, which is the quickest way to judge them at a glance.
Recent changes
- February 27, 2024: level 10 added.
- September 9, 2024: three Supercharge levels added.
- November 17, 2025: level 11 added with Town Hall 18; Supercharges moved on top of level 11 with higher output and cost.
Dark Elixir Drill FAQ
How many Dark Elixir Drills can you have?
Three, from Town Hall 9.
What is the max level Dark Elixir Drill?
Level 11 at Town Hall 16, plus three Supercharges at Town Hall 18.
How much Dark Elixir can attackers steal from a drill?
75% of what is uncollected, in regular Battles. That is why drills are worth collecting often and walling in.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Supercell, Town Hall 18 update notes) and in-game data.
