Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Drop Ship is a Builder Base air troop: a heavy balloon that flies to enemy defenses and drops Skeletons on them. It unlocks at Builder Barracks level 9 (Builder Hall 7), joins your army at level 11 and goes up to level 20. One Drop Ship fills an Army Camp, and its Skeleton Bomb ability lets you drop a big explosive barrel exactly where you want it, once per battle.
How the Drop Ship attacks
The Drop Ship does almost no damage itself. Its job is to carry Skeletons and soak damage. While it hovers over a target it releases 3 Skeletons every 3.5 seconds, with up to 9 of its Skeletons on the field at once. The Skeletons do the hitting, as ground units. When the balloon is shot down it also deals some damage where it falls.
Since October 2023 the Drop Ship goes for defenses. It flies past storages, camps and other buildings, and it keeps flying even when Guard Post troops or O.T.T.O’s Outpost Zappies are attacking it. It does not count the Guard Post as a defense, though, so it will not stop there. Once every defense is down, it attacks whatever is closest. It moves slowly, at speed 12, so it gives the defense plenty of time to shoot at it.
If you have played the Home Village, compare it to the Balloon: same target, same slow flight, but the payload is Skeletons instead of bombs.
Skeleton Bomb ability
Tap the Drop Ship during the battle and it drops a barrel straight down from wherever it is. The barrel deals area damage when it lands, wrecks any Walls caught in the blast, and spawns a burst of extra Skeletons (5 at level 11, rising to 8 at level 20). You get one use per battle. If the Drop Ship survives into Stage 2 after using it, the ability does not come back.
Timing is everything with a one-shot ability. Fire it over a defense that is hurting your army, such as a Crusher or a cluster of ground defenses, rather than over an empty corner. Because you control the moment, it is more useful than the old version, which only went off when the Drop Ship died.
Drop Ship levels and stats
Research costs Builder Elixir in the Star Laboratory. The Star Laboratory level matches the Builder Hall level you need.
| Level | Hitpoints | Damage when destroyed | Skeleton Bomb damage | Skeletons from Skeleton Bomb | Research cost | Research time | Star Lab / Builder Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 3,400 | 300 | 600 | 5 | Unlocked at this level | – | 7 |
| 12 | 3,400 | 300 | 700 | 6 | 2,400,000 | 2d 12h | 7 |
| 13 | 3,740 | 300 | 700 | 6 | 2,600,000 | 3d 12h | 7 |
| 14 | 3,740 | 400 | 700 | 6 | 2,800,000 | 4d 12h | 7 |
| 15 | 4,114 | 400 | 700 | 6 | 3,600,000 | 5d 12h | 8 |
| 16 | 4,114 | 400 | 800 | 7 | 3,800,000 | 5d 12h | 8 |
| 17 | 4,525 | 400 | 800 | 7 | 4,300,000 | 6d | 9 |
| 18 | 4,525 | 500 | 800 | 7 | 4,500,000 | 6d | 9 |
| 19 | 4,978 | 500 | 800 | 7 | 5,500,000 | 6d 12h | 10 |
| 20 | 4,978 | 500 | 900 | 8 | 5,700,000 | 6d 12h | 10 |
Taking a Drop Ship from 11 to 20 costs 35,200,000 Builder Elixir in research.
How to use Drop Ships
Treat the Drop Ship as the tank of an air army. Its hitpoints pull fire from Firecrackers and other anti-air while damage dealers like Beta Minions or Baby Dragons do the real work behind it. Send the Drop Ships first and give them a few seconds’ lead.
The Skeletons help the rest of your army too. They give ground defenses something to shoot at, which takes pressure off a Battle Machine walking in behind them. Since Builder Base 2.0, a Mine needs a spring weight of 2 and a Mega Mine 3 before it goes off, so one stray Skeleton will not waste a trap for the defender.
Spread your Drop Ships out or stagger them. Two balloons flying side by side are an easy target for splash anti-air, and a Mega Tesla can hit both. Clear any outside buildings that would pull your support troops away from the Drop Ship’s path, because the Drop Ship itself will not wait for them.
How to defend against Drop Ships
You need anti-air that can chew through around 5,000 hitpoints, plus something for the Skeletons:
- Firecrackers and Air Bombs close enough to cover each other, with high-hitpoint buildings between them.
- The Roaster, which can hit the Drop Ship and the Skeletons under it in the same area.
- Splash against ground units, such as the Multi Mortar or Giant Cannon, to wipe the Skeleton waves before they add up.
- A Crusher next to your important defenses. It flattens Skeletons as they land, which leaves a Drop Ship doing almost nothing.
How the Drop Ship changed
- Before Builder Base 2.0 (May 2023), two Drop Ships fitted in one Army Camp, they attacked the nearest building, and their ability, Skeleton Burst, only triggered when the balloon was destroyed. A level 18 Drop Ship had 3,113 hitpoints.
- May 15, 2023: Skeleton Burst replaced by the tap-to-use Skeleton Bomb, one Drop Ship per camp, and new troops start at level 11 when unlocked. Levels 19 and 20 arrived with Builder Hall 10.
- October 9, 2023: Drop Ships now target defenses; hitpoints up 21%; Skeleton Bomb radius up by half a tile.
- February 2024: attack range raised from 0 to 0.5 tiles, and the Skeleton Bomb’s damage radius cut by a quarter.
The full 2.0 rule set is on the Builder Base 2.0 guide.
Drop Ship FAQ
When does the Drop Ship unlock?
At Builder Barracks level 9, which needs Builder Hall 7. It starts at level 11.
What does the Drop Ship target?
Defenses, apart from the Guard Post. After every defense is destroyed it hits the nearest building.
How many Drop Ships fit in an Army Camp?
One, at every level.
Does the Drop Ship do damage itself?
Only when it is destroyed and through its Skeleton Bomb. The Skeletons it drops do the rest.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Supercell, Builder Base 2.0 patch notes (May 2023)) and in-game data.
