Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Earthquake Spell is a 1-space Dark spell that unlocks at Town Hall 8 with a level 2 Dark Spell Factory. Instead of a fixed number, it removes a percentage of each building’s maximum hitpoints, up to 29% at level 5. Four of them always destroy a wall of any level, and since February 2026 levels 6 to 8 also damage ground troops.
How the Earthquake Spell works
The quake hits every building and wall inside its radius once, right when it lands. Because the damage is a share of max hitpoints, it does the most real damage to buildings with huge health pools such as the Town Hall, Inferno Towers or the Eagle Artillery, and very little to small buildings like a Builder’s Hut.
Two exceptions to what it can hit: resource storages take no damage, while collectors, the Town Hall and the Clan Castle do.
Stacking more than one quake
Each extra Earthquake on the same building is weaker. The second one does a third of its usual damage, the third a fifth, the fourth a seventh, and so on. That means quakes alone can never finish a building; you always need something else to land the last hit. If you have quakes of different levels (for example one from your Clan Castle), drop the highest level first.
Walls follow a different rule that works in your favor. Each further quake still divides its base damage, but it also adds a flat bonus of 5%, 20% and then 45% of the wall’s max hitpoints. The result:
- Three Earthquakes of any level are never enough for a wall. Three level 5 quakes take off about 78%.
- Four Earthquakes of any level always break every wall they cover, even at level 1.
The Barbarian King’s Earthquake Boots count as one quake for this scaling, so boots plus spells on the same target lose damage in either order.
Damage to troops (levels 6 to 8)
Levels 6, 7 and 8 keep building damage at 29% and add damage to ground troops: 5%, 10% and 14.5% of the troop’s max hitpoints. That includes defending heroes, Clan Castle troops and Skeleton Trap skeletons standing in the radius. Air units are not affected, and the same diminishing rule applies to troops hit by more than one quake.
Earthquake Spell levels
Upgrades are researched in the Laboratory with Dark Elixir. Costs and times are the standard ones before Gold Pass discounts. Level 1 is listed at 14.5% in the game files; the info screen rounds it to 14%.
| Level | Building damage | Ground troop damage | Radius | Research cost (Dark Elixir) | Research time | Laboratory level | Town Hall needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14.5% | None | 3.5 tiles | None | None | None | 8 |
| 2 | 17% | None | 3.8 tiles | 6,000 | 12h | 6 | 8 |
| 3 | 21% | None | 4.1 tiles | 12,000 | 1d | 7 | 9 |
| 4 | 25% | None | 4.4 tiles | 25,500 | 3d | 8 | 10 |
| 5 | 29% | None | 4.7 tiles | 42,000 | 3d 12h | 9 | 11 |
| 6 | 29% | 5% | 4.7 tiles | 120,000 | 8d | 12 | 14 |
| 7 | 29% | 10% | 4.7 tiles | 200,000 | 9d | 14 | 16 |
| 8 | 29% | 14.5% | 4.7 tiles | 330,000 | 13d 12h | 16 | 18 |
How to use the Earthquake Spell
Zapquake
Pair one Earthquake with Lightning Spells to delete a single high-HP defense before your army gets there. The quake takes a big percentage chunk and the lightning finishes it. On a big enough target, one max quake can stand in for three max Lightning Spells. Against Town Hall 14 and up, drop the whole combo quickly: weaponized Builder’s Huts repair buildings while you are still casting, so bring a little more damage than the math says.
Opening walls
Four quakes overlapping on the same section wipe out every wall piece in a large area, which is wider than what a Jump Spell covers and doesn’t wear off. It costs 4 spell spaces, though, so for a single compartment a Jump Spell or Wall Breakers are usually cheaper. Time it so your troops are close when the walls drop, or nearby Builders may patch the buildings back up.
Setting up hero equipment
A quake leaves defenses low enough for one burst of equipment damage to finish them. The Grand Warden’s Fireball is the common example, and it works the same way with Giant Arrow, Spiky Ball, Seeking Shield or Rocket Spear shots.
Two things to avoid: don’t drop a quake on buildings covered by an Overgrowth Spell, where the damage is wasted, and don’t waste it on storages.
Defending against Earthquakes
- Spread your strongest defenses apart so no single Zapquake or quake-plus-Fireball takes out two at once, and keep heroes away from the main defenses for the same reason.
- Build compartments that are either quite large or very small, so a four-quake wall opening doesn’t line up neatly with a valuable section.
- From level 4 the Spell Tower can cast an Earthquake of its own on attackers. That slot was added in February 2026.
Recent changes
- June 27, 2022: spells stopped costing Dark Elixir to brew.
- March 2025 (Clash Anytime): brewing time removed.
- February 23, 2026: levels 6 to 8 added. The Earthquake now damages ground troops, and the change also applies to the Earthquake Boots. The Spell Tower gained an Earthquake option at its new level 4.
Earthquake Spell FAQ
How many Earthquake Spells does it take to break a wall?
Four, at any spell level and any wall level. Three are never enough.
Does the Earthquake Spell damage troops?
Only from level 6, and only ground troops. Levels 1 to 5 hit buildings and walls only.
Can Earthquakes destroy the Town Hall?
They damage it, but the diminishing damage means quakes alone can’t finish the Town Hall or any other building.
Sources: Supercell release notes (February 2026 update notes, Clash Anytime notes) and in-game data.
