Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Electro Dragon is a slow, heavy air troop whose lightning breath jumps from its target to up to four more nearby buildings or troops. It unlocks at Barracks level 13 (Town Hall 11), takes 30 housing space, and its max level is 9 at Town Hall 18: 510 damage per second on the first target and 6,900 hitpoints after two buffs in 2026.
Electro Dragon stats at a glance
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Unlocked at | Barracks level 13 (Town Hall 11) |
| Housing space | 30 |
| Favorite target | None (closest building) |
| Attack type | Chain lightning, hits ground and air |
| Targets per attack | Up to 5 (first target plus 4 jumps) |
| Damage loss per jump | 20% less than the previous hit |
| Range | 3 tiles |
| Attack speed | 3.5 seconds |
| Movement speed | 13 |
| Max level | 9 (Laboratory 16, Town Hall 18) |
| Super Troop | None |
How the chain lightning works
Each breath hits one target hard, then arcs to the closest thing it hasn’t hit yet, up to four more times. Every jump deals 20% less than the one before. When two candidates are the same distance away, the lightning picks the one with more maximum hitpoints. The result is that Electro Dragons do their best work on tightly packed bases: one breath can hurt a defense, two storages and a couple of nearby buildings at once.
When an Electro Dragon dies, lightning bolts strike the ground around it six times. The bolts are small next to its breath (145 each at level 9) but can finish off damaged buildings.
It attacks only once every 3.5 seconds and moves at speed 13, one of the slowest troops in the game. Plan your spells around that slow pace.
Electro Dragon levels, DPS and hitpoints
Electro Dragons are upgraded in the Laboratory with Elixir. Costs and times are base values before Gold Pass or event discounts. The Town Hall column is the lowest Town Hall whose Laboratory can research that level. DPS is for the first target only; each jump after it deals 20% less.
| Level | DPS (first target) | Death damage | Hitpoints | Research cost (Elixir) | Research time | Laboratory level | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 260 | 65 x 6 | 3,400 | None | None | None | 11 |
| 2 | 290 | 75 x 6 | 3,900 | 6,000,000 | 4d | 9 | 11 |
| 3 | 320 | 85 x 6 | 4,400 | 7,000,000 | 4d 12h | 10 | 12 |
| 4 | 350 | 95 x 6 | 4,700 | 9,000,000 | 7d | 11 | 13 |
| 5 | 380 | 105 x 6 | 5,000 | 11,000,000 | 8d | 12 | 14 |
| 6 | 410 | 115 x 6 | 5,400 | 14,000,000 | 8d 12h | 13 | 15 |
| 7 | 440 | 125 x 6 | 5,700 | 16,000,000 | 9d | 14 | 16 |
| 8 | 475 | 135 x 6 | 6,400 | 20,000,000 | 10d | 15 | 17 |
| 9 | 510 | 145 x 6 | 6,900 | 30,000,000 | 16d | 16 | 18 |
These numbers include both 2026 balance changes. The January 12, 2026 update raised hitpoints and damage at every level, and the July 2026 balance update added a little more of both at levels 8 and 9. Level 9 costs 30,000,000 Elixir and 16 days of research.
Best uses for Electro Dragons in 2026
From Town Hall 10 to 13, mass Electro Dragons is one of the easiest strong attacks to learn. Bring as many as your camps hold, a few Rage Spells and Freeze Spells, and drop them in a line on one side of a compact base. A Balloon or two to take out an exposed Air Defense helps. The lightning eats through clustered cores quickly once the Air Defenses on that side are gone.
At Town Hall 18 the 2026 buffs brought the Electro Dragon back into use, and some current guides recommend targeted Electro Dragon attacks for Ranked battles. They still do best against compact layouts. Against spread-out anti-air bases, Dragon and Balloon mixes usually do better.
How to defend against Electro Dragons
Spacing is the counter. The lightning can only jump between targets close to each other, so leaving at least two tiles between buildings cuts the chain short. You can also steer it: because the arc prefers higher-hitpoint targets at equal distance, a storage placed next to an Air Sweeper or Air Defense soaks the jumps meant for the defense.
Keep your Air Defenses spread out and away from tight clusters, and cover the core with an Inferno Tower on single-target mode, which handles a few big air troops well.
The Electro Dragon is also one of the most feared Clan Castle troops at Town Halls 9 to 11. Its chain clears groups of attacking troops and its big hit can kill an under-leveled Archer Queen. Attackers usually answer it with a Poison Spell plus focused fire.
Electro Dragon changes by date
- February 16, 2022: movement speed raised from 12 to 13.
- October 10, 2022: level 6 added.
- December 12, 2023: level 7 added.
- February 27, 2024: hitpoints raised at levels 6 and 7.
- November 25, 2024: level 8 added.
- March 24, 2025: training time removed for all troops.
- November 17, 2025: level 9 added; level 8 hitpoints raised and research cut to 10 days and 20,000,000 Elixir.
- January 12, 2026: hitpoints and damage raised at all levels.
- July 2026: hitpoints and damage raised again at levels 8 and 9.
Electro Dragon FAQ
How many targets does the Electro Dragon hit?
Up to five per breath: the main target plus four jumps, each 20% weaker than the last.
What is the max Electro Dragon level?
Level 9 at Town Hall 18. Town Hall 17 caps at level 8.
Is there a Super Electro Dragon?
No. The Electro Dragon has no Super Troop version.
Sources: Supercell: January 2026 balance changes, July 2026 balance update, Town Hall 18 update (November 2025); in-game data.
