Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
Firecrackers are the Builder Base’s main anti-air defense. They unlock at Builder Hall 3, reach out 9 tiles, and fire bursts of 3 rockets at a single air troop. They cannot touch ground troops. By Builder Hall 9 you can build five of them, more than any other Builder Base defense.
How Firecrackers work
Firecrackers play the same role as the Air Defense in the Home Village, in a smaller package. Each one picks one flying target and sends 3 shots at it every 0.8 seconds. The damage per shot is modest, but the 9-tile reach means they start shooting long before air troops reach the core of your base.
- Range: 9 tiles.
- Targets: air only, one at a time.
- Size: 2×2, which makes them easy to fit into tight spots.
- Number: 1 at Builder Hall 3, 2 at BH5, 3 at BH7, 4 at BH8 and 5 at BH9.
Builder Base air troops they shoot at include the Beta Minion, Baby Dragon, Drop Ship and Hog Glider, plus the Battle Copter hero machine.
Firecrackers levels and stats
| Level | Builder Hall needed | Damage per shot | DPS (in-game) | Hitpoints | Cost (Builder Gold) | Build time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 19 | 59 | 400 | 40,000 | 15m |
| 2 | 3 | 21 | 65 | 460 | 80,000 | 2h |
| 3 | 3 | 23 | 71 | 530 | 120,000 | 4h |
| 4 | 4 | 25 | 78 | 610 | 300,000 | 12h |
| 5 | 5 | 27 | 84 | 700 | 800,000 | 1d |
| 6 | 6 | 30 | 93 | 850 | 1,200,000 | 2d |
| 7 | 7 | 33 | 103 | 1,000 | 2,000,000 | 4d |
| 8 | 8 | 36 | 112 | 1,150 | 3,000,000 | 6d |
| 9 | 9 | 40 | 125 | 1,300 | 4,000,000 | 8d |
| 10 | 10 | 44 | 137 | 1,500 | 5,000,000 | 9d |
The DPS figures are the in-game approximations. They assume every burst is used in full, so actual damage can come out lower.
Where to place Firecrackers
Low hitpoints are their weakness. A level 10 Firecracker has 1,500 HP, about half of a level 10 Crusher (2,900), so ground troops tear through them if nothing protects them.
- Spread them so their 9-tile circles cover the whole stage, then make sure each one sits inside the range of a ground defense like a Cannon. High-HP buildings such as storages around them also buy time.
- Pair them with Air Bombs. Firecrackers snipe from long range, while Air Bombs hit hard with splash at closer range.
- Grouping several close together melts air swarms quickly, but do not pack them so tight that one Baby Dragon Fiery Sneeze hits them all.
- Think about the two stages. Putting most of your Firecrackers on the stage you expect air attacks on lets them cover each other, as long as they are spread out enough to dodge the Fiery Sneeze.
At Builder Hall 3, your one Firecracker matters a lot: Archer Towers and Hidden Teslas can hit air, but they get pulled onto ground troops, leaving Beta Minions free. The Builder Base guide covers how defenses split across stages from Builder Hall 6.
How to take out Firecrackers
- Clear them before your air goes in. Lead with tanky ground troops like the Boxer Giant, Power P.E.K.K.A or Battle Machine to knock them down, then send Baby Dragons, Drop Ships or Hog Gliders.
- Snipe them from range. The Cannon Cart in Mortar Mode or the Electrofire Wizard in Electro mode can hit Firecrackers from outside the area your air troops have to fly through.
- Punish tight clusters with the Baby Dragon’s Fiery Sneeze. Packed Firecrackers can all take heavy damage from one sneeze.
- Be careful with the Battle Copter’s dive bomb. Using it can pull the Copter into Firecracker range, unless the target Firecracker is low enough to die from the hit.
Firecrackers and Builder Base 2.0
Firecrackers kept their role in the May 15, 2023 Builder Base 2.0 update, which added level 10 with Builder Hall 10. Two things changed around them. The update reduced many Builder Base defense ranges to suit the smaller map, and Builder Hall 10 added an X-Bow that can switch to air-only mode, giving you a second long-range answer to air armies.
Firecrackers FAQ
Can Firecrackers hit ground troops?
No. They only target air troops.
How many Firecrackers can you have?
Up to five, at Builder Hall 9 and 10.
What is the max level of Firecrackers?
Level 10, which needs Builder Hall 10.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Builder Base 2.0 full patch notes (Supercell, May 15, 2023)) and in-game data.
