Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Golem is the big rock tank of the Dark Barracks: 30 housing space, very slow, very little damage, and more hitpoints than any other Dark troop. He walks straight to the nearest defense, soaks its fire, and when he finally breaks he explodes and splits into two to four Golemites that keep tanking. He unlocks at Town Hall 8 and reaches level 15 at Town Hall 18.
How the Golem and Golemites work
Golems target defenses only and ignore everything else on the way. He moves at speed 12 and punches every 2.4 seconds for modest damage. His job is to be shot at. While splash defenses and Inferno Towers spend their time on him, the troops behind him do the real work.
When a Golem dies he deals death damage in a 1.5-tile radius and breaks into Golemites. Levels 1 to 7 split into two, levels 8 to 12 into three, and levels 13 to 15 into four. Each Golemite is a small Golem that also goes for defenses, hits every 3 seconds and explodes on death in a 1.2-tile radius. Up to level 14 a Golemite has exactly a fifth of the Golem’s hitpoints, damage and death damage. Level 15 breaks that pattern: the Golem got a bigger jump than his Golemites did.
For traps and spells, a Golemite counts as 6 housing space. That decides how Spring Traps, Tornado Traps, the Clone Spell and the Recall Spell treat it.
Golem levels, Golemites and upgrade costs
All research is done in the Laboratory with Dark Elixir. Golem death damage climbs from 350 at level 1 to 1,050 at level 15.
| Level | Damage per second | Hitpoints | Golemites on death | Hitpoints per Golemite | Research cost (Dark Elixir) | Research time | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 35 | 5,100 | 2 | 1,020 | – | – | 8 |
| 2 | 40 | 5,400 | 2 | 1,080 | 4,000 | 16h | 8 |
| 3 | 45 | 5,700 | 2 | 1,140 | 6,000 | 1d 12h | 9 |
| 4 | 50 | 6,000 | 2 | 1,200 | 10,000 | 2d | 9 |
| 5 | 55 | 6,300 | 2 | 1,260 | 18,500 | 2d 6h | 10 |
| 6 | 60 | 6,600 | 2 | 1,320 | 26,500 | 2d 12h | 11 |
| 7 | 65 | 7,000 | 2 | 1,380 | 38,500 | 2d 18h | 11 |
| 8 | 70 | 7,500 | 3 | 1,440 | 50,000 | 3d | 12 |
| 9 | 75 | 7,900 | 3 | 1,500 | 62,500 | 3d 12h | 12 |
| 10 | 80 | 8,200 | 3 | 1,600 | 80,000 | 4d | 13 |
| 11 | 85 | 8,500 | 3 | 1,680 | 105,000 | 5d | 14 |
| 12 | 90 | 8,800 | 3 | 1,760 | 122,500 | 5d 12h | 15 |
| 13 | 95 | 9,200 | 4 | 1,840 | 175,000 | 6d | 16 |
| 14 | 100 | 9,600 | 4 | 1,920 | 230,000 | 10d | 17 |
| 15 | 120 | 10,600 | 4 | 2,040 | 350,000 | 14d 12h | 18 |
Costs and times are before Gold Pass discounts. Levels 8 and 13 are the big jumps, since each adds a Golemite and with it another chunk of tanking.
How to attack with Golems
- Drop the Golem first and give it a few seconds. Let Mortars, Wizard Towers and Bomb Towers lock on before you send Wizards, Archers or other fragile damage dealers behind it.
- Back it with real damage. Classic Golem armies are built around this: GoWiPe (Golem, Wizard, P.E.K.K.A), GoWiWi (Golem, Wizard, Witch) and GoHo with Hog Riders. At Town Hall 8, Golems also pair with Valkyries and Wizards.
- Handle single-target Inferno Towers. A focused Inferno melts a Golem fast. A Freeze Spell stops it and resets its damage ramp, and losing a Golem to it is still better than losing a hero.
- “Avalanche” style attacks use four or more Golems with Wizards or Super Wizards. Bring Freeze and Lightning Spells to keep the Golems alive, and don’t overload on Golems at the cost of damage.
Since the Spring Trap rework in October 2025, a trap can no longer ignore a Golem. It picks the biggest unit on it and, if that unit is too large to throw, knocks it back and damages it. Golemites at 6 housing space can still be thrown off the map outright.
Defending against Golems
A Golem on its own does little damage, so defend against the troops behind it. Keep splash defenses and the single-target Inferno covering the routes Golems take into your core, and expect the damage to come from whatever walks in behind the tank. Golems are rarely worth a Clan Castle slot: they take 30 space and hit softly, though their death blast can finish off low-HP attackers. A Golem killed on defense doesn’t return to the Castle, even if a Golemite survives.
Recent changes
- October 10, 2022: level 12 added with Town Hall 15.
- December 2023: level 13 added; Healers made less likely to target Golems, Golemites and Ice Golems.
- June 3, 2024: hitpoints raised at levels 7 to 11.
- November 25, 2024: Dark Elixir troop costs halved.
- March 24, 2025: level 14 added; training time removed that month (Clash Anytime).
- October 6, 2025: Spring Trap rework lets traps knock back and damage Golems.
- November 17, 2025: level 14 upgrade made cheaper and shorter.
- April 27, 2026: level 15 added for Town Hall 18.
Don’t confuse him with the Meteor Golem, a separate troop that became permanent with Town Hall 18, or with the Ice Golem, which freezes defenses when it dies.
Other Dark Elixir troops by Town Hall
| Town Hall | Dark troops unlocked |
|---|---|
| 7 | Minion, Hog Rider |
| 8 | Valkyrie, Golem |
| 9 | Witch, Lava Hound |
| 10 | Bowler |
| 11 | Ice Golem |
| 12 | Headhunter |
| 13 to 16 | Apprentice Warden, Druid, Furnace, Ruin Witch (one per Town Hall) |
Golem FAQ
What Town Hall unlocks the Golem?
Town Hall 8, with a level 4 Dark Barracks.
How many Golemites does a Golem split into?
Two at levels 1 to 7, three at levels 8 to 12, and four at levels 13 to 15.
What is the Golem’s max level?
Level 15, added on April 27, 2026 for Town Hall 18.
How much housing space does a Golem take?
30. Golemites spawned in battle don’t use any of your army space.
Sources: in-game troop and Laboratory data; Supercell release notes: Sound of Clash update (Golem level 15), Clash Anytime update (Golem level 14), Town Hall 16 update (Healer targeting), Town Hall 17 update.
