Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
Clash of Clans has six Home Village heroes: the Barbarian King, Archer Queen, Minion Prince, Grand Warden, Royal Champion and Dragon Duke. You unlock the first one at Town Hall 4 and the last at Town Hall 15, all through a single building, the Hero Hall. Each hero carries two pieces of Hero Equipment and, from Town Hall 14, a pet, and none of them need time to heal after a battle anymore.
This page covers every hero at a glance, the max level each one can reach at your Town Hall, and the systems around them: the Hero Hall, hero slots and banners, equipment and the Blacksmith, and pets.
All 6 Home Village heroes
Max levels are the Town Hall 18 caps. Every hero except the Grand Warden is upgraded with Dark Elixir; the Warden uses Elixir.
| Hero | Unlocks at | Hero Hall level | Max level (TH18) | Role | Starting equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian King | Town Hall 4 | 1 | 110 | Melee ground tank with high health; cannot hit air | Barbarian Puppet, Rage Vial |
| Archer Queen | Town Hall 8 | 2 | 110 | Ranged damage dealer; hits ground and air from 5 tiles | Archer Puppet, Invisibility Vial |
| Minion Prince | Town Hall 9 | 3 | 95 | Flying long-range attacker; hits ground and air | Henchmen Puppet, Dark Orb |
| Grand Warden | Town Hall 11 | 5 | 85 | Support; walks or flies and boosts the troops around him | Eternal Tome, Life Gem |
| Royal Champion | Town Hall 13 | 7 | 55 | Goes after defenses, jumps walls, throws her spear from range | Royal Gem, Seeking Shield |
| Dragon Duke | Town Hall 15 | 9 | 25 | Flying melee hero; hits ground and air | Fire Heart, Flame Blower |
A few notes on the table. The King moved down to Town Hall 4 in the May 26, 2026 update; before that you waited until Town Hall 7. At Town Halls 4 to 6 he stays at level 1 and only attacks. The Queen moved from Town Hall 9 to 8 with the Town Hall 17 update in November 2024, the same update that added the Minion Prince. The Dragon Duke arrived in the February 23, 2026 update, after a community event freed him for everyone. For the Minion Prince and Dragon Duke, the Hero Hall page has the full level caps and unlock rules.
Builder Base heroes
The Builder Base has two more heroes, the Battle Machine (Builder Hall 5) and the Battle Copter (Builder Hall 8). Both cost Builder Elixir, both cap at level 35, neither defends, and their abilities recharge so you can use them more than once per battle.
Max hero levels by Town Hall
Hero levels are capped by your Hero Hall, and each Hero Hall level needs a matching Town Hall. A dash means that hero is not unlocked yet.
| Town Hall | Hero Hall | King | Queen | Prince | Warden | Champion | Duke |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-6 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7 | 1 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | 2 | 20 | 10 | – | – | – | – |
| 9 | 3 | 30 | 30 | 10 | – | – | – |
| 10 | 4 | 40 | 40 | 20 | – | – | – |
| 11 | 5 | 50 | 50 | 30 | 20 | – | – |
| 12 | 6 | 65 | 65 | 40 | 40 | – | – |
| 13 | 7 | 75 | 75 | 50 | 50 | 25 | – |
| 14 | 8 | 85 | 85 | 60 | 60 | 30 | – |
| 15 | 9 | 90 | 90 | 70 | 65 | 40 | 10 |
| 16 | 10 | 95 | 95 | 80 | 70 | 45 | 15 |
| 17 | 11 | 100 | 100 | 90 | 75 | 50 | 20 |
| 18 | 12 | 110 | 110 | 95 | 85 | 55 | 25 |
The Town Hall 18 row last grew in June 2026, when the Anime Fury update added King and Queen levels 106-110 and Warden levels 81-85.
The Hero Hall
The Hero Hall replaced the four separate hero altars on November 25, 2024. It is one building with 12 levels, paid for in Elixir, and it handles everything: hero upgrades (each one takes a free Builder), skins, which heroes attack and which defend, and shortcuts to the Blacksmith and the Pet House. Heroes are upgraded by Builders here, not in the Laboratory.
The Hall also blocks your next Town Hall upgrade until it reaches the level that unlocks every hero your current Town Hall allows. At Town Hall 13, for example, you need Hero Hall 7 (the Royal Champion) before Town Hall 14 opens up.
Two things changed in 2025 that old guides still get wrong. Since March 24, 2025, heroes never need to regenerate after a fight; they are ready for the next attack right away. And a hero under upgrade sits out regular multiplayer attacks and defenses, but still defends in Ranked Battles, Clan Wars and Clan War Leagues.
Hero slots and Hero Banners
You own more heroes than you can field. Slots decide how many go into each attack and how many guard the base, and the two picks are separate.
- Town Hall 4 to 6: one slot, attack only. There is no banner yet, so the King never defends.
- Town Hall 7: the first Hero Banner, so one hero can defend.
- Town Hall 9, 11 and 13: one more slot and banner each, up to four.
A banner is a 2×2 marker with no hitpoints. Attackers cannot target it and it does not count toward destruction, but troops cannot be dropped right next to it. The hero assigned to it patrols that area and walks back if lured too far. The Minion Prince and Dragon Duke fly while defending; the Grand Warden always defends on foot. Equipment does nothing on defense.
At Town Hall 8 you have two heroes and one slot, so a common setup is the King on attack and the Queen guarding the base.
Hero Equipment and the Blacksmith
Heroes lost their fixed abilities in the Town Hall 16 update (December 12, 2023). Each old ability was split into separate equipment pieces, and you now pick two per hero before every attack. As of October 2026 there are 43 pieces across the six heroes: 8 each for the King and Queen, 7 each for the Prince, Warden and Champion, and 6 for the Duke. That count includes the Minion Prince’s Portal Pendant, which goes live in the Portal Panic event on October 8-25, 2026.
- Active equipment fires when you tap the hero’s ability. Passive equipment works on its own. Nearly every piece also adds hitpoints, damage or another stat.
- Common equipment unlocks as you upgrade the Blacksmith. Epic equipment comes from events, from the Trader after an event ends, and from the Hero Journey track.
- Common pieces cap at level 18 and Epic pieces at level 27.
The Blacksmith unlocks at Town Hall 8 and has 10 levels, the last one at Town Hall 17. Each level raises the equipment level cap and your Ore storage, and some levels unlock a new Common piece. Upgrades there are instant once you have the Ore.
Ores: what they upgrade and where to get them
| Ore | Used for | Main sources |
|---|---|---|
| Shiny Ore | Every equipment level | Star Bonus, Clan War attacks, Trader, Hero Journey |
| Glowy Ore | Every third level | Star Bonus, Clan War attacks, a free weekly Trader offer |
| Starry Ore | Epic equipment only, every third level past a point | Star Bonus, war attacks on Town Hall 10+ bases, Trader for Raid Medals |
From Town Hall 10 the Prospector helper can convert one Ore type into another once per work day. See the Resources page for the full Ore breakdown.
Pets and the Pet House
Pets join your heroes at Town Hall 14, when you build the Pet House. Each hero can take one pet into an attack. The pet deploys with the hero and keeps fighting if the hero goes down, but pets never defend. There are 12 pets; the newest, Greedy Raven, arrived at Town Hall 18 in February 2026. Pets are upgraded with Dark Elixir, and a pet cannot be used while it is upgrading.
Some common pairings: Unicorn behind the Queen or Warden as a built-in healer, Mighty Yak with the King or Queen to break walls, Electro Owl with the Warden, and Spirit Fox with the Royal Champion.
Hero Journey
At Town Hall 7 the Hero Hall gets a second tab, the Hero Journey, added in June 2026. Your total hero levels push you along a reward track that pays out Ore chests, resources, skins and free Epic Equipment. Some steps are quests that ask for 15 stars with a certain hero or piece of equipment within 14 days.
Using heroes in attacks
Heroes are the strongest units in most armies, so the usual plan is to protect them long enough to finish their job.
- The King soaks damage at the front. Hold his ability until he has taken real damage, since it heals him.
- The Queen and the Champion do most of their damage from behind other troops. A “Queen Walk” uses healers or a Unicorn to keep her alive along one side of the base.
- The Warden belongs behind the main push, where his aura and Eternal Tome cover the most troops.
- The Prince and Duke fly, so walls and ground traps do not slow them, but every air-targeting defense can hit them.
For full army builds, see attack strategies.
Hero changes since 2023
- Dec 12, 2023: Hero Equipment, the Blacksmith and Ores replace fixed hero abilities.
- Nov 25, 2024: Hero Hall replaces the altars; Minion Prince added; Archer Queen moves to Town Hall 8.
- Mar 24, 2025: hero regeneration removed.
- Oct 6, 2025: 15 hero levels moved from Town Hall 15 down to Town Hall 14.
- Feb 23, 2026: Dragon Duke added; Greedy Raven pet added at Town Hall 18.
- May 26, 2026: Barbarian King and the Hero Hall move to Town Hall 4.
- Jun 15, 2026: Hero Journey added; King and Queen levels 106-110, Warden levels 81-85.
Heroes FAQ
How many heroes are in Clash of Clans?
Eight in total: six in the Home Village and two hero machines in the Builder Base.
What Town Hall do you get the Barbarian King?
Town Hall 4, since the May 2026 update. He is locked at level 1 until Town Hall 7, where he can be upgraded and assigned to defend.
Do heroes still need to heal after attacking?
No. Regeneration was removed in March 2025. A hero is only unavailable while it is being upgraded.
Can a hero defend while it is upgrading?
Not in regular multiplayer. It still defends in Ranked Battles, Clan Wars and Clan War Leagues.
What is the max level for each hero at Town Hall 18?
Barbarian King 110, Archer Queen 110, Minion Prince 95, Grand Warden 85, Royal Champion 55 and Dragon Duke 25.
Sources: Supercell release notes: Town Hall 16 update (Dec 2023), Town Hall 17 update (Nov 2024), Clash Anytime (Mar 2025), February 2026 update, May 2026 update, Anime Fury update (Jun 2026), Portal Panic season post (Oct 2026); in-game data.
