Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Lightning Spell is the first spell you get in Clash of Clans: it comes free with the Spell Factory at Town Hall 5 and costs 1 housing space. Each spell drops one bolt that hits every building and enemy unit in a 2-tile radius and stuns them for a moment. The current max is level 13 at Town Hall 18, where a single bolt deals 720 damage.
How the Lightning Spell works
Tap the map and one bolt lands on that spot almost at once. The blast covers a 2-tile radius; if you aim at the middle of a tile it reaches 21 tiles, which is a 5 by 5 square with the four corners cut off. Anything inside takes the full damage, so two defenses sitting side by side both lose the same amount.
The hit also stuns its targets for 0.1 seconds and makes them pick a new target. That tiny stun matters more than it sounds: an Inferno Tower in single-target mode has to start its damage ramp over, and an Eagle Artillery restarts its wind-up.
Some buildings ignore it completely. Lightning does no damage to resource storages, the Town Hall or the Clan Castle. It still hurts Gold Mines, Elixir Collectors and Dark Elixir Drills, so collectors are fair game in a farming raid.
Lightning Spell levels and damage
Upgrades are researched in the Laboratory and paid in Elixir. Costs and times are the standard values before any Gold Pass discount. Brewing the spell itself is free and instant.
| Level | Damage per bolt | Research cost (Elixir) | Research time | Laboratory level | Town Hall needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 150 | None | None | None | 5 |
| 2 | 180 | 50,000 | 2h | 1 | 5 |
| 3 | 210 | 100,000 | 4h | 2 | 5 |
| 4 | 240 | 200,000 | 6h | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | 270 | 600,000 | 1d | 6 | 8 |
| 6 | 320 | 1,500,000 | 1d 12h | 7 | 9 |
| 7 | 400 | 2,500,000 | 3d | 8 | 10 |
| 8 | 480 | 4,200,000 | 3d 12h | 9 | 11 |
| 9 | 560 | 6,300,000 | 5d | 10 | 12 |
| 10 | 600 | 10,000,000 | 6d | 13 | 15 |
| 11 | 640 | 13,500,000 | 7d | 14 | 16 |
| 12 | 680 | 18,500,000 | 10d | 15 | 17 |
| 13 | 720 | 27,000,000 | 14d | 16 | 18 |
Thirteen levels is more than any other spell in the game. With a fully upgraded Spell Factory (10 spaces) and the Dark Spell Factory (1 more), you can carry 11 Lightning Spells from your own army, plus any your clan donates.
How to use Lightning Spells
Zapping one defense out of the way
The classic use is to delete a single defense your army can’t handle. Before a mass Dragon attack, players stack bolts on an Air Defense so the Dragons face one fewer anti-air threat. Do the math before you commit. A level 7 Air Defense has 1,100 hitpoints, so three level 7 bolts (1,200 damage) finish it, but a level 8 one has 1,210 and survives with 10 left. Check the defense’s level while scouting and bring one extra bolt or an Earthquake when it is close.
Pairing with Earthquake
The best partner is the Earthquake Spell. An Earthquake takes a percentage of a building’s maximum hitpoints off, so dropping one first means fewer bolts are needed for the rest. This is how players take out high-health targets, but it only pays off if the same bolts hit two buildings, or catch the defending Archer Queen as well.
Clearing Clan Castle troops
Lure the defending Clan Castle troops into a clump, then drop a bolt on them. It works when they are already weak or low level. Against healthy troops the Poison Spell is the better tool, since it deals more total damage to units and slows them down, though it can’t touch buildings.
Small jobs
- Finishing a nearly broken Wall to open a path for your troops. At higher Town Halls, Walls have too many hitpoints for this, so use an Earthquake or Jump Spell instead.
- Reaching 50% destruction by knocking out a last building. An unweaponized level 1 Builder’s Hut falls to a single bolt; armed huts take two or three.
- Resetting an Inferno Tower’s ramp when your tank is about to melt, as a cheaper backup to a Freeze Spell.
Defending against Lightning Spells
Lightning rewards clumped bases. Spread your most important pieces (the defending heroes, Air Defenses, Scattershots) so no single bolt hits two of them, and keep each Air Defense away from the Air Sweeper that covers it. At Town Hall 17 and above, the Eagle Artillery is merged into the Inferno Artillery on the Town Hall, so Lightning can no longer touch it.
Recent changes
- June 22, 2020: reworked into a single bolt with a stun, housing space cut to 1, and it stopped damaging the Town Hall.
- December 7, 2020: stopped damaging the Clan Castle.
- June 27, 2022: brewing spells no longer costs Elixir.
- October 10, 2022: level 10 added (Town Hall 15).
- December 12, 2023: level 11 added (Town Hall 16).
- November 25, 2024: level 12 added (Town Hall 17).
- March 2025, “Clash Anytime” update: brewing time removed, so spells are ready right after a battle.
- November 17, 2025: level 13 added for Town Hall 18, and level 12 research time cut from 14 days to 10.
Lightning Spell FAQ
What is the max level of the Lightning Spell?
Level 13, which needs a level 16 Laboratory at Town Hall 18. It deals 720 damage per bolt.
Does the Lightning Spell damage the Town Hall?
No. Since the 2020 rework it skips the Town Hall, and it also ignores the Clan Castle and all resource storages.
How many Lightning Spells can I bring?
Up to 11 from your own Spell Factory and Dark Spell Factory when both are fully built, since each Lightning Spell takes 1 space. Clan Castle spells come on top of that.
Lightning or Poison for Clan Castle troops?
Poison for most cases. Lightning is only better when the troops are already weak and you also want to damage a building next to them.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Town Hall 18 update, Clash Anytime update), in-game data.
