Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Overgrowth Spell is a 2-space Dark spell that wraps every building in a 6-tile radius in roots for 22 to 26 seconds. Wrapped buildings can’t attack, can’t be damaged and are ignored by your troops, so one cast can take a whole section of a base out of the fight. It unlocks at Town Hall 12 with a level 6 Dark Spell Factory, and its fifth and highest level came to Town Hall 18 in April 2026.
How the Overgrowth Spell works
Think of a huge, long-lasting patch of the map that simply isn’t there for the duration. Inside the circle (13 tiles across):
- Defenses stop firing.
- Every building, defense or not, turns invisible and takes no damage from anything: troops, splash, spells or heroes.
- Your troops skip those buildings. If a troop was already attacking one, it walks off to the nearest building outside the roots.
Some things carry on as normal. Walls and traps still work. Defending heroes, Clan Castle troops and the Builder keep fighting, and a wrapped Clan Castle can still release its troops. Your own army is not hidden either, which is the big difference from the Invisibility Spell: units standing in the roots can still be shot by anything outside them.
Two side effects catch people out. Chain lightning from Electro Dragons and Super Wizards still jumps onto wrapped buildings but does no damage, so the chain is wasted. And the Wall Wrecker and Log Launcher keep hitting a wrapped building in their path, dealing nothing and getting stuck.
After the battle the defender finds leftover greenery on the base. Clearing it works like clearing a tombstone and pays 1 Elixir per tile.
Overgrowth Spell levels and research cost
Levels only add duration; the radius is 6 tiles at every level. Research uses Dark Elixir in the Laboratory. Values are base costs and times before Gold Pass discounts.
| Level | Duration | Research cost (Dark Elixir) | Research time | Laboratory level | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22s | None | None | None | 12 |
| 2 | 23s | 62,500 | 5d | 10 | 12 |
| 3 | 24s | 125,000 | 8d 12h | 12 | 14 |
| 4 | 25s | 175,000 | 10d | 14 | 16 |
| 5 | 26s | 360,000 | 16d | 16 | 18 |
One extra second per level is a small gain. If Dark Elixir is tight, upgrade your main troops and heroes first and come back to Overgrowth later. A longer spell can even hurt you at the end of an attack, when the only buildings left are still wrapped and your troops stand around waiting.
How to use the Overgrowth Spell
Funnel a hero or a whole army
Wrap the outer buildings on one side and your troops walk straight past them toward the core. It’s the cleanest way to set up an Archer Queen charge without spending troops on a side clear, and the Queen takes less damage on the way because the wrapped defenses aren’t shooting at her. She also can’t hit them, so plan where she’ll be when the roots let go.
Shut down a cluster of big defenses for later
Drop it on two or three heavy defenses grouped together, such as an Inferno Tower next to a Scattershot, and fight the rest of the base first. When the roots drop, your troops should still have health and you may still have spells and hero abilities left for that last fight. Keep a Freeze Spell or Invisibility Spell back in case a hero is standing in the middle of the circle when it ends.
Park a Log Launcher on purpose
Ground Siege Machines normally get stuck on wrapped buildings, which is bad. The Log Launcher is the exception worth knowing: get it stuck in a safe spot and its logs keep rolling toward the Town Hall or core defenses while nothing can target it.
When not to bring it
- Electro Dragon and Super Wizard armies, since their chains waste damage on wrapped buildings.
- Any attack where a Wall Wrecker or Log Launcher has to drive through the area you’d wrap.
- Attacks short on time. If the Town Hall is under the roots when the timer is low, you may not get to it.
How to defend against the Overgrowth Spell
Overgrowth rewards attackers when your strongest defenses sit close enough for one circle to cover them. Spread your Inferno Towers, Scattershots and Eagle Artillery so no single 13-tile circle catches more than one or two. Traps keep working under the roots, so a Giant Bomb or Tornado Trap where troops gather after a funnel is still live. Clan Castle troops and defending heroes are not frozen, and a Skeleton Trap inside a likely Overgrowth spot can slow the army that walks through it.
Recent changes to the Overgrowth Spell
- February 27, 2024: added at Town Hall 12 with 4 levels, the first Dark spell to take 2 housing space.
- September 9, 2024: radius cut from 7 tiles to 6 and durations at levels 2-4 shortened (level 4 went from 28 to 25 seconds).
- November 25, 2024: all Dark Elixir troop and spell costs halved in the Town Hall 17 update.
- March 2025: brewing time removed (Clash Anytime).
- April 27, 2026: level 5 added for Town Hall 18; level 2 research cut from 5d 12h to 5 days.
Overgrowth Spell FAQ
Is the Overgrowth Spell a Dark spell?
Yes. It’s brewed in the Dark Spell Factory (level 6, Town Hall 12) and upgraded with Dark Elixir.
Can troops destroy buildings under Overgrowth?
No. Wrapped buildings take no damage from anything until the roots retract.
Overgrowth or Invisibility?
Overgrowth covers a much bigger area for over 20 seconds and switches defenses off, but costs 2 spaces and leaves your troops exposed. Invisibility is 1 space, lasts about 4 seconds and also hides your army.
Does Overgrowth stop the Clan Castle?
No. A wrapped Clan Castle still sends out its troops, and those troops fight normally.
Sources: in-game data; Supercell, February 2024 update patch notes, Town Hall 17 update, Sound of Clash update notes (April 2026).
