Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Ruin Witch is a Dark Elixir troop that doesn’t attack at all: she walks to the rubble of destroyed buildings, vacuums it up, and turns each pile into a Ruin Knight, a tough melee fighter. She unlocks at Town Hall 16 with the level 13 Dark Barracks, takes 26 housing space, and is a permanent troop added in the Anime Fury update in June 2026. Her max level is 4 at Town Hall 18, and since August 30, 2026 each Ruin Witch can summon up to 10 Knights.
How the Ruin Witch works
Her only target is rubble. Dropped where nothing has been destroyed yet, she just stands there, even while defenses shoot her. Once a building falls, she heads for the closest rubble, which can mean crossing the whole map.
The cycle at each pile goes like this:
- She works the rubble with her vacuum for 4 seconds, and the rubble disappears.
- Two seconds into the summon, a Ruin Knight appears in front of her. The Knight still appears if she dies or is recalled during this window.
- Her animation finishes over about 2 more seconds, then she looks for the next pile.
After her tenth Knight, the vacuum blows up and takes her with it. Knight strength depends only on her level, not on which building the rubble came from.
Rubble she ignores
- Wall rubble.
- Rubble inside a closed Wall compartment. She can’t jump or break Walls, so blocked rubble is off the list until a path opens.
- Invisible rubble, and rubble covered by an Overgrowth effect.
When nearby buildings or Walls go down, she re-checks and switches to closer rubble if there is some.
Ruin Knights
Knights attack the nearest building as soon as they spawn. They hit hard in melee, deal triple damage to Walls, and since the August 2026 update they no longer lose health over time. Each Knight counts as 20 housing space for effects that care about size.
Ruin Witch stats by level
Housing space 26, movement speed 12, targets rubble only. Research uses Dark Elixir in the Laboratory.
| Level | Witch hitpoints | Knight level | Max Knights | Research cost (Dark Elixir) | Research time | Lab level | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2,300 | 1 | 10 | None | None | None | 16 |
| 2 | 2,550 | 2 | 10 | 220,000 | 11d | 14 | 16 |
| 3 | 2,800 | 3 | 10 | 300,000 | 12d | 15 | 17 |
| 4 | 3,050 | 4 | 10 | 380,000 | 15d 12h | 16 | 18 |
Ruin Knight stats
Speed 16, one swing per second, 0.6-tile range, single target, 3x damage to Walls.
| Knight level | Damage per second | Damage to Walls per hit | Hitpoints |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 255 | 765 | 3,100 |
| 2 | 285 | 855 | 3,400 |
| 3 | 315 | 945 | 3,700 |
| 4 | 345 | 1,035 | 4,000 |
How to attack with Ruin Witches
Send her second, never first
She can’t fight back, so a Ruin Witch dropped before anything has been destroyed is free damage for the Monolith, single-target Inferno Towers and the Revenge Tower. Open the side first with your funnel troops or a hero, let a few buildings fall, then drop her behind the troops that made the rubble.
Point the Knights into the base
Her value is a steady supply of tanks. Each Knight walks to the nearest building from wherever it spawns, so if she’s harvesting rubble on the outside edge, the Knights may peel off around the perimeter. Place her so the rubble she reaches first leads inward, and the Knights end up in front of your main army.
Watch the Walls
Because she won’t path through Walls, a base with many closed compartments can leave her idle. Wall breaking from other troops, an Earthquake Spell or the Knights themselves (who chew through Walls quickly) opens up more rubble for her.
How to defend against Ruin Witches
- Use Walls to control where rubble is reachable. Closed compartments around your outer buildings can redirect her or leave her standing still.
- Single-target defenses kill her fast since she never attacks. Catching her before she gets going stops all ten Knights.
- Don’t put her in your own Clan Castle. On defense she won’t summon Knights; she only swings her vacuum at one ground troop for about 25-28 damage per second. Ice Golems or a Furnace do far more.
Ruin Witch changes
- June 15-16, 2026, Anime Fury update: added at Town Hall 16 with 4 levels (levels 1 and 2 at Town Hall 16, 3 at 17, 4 at 18). She summoned up to 8 Knights, and Knights lost health over time.
- July 2026: Supercell left her unchanged in the July balance update, saying she was still too new to judge.
- August 30, 2026: Knight cap raised from 8 to 10, and Knights no longer lose health over time.
Ruin Witch FAQ
Is the Ruin Witch an Elixir or Dark Elixir troop?
Dark Elixir. She trains in the Dark Barracks at level 13 and is researched with Dark Elixir.
Is the Ruin Witch the same as the Witch?
No. The regular Witch summons Skeletons and fights alongside them; the Super Witch is her Super Troop. The Ruin Witch is a separate troop that needs rubble to do anything.
Why is my Ruin Witch standing still?
There’s no rubble she can reach. Either nothing has been destroyed near her yet, or the rubble is behind Walls or invisible.
What is the Ruin Witch’s max level?
Level 4 at Town Hall 18. See the max levels page for other troops.
Sources: Supercell release notes and posts (Anime Fury update, June 2026, July 2026 balance update, August 2026 update), in-game data.
