Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Skeleton Spell is a 1-space Dark spell that raises a squad of armored Skeletons wherever you drop it, even in the middle of a base. It unlocks at Town Hall 9 with a level 4 Dark Spell Factory and summons 12 Skeletons at level 1, up to 19 at level 8, its current max (Town Hall 15 and above).
How the Skeleton Spell works
The spell covers a 3.5-tile radius. A first group of Skeletons appears right away and the rest arrive one per second until the level’s total is reached. They are weak on their own but come with a layer of armor that soaks up the first hit, so a defense that would normally one-shot a Skeleton needs two hits to clear each one.
A few rules decide where they help and where they don’t:
- Spell Skeletons don’t set off traps and don’t trigger the enemy Clan Castle, just like a Witch’s Skeletons.
- They deal much less damage to resource buildings, which also covers the Town Hall. Don’t count on them to finish it.
- They can’t spawn on wall tiles. A spell dropped mostly over walls can produce no Skeletons at all, even if the walls break while it’s running.
- They attack the nearest target with no preference and only hit ground.
”SUMMON AN ARMY OF SKELETONS ANYWHERE ON THE BATTLEFIELD!
Skeleton Spell levels
Every Skeleton has the same stats at every spell level: 25 damage per second, 30 hitpoints plus 30 armor, speed 24. Upgrading only adds more of them. Research is done in the Laboratory with Dark Elixir; costs and times are standard values before Gold Pass discounts.
| Level | Skeletons summoned | Research cost (Dark Elixir) | Research time | Laboratory level | Town Hall needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | None | None | None | 9 |
| 2 | 13 | 11,000 | 12h | 8 | 10 |
| 3 | 14 | 17,000 | 1d | 8 | 10 |
| 4 | 15 | 25,000 | 2d | 9 | 11 |
| 5 | 16 | 40,000 | 2d 12h | 10 | 12 |
| 6 | 17 | 50,000 | 3d | 10 | 12 |
| 7 | 18 | 75,000 | 4d | 11 | 13 |
| 8 | 19 | 135,000 | 6d | 13 | 15 |
Level 8 is still the cap in October 2026; Town Halls 16 to 18 have not added a Skeleton Spell level.
How to use the Skeleton Spell
Distracting single-target defenses
Skeletons are at their best against defenses that hit one target at a time or fire slowly: single-target Inferno Towers, Mortars and Scattershots. Drop a spell on a compartment like that and the defenses waste shots on armored Skeletons while your real troops or a hero move in. A Royal Champion can clear such a compartment almost untouched with Skeleton support. Against multi-target Inferno Towers the spell disappears in seconds, so skip it there.
Sniping unguarded buildings
Because the spell lands anywhere, it can take out a defense with a blind spot, such as a Mortar or an Eagle Artillery, when nothing else covers it. Distract the neighboring defenses first or the Skeletons get cleaned up before they do any work. A Poison Spell Tower is a hard counter, since two ticks of its poison remove both the armor and the Skeleton.
Cleanup and support
- In Balloon and Lava Hound attacks, a spell or two speeds up the leftover non-defensive buildings, or distracts a defending Archer Queen while your raged Balloons arrive. Watch for nearby splash.
- In Golem and Hog Rider attacks, one spell helps deal with Skeleton Trap skeletons chasing your hogs. Cast it after the hogs pass through a Healing Spell.
- In Valkyrie attacks, drop it on the last walled compartment once its defenses are busy with your troops.
- The “Skelly Donut” uses Skeleton Spells, Invisibility Spells and a Rage Spell to kill a hard-to-lure Clan Castle. The Invisibility Spells must not cover the castle itself, and it won’t work if the castle is tightly walled in.
Defending against Skeleton Spells
Splash and multi-target damage near the core make backdoor Skeleton drops fail. Multi-target Inferno Towers, Wizard Towers and a Poison Spell Tower all clear a spawn quickly. Since the Skeletons can’t spawn on walls, tightly walled cores also leave them fewer places to appear.
Recent changes
- June 27, 2022: one extra Skeleton at levels 1 to 6. Brewing spells also stopped costing Dark Elixir in this update.
- March 2025 (Clash Anytime): brewing time removed. The spell’s own stats haven’t changed since 2022.
Skeleton Spell FAQ
How many Skeletons does a max Skeleton Spell make?
19 at level 8.
Do Skeleton Spell Skeletons trigger traps?
No. They don’t trigger traps or pull Clan Castle troops.
Can the Skeleton Spell destroy the Town Hall?
Not well. Its Skeletons deal much less damage to resource buildings, and the Town Hall counts as one.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Clash Anytime notes) and in-game data.
