Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The Valkyrie is a melee Dark Elixir troop who spins a two-headed axe and hits everything within a tile of her, so she can chew through two or three buildings at once. You unlock her at Town Hall 8 with a level 3 Dark Barracks. She takes 8 housing space and tops out at level 12, which you can reach from Town Hall 17.
How the Valkyrie fights
Every swing is a full circle with a 1-tile splash radius, landing once every 1.8 seconds. She has no preferred target, but her pathing is smarter than it looks: when two buildings are close together, she walks into the gap between them so each spin damages both. When one falls she repositions for the next pair.
That same spin wrecks groups of ground troops. Clan Castle Barbarians, Archers, Wizards, trap Skeletons and defending heroes all take full splash damage, and because she moves on as soon as a target dies, she can one-shot weak troops in quick succession.
The limits are just as clear. She can only hit ground targets, so defending Minions, Balloons or Dragons from the Clan Castle can pick at her for free. She walks at speed 24, quicker than a P.E.K.K.A but slower than most Elixir troops, and her hitpoints are in the same range as a Giant, so she can’t tank a whole base by herself.
Valkyrie levels and stats
Research happens in the Laboratory using Dark Elixir. There is no Valkyrie level 13, so a Town Hall 18 Valkyrie is the same as a maxed Town Hall 17 one.
| Level | Damage per second | Damage per swing | Hitpoints | Research cost (Dark Elixir) | Research time | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 94 | 169 | 750 | – | – | 8 |
| 2 | 106 | 191 | 850 | 3,000 | 8h | 8 |
| 3 | 119 | 214 | 950 | 5,000 | 1d | 9 |
| 4 | 133 | 239 | 1,050 | 10,000 | 1d 12h | 9 |
| 5 | 148 | 266 | 1,300 | 16,000 | 1d 18h | 10 |
| 6 | 167 | 301 | 1,500 | 31,500 | 2d | 11 |
| 7 | 185 | 333 | 1,650 | 55,000 | 2d 6h | 12 |
| 8 | 196 | 353 | 1,800 | 77,500 | 3d | 13 |
| 9 | 208 | 374 | 2,000 | 105,000 | 4d 12h | 14 |
| 10 | 223 | 401 | 2,400 | 120,000 | 5d | 15 |
| 11 | 238 | 428 | 2,600 | 170,000 | 6d | 16 |
| 12 | 255 | 459 | 2,900 | 340,000 | 14d | 17 |
Damage per swing is rounded to whole numbers. Costs and times are before Gold Pass discounts. A level 7 Valkyrie qualifies you for the Super Valkyrie boost (25,000 Dark Elixir), a tougher version that drops a Rage effect where she dies.
How to attack with Valkyries
- Get them into the core. Valkyries are at their best inside a dense center full of storages and defenses. A Jump Spell or a wall-breaking unit opens the way; a Rage Spell once they’re inside makes them shred buildings and defending heroes alike.
- Give them a tank. A Golem in front is the old Town Hall 8 “GoVaWi” pattern (Golems, Valkyries, Wizards), and it still works at mid levels.
- Bring something that shoots up. Your Archer Queen or a few air-targeting troops should handle defending air units, or a Poison Spell can slow them.
- Carry one or two in other armies. Even in a non-Valkyrie attack, a pair of them clears trash buildings and kills ground Clan Castle troops faster than most single-target units.
- At Town Hall 15 and above, Root Riders break wall layers while Valkyries clean out the compartments behind them and deal with defensive Skeletons.
Spread-out bases are her weak matchup. Many Town Hall 11 to 14 layouts space buildings apart to beat Electro Dragons, and that removes the double hits that make her strong.
How to defend against Valkyries
- Avoid tight clusters of buildings; leave gaps so each spin hits only one target. Mixing high and low hitpoint buildings also forces more repositioning, and she takes fire while she moves.
- Put traps between buildings that sit close together, since that gap is where she stands. A Bomb or Giant Bomb in that spot can catch several at once.
- Single Spring Traps are unreliable because she rarely stops on them. Several in a narrow, walled lane next to a distraction (defending heroes, Skeleton Traps, Clan Castle troops) work much better.
- She’s a strong Clan Castle defender against Barbarians, Goblins, Archers and Wizards, though a Poison Spell weakens her.
Recent changes
- June 27, 2022: training cost removed; hitpoints raised at levels 5 to 9.
- June 12, 2023: level 10 added; levels 7 and 8 upgrades made cheaper and shorter.
- December 12, 2023: level 11 added with Town Hall 16.
- June 3, 2024: damage raised at levels 6 to 8.
- September 9, 2024: level 11 hitpoints cut from 2,800 to 2,600.
- November 25, 2024: Dark Elixir troop costs halved.
- March 2025: training time removed (Clash Anytime).
- April 27, 2026: level 12 added.
Other Dark Elixir troops by Town Hall
| Town Hall | Dark troops unlocked |
|---|---|
| 7 | Minion, Hog Rider |
| 8 | Valkyrie, Golem |
| 9 | Witch, Lava Hound |
| 10 | Bowler |
| 11 | Ice Golem |
| 12 | Headhunter |
| 13 to 16 | Apprentice Warden, Druid, Furnace, Ruin Witch (one per Town Hall) |
Valkyrie FAQ
What Town Hall unlocks the Valkyrie?
Town Hall 8, through a level 3 Dark Barracks.
What is the Valkyrie’s max level?
Level 12. It needs a level 15 Laboratory (Town Hall 17), and Town Hall 18 adds no further Valkyrie level.
Can Valkyries attack air troops?
No. Her spin only hits ground troops and buildings.
How much housing space does a Valkyrie take?
8 spaces.
Sources: in-game troop and Laboratory data; Supercell release notes: Sound of Clash update (Valkyrie level 12), Town Hall 17 update, Clash Anytime update.
