Updated for Town Hall 18 (October 2026).
The X-Bow is a rapid-fire, single-target defense that unlocks at Town Hall 9. You set each one to Ground mode (14-tile range, ground only) or Air & Ground mode (11.5 tiles, both). You can build 4 from Town Hall 11, and the max is level 13 at Town Hall 18, added in April 2026, with two Supercharge levels added in June 2026.
How the X-Bow works
The X-Bow fires about eight bolts a second. Each bolt is small, but the stream adds up to high damage per second, and its long range means it starts shooting early and keeps a lock for a long time. It is still a single-target weapon, so swarms of cheap troops can soak it up.
| Range | Attack Speed | Damage Type | Number of Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 0.128s | Single Target | 1,500 |
Ground mode reaches 14 tiles but ignores flyers. Air & Ground mode covers everything at 11.5 tiles. Attackers can see which mode you picked: a level bow means Ground only, a bow tilted up means Air & Ground, and the Tactical Overview shows it as well.
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The X-Bow holds 1,500 bolts and refills for free whenever you log in. If you stay offline long enough it can run dry, which takes 3 minutes 12 seconds of total firing. An empty X-Bow shows no bolt box and no bowstring, does nothing in battle, and still has to be destroyed for 100%.
X-Bows by Town Hall level
| Town Hall | X-Bows | Max level |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 2 | 3 |
| 10 | 3 | 4 |
| 11 | 4 | 5 |
| 12 | 4 | 6 |
| 13 | 4 | 8 |
| 14 | 4 | 9 |
| 15 | 4 | 10 |
| 16 | 4 | 11 |
| 17 | 4 | 12 |
| 18 | 4 | 13 |
The X-Bow has not been merged at Town Hall 16, 17 or 18. It keeps its regular upgrade track while Archer Towers, Cannons and Wizard Towers are merged.
X-Bow level stats
Current values after the 2023-2026 balance passes and cost cuts. Damage is the same in both modes.
| Level | DPS | Hitpoints | Cost (Gold) | Build time | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | 1,500 | 1,000,000 | 12h | 9 |
| 2 | 70 | 1,900 | 1,200,000 | 1d | 9 |
| 3 | 80 | 2,300 | 2,400,000 | 2d | 9 |
| 4 | 85 | 2,700 | 2,500,000 | 2d 12h | 10 |
| 5 | 95 | 3,100 | 3,900,000 | 3d | 11 |
| 6 | 110 | 3,400 | 5,000,000 | 3d 12h | 12 |
| 7 | 130 | 3,700 | 6,000,000 | 4d | 13 |
| 8 | 155 | 4,000 | 7,000,000 | 4d 12h | 13 |
| 9 | 185 | 4,200 | 9,000,000 | 5d | 14 |
| 10 | 205 | 4,400 | 9,500,000 | 5d 12h | 15 |
| 11 | 225 | 4,600 | 10,000,000 | 6d | 16 |
| 12 | 235 | 4,800 | 16,000,000 | 8d | 17 |
| 13 | 245 | 5,000 | 26,000,000 | 13d 12h | 18 |
At Town Hall 18 a level 13 X-Bow can take two Supercharges: the first raises DPS to 255 (9,000,000 Gold, 5 days 12 hours), the second raises hitpoints to 5,100 (7,000,000 Gold, 7 days 12 hours).
Where to place X-Bows and which mode to use
- Keep X-Bows deep in the base, behind other defenses. Their range lets them hit troops on the outer layer from the middle, so there is no reason to expose them.
- Back them with splash: Mortars, Wizard Towers, Bomb Towers or Scattershots clear the swarms the X-Bow can’t keep up with.
- Air & Ground is the safer default from Town Hall 9, where Balloon and Minion attacks are common, and later against Lava Hound and Balloon pushes, Electro Dragons or Bat Spell attacks. Switch it on too when your Air Defenses are upgrading.
- Ground mode’s extra range helps against Queen Walks and Healers that sit at the edge, and against ground-heavy war attacks.
- From Town Hall 15, a Rage Spell Tower placed slightly in front of an X-Bow casts just as troops walk into range and boosts its damage by 60%.
How to beat the X-Bow
- Check the mode before you attack. A Ground-mode X-Bow can be taken by air troops for free.
- Tank and swarm. Put Golems, Giants or Ice Golems in front and let a crowd of Archers, Barbarians or Minions kill it while it wastes bolts.
- Use spells on it in the core. A Freeze, Overgrowth or an Earthquake and Lightning combo takes an X-Bow out of the fight while your army walks past.
- Look for an empty bow. If the bolt box and bowstring are missing, it won’t fire, though Giants, Hog Riders and Balloons will still walk to it.
X-Bow changes since 2022
- Oct 10, 2022: level 10 added (Town Hall 15); costs and times cut at levels 4 to 9.
- Sep 28, 2023: damage cut at levels 4 to 9.
- Dec 12, 2023: level 11 added (Town Hall 16); damage and hitpoints cut at levels 6 to 10.
- Jun 3, 2024: damage cut again at levels 4 to 9.
- Sep 9, 2024: first Supercharges.
- Feb 10, 2025: level 12 added (Town Hall 17).
- Nov 17, 2025: level 12 cost and time cut.
- Apr 27, 2026: level 13 added (Town Hall 18).
- Jun 16, 2026: new Supercharge levels for level 13.
X-Bow FAQ
At which Town Hall do you get the X-Bow?
Town Hall 9 gives you two. You get a third at Town Hall 10 and a fourth at Town Hall 11.
Should my X-Bow be on Ground or Air & Ground?
Air & Ground unless you have a reason not to. Ground mode gains 2.5 tiles of range but leaves you open to any air attack.
What is the max X-Bow level?
Level 13 at Town Hall 18, plus two Supercharge levels.
Sources: Supercell release notes (Supercell, Town Hall 16 patch notes (Dec 2023), Supercell, Sound of Clash update (Apr 2026), Supercell, Anime Fury update (Jun 2026)) and in-game data.
