Returning to Clash of Clans: What to Upgrade First

What will feel different

Returning-player threads on r/ClashOfClans tend to start with surprise. One player back after a long break asked why their base kept getting tripled by overpowered troops with no skill involved. The replies explained that normal battles now run alongside Ranked Battles. Normal battles are the casual mode where limited-time event troops appear to help with farming, while Ranked, Clan Wars and Clan War League do not allow them. The Clash of Clans Wiki confirms that since November 2025 temporary troops cannot be used in Ranked Battles, Clan Wars or Clan War League.

Another returning player asked if there was a catch to attacking constantly, since they were filling storages within minutes. Players answered that there is none: army training no longer holds you back, you can end a normal attack as soon as you have the loot, and storages fill quickly. The Training Potion, once a staple magic item, no longer exists in the game. As one commenter put it, the main drawback is now too much loot and not enough builders.

That changes your priorities. Gold and Elixir are rarely the limit any more. Builder time, Laboratory time, Dark Elixir for Heroes and, above all, ore for Hero Equipment are.

Ore and equipment are the real catch-up problem

Hero Equipment did not exist for many returning players when they left. A thread asking returning players how they were coping with ore and equipment collected the same story many times: lots of equipment to choose from, very little ore, and regret over spending ore on the wrong pieces. One player put all their ore into a Queen invisibility item before realising it was not what they needed.

The advice that came up most often was to commit to one or two pieces per Hero, matched to the attack you actually use, and level them to a usable point before buying more. Players repeatedly named Spiky Ball, Electro Boots, Fireball, Action Figure and Rocket Spear among the first epics worth getting, and Earthquake Boots, Giant Arrow, Healer Puppet, Eternal Tome and Rage Gem among commons worth levelling. Treat that as community consensus at the time of writing; equipment balance changes often.

Clan War League is one reliable route to epics. The wiki lists the Giant Gauntlet and Frozen Arrow in the League Shop for 750 League Medals each.

The Hero's Journey track

The Hero Hall gained a Journey tab in 2026. According to the wiki, it unlocks at Town Hall 7 and is a reward track that advances as you upgrade Heroes, with rewards that include resources, ores, Hero Equipment and Hero Skins. For a returning player with low Heroes, it means every Hero upgrade now pays out something extra.

It has limits. A player who came back after eight years said the track helped them unlock epics but did nothing for the ore they missed while away, so their equipment stayed behind. Commenters said Supercell had described it as a catch-up feature, not a fix for the ore economy. Long-time players who had already maxed their Heroes argued it gives them nothing, while returning players with low Heroes get the most from it.

An upgrade order returning players recommend

Advice varied by Town Hall, but the replies in returning-player threads mostly agreed on this order.

1. Get a clan first. Clan Castle troops, war attacks and CWL medals all depend on it.
2. Keep every builder busy, and keep the Laboratory running at all times. Lab time is the bottleneck most returning players mention.
3. Upgrade Heroes continuously, since they now also advance the Hero's Journey. Keep at least the Heroes your main attack uses available for wars.
4. Raise Army Camps, the Clan Castle and the buildings that unlock or improve your main army.
5. Pick one or two equipment pieces per Hero and level them before buying new epics.
6. Level the four or five Pets you actually use. Players said Pets catch up faster than equipment if you ignore the ones that do not fit your armies.
7. Bring core defenses along, then put spare Gold and Elixir into walls.

Where to spend gems

Returning players often have large gem balances. One returning player listed buying their first epic equipment and upgrading the Lab Assistant and Builder's Apprentice as the two things they wished they had known about. In a separate thread about how far to upgrade the helpers, nearly every reply said to max the Lab Assistant and Builder's Apprentice because they are a permanent upgrade paid once. Several were less enthusiastic about the Alchemist and described it as a convenience.

Watch for limited boosts too. Several players reported a time reduction on upgrades shortly after returning, and one thread showed it stacking with a seasonal discount. Supercell has not published how that boost is triggered, so use it if you get it but do not plan around it.

Should a returning player rush?

Many returning players asked this. The answers leaned towards rushing at least a little, for the reasons covered in our article on strategic rushing: higher Town Halls raise your Ranked league floor and the value of magic items. Some suggested jumping past slow levels such as TH12 and TH13 to reach TH14, where Pets arrive. Others said a returning player who wants to relearn attacks should take time at each level. One player who rushed from TH11 to TH13 in a month said they felt overwhelmed by the backlog, which is the risk to weigh.