Town Hall 4 Guide: Upgrades, Bases and Attacks

What changes at Town Hall 4

Since the May 26, 2026 update, Town Hall 4 unlocks the Hero Hall, and building it gives you the Barbarian King. It is cheap (30,000 Elixir and one hour), so build it as soon as you arrive. The King at this level is a limited version: he has 50% of his level 1 health and damage, rising to 75% at TH5 and full level 1 stats at TH6. He cannot be upgraded, his equipment cannot be changed, and there is no Hero Banner yet, so he only fights on attack. He starts with the Barbarian Puppet and Rage Vial equipment.

On defense you get your first Air Defense, a second Archer Tower, two Spring Traps and more Walls (75 in total). The Barracks can reach level 6, which unlocks the Balloon, and the Laboratory can reach level 2. The Clan Castle can be upgraded to level 2, which holds 15 housing space of reinforcement troops.

Reaching TH4 also triggers the Town Hall upgrade boosts the first time you log in afterwards: for 3 days your troops and spells fight at the maximum level allowed for TH4, your collectors produce at double speed, and your Star Bonus is multiplied by four. Plan to attack a lot during those three days.

Upgrade priority

TH4 is short and cheap, and almost everything is unlocked by the Town Hall itself, so the goal is to keep every builder working. Defenses cost Gold while army buildings and the Laboratory cost Elixir, so you can usually run both kinds of upgrade at the same time.

1. Build the Hero Hall. It is the cheapest new building at this level and gives you an extra attacker for every raid.
2. Build and upgrade the Air Defense. It is your only answer to Balloons, which every TH4 attacker can now train.
3. Laboratory to level 2, then research the troops you actually attack with, usually Giants, Archers and Barbarians, or Balloons if you plan to use them.
4. Place the new Archer Tower and Spring Traps, then upgrade Archer Towers and Cannons, which cover both air and ground between them.
5. Gold Storages and Elixir Storages. Bigger storages are needed for the TH5 upgrade, which costs 150,000 Gold.
6. Barracks and Army Camps, then the new Gold Mines and Elixir Collectors.
7. Walls and the Mortar with whatever Gold is left over.

How to choose a base at TH4

Trophies now come only from Ranked Battles, and Ranked Battles open at Town Hall 7. At TH4 there is no trophy base to build, so the only real choice is between a layout that protects your loot and a war layout that protects stars. For most players at this level, one layout that does both is enough.

Put the Town Hall in the middle. Destroying it gives the attacker a star and a share of its 50,000 Gold and Elixir, and leaving it outside no longer earns you a Shield: a Shield is only given when an attacker takes at least 30% of your available loot. Around the Town Hall, keep the Air Defense in the core and covered by an Archer Tower and the Cannons, because a Balloon attack needs to remove the Air Defense first.

The Mortar cannot hit troops standing right next to it, so keep it inside walls with an Archer Tower nearby. Spring Traps work best in the one-tile gaps between defenses where Giants walk, not in corners where no troop goes. Leave storages behind walls but outside the most important core, so that an attacker going for loot spends time there instead of on the Town Hall.

Common attack strategies at TH4

With one Air Defense per base, Balloons are the strongest new option. Scout first: if the Air Defense sits near the edge or is weakly covered, a group of Balloons can drop on that side, take it out and then work through the rest of the defenses. If the Air Defense is deep in the core and covered by Archer Towers, Balloons will often die before they reach it.

Giants with Archers or Barbarians behind them, and a few Wall Breakers to open the first layer of walls, remain the most reliable ground attack. Send the Giants first so the Cannons and Mortar target them, then the damage troops. The Barbarian King works as a second tank here; use the Rage Vial when he reaches a group of buildings, not on an empty stretch of walls.

For pure loot, Goblins target resource buildings first and are cheap to replace. Since training times were removed from the Home Village in March 2025, the main cost of farming at this level is the 100 Gold you pay for every base you search.

Farming and resources at TH4

At TH4 attackers can take 20% of what sits in your storages and 50% of what sits in your Gold Mines and Elixir Collectors. Collect from them often, because full collectors on the edge of the base are the easiest loot an attacker can find.

Win five stars to complete the Star Bonus, which is paid into the Treasury and is boosted four times during your first three days at TH4. Loot is reduced when you attack a lower Town Hall and increased when you attack a higher one, so look for TH4 and TH5 bases with full collectors rather than easy TH3 villages.

Mistakes to avoid

• Skipping the Hero Hall because the King cannot be upgraded. He still adds a free tank to every attack.
• Expecting the Barbarian King to defend. There is no Hero Banner before TH7.
• Leaving the Air Defense on the edge, where a few Balloons or Giants remove it for free.
• Placing the Town Hall outside to get a Shield. That rule is gone; it only gives away a star.
• Upgrading to TH5 with weak storages. Matchmaking is based on Town Hall level, so a rushed base faces stronger attackers with defenses that cannot stop them.
• Ignoring the three-day boost. It is the best time to farm at TH4.