As you probably know by now, Clash of Clans (Free) Builder Base update is live, and it’s brought plenty of changes to the game. We’ve already written about what the new update brings to the game, but if you want to get a leg up on the competition, check out a new update guide as well as various tips and tricks, both of them posted on reddit this morning. Andrakisjl’s tips and tricks should help you get some more wins and more loot. The first thing to remember is that winning in the new Versus Battle mode gets you resources, but losing costs nothing. So, don’t be too afraid to go battle since your resources are safe. The second tip is you must purchase certain buildings before being allowed to upgrade your builder’s hall, so don’t expect to have a defenseless base.
A good way to win your first few defenses is to place your cannon in the center of your base, then surround it with other buildings. Since most early opponents will bring Barbarians and Archers along, your cannon will be able to take them out easily while they are going through the various buildings.
On the attack side, most early opponents place their cannon behind a corner of walls, so using 4 cloaked Archers can take the cannon out from beyond the wall. Speaking of cloaked Archers, upgrade your barracks, troops, and army camps first so you can access cloaked archers and the new, stronger troop types. Don’t upgrade all 3 defenses at first; focusing on building your army camps and upgrading your troops before upgrading all 3 defenses will have you matched against opponents who also got only 1 or 2 defenses, and those are easier targets for your stronger troops. Check out the whole guide for a few more tips.
Chief JuDoSloTh89’s Guide is much more extensive and covers what’s different in the Builder Base, what each Builder Hall level unlocks, how to attack and defend, and much more. The Builder Base is based around the Versus Battle, and most of your resources will come from battling. Since it doesn’t cost anything to create troops or battle, all of your resources should be put towards upgrading your troops and base. Remember that once you win 3 times in a day, you can’t win any more resources, but you can still increase your trophies. As for building, you have to build everything available before being able to upgrade to the next Builder Hall, so get to building.
Builder Bases don’t have spells but, instead, have troops with special abilities. Upgrading troops unlocks their Special Ability, with each level upgrade providing increased benefits to a specific area. Once you get the Master Builder Hero, he can visit your home village and gear up defenses, turning one cannon into a double cannon. The Master Builder’s Battle Machine (unlocked at Builder Hall 5) has a rechargeable ability, so make sure you keep an eye on its timer and use it as often as you can.
In terms of unlocking, Level 2 brings you the Rage Barbarian and Sneaky Archer, the Cannon, Double Cannon, Archer Tower, Push Trap, and Walls. Level 3 brings the Boxer Giant and Beta Minion, the Hidden Tesla, Firecrackers, Crusher, Spring Trap, and Mine. Level 4 adds the Bomber and Baby Dragon along with the Guard Post Air Bombs, and Mega Mine. And Level 5 adds the Battle Machine and the Multi Mortar.
When it comes to attacking, you get 1 minute to scout before the attack commences, during which you can switch up troops by clicking the little arrow and picking one of your other unlocked troops. As the Guide points out, take your time when attacking because you have 3 minutes, and that’s plenty of time when attacking small bases. The new troops offer some interesting new tactics. You’ve got the Enraged Barbarian, which is a Barbarian with increased Speed and Damage, the already-mentioned Sneaky Archers, the Boxer Giant—whose Power Punch ability deals extra damage on the first attack— and the Beta Minion, whose Long Shot ability make it a great sniper. There’s also the new Bomber troop, which attacks everything in sight and deals extra damage with the first bomb, and the Cannon Cart, which is pretty much a cannon on wheels that works well on offense.
The new Defense units are the Double Cannon, which unloads multiple shots but at a shorter range than your regular Cannon, the Archer Tower, which can be made to either shoot fast but at a shorter range or slow but at a longer range, the Firecracker, which is like an Air Defense but not as powerful, the Air Bombs, which provide a steady stream of air traps, and the Mine and Mega Mine, which can be switched to either shoot at ground or air targets. There’s also the Crusher, which does huge splash damage but takes a while to reload, the Multi Mortar, whose long range allow it to take out ground units quickly, the Push Trap, which flings troops at a specific direction and can be combined with a regular spring trap for extra laughs, and the Guard Post, which is similar to Clan Castle troops.
In terms of strategy, Chief JuDoSloTh89 points out that it’s still early to figure out the strongest tactics, but there are some general ones that have been successful so far. You’ll want to get your second army camp up as soon as possible. In terms of troops, a small kill-squad is usually more than sufficient to take out key objectives in enemy bases. Early on, Mass Archers are very efficient. Baby Dragons are great in the Builder Base because they can take out targeting defenses quite effectively.
These are just early guides and tips, so keep in mind that they will change as players discover more things about the new update and figure out how to best use the new troops and new buildings. I hope you’re enjoying the new update and your new base, and do let me know in the comments if you’re happy with Supercell’s direction with Clash of Clans.
