Hero Equipment System Overview
Hero Equipment was introduced to replace the old Hero Ability system. Each hero can equip two items, and those items are upgraded at the Blacksmith using three resources: Shiny Ore, Glowy Ore, and Starry Ore. Ore is earned from Seasonal Challenges, Clan Games, CWL, and the Season Pass.
The equipment system creates a genuine resource management question: there are more equipment slots than Ore to upgrade everything. The right answer is to focus on a small number of high-impact items rather than spreading Ore evenly.
Ore Scarcity: Why Priority Matters
Upgrading a single piece of equipment from level 1 to max requires hundreds of Ore across all three types. The rarest resource — Starry Ore — is capped by seasonal availability. You earn roughly 200–400 Starry Ore per month from all sources combined.
This means:
- Maxing one equipment takes 4–6 months of focused Ore spending
- Maxing all equipment for all heroes is a years-long project
- Choosing the wrong equipment to upgrade first costs months of progress
Best Equipment by Hero
Archer Queen
The Queen is the most important hero for attacking, so her equipment upgrades return the highest value.
Slot 1 — Always: Invisibility Vial
The Invisibility Vial lets the Queen activate invisibility and regenerate HP during her Queen Walk. Without it, Queen Walks end when she hits a high-HP defense. With it, she can walk through an entire side of TH12–15 bases. This is a mandatory max.
Slot 2 — Best option: Giant Gauntlet (at higher TH) or Archer Puppet (lower TH)
- Giant Gauntlet: Gives the Queen a massive HP boost, transforming her into a tank. Dominant at TH14–16 where her HP needs to sustain through Scattershots and Eagle Artillery fire.
- Archer Puppet: Spawns Archers during the Queen’s ability, providing DPS and area coverage. Better for Queen Walk builds at TH9–12 before Giant Gauntlet becomes cost-effective.
Upgrade order: Invisibility Vial to max first. Then Giant Gauntlet (TH13+) or Archer Puppet (TH9–12).
Grand Warden
The Warden’s equipment primarily affects his Eternal Tome ability and passive aura radius.
Slot 1 — Always: Eternal Tome
The Tome IS the Warden’s core mechanic — it makes all troops invincible for 5 seconds. Higher Tome levels extend the invincibility duration and the aura radius. This is a mandatory max for any serious war attacker.
Slot 2 — Best option: Healing Tome or Fireball
- Healing Tome: Provides periodic healing to troops in the Warden’s aura during the Eternal Tome activation. Excellent for sustain-heavy armies like Super Witch or Yeti Smash.
- Fireball: Throws a high-damage projectile at deployment, dealing area damage. Strong for armies that need burst damage on a clustered defense early in the attack.
Upgrade order: Eternal Tome first, always. Then Healing Tome for ground armies, Fireball for air/hybrid.
Barbarian King
The King is the most physically tanky hero and primarily excels as a ground push tank or funneling tool.
Slot 1 — Best option: Giant Gauntlet
Turns the King into a near-unkillable tank that can sustain through X-Bows, Scattershots, and Infernos. At TH13+, a maxed Giant Gauntlet King can single-handedly push through 40% of a TH13 base before dying.
Slot 2 — Best option: Barbarian Puppet
Spawns Barbarians during the King’s Barbarian Bowl ability, extending his DPS window and providing surrounding damage. Combined with Giant Gauntlet, the King becomes both a tank and a small army.
Upgrade order: Giant Gauntlet first (the HP boost is enormous at each level). Barbarian Puppet second.
Royal Champion
The RC is an aggressive hero who targets defenses from outside the base, often deployed as a cleanup unit.
Slot 1 — Best option: Hog Puppet
Spawns Hog Riders on RC ability activation. The Hogs spread out and target additional defenses independently, multiplying the RC’s cleanup efficiency dramatically. Essential at TH13+ where the RC needs to cover the entire opposite side of the base.
Slot 2 — Best option: Rocket Spear
Gives the RC a ranged attack mode — she throws spears at defenses from a longer range. This allows her to destroy defenses without entering their attack radius, making her less likely to die prematurely.
Upgrade order: Hog Puppet first (the spawned Hogs scale excellently with Puppet level). Rocket Spear second.
Ore Priority by TH Level
TH9–10
At these levels, you have fewer equipment slots active and Ore income is lower. Focus entirely on:
- Archer Queen: Invisibility Vial — the single highest-impact upgrade you can make at these TH levels
Don’t split Ore between multiple equipment pieces. One max Invisibility Vial beats four mediocre upgrades.
TH11–12
Two heroes consistently active. Expand to:
- Archer Queen: Invisibility Vial (continue if not maxed)
- Grand Warden: Eternal Tome (begin once Vial hits level 15+)
TH13–14
Royal Champion unlocks. Priority:
- Queen: Invisibility Vial (max if not done)
- Warden: Eternal Tome (max)
- Queen: Giant Gauntlet (begin)
- RC: Hog Puppet (begin)
TH15–16
Full roster active. Complete the priority chain:
- All mandatory equipment maxed
- King: Giant Gauntlet
- RC: Rocket Spear
- King: Barbarian Puppet
Blacksmith Upgrade Order
The Blacksmith itself needs upgrades to unlock higher equipment levels. Building levels:
- Level 1 (TH9): Unlocks basic equipment, max level 6
- Level 3 (TH11): Equipment max level 12
- Level 5 (TH13): Equipment max level 18
- Level 7 (TH15): Equipment max level 27
Always keep the Blacksmith upgrading. Builder Potions make Blacksmith upgrades instant, which is why Builder Potions from Clan Games are valuable even without active builder conflicts.
How to Earn Ore Fast
Seasonal Challenges: The primary Ore source. Complete all seasonal challenges every month — they drop all three Ore types.
CWL Season Pass: The paid season pass contains substantial Starry Ore. Worth it if you’re actively upgrading priority equipment.
Clan Games Rewards: Ore packs appear in Clan Games tier rewards. Pick Ore over resource packs at Tier 4–5.
Raid Weekend: Clan Capital Raid Medals can be exchanged for equipment in the Season shop, which is more efficient than buying resources.
Common Equipment Upgrade Mistakes
Spreading Ore across 6 different equipment pieces. A level 9 Invisibility Vial is half as good as a maxed one. Concentrate Ore.
Upgrading the Barbarian King’s equipment before the Queen’s. The King is a powerful hero, but the Queen Walk (enabled by Invisibility Vial) is the most game-changing mechanic in war attacking. Queen first.
Not using Builder Potions on the Blacksmith. The Blacksmith has long upgrade timers (up to 10+ days at high levels). Builder Potions shorten these significantly. Keep a stockpile of 2–3 Builder Potions specifically for Blacksmith upgrades.
Waiting until TH13 to start equipment upgrades. Equipment is unlocked at TH9. Every month at TH9–12 where you’re not upgrading the Invisibility Vial is wasted Ore income.
