Why Farming Strategy Matters
Upgrading in Clash of Clans is entirely resource-limited. The faster you collect Gold, Elixir, and Dark Elixir, the faster you progress. A player who farms 10 million Gold per day advances twice as fast as one farming 5 million.
Efficient farming isn’t about attacking more — it’s about attacking smarter. This guide breaks down the optimal approach for every major resource and Town Hall level.
The Farming League Sweet Spot
Your trophy count determines who you’re matched against for raids. Different trophy ranges have different average loot availability.
Optimal Trophy Ranges by TH Level
| Town Hall | Optimal Farming League | Trophy Range |
|---|---|---|
| TH7-8 | Silver II - Gold III | 800 – 1,400 |
| TH9-10 | Gold I - Crystal III | 1,400 – 2,200 |
| TH11-12 | Crystal I - Master III | 2,200 – 3,000 |
| TH13-14 | Master II - Champion III | 2,800 – 3,800 |
| TH15-16 | Champion I - Titan | 3,800+ |
Why lower leagues sometimes farm better: Lower TH players at high trophy ranges often have full storages they can’t raid well. As a higher TH player dropping to their range, you can 3-star them easily with a low-cost army.
The “Drop Trophies” Strategy
Some players intentionally lose defenses by leaving their Town Hall outside walls. This drops trophies into a range where loot is abundant. The tradeoff: you take a few losses while dropping, but the loot per raid improves significantly.
Best Farming Armies
The best farming army is cheap, fast to cook, and wins enough loot per attack to justify the cost.
Giant + Healer (TH8-10)
Cost: ~150,000 Elixir
Cook time: 25 minutes
Loot per raid: 300,000-500,000 combined
Deploy Giants to tank, Healers behind for sustain, Archers/Wizards for DPS. Works on most bases at TH8-10 Trophy ranges. Fast to replace between raids.
Goblin + Giant (Any TH)
Cost: Very low
Best for: Elixir and Gold storages specifically
Goblins deal double damage to resources. A Giants-front, Goblins-behind approach beelines for storages. Not effective for Dark Elixir or complete raids, but excellent for resource-specific cleanup attacks.
Super Barbarian + Super Archer (TH11-14)
Cost: Moderate (uses Super Troop potions or boosting)
Cook time: Fast
Best for: Trophy farming bases with exposed resource buildings
Super Barbarians tank while Super Archers output massive ranged DPS. Fast to deploy, fast to win. Works well against rushed TH11-12 bases in Crystal League.
Barch (Barbarian + Archer)
Cost: Extremely low
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Best for: Dead bases (inactive players with full collectors)
Barch is the classic farming army. Barbarians soak some damage while Archers kill collectors from range. Very cheap, nearly instant to cook. Best used on dead bases where defenses are inactive.
Identifying Good Raid Targets
When scouting a base for farming, look for:
Sign 1: Full Collectors
Mines and Collectors visible outside walls with full indicators. These players haven’t raided in days and have loot sitting outside. Easy pickings with a Barch army — no need to break into the base at all.
Sign 2: Overfilled Storages
The loot shown in the “Attack” screen comes from inside storages. High numbers (500,000+ Gold or Elixir) mean full storages and a profitable raid. Prioritize these targets even if the base is harder to crack.
Sign 3: Town Hall Outside Walls
An unprotected Town Hall gives you a free star and the town hall bonus loot without requiring a full attack. Use 1-2 cheap troops to grab the TH, collect loot, and move on — spending no army on the rest of the base.
Skip These Targets
- Empty storages (below 50,000 loot shown)
- Heavily centralized bases where reaching storages requires breaking through 3 layers of walls
- Active players with boosted defenses visible
Dark Elixir Farming
Dark Elixir is harder to farm than Gold or Elixir. Specific strategies:
Farm DE at Higher Trophy Ranges
Dark Elixir is concentrated at TH9+ villages. Higher trophy ranges have more TH9+ opponents. Push to Crystal or Master League to find raids with 1,500-3,000+ Dark Elixir available per hit.
Target the DE Storage Directly
The Dark Elixir Storage is always a small octagonal building. Identify it on the base before attacking. If it’s in an outer layer of the base, a Queen Walk or Goblin+Giants approach can reach it without needing a full base clear.
Don’t Waste DE Raiding Low-TH Bases
TH7-8 bases have very little Dark Elixir available. Raiding them for Gold is fine, but expect near-zero DE returns. Specifically hunt TH9-10+ bases if DE is your priority.
Passive DE Collection
Your Dark Elixir Drills collect passively. Collect them every few hours — DE drills fill up and stop collecting when full. Checking in twice a day significantly increases passive DE income.
Resource Protection Tips
What you farm, you also need to protect.
Storage Placement
Keep Gold, Elixir, and Dark Elixir Storages deep inside your base. The DE Storage especially should be in the innermost compartment — it’s what every experienced attacker targets first.
Don’t Let Storages Fill
Full storages are a magnet for raids. If your Gold Storage is maxed out, upgrade something to drain it. Resources sitting in full storages attract attackers and can’t be used for upgrades.
Shield Strategy
After a defense, you receive a shield. Use this time to collect resources and queue upgrades — your base is protected and you can raid safely. Plan your farming around shield windows.
Farming Efficiency by the Numbers
To maximize progress:
- Aim for 6-8 raids per session, 2 sessions per day if possible
- Target raids netting 300,000+ combined loot to keep builder queues full
- Always have all builders active before logging off — idle builders negate farming gains
- Collect from Drills and Collectors every login — free resources with no army cost
