TH13 Upgrade Overview
TH13 introduces the Royal Champion, three Scattershots, the Tornado Trap, and the highest hero levels yet. It’s one of the most content-dense Town Hall upgrades in the game — and one of the most important to get right, because it’s the first TH level where Hero Equipment becomes available (at TH14), meaning the heroes you build here directly affect your TH14 power level.
First 24 Hours at TH13
Build these immediately when you arrive:
- Scattershot × 3 — Start all three Scattershots instantly. They’re TH13’s biggest defensive addition and need the most time to upgrade.
- Royal Champion Altar — Build her and start leveling. She costs Dark Elixir and levels slowly — the earlier you start, the better.
- Tornado Trap — Build and place it. It’s inexpensive and provides unique crowd-control you don’t have at lower TH levels.
- Giga Inferno upgrade — Your Town Hall’s Giga Inferno upgrades at TH13 to a more powerful version. Start this upgrade immediately.
Priority 1: Heroes
TH13 has the highest Dark Elixir hero upgrade costs in the game below TH15. Plan your spending carefully.
Order:
- Archer Queen — Push toward level 70-75. A Queen Walk at level 70+ with basic equipment is one of the most powerful offensive tools in the game. This is your top priority.
- Grand Warden — Continues upgrading with Elixir. Never let him sit idle. Target level 45-50 by end of TH13.
- Barbarian King — Push alongside the Queen. Target level 65-70 by end of TH13.
- Royal Champion — Upgrade last among the four heroes. Target level 25-30 by end of TH13. She becomes significantly more powerful with Hero Equipment at TH14 — don’t over-invest in raw levels now.
Key principle: Prioritize Queen and Warden over King and Champion. The Queen’s walk ability and Warden’s Eternal Tome have higher attack value per level than the other two heroes at this stage.
Priority 2: Scattershots
All three Scattershots should be maxed before most other defenses. Their combined splash coverage changes what attacks can 3-star your base more than any other single upgrade category.
Why Scattershots first:
- Level 1 → Level 2 Scattershot is a significant damage jump
- Three Scattershots in a triangle formation with overlapping coverage has no equivalent at TH12
- Maxed Scattershots specifically counter the dominant TH13 attack strategies (Super Witch Spam, Root Riders)
Priority 3: Key Defenses
After Scattershots and with heroes actively upgrading, focus on:
Tier 1
- Inferno Towers (both to max) — Critical for countering high-level heroes with equipment. Single-target Infernos burn through equipped heroes faster than any other defense.
- Eagle Artillery — Gets a damage upgrade at TH13. Prioritize alongside Infernos.
Tier 2
- Air Defenses × 5 — TH13 has five Air Defenses. Getting them to max level is essential — under-leveled Air Defenses are immediately targeted in Hydra and Electro Dragon attacks.
- X-Bows × 4 — Continue upgrading. TH13 X-Bows reach their highest pre-TH14 level.
Tier 3
- Wizard Towers — Splash coverage improvement. Upgrade after Tier 1 and 2.
- Cannons and Archer Towers — Lower priority but steady upgrade targets for idle builders.
Priority 4: Walls
TH13 introduces level 14 walls (dark blue). The HP jump from level 13 to 14 is meaningful — particularly for core compartments.
Prioritize level-14 walls around:
- Scattershot triangulation core
- Both Inferno Towers and Eagle Artillery
- Town Hall Giga Inferno area
- Royal Champion altar (makes RC sniping harder)
Outer wall upgrades can wait until core walls are done.
Priority 5: Troop and Spell Upgrades
High priority:
- Super Troops — Unlocking Super Witch is critical. She’s the dominant TH13 attack strategy. Leveling the underlying Witch troops enables higher Super Witch HP.
- Root Rider — New TH13 troop. Upgrade immediately — she’s used in the top attack strategies and her strength scales heavily with level.
- Electro Titan — Powerful new troop at TH13. High HP and chain damage. Worth prioritizing alongside Root Rider.
Secondary:
- Yeti — Still used in Yeti Smash strategies. Keep upgraded.
- Healer — Essential for Queen Walk strategies.
- Earthquake Spell — Used in most TH13 attack openers.
TH13 Monthly Milestone Plan
Month 1:
- All three Scattershots built and at level 2+
- Royal Champion built and at level 10+
- Archer Queen at 65+
- Giga Inferno TH upgrade started
Month 2-3:
- Scattershots maxed
- Both Inferno Towers maxed
- Queen at level 70+
Month 3-5:
- Eagle Artillery maxed
- All Air Defenses at level 9+
- Warden at level 45+
Month 5-7:
- Remaining defenses maxed
- King at level 65+
- Royal Champion at level 25+
- Walls mostly level 14
Common TH13 Upgrade Mistakes
Upgrading the Royal Champion over the Archer Queen. The RC is exciting and new, but her power-per-level is lower than the Queen at this stage. Equipment at TH14 compensates for lower RC levels far more efficiently than additional levels.
Building Scattershots last. Some players wait until other defenses are maxed before focusing the Scattershots. This backwards approach leaves the most impactful TH13-specific defense under-leveled during the period when your base needs it most.
Ignoring Root Rider upgrades. Root Rider is TH13’s new troop and she’s immediately meta-relevant. Players who don’t upgrade her are running outdated attack compositions against TH13 bases that are increasingly designed around her.
Not starting the Giga Inferno TH upgrade immediately. The TH upgrade is one of the longest build times at TH13 and has significant defensive value. Start it on day one and let it run in the background.
