Balance Changes Incoming: October 2026
Hey Chief, we’re making a few balance changes to bring some of the strongest options back in line and give troops and equipment that have fallen behind a bit of a boost. Here’s what’s changing and why.
Note: The numbers here come from TH18 attacks against TH18 bases in Clan Wars and CWL over the last four weeks.
Dragon Duke: Fire Heart
Fire Heart shows up in almost 40% of all attacks, and in more than half of attacks with Dragon Duke. Attacks with Dragon Duke and Fire Heart three-star about 66% of the time. Without it, that drops to 56%, and the overall average is 53%.
That’s a big gap, and we want Duke’s other equipment to be just as competitive. Here’s what’s changing:
Bonus HP is around 8% lower at every level
Fire Heart no longer adds damage
Healing is slightly lower at higher levels, going from 150 to 140 per second at max level
Ruin Witch: Ruin Knights
Ruin Witch attacks three-star about 76% of the time, the highest of any troop that sees meaningful use. Additionally, Ruin Knights were too heavy for Spring Traps to launch, so they could trigger traps and walk away unbothered. Here’s what’s changing:
Ruin Knights’ housing space goes from 20 to 18, so Spring Traps can launch them
Ruin Knights move a little slower and have slightly less HP and damage
More Love for Underused Troops
Hog Rider, Miner, and P.E.K.K.A each show up in fewer than 3% of attacks, with three-star rates between 20% and 35%. Super Hog Rider and Super Miner barely get picked either. Meteor Golem gets a little more love, but is still below average. Time to bring them back to the party with these changes:
Hog Rider and Super Hog Rider: increased HP
Miner and Super Miner: increased HP at max levels
P.E.K.K.A: increased damage
Meteor Golem: increased HP, which also increases Meteormite HP
Equipment Buffs
Frozen Arrow is in around 7% of attacks and three-stars about 31% of the time. We’re giving it some extra chill:
Slow increases by 5 percentage points at every level
Damage increases at levels 21–27, with max level going from 168 to 175
Portal Pendant now gains bonus HP, reaching 1,200 at max level. Minion Prince’s other equipment already gives bonus HP, so leaving it off Portal Pendant was an oversight.
Time to put these changes to the test, Chief. We’ll be watching how attacks shake out and tweaking again if needed, so keep the feedback coming.
Clash On!
