May Balance Changes
Balance Update – May 4th
“Bring balance to the Arena, don’t leave it in darkness!” - Blue King
NERFS ⬇️
Hero Barbarian Barrel
Reroll Range: 4 tiles → 3 tiles (-25%)
Hero Barbarian Barrel has been too focused on rolling to Crown Towers for chip damage. This change shifts power back toward its defensive role, making it more reliable for clearing troops but less likely to reach towers.
Hero Mega Minion
Warp Damage: 412 → 373 (-9%)
Hero Mega Minion now takes an extra swipe to finish off some mid-hitpoint troops, reducing how often he turns his attention to Crown Towers.
Goblin Drill Evolution
Goblins Spawned on Second Submerge: 2 → 1 (-50%)
The latest buff to Evolved Goblin Drill made it pop up right at the top of the Ranked meta. We're reverting this change and will monitor its performance before deciding on an alternate balance direction.
Royal Hogs Evolution
Landing Damage: 84 → 43 (-48%)
These guys really knew how to pork a punch! Going airborne proved too valuable for this win condition, so it’ll now take the landing of two Evolved Royal Hogs to take out Skeletons.
Giant Snowball Evolution
Slowdown Duration: 4s → 3s (-25%)
Evolved Giant Snowball is too effective at defensive stalling, so we're standardizing the slow duration with its unevolved form.
Tesla Evolution
Pulse Damage: 174 → 148 (-15%)
Evolved Tesla provides too much utility with its high area damage and stun. We’re shifting power out of the damage, so that this Evolution is better defined by its stun mechanic.
Dark Prince
Hit Speed: 1.3s → 1.4s (+8%)
Dark Prince charged into the meta after his buff last year. We're toning down his hit speed to make him less intimidating on offense.
Skeleton Dragons
Damage: 161 → 151 (-6%)
After increasing their splash radius to match other AoE options, swarm troops have definitely had a bone to pick with the Skeleton Dragons. A damage nerf will keep their versatility in check.
Spirit Empress (Ground)
Hit Speed: 1.1s → 1.2s (+9%)
Hitpoints: 1152 → 1121 (-3%)
Spirit Empress (Air)
Hitpoints: 1177 → 1121 (-5%)
Spirit Empress has been riding a bit too high across the skies and the turf. We’re trimming down her hit speed and hitpoints without shaking up key interactions.
BUFFS ⬆️
Electro Giant
Hit Speed: 2.1s → 1.8 (-14%)
First Hit Speed: 1.5s → 1s (-33%)
Reflected Tower Damage: 50 → 38 (-24%)
Electro Giant is shockingly effective when he gets to a Crown Tower, but buildings have been cutting his power. This rework keeps his damage output against Crown Towers relatively the same while helping him break through buildings.
REWORKS 🔄
Giant Skeleton
Hitpoints: 1413 → 1313 (-7%)
Collision Radius: 1 tile → 0.75 tiles (-25%)
Death Bomb Damage: 209 → 269 (+29%)
Death Bomb Tower Damage: 418 → 269 (-36%)
Giant Skeleton has historically been inconsistent, since the Death Bomb rarely decides battles unless it reaches a Crown Tower. We’re adjusting his stats so the bomb pays off defensively more often, while preserving most of its Crown Tower threat.
Remember! Cards are scaled at Level 11 and, most of the time, base form changes also affect a card’s Evolution and Hero forms.
See you in the Arena,
The Clash Royale Team