TH18 Upgrade Priority: What to Upgrade First in Clash of Clans

Upgrade costs and times from the COCUpgrade hero dataUpdated 31 October 2026

On this page

Key takeaways
What's new at TH18
Best upgrade order
Hero upgrades
Defenses first
Laboratory priority
Common mistakes
FAQ

Key Takeaways

Start with the Laboratory and Hero Hall: they unlock everything else, so get both upgrading on day one.
Place the new buildings right away: Revenge Tower, Crafting Station, Wizard Tower and Air Bomb, so your base is complete for war.
First defenses to upgrade: Revenge Tower, Scattershots and Air Defenses.
Heroes are the biggest job at TH18: 45 new hero levels and 360 builder-days without boosts.
Dark Elixir is the bottleneck: 15.4 million DE just for the five Dark Elixir heroes.

What's New at Town Hall 18

Town Hall 18 unlocks 5 new buildings, including the Air Bomb trap. The other four are:

Revenge Tower: It hits ground and air troops from 11 tiles. It gets angrier as your base falls: its Tower Tantrum stages start after 5, 20 and 40 of your buildings are destroyed. In stage 1 it fires single, heavy shots; in stages 2 and 3 each shot bounces on to nearby troops. At level 2 it has 6,200 HP. Sources: Supercell TH18 update notes, Revenge Tower on the Fandom wiki.
Crafting Station: Unlocks 3 new defenses to switch between: Hot Candle, Hero Hunter and Cake-A-Pult.
Super Wizard Tower: Two Wizard Towers merge into one Super Wizard Tower, so this is a merge, not an extra building on the map. Its first strike can hit up to 15 nearby enemies.
Wizard Tower: You also get one more regular Wizard Tower.

The Best TH18 Upgrade Order

Laboratory: You’ll need higher levels of the army you used at Town Hall 17, so upgrading the lab has to be the first priority. It costs 27 million Elixir and takes 16 days. You can use a Book of Building to finish it instantly, since the troop and spell upgrades that follow take their own time. A Book of Fighting then helps you finish the first main troop, so you can move on to the next troop or spell.
Hero Hall: Heroes are vital in Clan Wars and a must-have for Clan War League. Once the Hero Hall upgrade (26 million Elixir and 13 days 12 hours) is done, you can put your heroes down for upgrades one by one in your order of priority.
Revenge Tower: A strong all-round defense that can win you attacks or save you a star. Start it right away.
Crafting Station: Build it so you can switch between the available defenses (Hot Candle, Hero Hunter and Cake-A-Pult) while the current Crafting Station season lasts.
Air Bomb: Place it straight away, as it takes only a few seconds. With every building placed, you can copy a TH18 war base from your clanmates without problems, or pick one of our TH18 war bases.

Hero Upgrades at TH18

Every hero gets new levels at TH18. The table shows exactly how much each one needs to go from its TH17 cap to its new TH18 cap.

New hero levels at TH18 (from the TH17 cap)
Hero	Levels	Upgrades	Cost	Builder time
Barbarian King	100 → 110	10	4,490,000 DE	80d
Archer Queen	100 → 110	10	4,490,000 DE	80d
Grand Warden	75 → 85	10	275,000,000 Elixir	80d
Minion Prince	90 → 95	5	2,110,000 DE	40d
Royal Champion	50 → 55	5	2,110,000 DE	40d
Dragon Duke	20 → 25	5	2,200,000 DE	40d

Note: Totals: 15,400,000 Dark Elixir + 275,000,000 Elixir and 360 builder-days before boosts.

Upgrade the Archer Queen or Royal Champion first, as they are vital and should be upgraded as early as possible. Use a Hammer of Heroes to finish an upgrade instantly, or a Book of Heroes to speed it up.

Plan your TH18 hero upgradesEnter your hero levels and see the exact Dark Elixir and time left.Open calculator →

Defenses to Upgrade First

Revenge Tower: As mentioned earlier, it is one of the most powerful weapons you get at Town Hall 18. No second thoughts here.
Scattershots: The most powerful area splash defense on the map.
Air Defenses: Stop air attacks early, as they frustrate defenders like nothing else.
Crafting Station: Pick whichever of its three defenses suits your base best.
Super Wizard Tower: Merge two regular Wizard Towers into one powerful Super Wizard Tower.

Need a TH18 war base?Browse the most viewed TH18 war, CWL and trophy bases on our sister site CocWarBase.View TH18 bases ↗

Laboratory Priority

Once Laboratory level 16 is built, research in this order:

Main troop – Dragon / Root Rider / Meteor Golem: The first priority depends on your attack style, but it will most likely be one of these three. Pick the one that best suits the way you play.
Supporting troop – Dragon Rider / Balloon / Thrower: Again, this depends on your attack combo, so choose wisely.
Witch (for the Super Witch) / Bowler: Super Witch has no research of its own; its level follows the Witch. These may be your top priority if they are part of your preferred army composition.
Furnace / Ruin Witch: Also widely used across many different combos.

Common TH18 Upgrade Mistakes

Not having a well-thought-out plan can land you in big trouble and cost you time, gems or cash. These are the mistakes we see most at TH18:

Leaving the Laboratory for later. Every day the lab waits delays every troop and spell upgrade after it.
Upgrading all defenses at the start. It ties up every builder, so the Hero Hall and heroes fall behind.
Putting more than one hero down at once. Your attacks get much weaker in Clan Wars and CWL.
Not placing the new buildings. Without the Revenge Tower, Crafting Station and Air Bomb placed, copied TH18 war bases come out incomplete.
Wasting books on short upgrades. Save Books and Hammers for the longest upgrades, like the Laboratory and late hero levels.

Follow this guide so you don’t regret it later.

TH18 Upgrade FAQ

How long does it take to upgrade to Town Hall 18?

Upgrading from Town Hall 17 to 18 costs 25 million Gold and takes 12 days without any boost or potion.

What should be upgraded first at Town Hall 18?

It is a combination of defenses, the Laboratory and heroes. Start by placing the new buildings (Revenge Tower, Wizard Tower and Air Bomb), and put the Laboratory and Hero Hall under upgrade as early as possible.

What's the lab upgrade priority at TH18?

As soon as the Laboratory upgrade finishes, start researching the main troop of your army. Air attackers can start with Dragons or Dragon Riders, and ground attackers with their main troop, such as Meteor Golem or Root Rider.

How much do heroes cost to max at TH18?

Taking every hero from its TH17 cap to its TH18 cap costs 15.4 million Dark Elixir (Barbarian King, Archer Queen, Minion Prince, Royal Champion and Dragon Duke) plus 275 million Elixir for the Grand Warden. That is 45 hero levels and 360 builder-days without boosts.

TH18 at a Glance

Hero levels added: 45
Dark Elixir (heroes): 15.4M
Elixir (Warden): 275M
Hero builder time: 360 days

TH17 cap → TH18 cap, before boosts.