TH8 Upgrade Guide - Top 10 Priorities

TH8 is where the game really starts to get challenging, and prioritizing your upgrades becomes increasingly important.

If you're like most players, you're probably looking to strike a balance between doing what will help the most for war, and building up your raiding armies and defense for single player.

The two overlap, of course, but since it is easier to raid for the loot you need to upgrade with lower level troops than it is to win wars, rather than covering every troop and defense and the order you should do them in (a lot of that is up to personal preference and play style, as well as the resources you have available and the timing of your builders), this guide will focus mainly on what your top priorities should be for war, which should serve as a starting point for planning your overall upgrade strategy.


1. Lab and New Defenses

This almost goes without saying, but you can't get higher level troops without upgrading the lab first, and getting your new defenses up to the level of your old ones (and upgrading any defenses you neglected at TH7) will give you the most bang for your buck, so this is where you should start.

2. Dragons 3

You're probably tempted to do some of your raiding troops first, but level 3 dragons are by far the fastest way to make a major impact against other TH8s in war. They will 3 star low to mid level TH8s relatively easily, and can even be used through max TH8 with the right strategies and on the right bases.

3. Lightning 5 and Unlocking Earthquake

Two level 5 lightning and one earthquake spell will knock out up to level 6 air defense, and still leaves you room for a rage spell. This will give your dragon army an added boost over using 3 lightning, and in many cases is more reliable than all rage or 2 rage 1 heal.

4. Air Defense 

Since dragon attacks are probably to most common TH8 war attack, the best way to give your base a better chance of defending in war is to upgrade your air defenses to level 6 as soon as possible. The sweeper is somewhat less important, but also helpful.

5. Clan Castle

The only upgrade other than heroes that increases both your offensive and defensive power, it should be one of your top priorities at any TH. At TH8, there's definitely a case for doing air defense first, but after that, the clan castle should come next.

6. Hogs 3 and 4 and Heal 5

If you haven't gotten your Barb King to level 5 already, that's the first place you'll want to spend your dark elixir. Once he is level 5 though, your top DE priority should be upgrading your hogs. Level 3 hogs can 3 star mid TH8 bases, and level 4 are widely considered the most effective troop against max TH8 bases. Level 5 healing spell will also give this army an added boost.

7. Teslas

Many people neglect their teslas, mostly because they take so long. They pack a powerful punch at higher levels though, which is especially helpful against the increasingly frequent GoWiPe armies you will see starting in the later stages of TH8 and throughout the rest of the game. In order to avoid a situation where all your builders are on teslas and none will be free for days, it helps to get started on teslas early, and dedicate one builder to them, or at least alternate with other defenses.

8. Giant Bombs

Don't overlook these; they are very helpful in stopping hog attacks.

9. Unlocking Valks and Golems, then PEKKA

Valks are really just a stepping stone toward golems, but you'll want to prioritize unlocking Golems over PEKKAs. This will give use the ability to use GoHo instead of a straight mass hog attack, a strategy that may become necessary against well designed high level TH8s or even TH9s. Three or even 4 golems with wizards and wallbreakers (and witches or a PEKKA in your CC) can also be an effective attack strategy, but having PEKKAs without Golems is sort of like having icing without cake, or butter without bread--a PEKKA-heavy attack, even with giants as a shield, won't get you too far, especially against bases with higher level walls and teslas.

10. PEKKA 3, and Golem 2

You may be doing well enough with hogs and dragons, but getting level 3 PEKKA and level 2 golems will round out your war armies, and perhaps more importantly, set you up to be successful at TH9.

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Other Troops and Spells, and Defense

While you prioritize the things above, you'll certainly have time to work in raiding troops and other defenses.

On offense, the most useful troops and spells for war armies that weren't listed above are wizards, wallbreakers, and rage. For raiding, wizards and giants get the biggest boost, and are good to do early if you want to raid at higher trophy levels to get DE faster. Balloons can be placed in the same category if you want to use balloonion as a loot army. The added HP on barbarians is probably more beneficial than the added HP or damage from upgrading archers. Healers also get a pretty big upgrade, and are good for supporting giants, and wallbreakers make a big difference when going up against level 8 walls.

On defense, archer towers and cannons are more useful than mortars and wizard towers in war, with archer towers being the most useful. The opposite is true in multiplayer though...level 6 mortars and wizard towers (to say nothing of level 8 walls) are your best defense against barbs, archers, and goblins, particularly those that have been upgraded to TH9 max.

Not to Be Neglected before You Go to TH9

Before going to TH9, don't skip over these commonly neglected upgrades.

1. Balloons

You may not have used them much at TH8 or below, but max balloons at TH9 are one of the most effective troops in the game.

2. Golems 2 and PEKKA 3

You're going to have a lot of other things to spend your resources on when you get to TH9, and not having these puts you at a real disadvantage in going up against other TH9s.

3. Two Level 4 Dark Barracks

You don't want to lose your ability to make golems when upgrading to witches. You're also going to be relying heavily on your dark barracks for TH9 and 10 war armies, using 2 or more golems, and in many cases 4 or more witches as well, or 3 or more hounds if you're attacking by air, so not having both dark barracks upgraded is quite an inconvenience. Regular barracks are slightly less important, but you'll want a minimum of 2 max barracks, ideally 3.


You'll also want to max your drills, and make sure you do your wallbreakers. Having a level 10 king is helpful, but not critical, and getting at least some level 8 walls will also come in handy, though it is understandable if you don't want to sit on full elixir with nothing to spend it on while doing your walls at TH8.

Once you're ready for TH9, it is highly recommended you use the 8.5 strategy, which is covered in more detail elsewhere on this site. The basic idea though is to hold off building your new defenses, with the exception of your air defense, sweeper, traps, bombs, and walls, until you've gotten a good start on your TH9 offense (starting with lab, spell factory, camps), helping avoid putting  you and your clan at a disadvantage in the war matching.