Hey Chief,

Hero upgrades are one of the biggest grinds in Clash of Clans.

And honestly, this is where a lot of players burn out.

We’ve all been there. Heroes sleeping for days. No Dark Elixir left. Wars coming up at the worst time possible. Then somehow the Barbarian King still needs 20 more levels 💀

The good news? Most players are upgrading heroes in the slowest way possible.

So this Clash of Clans guide is all about smarter progress. Faster heroes. Less pain.

Best Hero Upgrade Strategy That Saves Months

There are basically 3 ways players handle hero upgrades.

1. Max heroes at every Town Hall

This is the old-school method.

Strong heroes early. But super slow progression overall.

The problem is simple: staying too long at lower Town Halls delays better rewards, better events, stronger magic item value, and faster account growth.

It works. But it takes forever.

2. Skip hero upgrades completely

This one sounds crazy at first.

But a lot of efficient players actually rush upward and ignore heroes until later Town Halls. Then they catch heroes up later with better magic item value and stronger farming.

Honestly? This method is way better than most players think.

3. The hybrid method (Recommended)

This is probably the smartest balance for most people.

Instead of upgrading every hero, we focus mostly on ONE hero while skipping the others for a while.

That way:

• We still get good Book of Heroes value

• Progress stays fast

• Hero grind feels less miserable

Way more manageable.

Should You Skip Hero Upgrades?

Short answer?

Sometimes yes.

Especially at lower Town Halls.

Hero Potions changed the game a lot because they let us temporarily use boosted heroes in wars and important attacks.

So instead of slowing our whole account just to max heroes immediately, we can:

• Progress faster

• Unlock stronger stuff earlier

• Catch heroes up later more efficiently

That’s why many experienced players don’t fully max heroes at every Town Hall anymore.

Best Hero to Upgrade First in Clash of Clans

If we’re using the hybrid method, one hero stands above the rest.

The Royal Champion.

Why?

Because her upgrade timers become long faster than other heroes, which gives better Book of Heroes value earlier.

That means:

• Better magic item efficiency

• Faster long-term value

• Less wasted books

The Dragon Champion can also work later on, especially at higher Town Halls.

But for most players, Royal Champion is the safest pick.

How to Upgrade Heroes Faster

This is where timing matters more than grinding.

Hammer Jam = hero grinding season

Whenever Hammer Jam or upgrade discount events happen, heroes should become the main priority.

Every reduced upgrade timer matters because heroes are unusable while upgrading. Less upgrade time means more actual gameplay time.

Huge difference.

Goblin Builder helps a LOT

We know some players hate spending gems here.

But honestly, Goblin Builder is one of the best gem values in the game for hero upgrades. Faster hero upgrades = less suffering overall.

Simple math.

Best Use of Book of Heroes

This is where tons of value gets wasted.

Using a Book of Heroes on a short upgrade timer feels terrible.

So instead of leveling every hero equally, we should focus one hero slightly ahead of the others to maximize book value.

Longer timer = better value.

Also:

• Keep one emergency Book sometimes

• Save books for painful upgrades

• Don’t instantly burn books on tiny timers

Future-you will thank us.

How to Use Hero Potions Efficiently

Hero Potions are honestly kinda busted.

Especially for players skipping hero upgrades.

The smart move is stacking them during:

• Clan Wars

• CWL

• Trophy pushing

• Big farming sessions

Not random multiplayer attacks.

And if we buy anything weekly from the Raid Medal Shop, Hero Potions should usually be near the top of the list.

Ores matter too, obviously.

But weak heroes hurt progress way harder than people admit.

Best Time to Upgrade Heroes During Events

The best timing rule is easy:

Upgrade heroes when we won’t need them.

Sounds obvious. But most players ignore it completely.

Good times:

• During upgrade discount events

• During busy school/work weeks

• Between CWL seasons

• When farming casually

Bad times:

• Right before serious wars

• During heavy trophy pushing

• Right before clan events

Timing fixes half the frustration.

How to Farm Dark Elixir While Upgrading Heroes

Dark Elixir disappears FAST once multiple heroes start upgrading.

Like… scary fast.

A few things help:

• Use Dark Elixir in the lab

• Keep pets upgrading later on

• Don’t put every builder on heroes

• Farm consistently instead of panic farming (Here's how you can Farm 400K DE in Just 10 Minutes)

And honestly, putting ALL builders on heroes is usually a burnout speedrun.

We still need progress elsewhere too.

Common Hero Upgrade Mistakes Players Make

Upgrading every hero evenly

Sounds balanced. Usually isn’t.

Using Books on tiny timers

Painful waste.

Ignoring Hero Potions

Huge missed value.

Farming Dark Elixir only when broke

This creates miserable grinding sessions.

Never taking breaks from hero grind

Probably the biggest mistake honestly.

Clash is still a game. If hero upgrades are making us hate attacking, slowing down for a bit is completely fine.

Because the hero grind never really ends anyway.