Quick & Easy TH18 Upgrade Guide - No Gold Pass Needed!

by Loki on 11/07/2025

Learn the exact steps to upgrade your TH18 fast, boost your power, and unlock new troops—all without even needing a Gold Pass. Ready to crush it?

Hey Clashers!

Town Hall 18 is right around the corner, and it’s going to shake things up big time. Whether you’re a free-to-play (F2P) player or just someone who hates wasting resources, this guide will help you prepare for a smooth transition into TH18 without spending a single gem.

Things to do Before TH18 Update

Before upgrading to TH18, here’s what you should be doing right now to stay ahead of everyone else:

1. Save Your CWL and Raid Medals:
Don’t rush to buy potions or resources just yet. Hoard your Clan War League and Raid medals—you’ll thank yourself later when new upgrades roll in.

2. Stockpile Magic Items:
Keep your Hammers, Books, and Potions safe. These are your fast-pass tickets for early progress once TH18 drops. The right combo of Builder Books, Hero Hammers, and Research Potions can speed up weeks of grind.

3. Builder and Lab Management:
Make sure your Builders are working non-stop, and keep your Lab queue optimized before the update. You don’t want any idle time once the new levels unlock.

4. Plan Your Gold and Elixir:
Fill your storages before the release. Every bit of resource counts when new defenses, heroes, or troops arrive.

It's best to follow the above steps so we can break down the exact upgrade order and strategy. Until then, preparation is the real advantage.

TH18 Upgrade Guide: Step-by-Step Plan

Now that Town Hall 18 is live, here’s the upgrade path that gives you the fastest progress, the strongest offense, and the least wasted builder time.

Let’s break it down in a clear order so you don’t fall behind the early meta.

1. Upgrade the Town Hall (Use a Hammer of Building)

The TH18 upgrade costs 25M Gold and takes 14 days.
Instead of waiting two full weeks, the best move is to use a Hammer of Building instantly. It’s the highest-value hammer you can use at TH18.

Once upgraded, TH18 introduces Guardian defenders — Longshot and Smasher — which protect your village when attacked. These aren’t used on offense, but they heavily boost defense.

Longshot → Long range, splash damage (recommended to upgrade first)
Smasher → Short range, heavy splash damage

Upgrade Longshot to max before working on Smasher. Range matters more than HP early on.

2. Upgrade Hero Hall (Use a Book of Building)

Cost: 26M Elixir
Time: 13 days, 12 hours

Your heroes get 5 more levels each, so upgrading the Hero Hall early ensures you don’t delay those new levels.

Ideal hero order:

Archer Queen first
Royal Champion second

Both get huge value immediately in attacks.

3. Upgrade the Laboratory (Use a Book of Building)

Cost: 27M Elixir
Time: 16 days

This is the longest upgrade in the game right now, so finish it early.

TH18 adds new troop levels, and the recommended first upgrades are:

Healers → Bigger healing + the new “+10 hero heal” boost
Wall Breaker → Helps every ground army
Dragon Rider → A strong pick if you prefer air armies

After that, upgrade according to the armies you use the most.

4. Upgrade the Clan Castle

Cost: 28M Elixir
Time: 14 days

The Clan Castle now offers +4 extra spell capacity.
That means you can carry two Rage Spells in clan support — a massive offensive upgrade.

Use a Hammer or Book of Building if possible.

5. Upgrade the Spell Factory

Cost: 24M Elixir
Time: 13 days

This unlocks the new Totem Spell, which:

Distracts defenses
Stuns for 2 seconds
Absorbs a ton of damage
Deals splash damage when it lands

It’s extremely useful for protecting your heroes or main army.

6. Unlock the Meteor Golem (Optional Early On)

Cost: 26M Elixir
Time: 14 days

The Meteor Golem hits hard but isn’t mandatory for early meta attacks.
Unlock it early only if you plan to use it.

7. Upgrade New TH18 Defensive Structures

Start with the signature defenses and anything that hits both ground + air:

Super Wizard Tower (Merged)

Cost: 29M Gold
Time: 13 days
Two of them, both upgradable

You can delay these if you need your books for higher-value buildings.

Revenge Tower

Cost: 430k Dark Elixir
Time: 13 days

This is TH18’s signature defense — upgrade it ASAP.
It deals unique reactive damage and can swing defenses hard in your favor.

8. Upgrade Existing Defenses (Priority Order)

Focus on defenses that matter most for both ground and air attacks:

Highest Priority

Multi-Archer Tower (27M Gold / 14 days)
Multi-Gear Tower (28M Gold / 14 days)
Air Defense (26M Gold / 13 days)

Next Priority

Ricochet Cannon (26.5M Gold / 13.5 days)
Bomb Tower (25M Gold / 13 days)

Last (but important)

Red Air Bombs → Great vs air spam + healers
Small Bombs → Counters RC walk paths

If you have weekly Hammers, use them on these.

9. Upgrade Storages

Not urgent — upgrade them only when required to unlock higher-level defense upgrades (mostly for Super Wizard Towers).

10. Upgrade Crafted Defenses (Seasonal)

This season includes:

Hero Bell
Bomb Hive
Light Beam

Make sure they’re leveled enough so attackers can’t snipe them with the Queen’s Giant Arrow.

Best order:

Bomb Hive
Hero Bell
Light Beam based on your base layout

Each one adds pressure to Queen Charges and RC paths.

11. Walls (Do Gradually)

Walls are expensive and don’t impact the early meta.
Upgrade them steadily, but don’t burn all your Gold or Hammers here.

Want Better Defense While You Upgrade? Here’s the Smart Move.

As you’re working through your TH18 upgrades, there’s something important to remember:
your defensive levels matter, but your base design matters just as much.

Even if your defenses aren’t maxed yet, a well-built layout can make a noticeable difference.
And that’s exactly where pro-built TH18 bases help you stay ahead.

When you rely on random or outdated layouts from the internet—especially during the early upgrade phase—you end up giving away easy attacks. But when you use bases crafted by experienced builders, every trap, wall angle, and defense placement works in your favor, even if your levels are still catching up.

If you want stronger, more reliable defenses while you’re progressing through TH18, take a look at our TH18 Pro Base Packs. Whether it’s War, Legends, Hybrid, or CWL, these layouts help you defend smarter throughout the entire upgrade journey—not just once you're maxed.