Upgrade Order

Many clashers are aware that you should ‘max’ your troops and base before upgrading from one TH to the next — BUT — clan war clans will probably want you to do an order between TH upgrades. Specifically there is a prevailing momentum in the game-meta right now (04/15/2015) that you should first max your offense then your defense when upgrading in a TH. This is tied to match making theory in clan wars (people suspect offensive upgrades don’t count so your clan isn’t penalized w/ harder opponents when you do it but you get to be more powerful in the war). Anyway, that’s the theory.

So, what does this mean at JTJ?

Town Hall 11

Our monkies are busy working on the TH11 upgrade order.

 

Town Hall 10

TH10: Intro – Welcome to TH10 (9.1)

Do not place new defenses or walls yet.

1. Clan Castle
2. Lab – Get your troop/spell upgrades going ASAP
3. Spell Factory – Do not war without spells
4. Army Camps x 4 – 20 extra units is the biggest upgrade you can get
5. Barracks/DB – You can start into the next stage while working on these

Lab Priority: Valkyries, Hogs.

TH10: The Basics – Road to 9.5 (9.2)

Do not place new defenses or walls yet.

1. AQ/BK – Prioritize upgrading heroes where possible
2. Giant Bomb – Drop the new one and get it to level 3
3. Seeking Air Mines – Drop the new one and get all your SAMs maxed
4. Skeleton Trap – Drop the new one and leave it at level 1 for now

Lab Priority: Golems, Wizards.

TH10: Building Up – Upgrading What We Have (9.3)

Upgrade existing defenses, but do not place new defenses or walls yet.

1. ADs – Air Defenses to max
2. Teslas -Hidden Teslas to max
3. ATs – Existing Archer Towers to max
4. ASs – Air Sweepers to max
5. Giant Bombs – All Giant Bombs to max
6. Cannons – Existing Cannons to max

Lab Priority: Jump Spell, Wall Breakers, Bowlers.

TH10: Building Out – Adding New Defenses (9.4)

We now start building some of our new defenses.

1. AT – Drop it and get it maxed
2. Cannon – Drop it and get it maxed
3. Skeleton Trap – Drop it and get it maxed
4. Air Bombs – Drop it and get all your Air Bombs maxed

TH10: The Plateau – Lab, Heroes, Xbows, and Walls (9.5)

At this stage, you should work on completing all remaining Lab upgrades. The clan will benefit from your strong offense and low weight. Beyond this point Walls, Xbows, and Inferno Towers will increase your weight significantly. Clashers wanting to stay as a 9.5 should stop after this stage.

1. BK/AQ – Max your heroes to 40/40, if they aren’t already
2. Xbows – Drop your 3rd Xbow and get it to level 3
3. Walls – Drop your 25 new walls and get them to level 10
4. Traps – Drop and upgrade any remaining traps

TH10: Completing TH10

When you’re ready to go beyond 9.5, this order will give the best power-to-weight ratio. Your base’s weight will increase sharply during this stage.

1. WT – All Wizard Towers to max
2. Inferno Towers – Drop and max (very heavy weight!)
3. Walls – Have fun grinding these to max
4. Mortars – The least useful of the high-weight upgrades

Town Hall 9

TH9: Intro – Welcome to TH9 (8.1)

Do not place new defenses or walls yet.

1. Clan Castle
2. Lab – Get your troop/spell upgrades going ASAP
3. AQ – Level 1 for now, but upgrade when possible
4. Spell Factory – Do not war without spells
5. Army Camps x 4 – 20 extra units is the biggest upgrade you can get
6. Dark Spell Factory – Do not war without spells
7. Barracks – You can start into the next stage while working on these

A note on Dark Barracks: Unless you are planning on becoming a LaLoon/LaDrag specialist, you can delay upgrading your Dark Barracks. Witches carry with them a very large war weight. TH8.5s can use many attacks effectively without Witches or Hounds.

Lab Priority: Hogs, Heal Spell, Golems.

TH9: The Basics – Road to 8.5 (8.2)

Do not place new defenses or walls yet.

1. AQ – Prioritize upgrading heroes where possible. Get AQ to 5 at minimum.
2. Giant Bomb – Drop the new one and get it to level 3
3. Seeking Air Mines – Drop the new ones and get all your SAMs maxed
4. AD – Drop the new one and get it to level 6
5. AS – Drop the new one and get it to level 4

Lab Priority: Valkyries, Jump Spell, Wizards.

TH9: Building Up – Upgrading What We Have (8.3)

Upgrade existing defenses, but do not place new defenses or walls yet.

1. BK/AQ – Continue upgrading heroes. Aim for 10/10 at least.
2. ADs – Air Defenses to max
3. Teslas – Existing Hidden Teslas to max
4. ATs – Existing Archer Towers to max
5. ASs – Air Sweepers to max
6. Cannons – All Cannons to max

Lab Priority: Wall Breakers, Healers, Rage Spell.

TH9: Building Out – Adding New Defenses (8.4)

We now start building some of our new defenses.

1. BK/AQ – Continue upgrading heroes. Aim for 15/15 at least.
2. AT – Drop it and get it maxed
3. Tesla – Drop it and get it maxed
4. Xbows – Drop it and leave at level 1
5. Skeleton Trap – Max them all
6. Air Bombs – Drop it and get all your Air Bombs maxed

Xbows are a high-weight building. The first level offers decent DPS-to-weight value, but hold off upgrading until later.

TH9: The Plateau – Lab, Heroes, and Walls (8.5)

At this stage, you should work on completing all remaining Lab upgrades. The clan will benefit from your strong offense and low weight. Beyond this point Walls and Xbows will increase your weight significantly. Clashers wanting to stay as an 8.5 should stop after this stage.

1. BK/AQ – Max your heroes to 30/30, if they aren’t already
2. Walls – Drop your 25 new walls and get them to level 8
3. Traps – Drop and upgrade any remaining traps
4. Dark Barracks – If you opted to delay getting Witches/Hounds, consider upgrading it now, or in the next stage

TH9: Completing TH9

When you’re ready to go beyond 8.5, this order will give the best power-to-weight ratio. Your base’s weight will increase sharply during this stage.

1. Xbows – Max them
2. WT – Finally drop that 4th  Wizard Tower and get them all to max
3. Walls – Have fun grinding these to max
4. Mortars – The least useful of the high-weight upgrades

 

TH8

The following upgrade order is out of date and JTJ no longer uses TH8s in war. However we keep this here for any affiliate clans looking at the upgrade order we used to use.

Offensive Buildings — Upgrade Order

1. Army Camps – Good news, there are no army camps to upgrade at TH8.
2. Lab6 (4 days) – Note: Before you start the upgrade of the lab, kick off one of your troop upgrades (assuming you are not fully maxed on troops coming in). The research will continue while the lab upgrades.
3. Dark Elixir Storage – Get this up to 30,000 size so you can gather the DE necessary for your first DE upgrade (hogs). 
   
4. Dark Spell Factory – Moved up on 12/19/15 due to emergence of double poison CC take out.
   
5. Spell Factory – Good news, there is no Spell Factory Upgrade at TH8.
6. CC.  Get this to size 25.
7. Dark Barracks (6 days + 7 days) – Moved down on 12/19 as hog attacks are not using Golem as much anymore (double poison change).   But if you ‘love’ GoWiPe this might be worth going earlier.
8. Barracks – Get one of these to max level so you can spit out a PEKKA (don’t need all 4 right away).

Lab Research Order

1. Hogs — Level 3 & 4 – (10 days + 12 days) – You should have Hog2 arriving at TH8, therefore 22 days into TH8 you should have Hog4 and be prepared to start practicing KH1, Ho and KH, Ho.  We go hogs first as many of the TH8.1 (entry level) and TH8.5 (mid level) targets that are weak to air can be covered by TH7 Salts hitting up.
2. Heal Spell — Level 5 – (5 Days).  Supports hogs.
3. Poison — Level 1 and 2.  Poison moved down, below heal, due to needing only 1 max poison to take out a drag (one in cc slot).  So poison can come later.
4. Dragon — Level 3 – (10 days).  We waited on this as Hogs are capable of taking a lot of the TH8.1 bases that are AD665 or less.
5. Baloons — Level 5 – (5 days) – For 99 and 813 dragoon attacks
6. Q and L (Earthquake and Lightning) — EarthQauke to Level 1 (just build the dark spell factory to level 2 and you will have that) and Lightning to Level 5.
7. Rage — Level 5 – ( 7 Days)
8. Wizard — Level 5 – (5 days)
9. Golem — Level 2
10. PEKKA — Level 2 and 3.  Moved down 12/19 based on cc spell add (making Dragoon vs AD666 viable)
11. Archer
12. Barbarians
13. Wall breakers
14. As you wish from here

Defensive Buildings — Upgrade Order

Until you have AD6x3, you will be three starred by all decent dragon attackers, so AD6 is your focus.

1. AD6x3 – One will be a new AD, the other 2 are just a single upgrade from Level 5. First build the level 1 ad, then do the two level 5 to 6 upgrades of the other two Ads. Yes, you will get hit while they upgrade, but suffer through and get them to L6.
2. CC — Get that clan castle up.  Definitely helps in defense (5 slots & offense)
3. Air Sweeper — Upgrade that to level four.  You should have it at level 3 coming in.
4. Archer Towers are your next best defense against dragons, prioritize these
5. Teslas – very effective against dragons, you should ALWAYS have a tesla upgrading, at least one because these take forever. Do not wait until the end of TH8 to start or you will be sorry because it’s a grind.
6. Wizard Towers
7. Mortars
8. Canons

** walls are done as you have excess Exilir/Gold and/or as you approach max for the TH.  Max your walls for TH8 before upgrading. **