Hero Equipment enables customisation of your Heroes, letting you choose the abilities that they have when you take them into battle. There are a range of different equipment, affecting both the offensive and defensive capabilities of your Heroes so you can pick the most effective traits for your attacks. This guide provides an overview of Hero Equipment covering everything you need to know to boost your Heroes in your village.
How does equipment affect your Heroes?
For many years, Heroes have always had the same abilities when activated during battle. With the Town Hall 16 update, the existing abilities have been decoupled from the heroes, becoming 2 separate equipment and a number of new equipment have been added. For example, the Barbarian King's Iron Fist ability previously spawned raged Barbarians while boosting the King's damage, speed and recovered health. These are now 2 separate equipment, the Barbarian Puppet (summons raged Barbarians) and the Rage Vial (boosts his damage, movement speed and recovers health).
Hero EquipmentThere are two equipment types: Active and Passive.
- Active equipment can be triggered by tapping on the Hero’s icon on the deployment bar while they are in battle and will last for a number of seconds.
- Passive equipment affects the Hero for the entire duration of the attack and doesn’t require any action from the player.
You can choose to equip any combination of active and passive equipment, however if you choose two active equipment, both will be activated at the same time when you press the Hero’s icon, they cannot be activated independently of each other.
There are two rarity levels for equipment: Common and Epic.
- Common equipment is unlocked either with the Hero (for the default equipment) or by upgrading the Blacksmith building
- Epic equipment is unlocked either via events or by later purchasing them from the Trader for Gems.
Common and Epic EquipmentHero Equipment is managed via the Blacksmith building. The maximum level your Hero Equipment can be upgraded to is determined by your Blacksmith level, which is determined by your Town Hall level. Common Equipment maxes out at level 18 and Epic Equipment maxes out at level 27.
Boosted Hero Attributes
Almost every Hero Equipment affects at least one Hero attribute and these can have as much impact on the effectiveness of your Hero as the main equipment ability, especially attribute boosts such as HP recovery or invisibility. When choosing Hero Equipment, compare which Hero attributes are boosted and the value. Some Hero Equipment will start off with a smaller attribute boost but once upgraded a certain amount, will then offer more, so you can see how many levels need to be upgraded for it to equal your existing equipment.
As well as giving your Hero new abilities or traits, Hero Equipment also affects some of the base stats for the Hero, such as HP, DPS, damage per hit. Depending on what role you want your Hero to play in your attack, these can be worth taking into consideration too. For example, if you are planning on using a Warden walk as part of your attack, using Hero Equipment increases his DPS will help speed up that phase of the attack. The passive Hero stat changes (such as HP increase, DPS increase etc) will affect the hero throughout the attack.
What is the Blacksmith?
The Blacksmith BuildingThis is unlocked at Town Hall 8 and can be upgraded with each Town Hall level. Opening the equipment menu on the Blacksmith shows an overview of all of the equipment you have currently unlocked, which are active on your heroes and can be upgraded here also. This is also a resource storage for Ores, which is a new resource used for upgrading Hero Equipment.
Upgrading the Blacksmith unlocks the following equipment:
Level | Unlocks |
|
1
|
Earthquake Boots
|
|
2
|
Giant Arrow
|
|
3
|
Vampstache
|
|
4
|
Rage Gem
|
|
5
|
Healer Puppet
|
|
6
|
Healing Tome
|
|
7
|
Hog Rider Puppet
|
|
8
|
Haste Vial
|
|
9
|
(No New Equipment Unlocked)
|
What are Ores?
There are three types of OresOres are a new resource that is used exclusively for upgrading Hero Equipment. There are three different types of Ore with increasing levels of scarcity:
Ore |
Rarity |
Sources |
Shiny
|
The most common Ore used for all levels of Common and Epic Equipment |
- Home Village Star Bonus
- Clan Wars
- Trader
- In-game Shop
|
Glowy
|
A rarer Ore used to upgrade Common and Epic Equipment every 3 levels. |
- Home Village Star Bonus
- Clan Wars
- Trader
- In-game Shop
|
Starry
|
The rarest Ore used to upgrade Epic Equipment at certain milestones. |
- Clan Wars
- Trader
- In-game Shop
|
Upgrading Hero Equipment is instantWhen you have sufficient Ores to upgrade your Hero Equipment, tap on it and press the upgrade button. There are no upgrade times for Equipment, the upgrade will take effect immediately.
Ores are primarily earned through activity in your village. Ores can be acquired from the following sources:
- Home Village Daily Star Bonus
- Participating in Clan Wars/CWL
- Trader (Free, Gems, Raid Medals or Event Medals)
- In-game Shop
- Purchased directly with Gems (however this offers a poor value compared to other sources)
Home Village Star Bonus
This is available every 24 hours and is earnt by getting 5 stars in Multiplayer Battles. Before the Town Hall 16 update (December 2023), this bonus awarded Gold, Elixir and Dark Elixir however with the introduction of Hero Equipment, it now also includes Shiny and Glowy Ores.
The amount of resources you receive depends on your Trophy League:
League | Trophy Range | Shiny Ore | Glowy Ore |
Unranked
|
0 - 399
| 0 | 0 |
Bronze League III
|
400 - 499
| 125 | 0 |
Bronze League II
|
500 - 599
| 175 | 6 |
Bronze League I
|
600 - 799
| 175 | 7 |
Silver League III
|
800 - 999
| 200 | 8 |
Silver League II
|
1,000 - 1,199
| 250 | 10 |
Silver League I
|
1,200 - 1,399
| 275 | 11 |
Gold League III
|
1,400 - 1,599
| 300 | 12 |
Gold League II
|
1,600 - 1,799
| 325 | 14 |
Gold League I
|
1,800 - 1,999
| 350 | 16 |
Crystal League III
|
2,000 - 2,199
| 375 | 18 |
Crystal League II
|
2,200 - 2,399
| 400 | 20 |
Crystal League I
|
2,400 - 2,599
| 425 | 22 |
Master League III
|
2,600 - 2,799
| 450 | 24 |
Master League II
|
2,800 - 2,999
| 500 | 26 |
Master League I
|
3,000 - 3,199
| 525 | 28 |
Champion League III
|
3,200 - 3,499
| 550 | 30 |
Champion League II
|
3,500 - 3,799
| 625 | 34 |
Champion League I
|
3,800 - 4,099
| 700 | 38 |
Titan League III
|
4,100 - 4,399
| 775 | 42 |
Titan League II
|
4,400 - 4,699
| 850 | 46 |
Titan League I
|
4,700 - 4,999
| 925 | 50 |
Legend League
|
5,000+
| 1,000 | 54 |
As there are more Ores available at higher leagues, gaining trophies to place you in a higher league will help you upgrade your Hero Equipment quicker.
Clan Wars/CWL
Similar to how at the end of the clan war you receive resources for the war targets you attacked, these now include Ores too. The amount of Ores will depend on the TH level of the village you attack and their war weight (how much their village is upgraded).
The amounts of Ores awarded for winning a Clan War are against a fully upgraded village at each TH level is as follows:
Scroll table to view all information
Losing the war will award 50% of these totals and a tie results in 57%.
Trader
Trader offersIt is possible to purchase Ores from the Trader offers each week. The free offer shown often gives Glowy Ores and there is usually a Gem offer for each type of Ores. Similar to other Trader offers, there is a limit for how many of each can be purchased each week.
Raid MedalsIt is possible to purchase Ores with Raid Medals each week also.
Event TraderWhen an event is active, there is an additional tab within the Trader where you can purchase additional Ores using the event currency. There are usually larger quantities or Ores available so you can choose which Ores to purchase to meet your upgrade requirements.
Starry Ores are required for upgrading Epic Equipment and are only available for war targets that are TH11 or higher. For players not regularly attacking TH11+ targets, purchasing Starry Ores from the Trader can be a sensible choice.
In-Game Shop
OffersOffers appear from time to time in the in-game shop selling Ores. This can be an effective way of acquiring larger quantities of Ores and offer better Gem:Ore value compared to purchasing via other methods (see comparison below).
Gems
GemsIt is possible to purchase missing Ores directly with Gems when pressing the “Upgrade” button on Equipment. Unlike other sources of Ores, there isn’t a quantity cap or time limits when purchasing using Gems, however the Gem:Ore ratio is the lowest when compared to the previously mentioned methods. It is only worth purchasing Ores directly with Gems if all other sources have already been purchased and you don’t want to wait for them to replenish or you need to purchase small quantities for an upgrade.
Here is a comparison of Gem:Ore ratios for each purchase method. Percentage shown in brackets is the cost reduction compared to the direct Gem cost:
Gems per Ore |
Shiny Ore |
Glowy Ore |
Starry Ore |
Gems |
1 ![](/images/gem.png) |
5 ![](/images/gem.png) |
35 ![](/images/gem.png) |
Trader (Weekly) |
0.5 (-50%) |
2.5 (-50%) |
18.3 (-48%) |
In-Game Shop/SC Store* |
0.125 (-87.5%) |
0.95 (-81%) |
9.2 (-74%) |
Trader (Event Pass) ** |
0.09 (-91%) |
0.47 (-91%) |
3.2 (-91%) |
Trader (Additional Event Medals) *** |
0.39 (-61%) |
1.94 (-61%) |
13.3 (-62%) |
* The conversion rate here uses the nearest Gem pack conversion. For offers costing $5.99/£5.99, I used the 500 Gem pack and multiplied by 1.2 (600 Gems). For offers costing $19.99/£19.99, I used the 2500 Gem pack for comparison.
** The conversion rate here uses the $4.99/£4.99 event pass cost and converts to the equivalent gem amount. With 5000 event medals usually available from the event pass and 500 gems available for $4.99/£4.99, these calculations assume 1 Medal = 0.1 Gems.
*** This conversion rate uses the 6000 Medal pack which costs $19.99/£19.99 and assumes 1 Medal = 2.4 GemsThis does not take using Raid Medals into consideration. If you have Raid Medals available each week after purchasing any other Magic Items using them (such as Research Potions), consider using them for Ores.
Purchasing Ore Conclusion
Based on the calculations above, if you wish to purchase Ores, the following priority should be used:
- Purchase the Event Pass and use Medals to buy Ores from the Trader
- Purchase In-Game Shop/SC Store offers
- Purchase additional Event Medals from the In-Game Shop/SC Store for Ore bundles not purchased using Medals from the Event Pass
- Purchase from the weekly Trader deals
- Purchase directly for Gems
If you have a large number of Gems on your account and don’t wish to spend them on other items, using them for purchasing Ores directly could make sense, but do so after purchasing the weekly Trader offers.
Equipment List
Here is a summary of the equipment currently available in game:
Scroll table to view all information
Equipment Details
Select the equipment you’d like to view the full details for:
Select a Hero Equipment using the dropdown above to view the details.
Epic Equipment
Unlike common equipment that is unlocked either with a hero or by upgrading the Blacksmith, Epic Equipment is initially available from events or later on, from the Trader.
Epic Equipments, as the name suggests, are more powerful than Common Equipment however they also have increased upgrade requirements with more levels and require using Starry Ores for certain key levels. If you are active during an event when a new Epic Equipment is introduced, you have the opportunity to purchase it from the Trader using Event Medals. Some of the Epic Equipments have a niche role rather than being suitable for every attack (such as the Warden’s Fireball), so it may be that you choose to not purchase the Epic Equipment for an event and instead focus on Ores to upgrade your existing equipment.
If you don’t buy an Epic Equipment as part of the event it is introduced, they are available to purchase from the Trader for Gems later on, so there will still be the opportunity to get it for your village. If you intend to purchase multiple Epic Equipment from the Trader, keep in mind you will still need to upgrade them to get the most value from them, so it might be better to buy one at a time and upgrade it.
If you need to buy some extra Gems to purchase Epic Equipment, purchase them from the Supercell Store as you will be able to earn reward points that will give you additional Gems/Magic Items for free.
Currently Available
These Epic Equipment are currently available to purchase from the Trader. The order shown is a general recommendation for the order to purchase and upgrade them, however you may wish to purchase one of the more niche Equipment if it fits within your attack strategies.
Scroll table to view all information
Upgrade Strategy
There are two areas you need to consider when upgrading your equipment:
- Ensuring you are completing activities that will give you Ores
- Upgrading your equipment to ensure they are effective for your attacks
Acquiring Ores
Ores are acquired at a steady rate by being active regularly and participating in events that have Ores as their rewards. Unlike conventional resources for the Home Village, they cannot be farmed in a short period with a burst of activity.
Some guidelines to help maximise the amount of Ores you receive:
Complete the Daily Star Bonus
Daily Star BonusYou get a new Daily Star Bonus every 24 hours and it will stack once. This means when you have an active Daily Star Bonus available, the timer for the next one will continue to count down however if it reaches 0 and previous Daily Star Bonus hasn’t been completed, the timer will be paused for any further Daily Star Bonuses until the first one has been completed (by getting 5 stars in Multiplayer Battles).
Ideally you want to try and complete the Daily Star Bonus each day. This can be done in 2 attacks (by getting 3 stars and then at least 2 stars) or across 5 attacks by getting 1 star in each attack. If you aren’t able to complete it daily, ensuring you complete 2 Daily Star Bonuses every other day will help minimise “lost time” between bonuses.
Push to a Higher League
Titan IHigher leagues have higher amounts of Ores as part of the Daily Star Bonus with Legends League offering 8x more Ores than Bronze III. Depending on your Town Hall level, it may not be viable to easily reach the highest leagues, but aiming to reach the mid-level leagues will help increase the amount of Ores you get each day from the Daily Star Bonus.
Participate in Wars/CWL
War LootWar loot is the main regular source of Starry Ores, so regularly participating in Clan Wars can help acquire those. Starry Ore is only required for upgrading Epic Equipment, so if your priority is upgrading Common Equipment, collecting it might be less of a priority. War rewards still include Shiny and Glowy Ores though which are required for all Hero Equipment upgrades, so participation can help boost progression.
Participate in Monthly Events
Event TraderMonthly Events enable you to collect Event Medals that can be used to purchase a wide range of items including Epic Hero Equipment, Ore and Magic Items. It is usually possible to collect enough Event Medals so that Free to Play players can purchase the new Epic Equipment and some Ores. There is also an Event Pass available that offers additional Event Medals to purchase more items as well as even more Event Medals from the In-Game Shop/SC Store. The Event Pass offers some of the best value for money for getting Ores, as shown in the Gem Conversion table above.
The Event Pass can be bought in game or from the Supercell Store using the links below:
Collect the Free Ores from the Trader/Use Raid Medals
Raid MedalsThe weekly Trader Cycle offers include Ores with there often being Glowy Ores available for free and all 3 types of Ores available for Gems or Raid Medals. Using your Raid Medals from participating in Raid Weekends for Ores can be a sensible choice. If you have Gems available, buying the Gem offers for Ores offers better value than buying the Ores directly with Gems.
Upgrading Equipment
Once you have sufficient Ores for an Equipment upgrade level, it can be completed immediately and doesn’t require a Builder to be available. The bottleneck for upgrading Hero Equipment is the rate at which Ores can be acquired. This means upgrading your Hero Equipment in a strategic manner ensures you will get the most value from your upgrades.
Efficient Upgrading
The lower upgrade costs are much cheaper than the higher ones, however they offer a similar amount of performance boost per level. This results in there being a value “sweet spot” where spending 50% of the total Ores will provide around 75% of the maximum strength of the Hero Equipment. This enables you to start using a particular Hero Equipment once it has been partially upgraded to decide if you want to upgrade it further.
Once you have decided on the main Hero Equipment you will use on a frequent basis, you can work on upgrading each of them to the higher levels to get the full strength from them. Every 3 levels is a “major” level for each Hero Equipment, which offers a higher strength increase but requires Glowy Ores for Common Hero Equipment or Glowy and Starry Ores for Epic Hero Equipment. Due to Shiny Ores being the most commonly available type, once you have sufficient Glowy/Starry Ores for the next major level, you will likely then be able to also complete the next 2 upgrade levels that only require Shiny Ores.
Upgrade the two most commonly used Equipment for a Hero and then work on upgrading Hero Equipment for another Hero. This will enable you to end up with one full set of upgraded equipment that you can use with most of your attacks. Then, you can focus on upgrading the less commonly used Hero Equipment.
Clash Ninja Upgrade Tracker
If you are looking for a tool to show you remaining upgrades for your village and help you plan your upgrade order, check out the Clash Ninja Upgrade Tracker.