If you’re Town Hall 8 or above and have played Clash of Clans in the last 6 months you may have noticed a new Blacksmith building which contains various Hero Equipment and a new currency to upgrade them with. As new equipment is added with each update, choosing how to spend your limited resources becomes increasingly challenging.
This guide should give you a better idea of what Equipment is worth upgrading for the Barbarian King!
Introduction to Hero Equipment
Hero Equipment was added in the December 2023 update alongside Town Hall 16.
This update introduced a new building: Blacksmith, new Equipment for each Hero and a new set of resources: Ores.
There are three types of Ore:
- Shiny (blue)
- Glowy (purple)
- Starry (gold)
Furthermore, there are two rarities of Equipment: Common and Epic. Common Equipment maxes out at level 18 while Epic Equipment can reach level 27.
Shiny Ore is the most common type, needed for every upgrade to a Hero’s Equipment.
Glowy Ore is rarer, needed for every third-level upgrade to an Equipment.
Starry Ore is the rarest and is needed for every third level upgrade to Epic Equipment.
Ores aren’t as easy to acquire as other resources as they cannot be raided from other villages. Instead, they are collectable through the Home Village Star Bonus, Clan Wars, the Trader and the in-game Shop. It is for this reason that upgrading the right Hero Equipment is important.
The Barbarian King Hero Equipment
As of the most recent update, the Barbarian King has 6 Hero equipment:
- Barbarian Puppet
- Rage Vial
- Earthquake Boots
- Vampstache
- Giant Gauntlet
- Spiky Ball
Let’s go through each Equipment’s strengths, weaknesses, and use cases so you can pick which ones are the best for you and the strategy you like to use!
Barbarian Puppet
When activated, the Barbarian Puppet summons a group of raged Barbarians to aid the King. Additionally, it increases the King’s hitpoints and recovers a portion of his health.
It is one of the two equipment the King starts with, the other being the Rage Vial.
At maxed level (18) the Equipment summons 44 Barbarians, increases the King’s hitpoints by 2,550 and heals him for 1,260 health.
The pack of Barbarians can be used to swarm and distract defences, providing cover for the King, especially against single-target Inferno Towers and Monoliths. However, against defences such as Wizard Towers and Scattershots, they are easily wiped out through splash damage.
Overall, the Barbarian Puppet is a long way from being the best Equipment for the Barbarian King. However, it is a decent choice at lower Town Hall levels where there aren’t many other options.
Rage Vial
When activated, the Rage Vial casts rage on the King, increasing his movement speed and damage for a limited time. Additionally, it increases the King’s damage per second and recovers some health.
It is the second Equipment the Barbarian King starts with, alongside the Barbarian Puppet.
At maxed level (18) the Equipment lasts for 10 seconds, increases the King’s damage by 155%, increases his movement speed by 38.3, increases his damage per second by 128 and recovers 1,890 health.
The Rage Vial is the most effective way to increase the King’s damage and movement speed, allowing him to charge through defences at great speed. However, it doesn’t grant the King much health, making him vulnerable to single-target Inferno Towers and the Monolith which can chew through his hitpoints quickly.
Overall, the Rage Vial is one of the Barbarian King’s best Equipment, being a strong choice for every Town Hall level by providing unrivalled amounts of damage to the King and making him a powerhouse in many situations.
Earthquake Boots
When activated, the Earthquake Boots cause an earthquake that destroys walls and damages buildings within a 6-tile area. Additionally, it increases the King’s maximum hitpoints and his damage per second.
Even at level 1, the Earthquake Boots can destroy any level of wall, meaning you don’t have to upgrade them to achieve their purpose.
At maxed level (18) the Equipment deals damage equivalent to 50% of a building’s hitpoints, increases the King’s damage per second by 102, and increases his hitpoints by 1,913.
The Earthquake Boots is strong Equipment at lower Town Hall levels where bases are smaller, meaning the Boots can often open multiple compartments with its 6-tile range. However, at higher Town Hall levels, the bases are larger, therefore, the Boots tend to impact a much smaller percentage of the base.
Overall, the Earthquake Boots can be a good choice at lower Town Halls, if you don’t want to bring other forms of wall destruction, or when doing an air attack. Apart from this, they don’t offer much in the way of hero buffs and alternative choices are less situational and stronger most of the time.
Vampstache
The Vampstache heals the Barbarian King each time he attacks. It also increases his attack speed and damage per second.
While every other piece of equipment for the King is an ability you activate, the Vampstache is passive, granting a buff throughout the entire battle.
At maxed level (18) the Vampstache heals the King for 300 per hit, increases his attack speed by 22% and his damage per second by 68.
The Vampstache’s healing gives the King a lot more survivability, making him a strong tank, while his increased attack speed also helps to improve his damage output. This makes him effective at clearing areas with a small group of defences where the damage he takes can be quickly healed back. However, if he’s up against a huge amount of firepower, the healing won’t recover his health fast enough.
Overall, the Vampstache is a good piece of equipment that allows the King to survive longer but struggles at higher Town Hall levels where damage output is higher, especially in the core of a base.
Giant Gauntlet
The Giant Gauntlet makes the King gigantic when activated. It reduces incoming damage and makes him do area damage in a 2.5-tile range. It also increases his damage per second, granting him self-healing throughout the ability duration.
This is one of two Epic Equipment for the King, so if you don’t already have it, you’ll need to buy it for 1500 gems.
At maxed level (27) the Giant Gauntlet lasts for 17 seconds, reduces incoming damage by 60%, increases his damage per second by 180 and provides a self-healing per second of 44.
The Giant Gauntlet is easily the best Equipment for the King. It balances survivability with damage due to its large damage reduction, increased damage per second and area splash damage, which, especially when paired with the Rage Vial, allows the King to take out multiple buildings in one hit.
Overall, the Giant Gauntlet is the best all-round option for the King for all Town Hall levels, making him a great tank and attacking threat, particularly in tight areas when buildings are packed together.
Spiky Ball
The Spiky Ball is the most recent Hero Equipment. When activated, it sees the King shoot a Spiky Ball that bounces between buildings. Additionally, it provides the King with more damage per second and more hitpoints.
This is the second Epic Equipment for the King, and if you don’t have it already, you’ll need to purchase it for gems in the future.
At maxed level (27) the Spiky Ball hits 9 separate targets dealing 3,250 damage to each, increasing the King’s damage per second by 222 and increasing his hitpoints by a whopping 3,290!
The Spiky Ball vastly improves at higher levels with the statistics of the maxed-out Ball being great on paper. A large amount of base damage and hitpoints added to the King and an ability that deals good damage to buildings make this a strong choice. However, the ball targets the closest building, not just defences, so its impact can be extremely high or low depending on what it hits.
Overall, for the average player, the Spiky Ball isn’t the best Equipment for the Barbarian King. However, it is a great choice for high-skill players who can strategically funnel the ball to hit key defences. It can also funnel troops into the base, destroying many outside buildings with ease.
Conclusion
The best choice of Equipment for the Barbarian King is the Giant Gauntlet paired with the Rage Vial. This is a great pairing for most attacks due to its high damage output and good survivability.
The Spiky Ball, with its good base stats and high damage output, pairs well with either the Gauntlet or Rage Vial, especially if you can strategically direct its targeting.
If you don’t have either Epic Equipment then the Vampstache is the best to pair with the Rage Vial, offering survivability that matches the Gauntlet but without the splash burst potential.
The Earthquake Boots can be a solid choice if you’re looking for ways to get into the base, but I’d only recommend them in particular strategies. I wouldn’t advise upgrading them at all, since level 1 Boots can break through any level of wall.
As for the Barbarian Puppet, I’d say to ditch this as soon as other options are available as it doesn’t offer much, especially when reaching higher Town Hall levels.
Feel free to try different pairings and strategies to see what works best for you!
Clash on!
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