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| Clash of Clans Town Hall 18 Update |
Clash of Clans Town Hall 18 Update: Crafted Defenses & More — What’s New, What’s Good, and What Might Be Risky
What’s New in Town Hall 18
1. New Town Hall Design
The TH18 is dramatically different: built from a meteorite, with a glowing blue interior.
Upgrade cost is huge: ~25 million gold, and it takes 14 days to upgrade.
Hitpoints are also very high: ~ 10,800 HP.
Interestingly, TH18 no longer has its own defensive “weapon” (unlike some previous TH levels).
2. Guardian System
To replace the defensive role of the old Town Hall weapon, Guardians have been introduced.
There are two Guardians to choose from: Smasher and Longshot.
Smasher: Melee-type, deals splash damage to ground and air. When Town Hall is destroyed, Smasher “rages” and leaves a Rage effect behind.
Longshot: Ranged splash attacker. When killed, it explodes, dealing damage to nearby units.
Only one Guardian can defend at a time, and they have their own upgrade path (builder required).
Even during Guardian upgrade, their last completed level will still defend in ranked / war.
You can view the Guardian’s patrol route by tapping on the Town Hall.
3. Crafted Defenses – Phase 2
This is one of the biggest highlights of TH18: crafted defenses are back and they get a new “season” with new options.
With TH18, the old crafting station is removed (if you’re still at TH17) once you upgrade — and all previously crafted defenses reset.
Three new crafted defenses become available in this new crafting phase:
1. Light Beam — a ranged defense that fires a beam; damage falls off over distance.
2. Hero Bell — does not directly attack; instead, it boosts the hit points (HP) and damage of your defending Heroes while they stand near it.
3. Bomb Hive — launches bombs (like a nest) in different directions; bombs can damage both ground and air units.
Each crafted defense has 3 modules you can upgrade — e.g. HP, damage, range / cooldown, depending on the defense.
Only one module per defense can be upgraded at the same time, and you need a Builder for that.
Crafted defense “seasons” last about 4 months with TH18’s phase.
You can switch between the three crafted defenses at any time (but only one is active in your village at once).
When a new season / phase comes, the previous crafted defenses are removed / replaced.
Also, when you upgrade to TH18, any ongoing crafted defense upgrades from TH17 are automatically refunded.
4. New Defense Structures
Revenge Tower: This is a new defense building. It powers up as more buildings in the attacker’s base are destroyed during an attack.
At 0 buildings destroyed: the tower is inactive.
At 5 buildings destroyed: it becomes a high-damage single-target defense (slow).
At 20 destroyed: attack speed increases and shots bounce to a second target (like a Ricochet Cannon).
At 40 destroyed: even faster, shots bounce to third target.
Super Wizard Tower: You can merge two Wizard Towers (at TH18) into a single Super Wizard Tower.
This tower chains its attacks — up to 15 nearby units can be hit in a chain.
5. Totem Spell
A brand-new spell called Totem Spell is introduced in this update.
When cast, it summons a totem made of dense cosmic rock, which distracts defenses (both ground and air) by acting as a temporary target.
The landing impact stuns and damages buildings / defensive structures in its area.
Enemies can attack the Totem while it’s there.
6. New Currency: Sparky Stones & Fancy Shop
Sparky Stones are introduced: you earn them by supercharging buildings or upgrading crafted defenses.
With Sparky Stones, you can spend in a new tab called the Fancy Shop.
Rewards in the Fancy Shop include:
Meteor-themed Builder skin
Special decorative items for your Village
Charge effects for decorations, which are cosmetic but cool.
When TH18 launches, all past supercharges and crafted defense upgrades convert into Sparky Stones.
Pros (Good Points) of the TH18 Crafted Defenses Update
1. Flexibility & Customization
Because crafted defenses have modules (HP, damage, etc.), players can custom-build a defense that fits their own base style.
Being able to switch between three defenses gives more strategic variety.
2. Freshness & Engagement
The seasonal system (every ~4 months) keeps things fresh: new defenses come, old ones retire — so top-level players always have something new to work on.
For maxed-out players, this gives ongoing progression — even when they’ve already maxed “normal” defenses.
3. New Mechanics / Strategic Depth
The Guardian system is a big shift: adds a “defending hero” feel around the Town Hall, making TH placement and design more strategic.
Revenge Tower encourages defense designs to account for how much of the base attackers destroy — you can't ignore it.
The Totem Spell offers a new tactical layer for attackers — use it to distract defenses and redirect fire.
4. Cosmetic Incentives
Sparky Stones and the Fancy Shop give players something fun to spend on, beyond just power: skins and decorative effects.
Even non-pay-to-win players benefit: old upgrades get converted to Sparky Stones, so past effort doesn’t go entirely to waste.
Cons / Potential Drawbacks (Risks & Criticisms)
1. Temporary Nature of Crafted Defenses
Since crafted defenses are seasonal, they reset every few months. That means players may feel like their effort and upgrades are “wasted” when a new phase comes.
According to players:
> “Once the (3-month) season is over, they get reset … we’ll get other Crafted Defenses”
If someone doesn’t play aggressively / doesn’t have enough builder capacity, they may never fully max out a crafted defense before reset.
2. Pay-to-Win Concerns
Some in the community argue that this system favors paying players:
> “After three months the whole system resets … paying players can instantly unlock and max all three … free-to-play … lucky to get maybe a month of max usage … That’s the definition of pay-to-win.”
Because modules need builder time, players with more builders (or those willing to spend) can progress faster.
3. Crafting Station Removal
When you upgrade to TH18, the old Crafting Station from TH17 is removed along with its defenses.
That means you can’t “keep” what you built in TH17 once you move up — you effectively reset your crafted defense choices / progress.
4. Complexity / Learning Curve
New players or even mid-level players might find it confusing: picking modules, switching defenses, managing seasonal resets — adds complexity.
It might be hard to optimize which modules to upgrade, especially when each defense works very differently (e.g. Light Beam vs Bomb Hive vs Hero Bell).
5. Resource & Time Investment
Even though upgrades are reportedly “faster and cheaper” than normal buildings, you still need a Builder.
To fully leverage the system, players may need to dedicate a lot of time into upgrading modules, choosing which defense fits their base, etc.
My Overall Analysis / Verdict
The TH18 update is ambitious and refreshing. By introducing crafted defenses with modular upgrades, Supercell is giving high-level players more strategic freedom and long-term goals. The Guardian system is a major paradigm shift — making the Town Hall itself more than a building, but a defended entity via its Guardian.
However, the seasonal reset and potential pay-to-win concerns are serious. Players who can’t or don’t want to invest heavily may feel left behind or frustrated when their crafted defenses are “taken away” every phase.
For competitive / very active players, TH18 looks like a very positive update. For more casual / budget-conscious players, success may depend on smart resource and builder management, and choosing crafted defenses wisely.
