Those who are not residing in the US or have zero interest in football may know Clash of Clans from a multitude of other sources. I was not going to play the game, but it was hard to ignore. Marketing of this game is insane, to put it mildly. So, what is Clash of Clans? It’s a game where you build forts and recruit armies to attack orcs. Thankfully, you are human in this conflict and will enjoy superior battle tactics. For the most part, Clash of Clans is a very standard affair, from the 2-D graphics to the top down view, it is quite apparent that nothing unique is going to happen in the graphics area. However, this doesn’t mean you will be treated to a lackluster experience. Clash of Clans is by no means ordinary; the developer has made it quite apparent. The constant updates keep the old players invested and, inevitably, attract a new crowd. This article will not be telling you how to play the game or which structure has the most hit points. It will be a gentle guiding hand that will nudge you in the right direction. I’ll be honest here, Clash of Clans is a huge game, and one can only hope to see its full extent in one week. Thankfully I have some Clash of Clans addicts in my life who were more than eager to talk about the game with me. I will share some insights from them throughout the article. Without further delay, let’s see what makes Clash of Clans tick so well with thousands of people around the globe.
1. Prepare for Battle
Clash of Clans is a little heavier for a purely 2D game. It took around a minute to download the game on my smartphone. The app also checked for additional updates while in-game.
After the splash screen, I was greeted with an in-app purchase warning notification. It is a great way to warn potential customers, especially parents, about the real cash purchases available in the game. You can disable them completely if you want in the settings menu. Another game I tested from the same developer had this screen. Personally, I think this transparent and clear warning is a great gesture from the developer, and everyone should follow suit.
Clash of Clans is not a hard game to master. However, there are a lot of things going on at any time. Thankfully the game ships with one of the well-designed tutorials around. I highly recommend you listen in to the tutorial with full attention. Usually, people just skim ahead of the tutorials and miss some important points in the process. Clash of Clash will guide you through the process in a seamless tutorial. By the time you’re through with it, you will have knowledge of each mechanic used in the game.
2. Building the Base
In Clash of Clans, there are four major types of buildings. There are defense buildings that you can use to bulk up your defense rating. There are resource buildings that allow you to gather resources with ease. The Army buildings allow you to make new troops for your army. There are miscellaneous buildings that range from useful Town Hall to decorations and obstacles.
One of the most important buildings are the resource buildings. Clash of Clans primarily uses two types of resources, gold, and elixir. You can build a gold mine to collect gold and an elixir collector to gather elixir. There are a few more buildings that can be categorized as resource buildings here. The dark elixir drill, gold, and elixir storages are useful but not at the start. They will come in handy once you have progressed through the game.
3. Defending
Since buildings are just as important as troops, you’ll need to have some defensive measures to safeguard them. Thankfully, Clash of Clans has an extensive array of defensive buildings at your disposal. Cannons, archer towers, wizard towers, inferno towers and even air sweepers are available for you to build. That’s not all; there are extremely powerful traps to be deployed around your structures. I especially loved the skeleton trap; it is a lot of fun to use.
You can also build walls around your base. I’ve seen my friends use this feature, or rather abuse this feature, a lot. Some of my friends have gone as far as to encase each building with walls to better protect against oncoming attackers. Some people like to span walls around their bases, which is an effective technique to fend off low-level enemies.
4. Building an Army
But what are buildings without soldiers to go on the offensive. Clash of Clans has ample opportunity for those who are looking to fight back against the orcs. You can build army camps, barracks, laboratories, spell factories and dark barracks to recruit new and exciting units into your army. Different buildings have different things to offer. Thankfully, Clash of Clans doesn’t overburden you with a lot of choices in the start. Barracks allows you to train troops using the elixir, after being trained these troops will move into the army camps and stay there until needed. You will also be able to upgrade the structures as well as the troops, as the game progresses. Usually, there are around 8 to 10 levels of each building that are not too different, yet provide increasingly impressive results.
One important point to make here is the barracks, and other buildings cease to function when they are being upgraded. As you progress to the next levels, the upgrade time is increased significantly. I would highly advise that you upgrade the buildings when you are planning to end the session. This way, when you return, the buildings will be upgraded and ready for usage.
5. The Magic Spells
Clash of Clans has one unique element that makes it different from other games in this genre. The spell factory allows you to create spells using the elixir. This is another important aspect of Clash of Clans and can be effectively used to attack other players or enemies.
The spells can be used anywhere on the map, and they can bypass defenses and structures. This makes them invaluable during combat scenarios. While attacking other orcs settlements or players, you will be able to use the spells effectively that you’ve created and do a lot of damage. Currently, there are five spells available to be used in the game. They are different in nature and provide various perks or damage types. The lighting spell, as the name suggests, allows you to train lightning over enemies. Healing spell can be used to heal your attacking troops during ongoing skirmishes.
Conclusion
Clash of Clans is an amazing game, and it’s no surprise that it has captured the attention of so many people. I first came to know this game in 2012 and since then it has grown exponentially. Personally, I do not like games that have mandatory timers. But apparently, a ton of people do love Clash of Clans. If you have any questions or need some guidance about Clash of Clans, feel free to ask in the comments below. I may not know the answers readily because of my limited time with Clash of Clans, but I do know some fanatics who will love to help you out. Featured Image Credit
