Clash of Clans Barbarian: Everything You Need to Know
If you've ever played Clash of Clans, you already know the Barbarian. He's the guy on the app icon - the sword-swinging, mustache-having, kilt-wearing warrior that greets you every single time you open the game.
He's the first troop you ever unlock, and for a lot of players, the first army they ever throw at an enemy base is just a wall of these guys. That doesn't make him a throwaway troop, though.
The Barbarian has decent staying power across every Town Hall level, and his Super form at higher levels is one of the better farming tools in the game. This guide breaks down everything: stats, upgrade levels, and how to use them properly.
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Summary - Clash of Clans Barbarian
The Clash of Clans Barbarian is the first troop you unlock and the face of the game
Targets the nearest building, takes 1 housing space, and can't hit air units
Maxes at level 12 (TH16), with upgrade costs climbing from 10,000 to 8,000,000 Elixir
Best uses: funneling, BARCH farming, and cleanup duty
The Super Barbarian is a serious upgrade
The Barbarian King is essentially a giant Barbarian hero
Barbarian Overview
The Barbarian is a simple melee troop with decent stats. They tend to cluster, though, so always keep splash damage in mind when comparing them to bigger units.
Stat | Value (Level 1 / Level 12) |
|---|---|
Housing Space | 1 |
Barracks Level | 1 |
Hitpoints | 45 / 290 |
Movement Speed | 18 |
Preferred Target | None |
Attack Type | Melee (Ground Only) |
Range | 0.4 tiles |
Attack Speed | 1s |
Damage per Second | 9 / 48 |
Damage per Attack | 9 / 48 |
Research Cost | N/A (10,000 at Level 2) / 8,000,000 |
One thing worth knowing: if a barbarian becomes aware of Clan Castle troops, Skeleton Trap Skeletons, or enemy Heroes nearby, he'll drop whatever he's doing and go after them instead. That can work in your favor or ruin a clean attack, depending on the base layout.
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How to Use Barbarians in Attacks
Barbarians are versatile in a simple, unpretentious way. You're not building attack strategies around them at TH12+, but you're likely using them in some capacity at every single Town Hall.
Keep in mind that their biggest weakness is splash damage - a group of Barbarians can get wrecked in seconds if they bunch up in a bad spot. Spread deployments out, and if you're using them as a main army at low TH, try to go around splash defenses rather than straight into them.
At lower THs, one of the most time-tested farming compositions in the game is Barbarians and Archers - colloquially known as BARCH Farming. They are dropped in large numbers, usually targeting resource buildings. Fast to train, cheap, and effective at lower THs. You're probably not getting three stars on war bases with BARCH, but for quick resource raids? It works.
Funneling is probably the most useful thing Barbarians do at mid-to-high Town Halls. Drop a handful on each side of the base before your main army goes in. They clear the outer buildings and push your main force toward the core rather than letting them wander off to the edges.
Four to six Barbarians in the right spots can completely change where your Giants or Golems end up walking. Don't skip this step.
At higher Town Halls, Barbarians tend to only really help with cleanup. After your main army has cracked the base open and taken out the core defenses, a wave of Barbarians can sweep up the remaining buildings on the edges. They train fast, and they're cheap - you're not wasting much by throwing them in at the end.
Super Barbarian: Same Guy, Way More Dangerous
The Super Barbarian is what happens when you take a regular Barbarian and give him everything. More health, more damage, more speed - and a rage effect that kicks in the moment he hits the ground.
The Basics
Once you get your Barbarians to level 8, you can expend 25,000 Dark Elixir or a single Super Potion to boost your barbarians into them for 3 days. Note that a Super Barbarian’s level will be equal to the Barbarian level.
Due to still being Babarians, they share many of their weaknesses: they do not target air units, and their single target attack handles large swarms poorly. As long as you cover their weakpoints, though, they will have a significant impact on the battlefield.
What Sets Them Apart
The 8-second rage on deployment is their defining feature. When a Super Barbarian first lands, he moves faster and hits harder right away - no spell needed. That window is what makes them so effective for funneling and outer-base clearing. They chew through buildings before most defenses can properly respond.
After the rage wears off, he's still a solid melee unit with high HP, but he becomes more of a mediocre tank rather than something particularly effective. Time your deployments well so that rage window lines up with the defenses you actually need to punch through.
Best Uses
Super Barbarians are at their best when funneling or clearing the outer ring of a base. They tend to pair well with Giants as tanks in front - the Giants soak up the defense fire while Super Barbarians do the actual damage. For farming, a squad of Super Barbarians can handle resource bases cleanly and efficiently.
One heads-up: don't place them inside a Siege Machine expecting that rage to activate. It won't. The rage only triggers on direct deployment.
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Barbarian King: The Big Guy Himself
The Barbarian King is essentially the Barbarian's final form. He is the biggest, toughest Barbarian alive, and his stats reflect this.
The Basics
Once the player reaches Town Hall 7 and builds a Hero Hall, the Barbarian King is the first Hero they unlock. Being essentially a beefed-up Barbarian, he only performs melee attacks and does not target flying units. He takes up no housing space and automatically regenerates health after a battle.
The King is a ground-attack hero. He's the frontline tank in most ground compositions - drop him on the side of the base you want to funnel through and use his abilities to lay waste.
Hero Equipment
The Barbarian King, like other heroes, can use two pieces of Hero Equipment to augment his abilities during a battle. These items can usually be upgraded through a Blacksmith.
Icon | Name | Effect |
|---|---|---|
 | Barbarian Puppet | Summons a horde of Barbarians (8 at Level 1, 44 at Level 18) and boosts the King’s health, speed, and damage. The summoned Barbarians’ Level is equal to the Player’s Barbarian Level. Unlocked alongside the Barbarian King. |
 | Rage Vial | The Barbarian King deals extra damage and recovers health significantly faster. Unlocked alongside the Barbarian King. |
 | Earthquake Boots | Allows the King to create an earthquake, destroying walls instantly and dealing significant damage to buildings. They are unlocked automatically once you have a Level 1 Blacksmith. |
 | Vampstache | The Barbarian King heals himself whenever he makes an attack - 60 per hit at Level 1, and 300 per hit at Level 12. It is unlocked once the player upgrades the Blacksmith to level 3. |
 | Giant Gauntlet | The Barbarian King becomes gigantic and now deals grounded splash damage in a huge radius when he attacks, takes less damage, deals more damage, and even benefits from a self-heal. Can be bought from the Trader for 1,500 Gems. |
 | Spiky Ball | Enables the Barbarian King to throw a spiked ball that ricochets across multiple buildings, damaging each one. The King receives additional DPS and hitpoints for the duration of the ability. It can be bought from the Trader for 1,500 Gems. |
 | Snake Bracelet | Summons snakes that are summoned to fight alongside the Barbarian King whenever he takes 300 damage. Much like the Gauntlet and the Ball, it is purchased from the Trader for 1,500 Gems. |
 | Stick Horse | Allows the Barbarian King to leap over walls. Compared to the rage vial, it actually provides roughly double the additional damage. It was part of the recent Wise Warriors event and should appear in the shop at some point. |
Many of these items synergize with each other quite nicely, so don’t be afraid to experiment a bit. Note that he does not use Hero Equipment while defending.
Upgrade Priority
At TH1 through TH6, yes - upgrade whenever you can, it's cheap and fast. Past TH8, though, your Lab probably has better things to do. Unless you’re relying on the Barbarian King’s Barbarian Puppet, you should focus on the units you’re really using instead.
The Super Barbarian changes the math a bit. Getting your Barbarian to level 8 to unlock the Super version is definitely worth it at TH11.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are Barbarians good in CoC?
A: In supporting roles, yes. As a primary attack force past TH7, not really — splash defenses shred them too fast. They shine in funneling, BARCH farming, and cleanup. The Super Barbarian is where the real value is at mid-to-high TH levels.
Q: What is the Super Barbarian in Clash of Clans?
A: The Super Barbarian is a boosted version of the regular Barbarian, available at TH11 once your Barbarian reaches level 8. He costs 25,000 Dark Elixir to activate for 3 days and comes with a built-in 8-second rage burst on deployment, making him significantly stronger than his base form.
Q: What is the Barbarian King's best equipment in CoC?
A: It depends, but the Spiky Ball and Giant Gauntlet are the strongest combination for most attack styles right now. The Spiky Ball deals heavy multi-building damage, while the Giant Gauntlet turns the King into a splash-damage tank.
Spiky Ball + Snake Bracelet is also a solid alternative for sustained survivability. If you’re focusing on building damage, Earthquake Boots and Spiky Ball are the play.
Q: How do you unlock the Barbarian King in Clash of Clans?
A: Reach Town Hall 7, build the Hero Hall, and the Barbarian King unlocks automatically. No Dark Elixir cost required — just the Hero Hall construction itself.
Conclusion
The Clash of Clans Barbarian has been in the game since day one - and despite every new troop that's been added over the years, he's never really gone anywhere. He's not going to carry your TH15 clan war attacks, but he's a solid utility unit: great for funneling, essential in BARCH farming, and the foundation of one of the best heroes in the game.
Get your Barbarians to level 8 for the Super Barbarian unlock, upgrade them early when it's cheap and fast, and use them strategically instead of just dropping them in bulk and hoping for the best. At the end of the day, that's the difference between treating the Barbarian as filler and actually getting value out of him.
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