TH9 is an exciting Town Hall level that unlocks the Archer Queen and X-Bow. As a new TH9 player, you might wonder what to upgrade first. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with this upgrade priority guide for Town Hall 9.
By following this guide, you’ll know the best order to upgrade your base and speed up your progress. If you’re looking to upgrade your base efficiently, an upgrade priority guide is your best friend.
It helps you determine the correct order to upgrade your buildings, and for all my priority guides, offensive buildings are the starting point.
Prioritizing your offense is crucial for your base’s success. Certain buildings take lead over others due to their statistics, which is why it’s important to follow a well-researched upgrade order.
This guide has the following purpose:
- To help you speed things up as a new TH9.
- To help you in upgrading important buildings first.
Note: We will consider that you have five builders as most players have the fifth builder at TH9. You can still follow the guide if you don’t have the fifth builder.
Getting the new buildings (Two Builders)
You get the following new buildings after upgrading your TH9:
- 2x X-Bows
- 1x Archer Queen
- 1x Elixir Collector
- 1x Elixir Storage
- 1x Gold Mine
- 1x Gold Storage
- 1x Archer Tower
- 25x Walls
- 1x Wizard Tower
- 1x Air Defense
- 1x Hidden Tesla
- 1x Dark Elixir Drill
- 1x Air Sweeper
- 1x Giant Bomb
- 2x Seeking Air Mines
That’s a big list of new buildings, so it’s recommended to use two builders on all of these buildings and make them the same level as the older buildings.
One of the first things you should do as a new TH9 player is to build the Archer Queen. You’ll receive a special 5-day boost that will increase her level to 6, so take advantage of this bonus and get her up and running right away.
Once the boost ends, it’s recommended that you prioritize upgrading the Archer Queen to level 5.
Laboratory
As a TH9 player, upgrading your Laboratory to level 7 should be one of your top priorities. The Laboratory is a critical building because it enables you to upgrade your troops, making them stronger and more effective in battle.
Upgrading your troops is essential for taking down other TH9 bases and achieving three-star victories.
Laboratory to level 7 upgrade cost: 800,000 Elixirs
Laboratory to level 7 upgrade time: 1 day
Clan Castle
A level 5 Clan Castle can hold up to 30 troops, which means you can now request powerful units like the Golem, Lava Hound, and Electro Dragon. These troops can make a huge difference in the outcome of your attacks and give you a significant advantage over your opponents.
Clan Castle troops play a major role in both defense and offense. You can’t launch an effective attack without first considering the enemy Clan Castle troops.
Therefore, upgrading your Clan Castle should always be a high priority due to its many perks. Make sure to invest time and effort into upgrading your Clan Castle whenever you advance to a new Town Hall level.
Clan Castle to level 5 upgrade cost: 2,500,000 Elixirs
Clan Castle to level 5 upgrade time: 2 day
Army Camps
At TH9, upgrading your Army Camps to level 7 is necessary. Doing so will increase your total troop housing capacity to 220, which means you can hold a larger army.
To make the most of this upgrade, it’s recommended that you assign as many builders as possible to upgrade your Army Camps. This will ensure that the upgrade is completed quickly and you can start using the extra housing space as soon as possible.
Having an additional housing space of 20 can make a huge difference in your ability to take on other TH9 players. A fully upgraded TH9 base can be challenging to attack if you lack the necessary troop housing space.
Army Camp to level 7 upgrade cost: 1,500,000 Elixirs
Army Camp to level 7 upgrade time: 2 days
Dark Elixir Storage
At TH9, your Dark Elixir storage gets two new levels, increasing its total capacity to 180,000. This is a significant upgrade because Dark Elixir is essential for upgrading your heroes, dark troops, and spells.
As you progress through TH9, you’ll need to store more and more Dark Elixir, making Dark Elixir storage a high-priority upgrade.
Without adequate Dark Elixir storage, you won’t be able to upgrade your heroes and dark troops efficiently.
Upgrading your Dark Elixir storage will enable you to store a significant amount of Dark Elixir, ensuring that you have enough resources to upgrade your heroes and troops whenever you need to.
| Level | Upgrade Cost | Upgrade Time |
| 5 | 2,000,000 | 2 days |
| 6 | 3,000,000 | 3 days |
Barracks
Upgrading your Barracks to level 9 at TH9 unlocks the Baby Dragon, a powerful flying unit that can be used in a variety of attack strategies. Baby Dragons are particularly effective for creating funnels for Queen Charge attacks.
When used correctly, Baby Dragons can be a powerful addition to your army. They perform best when left to their own, as they can become enraged when left alone.
Barracks to level 11 upgrade cost: 2,600,000 Elixirs
Barracks to level 11 upgrade time: 4 days
Dark Barracks
Upgrading your Dark Barracks at TH9 will unlock two powerful troops: the Witch and the Lava Hound. These troops are essential for any TH9 player looking to dominate well-designed bases.
The Witch is a good addition to your army, as her unique attack style can help you achieve 3-star victories against even the most carefully designed war bases.
With the Witch by your side, you’ll be able to improve the effectiveness of your current attack strategies and develop new, even more powerful attack combinations.
The second upgrade to your Dark Barracks will give you access to the Lava Hound. This popular dark troop is a staple of air attack strategies, which are highly effective for 3-starring other TH9 bases.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Elixirs) | Upgrade Time |
| 5 | 2,200,000 | 3 days, 12 hours |
| 6 | 2,900,000 | 4 days, 12 hours |
Spell Factory
At TH9, upgrading your Spell Factory to level 4 is important for any attacking strategy. With the Jump Spell, you can now bypass walls and enter the heart of the enemy’s base.
This spell is especially useful in ground-based attacks, allowing your heroes and troops to jump over walls that would have otherwise blocked their path.
The Freeze Spell is another must-have for any serious attacker. It can be used to temporarily freeze enemy defenses, Clan Castle troops, or heroes. Upgrade your Spell Factory to level 4 as soon as possible to unlock these two powerful spells.
Spell Factory to level 4 upgrade cost: 1,200,000 Elixirs
Spell Factory to level 4 upgrade time: 3 days, 12 hours
Dark Spell Factory
Your Dark Spell Factory gets two new levels at TH9, giving you access to Haste and Skeleton Spell. Haste Spell can prove itself useful in LavaLoon attacks. Haste Spell can be used to speed up troops that have a slow speed like Balloons.
The Skeleton Spell can spawn Skeletons that can be used as a distraction for enemy heroes or defenses.
Sometimes depending on the placement of heroes, you can use the Skeleton Spell to kill heroes at the start of the battle.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Elixirs) | Upgrade Time |
| 3 | 600,000 | 2 days |
| 4 | 1,200,000 | 4 days |
Archer Queen
If you followed the guide, your Archer Queen would be level 5 by now, as mentioned at the start of the article. We need to get her to level 30 now.
Well-upgraded Archer Queen is extremely necessary at TH9. Otherwise, you will have a hard time attacking well-designed and maxed-out TH9 bases.
A high-level Archer Queen can easily create a good funnel for other troops by coupling her up with a few Healers. The famous Queen Walk strategy is fun and necessary to learn because it is used at every Town Hall level.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Dark Elixir) | Upgrade Time |
| 6 | 16,000 | 12 hours |
| 7 | 17,000 | 14 hours |
| 8 | 18,000 | 16 hours |
| 9 | 19,000 | 18 hours |
| 10 | 20,000 | 20 hours |
| 11 | 22,000 | 22 hours |
| 12 | 24,000 | 1 day |
| 13 | 26,000 | 1 day, 8 hours |
| 14 | 28,000 | 1 day, 16 hours |
| 15 | 30,000 | 2 days |
| 16 | 32,000 | 2 days |
| 17 | 34,000 | 2 days |
| 18 | 36,000 | 2 days |
| 19 | 38,000 | 2 days |
| 20 | 40,000 | 2 days,12 hours |
| 21 | 42,000 | 2 days,12 hours |
| 22 | 44,000 | 2 days,12 hours |
| 23 | 46,000 | 2 days,12 hours |
| 24 | 48,000 | 2 days,12 hours |
| 25 | 50,000 | 3 days |
| 26 | 52,000 | 3 days |
| 27 | 54,000 | 3 days |
| 28 | 56,000 | 3 days |
| 29 | 58,000 | 3 days |
| 30 | 60,000 | 4 days |
Barbarian King
If you max out your TH8, you will have a level 10 Barbarian King. We get 20 new levels on Barbarian King as a TH9. We need to take him to level 30 to get better with our war attacks.
A level 30 Barbarian King is an absolute menace for enemy defenses and takes a lot of firepower to kill.
It is highly recommended to upgrade Archer Queen and Barbarian King together. It might look hard, but it isn’t.
Make an attack or two whenever you have free time, and you will have plenty of Dark Elixir to fund both of your heroes.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Dark Elixirs) | Upgrade Time |
| 11 | 17,000 | 22 hours |
| 12 | 19,000 | 1 day |
| 13 | 21,000 | 1 day, 8 hours |
| 14 | 23,000 | 1 day, 16 hours |
| 15 | 25,000 | 2 days |
| 16 | 27,000 | 2 days |
| 17 | 29,000 | 2 days |
| 18 | 31,000 | 2 days |
| 19 | 33,000 | 2 days |
| 20 | 35,000 | 2 days, 12 hours |
| 21 | 37,000 | 2 days, 12 hours |
| 22 | 39,000 | 2 days, 12 hours |
| 23 | 41,000 | 2 days, 12 hours |
| 24 | 43,000 | 2 days, 12 hours |
| 25 | 45,000 | 3 days |
| 26 | 47,000 | 3 days |
| 27 | 49,000 | 3 days |
| 28 | 51,000 | 3 days |
| 29 | 53,000 | 3 days |
| 30 | 55,000 | 4 days |
X-Bows
X-Bows get unlocked at Town Hall 9 boosting your defense by a significant amount. If you follow the upgrade order properly, you will have level 1 X-Bows in your village built already.
Now it is time to take them to level 3. Level 3 X-Bow will make your village’s defense a lot stronger.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Gold) | Upgrade Time |
| 2 | 1,600,000 | 4 days |
| 3 | 2,400,000 | 5 days |
Air Defenses
Dragon and Lava Hound attacks are pretty common at TH9. Level 7 Air Defenses can help you in defending against these attacks.
Air Defense has high priority over other defense buildings because aerial attacks are extremely powerful and Air Defenses are your best chance against them.
Air Defense to level 7 upgrade cost: 1,750,000 Gold
Air Defense to level 7 upgrade time: 3 days
Air Sweepers
To effectively combat air attacks, you will also require well-upgraded Air Sweepers in addition to Air Defense. Put some effort into your Air Sweepers to defend better against air attacks.
Air Sweeper to level 5 upgrade cost: 2,000,000 Gold
Air Sweeper to level 5 upgrade time: 2 days
Archer Towers
Archer Towers are a good first line of defense against both air and ground units. They have the ability to target any type of troop with a very good range and high fire rate.
Archer Tower to level 11 upgrade cost: 1,200,000 Gold
Archer Tower to level 11 upgrade time: 1 day
Hidden Teslas
Hidden Teslas are traps that deal a fair amount of damage with their high fire rate. They can make a bunch of troops disappear in seconds.
Hidden Teslas can target both air and ground units giving them a higher priority than other defenses.
Hidden Tesla to level 7 upgrade cost: 1,800,000 Gold
Hidden Tesla to level 7 upgrade time: 3 days
Wizard Towers
The wizard on a Wizard Tower can target both air and ground units with splash damage making this defense a higher priority defense than other ground attacking defenses.
Wizard Tower to level 7 upgrade cost: 2,200,000 Gold
Wizard Tower to level 7 upgrade time: 2 days
Bomb Towers
Bomb Towers are an absolute nightmare for Hog Rider attacks. Put some effort into your Bomb Towers to defend against those Hog Riders.
Bomb Tower to level 3 upgrade cost: 1,800,000 Gold
Bomb Tower to level 3 upgrade time: 2 days
Cannons
Cannons can only target ground units with no special perks making them a lesser important defense building. However, you cannot ignore their part in defending your village against ground attacks.
Cannon to level 11 upgrade cost: 1,000,000 Gold
Cannon to level 11 upgrade time: 1 day
Mortars
Mortars are extremely effective against Witch attacks. Try placing your Mortars closer to walls to eliminate resource-stealing Goblins or Witch’s Skeletons.
Mortar to level 7 upgrade cost: 1,500,000 Gold
Mortar to level 7 upgrade time: 3 days
Dark Elixir Drills
Dark Elixir Drills can give a small amount of Dark Elixirs every hour. It won’t be much, but it’s free, so work on your Dark Elixir drills for a few extra Dark Elixirs.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Elixirs) | Upgrade Time |
| 4 | 1,200,000 | 3 days |
| 5 | 1,500,000 | 4 days, 12 hours |
| 6 | 1,800,000 | 8 days |
Traps
Traps can get rid of intruders in the blink of an eye. I would recommend starting with Seeking Air Mines and Air Bombs.
Walls
You will get two new levels of walls as TH9. The major function of the Walls is to delay advancing ground troops, allowing defenses to inflict damage and kill attackers as they try to break the Walls.
| Level | Upgrade Cost (Gold and Elixirs) | Upgrade Time |
| 9 | 100,000 | None |
| 10 | 200,000 | None |
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