Quick answer: the best hero equipment in Clash of Clans right now is Action Figure and Magic Mirror on the Archer Queen, Spiky Ball and Earthquake Boots on the Barbarian King, Fireball and Rage Gem on the Grand Warden, Electro Boots and Seeking Shield on the Royal Champion, Dark Crown and Dark Orb on the Minion Prince and Fire Heart on the Dragon Duke. Spend ore on the Queen's and King's pieces first.
Below: a tier list of every piece, the best pair for each of the six heroes, what to upgrade first with each ore, and what changes by Town Hall. Everything here is about the equipment you can actually run, with a link to armies that use it.
Updated September 2026. Check the in-game Blacksmith for your own levels: equipment and its balance change with updates.
Hero equipment tier list
Ranked by how much each piece changes an attack at high Town Halls, across the armies most players run. A piece one tier lower that fits your army is still a better pick than a top-tier piece that does not.
| Tier | Equipment | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| SS |       Action Figure, Spiky Ball, Electro Boots, Fireball, Magic Mirror, Dark Orb |
Game-changing. Max these first. |
| S |        Earthquake Boots, Dark Crown, Rage Gem, Fire Heart, Seeking Shield, Giant Gauntlet, Eternal Tome |
Excellent in most armies. |
| A |          Rocket Spear, Frozen Arrow, Snake Bracelet, Heroic Torch, Flame Blower, Stun Blaster, Haste Vial, Giant Arrow, Healer Puppet |
Strong in the right army. |
| B |           Vampstache, Rage Vial, Invisibility Vial, Hog Rider Puppet, Frost Flake, Meteor Staff, Henchmen Puppet, Lavaloon Puppet, Life Gem, Healing Tome |
Situational, or a stopgap until you own better. |
| C |      Barbarian Puppet, Archer Puppet, Royal Gem, Metal Pants, Noble Iron |
Starter gear. Replace when you can. |
Best equipment for each hero
Every hero carries two pieces. These are the pairs to aim for, with the best alternative if you do not own one yet:
| Hero | First piece | Second piece | Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
 Archer Queen |
Action Figure |
Magic Mirror |
Frozen Arrow or Giant Arrow |
 Barbarian King |
Spiky Ball |
Earthquake Boots |
Giant Gauntlet |
 Grand Warden |
Fireball |
Rage Gem |
Eternal Tome |
 Royal Champion |
Electro Boots |
Seeking Shield |
Rocket Spear |
 Minion Prince |
Dark Crown |
Dark Orb |
Henchmen Puppet |
 Dragon Duke |
Fire Heart |
Flame Blower |
Stun Blaster |
Archer Queen: Action Figure + Magic Mirror
Action Figure is the strongest piece in the game right now: it turns the Queen into the anchor of almost any army. Magic Mirror adds copies of her that keep the pressure on while she walks. If you do not own either yet, Giant Arrow is the best common piece to level in the meantime.
Barbarian King: Spiky Ball + Earthquake Boots
Spiky Ball gives the King the most damage, hitpoints and reach of any of his options. Earthquake Boots open walls around him so he keeps moving instead of getting stuck. Giant Gauntlet is the alternative when you want him to tank for a big group of troops.
Grand Warden: Fireball + Rage Gem
Fireball deletes a key defence at the moment you choose, which is why it sits at the top of every list. Rage Gem speeds up the troops around him. Keep Eternal Tome levelled too: in war, its invincibility still saves more attacks than any other Warden piece.
Royal Champion: Electro Boots + Seeking Shield
Electro Boots let her damage everything she passes, and Seeking Shield clears defences from range with her ability. Rocket Spear is the pick when you want her to go deep and take out a line of buildings.
Minion Prince: Dark Crown + Dark Orb
Dark Crown makes him stronger as the attack goes on, and Dark Orb adds the damage that makes him worth a hero slot. Henchmen Puppet is the common piece to level until you own both.
Dragon Duke: Fire Heart + Flame Blower
Fire Heart is his core piece. Pair it with Flame Blower for raw damage, or with Stun Blaster when you want to stop a defence at the key moment. He is the newest hero, so his picks are the most likely to change as more equipment arrives.
What to upgrade first with ore
Ore is the real limit on hero equipment. The Blacksmith upgrades each piece with three kinds:
- Shiny Ore — the common one, used on every level of every piece.
- Glowy Ore — needed at the milestone levels, and the one that runs out first for most players.
- Starry Ore — the rare one, used only by epic equipment.
Spend it in this order:
- Your Queen's main piece (Action Figure, or Giant Arrow until you own it). She leads most attacks, so every level shows.
- Your King's main piece (Spiky Ball, or Earthquake Boots).
- Warden: Fireball or Eternal Tome, whichever your war army uses.
- Royal Champion: Electro Boots.
- The second piece of your Queen and King.
- Minion Prince and Dragon Duke, if they are in your main army.
The rule that saves the most ore: level the pieces you use in your main army, not everything you own. Starry Ore in particular should go only into epics you run every war. A new epic piece usually arrives with an event, so keep some ore in reserve instead of spending it all on a piece you might replace.
Best hero equipment by Town Hall
| Town Hall | Focus |
|---|---|
| TH8 to TH12 | Level the commons you have: Giant Arrow, Earthquake Boots, Eternal Tome. Epics are worth equipping as soon as you get them, but you will not max them yet. |
| TH13 to TH14 | Your first epics: Spiky Ball or Action Figure go straight to the top of the ore list. Royal Champion arrives: start Seeking Shield. |
| TH15 to TH16 | The full SS set for Queen, King and Warden. Add Electro Boots and push the second pieces. |
| TH17 to TH18 | Everything above, plus the Minion Prince and Dragon Duke pieces if they are in your army. See the TH17 upgrade priority guide for how equipment fits the rest of your upgrades. |
Common or epic: which to level
Epic equipment is stronger at the same level, but it costs Starry Ore and you only get it from events and the store. A levelled common piece often beats an epic you cannot afford to upgrade. As a rule:
- Get an epic to a useful level before you rely on it in war.
- Keep one levelled common piece per hero as a backup: Giant Arrow, Earthquake Boots, Eternal Tome, Seeking Shield.
- Never spend Starry Ore on an epic you do not run.
Armies that use these loadouts
Equipment only matters inside an army. Browse the Town Hall 17 and Town Hall 16 armies on ClashBuilder, or build your own in the Army Builder, which lets you pick each hero's equipment and pet and checks the whole army fits. Then protect what you are upgrading with a base for your Town Hall.
