The Clash of Clans community is criticizing Supercell for creating a meta that seems impossible for free-to-play players.
It is not often that we see mobile games stand strong through the ten-year mark, and we could easily say that Clash of Clans stood the test of time. Now well on its 12th year of dominance in the mobile game industry, the strategy game developed various meta-plays with fresh mechanics and seemingly endless possibilities.
Gone were the days when a Golem and Witch tandem would suffice – nowadays, demolishing enemy bases is all about your heroes, from your Barbarian King to your Grand Warden. Most of the new attack meta in Clash of Clans needs max-level heroes.
That is why a COC player took to Reddit to express their disapproval of the time-wasting nature of upgrading heroes. The meme states that players spend more time upgrading their heroes rather than playing them.
New Clash of Clans meta impossible for free-to-play
The game now has four heroes in total – the tanky Barbarian King, the all-time DPS Archer Queen, a support hero in Grand Warden, and the defense-destroying Royal Champion. The King and Queen can be leveled up to 75, the Grand Warden to 70, and the Royal Champion to 40.
These four heroes are crucial for the meta in higher Town Hall levels, with different hero-centered strategies like Archer Queen Walk and its variations dominating the best attacks tier list for Town Halls 11 and above.
However, it seems like the players are less than appeased by the time requirement of upgrading these heroes. By the time your Archer Queen reaches level 45, you need at least five days to upgrade it to the next level – which may be detrimental to your attacks and winning much-needed wars.
Clan Wars are also vital in upgrading your heroes. In the recently introduced Blacksmith building, players must win different ores obtainable as a Clan War bounty. The Blacksmith lets you hone Hero Equipment that significantly increases the power and longevity of your heroes in battle.
Given these factors, many players now consider it impossible to achieve the meta for players who wouldn’t want to open their wallets for the game. Some of the ways you could level up your heroes quickly are through Book of Heroes and Builder Potions – both obtainable through seasonal challenges and in-app purchases.
Some players also state that it doesn’t help that most Clash of Clans content creators on YouTube only share attack strategies with max-level heroes.
The time requirement for upgrading your heroes may turn off newer players, especially those catching up to players with years of experience and investment in Clash of Clans.
Do you think Supercell should have major quality-of-life upgrades for the hero levels, or is it a motivation for players to stay committed long-term to the game?