Clash of Clans Archers unit guide - top tips to maximize these deadly warriors

Archers are among the most popular units in Clash of Clans, and using them wisely can consistently provide victory, assuming you use them right. We're going to plow through five points that will improve your archer usage in Clash of Clans and win you trophies, elixir, and gold.

Be sure to read up on our other Clash of Clans tips, tricks, and cheats for more!

1. Budget smartly

Clan of Clan Archers

Archers have a very low training cost compared to the beefier units, but they are among the most expensive to upgrade at higher levels. Even if you have a healthy surplus of resources after amassing the troops to attack, make a point to squirrel away elixir so that you're always reaching for that big jump to level 6 archers. In the end, a little bit of diligence will pay off with some of the most versatile troops in Clash of Clans

2. Perimeter attack

Clan of Clan Archers

Archers are flimsy on their own, and susceptible to splash damage weapons, particularly mortars, since their shortest ranged attack is still within a mortar's minimum range. Before deploying your archers, make sure you have at least a few barbarians or giants on the field to soak up damage, then deploy your archers behind them in a line, not clumped together, in order to avoid splash attacks. Your archers will attack anything, and are a good choice to target any outlier structures, such as a Builder's Hut, and can even pick off buildings in the core base by staying just outside the range of nearby defensive structures.

3. Ask for archers

Clash of Clans archers

Ask your clanmates for archers to occupy your castle for an excellent defensive boost. These are the most common units you'll find in a clan castle because they're able to cover any blind spots and adapt to new angles of attack quickly. Hit up clan chat and make sure your castle always has a full complement of archers (and maybe one barbarian to keep interlopers busy).

4. Remember, you're farming

Clash of Clans archers

The traditional barcher strategy (mix of mostly archers with a screen of barbarians) isn't usually expected to earn 100% victories. What they're good for are rough but consistent 1-star victories. So keep in mind that gold and elixir stockpiles are your biggest targets if you're going to be rolling with an archer-heavy army. These structures will naturally be on the outside of a base anyway, with the primary defensive structures further towards the core. When picking your targets, find the ones with the largest resource rewards available.

5. Skip the walls

Clash of Clans archers

One of the key advantages to archers is that they shoot over walls. Most of the time you have to count on ground units to plow their way through walls first to start taking out defenses, or rely on expensive and often vulnerable flying units to go over walls. Archers are plentiful and can push the attack directly onto defensive structures before most ground units. As far as archers are concerned, forget that the walls are there. It won't take long after archers have taken down defensive structures behind a wall that other ground troops have punched a hole through to continue onwards.

Your top tips and tricks for using archers in Clash of Clans?

Those are some high level guidelines that should ensure that you're using archers effectively in Clash of Clans, but we're eager to hear what other veterans have to say about their experience with this versatile unit. Leave a comment and spread the wisdom!

Simon Sage

Editor-at-very-large at Mobile Nations, gamer, giant.