You finally hit Town Hall 13. You’ve spent months—maybe years—grinding through the Archer Queen’s teenage angst and the Barbarian King’s questionable pathing. Then, she appears. The Royal Champion. She doesn’t look like much at first, especially compared to the massive health pool of a high-level King, but don’t let the spear fool you. She’s a heat-seeking missile for defenses.
Most players treat her as an afterthought. They dump their Dark Elixir into the Queen first because, well, Queen Walks are iconic. But if you want to actually three-star at the higher levels, you have to master the Royal Champion. She is the closer. She’s the one who jumps over walls, ignores the Gold Storages, and snipes that single-target Inferno Tower that’s currently melting your main army.
Honestly, the learning curve is steep. If you deploy her too early, she dies in seconds. If you wait too long, your army is already gone, and she gets swarmed by Skeletons. It’s a delicate balance.
The Royal Champion: More Than Just a Spear Thrower
The Royal Champion (RC) is the fourth hero unlocked in Clash of Clans. She focuses exclusively on defensive buildings. This is her superpower and her greatest weakness. Unlike the King or Queen, who might get distracted by a stray Barracks or a Hero, the RC stays on target. She wants the cannons. She wants the X-Bows.
She hops over walls. This is huge. You don't need Jump Spells or Wall Breakers to get her into the core. She just glides. But because she targets defenses, she often ends up deep inside a base, isolated from the rest of your troops. This is usually where things go south for beginners.
Her base stats are actually quite fragile. At level 1, she’s got less health than a mid-level Valkyrie. You really start to feel her power once she hits level 20 and beyond. That’s when her DPS (Damage Per Second) starts to delete Archer Towers in just a few hits.
The Seeking Shield: The Ultimate "Panic Button"
Her ability is the Seeking Shield. When you trigger it, she throws her shield, and it ricochets between four different defensive structures. It does massive damage. At max levels, it can almost one-shot multiple defenses or finish off a cluster of weakened buildings.
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But here is what most people get wrong: they use it too late.
They wait until she has a sliver of health left. Sometimes that's fine, but if she’s being targeted by a Monolith or a Single-Target Inferno, that shield won't save her. The shield doesn't heal her nearly as much as the Queen's cloak or the King's gauntlet. It’s an offensive tool, not a defensive one. Use it to clear a path, not just to stay alive for two more seconds.
Hero Equipment: The Real Game Changer
The 2023/2024 updates completely flipped the script on how we use the Royal Champion. Before, you just had the shield. Now, you have Hero Equipment, and it changes everything.
- Royal Gem: This is basically mandatory for most players. It gives her a passive health regeneration boost and a big chunk of healing when she activates her ability. It makes her significantly less "squishy."
- Haste Vial: If you want to see her turn into a blender, this is the one. It increases her attack speed. Pair this with a Rage Spell, and she can gut the backend of a base before the opponent's Eagle Artillery even fires another shot.
- Hog Rider Puppet: This is the "chaos" option. It spawns a group of Hog Riders to distract defenses while she keeps throwing spears. It’s incredibly effective against single-target defenses that would otherwise lock onto her.
- Rocket Spear: This is a bit more niche. It gives her extra range and deals massive damage for the first few shots. It’s great for sniped-out specific threats like a Ricochet Cannon without her getting into its range.
Mixing and matching these is where the "skill expression" comes in. If you're doing a hybrid attack with actual Hog Riders, the Hog Rider Puppet is a natural fit. If you're doing a smash attack, the Haste Vial is usually better for pure raw power.
Why She Dies So Fast (And How to Stop It)
It’s the most frustrating thing in the game. You look away for one second to drop a Freeze Spell on the Town Hall, and you hear that "thud"—the Royal Champion is down.
She is a magnet for Seeking Air Mines if you use a Spirit Fox, but mostly, she’s a magnet for Skeleton Traps. Because she only targets defenses, she will completely ignore the little skeletons hacking away at her ankles. They will follow her across the entire map, slowly chipping away her health while she stubbornly tries to take down a Tesla.
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The Fix? The Spirit Fox.
If you are TH15 or higher, the Spirit Fox is her best friend. It turns her invisible every few seconds. This resets the target of every defense on her. It is, quite literally, the only reason she survives long enough to clear the backend of modern pro-style bases. Without the Fox, you have to be much more careful with your "pathing" and timing.
High-Level Strategy: The "RC Lure"
In high-level Clan War Leagues (CWL), pros often use the Royal Champion to "path" the rest of the army. If you have a weird L-shaped pathing problem, the RC can be dropped on a specific corner to trim the "fat" off the base.
Think of her as a scalpel. The King is a sledgehammer. The Queen is a sniper rifle. The Warden is the shield. The RC is the scalpel that cuts out the one specific piece of the base that would ruin your pathing.
Common Mistakes You’re Probably Making
Stop dropping her behind your main army.
I know, it feels safe. But if she’s behind a pack of Root Riders or Electro Titans, she’s not doing her job. She’ll get stuck behind them, her shield will hit things that are already about to die, and her value is wasted.
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Instead, send her in from a flank. Let the main army take the heat from the Town Hall and the Eagle Artillery. Once those big guns are busy, send the RC in from the side to take out the Scattershots or the Monolith. This is called "flanking," and it's the difference between a 70% two-star and a 100% three-star.
Another huge mistake: ignoring her levels.
People prioritize the Queen because they love the Queen Walk. I get it. But a low-level Royal Champion is almost useless. She needs those hitpoints. A level 10 RC at TH13 feels like a wet paper towel. Get her to level 20 as fast as possible. The power spike is massive.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Attack
To get the most out of your Royal Champion, stop treating her like a secondary unit. She is a win condition.
- Audit your Equipment: If you are still using the default setup and struggling, try the Haste Vial paired with the Royal Gem. The speed boost allows her to outrun the damage she’s taking.
- Time the Ability: Watch her health bar, but also watch the buildings. If she is about to hit a cluster of four defenses, pop the shield immediately, even if she has full health. Clearing those buildings faster means she takes less damage overall.
- The Skeleton Problem: Always carry a Poison Spell or have a couple of Poison Lizards/Headhunters nearby if you know the enemy has defensive CC or ground Skeletons. Don't let her die to a bunch of 1-HP bones.
- Pet Synergy: If you aren't at TH15 for the Spirit Fox, use Diggy. The stun effect Diggy provides on every building she hits is a lifesaver. It stops X-Bows from firing and gives her just enough time to get that second spear off.
The Royal Champion is the only hero that can single-handedly save a failing raid. When the rest of your troops are dead and there’s one defense left standing between you and a triple, she’s the one who jumps the wall and gets it done. Treat her right, feed her Dark Elixir, and she will carry you through the toughest bases in the game.