TH10 Upgrade Priority 2026: What to Upgrade First
A TH10 upgrade order for 2026: lab and Hero Hall first, Inferno Towers placed on day one, then army camps and Miners, Bowlers or the Clone Spell.
The Short Version
Quick answer: At Town Hall 10, start the Laboratory and Hero Hall level 4 first, and place the two new Inferno Towers on day one. Then do the army camps, followed by the troop building your army needs: Barracks 12 for Miners, Dark Barracks 7 for Bowlers, or Spell Factory 5 for the Clone Spell.
That's the order in one paragraph. Offense comes first, because a stronger army farms every later upgrade faster.
The Inferno Towers are the one defense you shouldn't delay. The rest of this guide explains why, with every cost as of October 2026.
One timely note. Town Hall 10 is the lowest level allowed into the Totem Thrower mass event on October 7 and 8, per Supercell's October season post. Our Totem Thrower guide explains the troop.
What Town Hall 10 Unlocks
I pulled the Town Hall table from the community wiki and compared the Town Hall 9 and 10 rows. Here's what changes:
| Building | Town Hall 9 | Town Hall 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory | level 7 | level 8 |
| Inferno Tower | none | 2 towers, up to level 3 |
| Army Camp | level 7 | level 8 |
| Barracks | level 11 | level 12, Miner |
| Dark Barracks | level 6 | level 7, Bowler |
| Spell Factory | level 4 | level 5, Clone Spell |
| Dark Spell Factory | level 4 | level 5, Bat Spell |
| Blacksmith | level 2 | level 3, Vampstache and Metal Pants |
| Hero Hall | level 3 | level 4 |
| Walls | 250 at level 10 | 275 at level 11 |
You also get one more Cannon, Archer Tower, Bomb Tower and X-Bow.
That's a lot of new work for your builders. The order below sorts it by what changes your results fastest.
Laboratory First
The lab is the slowest queue you own, and it only runs one research at a time.
Laboratory level 8 opens the research levels for Town Hall 10. Until it's built, your army fights at Town Hall 9 strength.
Start it the day you arrive. After that, never let it sit empty.
Research your main attack first. If you farm with one army and war with another, pick the one you use most this month.
Keep the Lab Assistant busy too if you've unlocked him at the Helper Hut.
An idle lab day can't be made up later.
Place the Inferno Towers on Day One
The Inferno Tower is the big new defense at Town Hall 10. You get two of them, and they go up to level 3.
Place both the moment you upgrade. A level 1 Inferno Tower still defends, and an empty plot does nothing.
They're also hard to attack around. An Inferno Tower can run in single target mode, which melts heroes and big tanks, or multi target mode, which spreads damage across a swarm.
That choice makes them hard to plan around. It's why attackers spend spells and Clone or Freeze effort just to deal with them.
So level them early. If you rush only one defense at Town Hall 10, make it these two.
Army Camps Add Space to Every Attack
Army Camp level 8 sounds boring. It isn't.
Every camp you upgrade adds housing space to every attack you make from then on. A defense upgrade helps only when someone attacks you. A camp helps in every battle you start.
That's why camps sit right after the lab.
Upgrade them one at a time, so you never lose too much space while they're under construction. Losing a whole camp's space during war week costs more than the upgrade saves.
Once the camps are done, look at your troop buildings. Only one of them matters right away, and it depends on how you attack.
Miners, Bowlers or Clone
Town Hall 10 offers three new tools. Build the one your army uses first.
The wiki lists these costs:
| Upgrade | Unlocks | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barracks 12 | Miner | 3,700,000 Elixir | 4 days |
| Dark Barracks 7 | Bowler | 4,000,000 Elixir | 5 days |
| Spell Factory 5 | Clone Spell | 2,000,000 Elixir | 3 days |
| Dark Spell Factory 5 | Bat Spell | 2,500,000 Elixir | 5 days |
Miners burrow under walls, so walls don't slow them. Bowlers throw boulders that bounce through a second target. The Clone Spell copies the troops inside it, so it's a core spell in many air armies. Our Clone Spell guide shows the placements.
If you don't know which army you'll run, take the Clone Spell. It's the cheapest of the three, and it works with almost any air attack.
The Blacksmith and Your Equipment Caps
Blacksmith level 3 does two things at Town Hall 10.
It unlocks two new pieces of equipment, Vampstache for the Barbarian King and Metal Pants for the Minion Prince. It also raises the equipment caps to level 12 for common pieces and level 15 for epic ones.
The wiki lists the build at 2,300,000 Gold and 2 days. That's cheap for what it opens.
Ore is the real limit here, not the building. Spend it on the two or three pieces you bring into every attack. Our hero equipment tier list ranks the pieces worth leveling first.
A half leveled piece you never equip is ore you'll wish you had back.
Hero Hall Level 4 Raises Your Hero Caps
Hero Hall level 4 doesn't unlock a new hero. The Grand Warden waits until Town Hall 11.
It still belongs near the top of the list. I checked Supercell's Town Hall 17 update notes, which introduced the Hero Hall. They say maximum hero levels depend on the level of the Hero Hall.
So until it's built, your heroes stay stuck at their old caps. Every day it waits is a day of hero levels you can't start.
The wiki lists Hero Hall 4 at 2,500,000 Elixir and 4 days.
There's a second reason to do it early. The wiki's Town Hall page says that from Town Hall 8 up, the Hero Hall must be at its max level before the Town Hall can be upgraded. You'll need it anyway.
Once it's done, keep your heroes upgrading the whole time. Hero levels are the longest grind in the game.
The Rest of the Defense Order
After the Inferno Towers, upgrade by damage.
X-Bows come next. You get a third one, and they now reach level 4. They cover a wide area, and you can set them to hit ground only or air and ground.
Then the splash and air defenses. Wizard Towers go to level 9, Air Defenses to level 8, and you get a second Bomb Tower.
Cannons and Archer Towers come last. Both reach level 13, and you get one more of each. They're single target and you own many, so each upgrade moves your defense a little.
Place every new building right away. Then use spare builders on cheap upgrades so none of them sits idle.
Traps Fill the Gaps
Town Hall 10 adds more traps and more trap levels.
You get one more Air Bomb, Giant Bomb, Seeking Air Mine and Skeleton Trap. Bombs reach level 7, Spring Traps level 5, and Giant Bombs level 4.
Traps are quick and cheap. That makes them perfect for a builder that frees up when nothing big is ready.
Don't plan a whole week around them, though. A trap level rarely decides a war attack the way an Inferno Tower does.
One habit pays off here. Rearm your traps after every defense, or they'll sit empty the next time someone attacks.
Walls at Town Hall 10
You get 25 more wall pieces, for 275 in total, and walls can now reach level 11.
Walls are where spare loot goes. When every builder is busy and your storages are close to full, put the extra into walls before it overflows.
Wall Rings help most here. They upgrade a piece without a builder, so save them for levels you'd struggle to afford.
Don't let walls jump the queue, though. Higher walls never make up for an idle lab or a missing Inferno Tower.
If you want a layout that uses the new pieces well, the base library has current Town Hall 10 layouts with copy links.
When to Move to Town Hall 11
Not until your heroes and main army are close to Town Hall 10's caps.
The hard rules are simple. Every building must be placed, and the Hero Hall must be at level 4.
The soft rule matters more. Your heroes arrive at Town Hall 11 at the level they left with. Any gap you carry up gets bigger against stronger bases.
Defenses can lag a little. Offense shouldn't.
When you're ready, our TH11 upgrade priority guide picks up from here, starting with the Grand Warden.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I upgrade first at Town Hall 10?
Start the Laboratory and Hero Hall level 4, and place both Inferno Towers right away. Then upgrade the army camps. After that, build the troop building your army needs, Barracks 12, Dark Barracks 7 or Spell Factory 5.
Should I rush Inferno Towers at Town Hall 10?
Yes, they're the defense to level first. You get two, and they reach level 3. They can switch between single and multi target modes, which makes them hard to attack around. Want to see where strong players put them? Find any base from a screenshot and study its Inferno spots.
Is the Clone Spell worth it at Town Hall 10?
It's a strong pick if you attack with air or a Queen Charge. Spell Factory 5 costs 2,000,000 Elixir and takes 3 days, the cheapest of the new army upgrades.
What does Hero Hall level 4 unlock?
It doesn't unlock a new hero, but it raises how high your heroes can level, because Supercell ties hero caps to the Hero Hall. You also need it at max before you can upgrade to Town Hall 11. Build it right after the lab.
When should I upgrade to Town Hall 11?
Move up when your heroes and main attack troops are near max for Town Hall 10. Place every building and finish Hero Hall 4 first. Rushing leaves you with a weak army against stronger bases.