Hero Equipment and Ores in Clash of Clans: A Walkthrough Guide
Elias "Eli" Yilmaz
Hidden Gems & Retro Ports Reviewer
Published
Updated
6 min read
Hero Equipment fundamentally alters how Heroes operate in Clash of Clans. Prior to the introduction of the Blacksmith, a Hero’s active and passive abilities were tied directly to their overall Hero level. With the Hero Equipment system, abilities are separated into individual items that must be unlocked, equipped, and upgraded independently using a dedicated resource called Ores. This walkthrough explains how the Blacksmith works, how to manage the three Ore types, and how to structure an upgrade path for maximum combat efficiency.
Step 1: Unlocking the Blacksmith and Equipping Gear
The transition to using Hero Equipment begins at Town Hall 8, where players can construct the Blacksmith using Elixir.
Building Requirements
Once built, the Blacksmith serves as the management hub for all equipment and Ores. Upgrading the building unlocks additional Common equipment pieces and increases total Ore storage capacity. If a player collects Ores before building the Blacksmith—such as through event rewards or special shop deals—the Ores remain safely banked until the Blacksmith is constructed.
Equipping Gear on Heroes
Every Hero in the Home Village (Barbarian King, Archer Queen, Grand Warden, Royal Champion, and Minion Prince) can equip up to two pieces of equipment at the same time. Equipment modifies a Hero in two distinct ways: Active Abilities: Triggered manually during an attack (or automatically upon taking lethal damage), such as the Barbarian King’s Iron Fist or the Archer Queen’s Invisibility. Passive Abilities: Provide constant stat boosts throughout the battle, such as extra hitpoints, self-healing per second, increased movement speed, or area-of-effect damage on standard attacks. Players can switch equipped gear at any time through the Army Overview screen or directly within the Blacksmith menu prior to starting an attack.
Step 2: Equipment Rarities and Stat Impact
Hero Equipment is split into two primary rarity tiers: Common and Epic. The rarity determines how the item is acquired, its maximum upgrade level, and the types of Ores needed to upgrade it.
Common Equipment
Common Equipment includes standard items like the Giant Arrow, Rage Vial, and Earthquake Boots. How to Unlock: Default equipment is provided automatically as Heroes are unlocked, while additional pieces are unlocked by upgrading the Blacksmith. Maximum Level: Common Equipment caps at Level 18. Upgrade Costs: Upgrades require Shiny Ore for every level and Glowy Ore at key milestone levels.
Epic Equipment
Epic Equipment includes specialized gear like the Giant Gauntlet, Frozen Arrow, Fireball, and Spiky Ball. How to Unlock: Epic items are initially released through limited-time seasonal events. Players who miss an event can later purchase the item from the Trader for 1,500 Gems. Maximum Level: Epic Equipment caps at Level 27. Upgrade Costs: Upgrades require Shiny Ore for every level, Glowy Ore at milestone levels, and Starry Ore starting at Level 9 and above.
Step 3: Understanding the Three Ore Currencies
Upgrading equipment requires three distinct Ores. Unlike Gold, Elixir, or Dark Elixir, Ores cannot be stolen by enemy players during normal multiplayer raids.
Shiny Ore
Shiny Ore is the most common tier. It is required for every single level upgrade on both Common and Epic Equipment. Players generally accumulate Shiny Ore quickly, but high-level upgrades require several thousand pieces per level.
Glowy Ore
Glowy Ore is a rare tier used exclusively on milestone levels. For Common Equipment, Glowy Ore is required on every third upgrade level (Levels 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18). Because it is required less frequently but in strict amounts, Glowy Ore often becomes the primary bottleneck for players upgrading Common gear.
Starry Ore
Starry Ore is the rarest tier and is used exclusively for Epic Equipment upgrades. It becomes a requirement every three levels once an Epic item reaches Level 9. Because Starry Ore is unavailable from standard low-league daily bonuses, collecting enough of it requires targeting specific game modes.
Step 4: Farming Ores Efficiently
Because Ores cannot be raided from regular storages, players must rely on structured daily and weekly activities to maintain steady progress.
Maximizing Daily Star Bonuses
Completing the daily Star Bonus in the Home Village is the primary passive source of Shiny and Glowy Ore. The amount of Ore rewarded scales based on the player's current trophy league. Higher leagues yield significantly higher daily returns. For instance, a player in Legend League receives 1,100 Shiny Ore and 65 Glowy Ore per daily bonus, compared to 600 Shiny Ore and 37 Glowy Ore in Valkyrie League. Starting at higher leagues (such as Archer League 8 and above), the Star Bonus also rewards 1 to 2 Starry Ore daily. Temporary events that grant 2x or 4x Star Bonuses also multiply the Ore output, making league climbing extremely valuable.
Clan Wars and Clan War Leagues
Participating in Clan Wars is the most important method for accumulating Glowy and Starry Ore. War Win Bonuses: Successfully earning at least one star on an eligible enemy base grants Ore upon war completion. Winning the war awards 100% of the accumulated bonus, while losing awards 43%. Target Selection: Attacking higher Town Hall targets yields larger Ore rewards. Starry Ore is only rewarded when attacking enemy bases at Town Hall 10 or higher. Constant Warfare: Clans that run regular, back-to-back Clan Wars provide their members with a consistent income of Ores that far outpaces non-warring clans.
The Trader Shop and Raid Medals
The Trader Shop provides options to purchase Ores using weekly Raid Medals earned from Clan Capital weekend raids. Players can exchange Raid Medals for 500 Shiny Ore (350 Medals), 50 Glowy Ore (300 Medals), or 5 Starry Ore (350 Medals). Using Raid Medals for Glowy or Starry Ore is an effective way to resolve upgrade bottlenecks without spending Gems.
Step 5: Upgrade Priority and Threshold Strategy
Because Ores are scarce, spending them evenly across every piece of equipment dilutes player strength. A focused upgrade path yields far better results in battle.
Identifying Key Breakpoints
Equipment scaling is not always linear. Many pieces hit key operational thresholds at specific levels: Level 15 (Common): Grants most of the core stats for Common equipment while avoiding the steep Glowy Ore cost of Level 18. Level 18 (Epic): Reaches roughly 80–85% of an Epic item's potential for a fraction of the total Starry Ore required to hit Level 27. Ability Spikes: Spawner equipment (like the Healer Puppet or Barbarian Puppet) gains additional summoned units at specific level milestones (e.g., Level 15 or 18). Stopping at these breakpoints provides maximum efficiency before moving on to another item.
Priority Order for Allocating Ores
Select Two Main Sets: Choose two complementary equipment pieces for your most frequently used Heroes (e.g., Giant Gauntlet + Rage Vial for the Barbarian King, Eternal Tome + Healing Tome for the Grand Warden). Take Commons to Level 12 or 15: Bring core Common equipment up to Level 12 or 15 first to establish a solid stat base quickly. Invest in Key Epics to Level 18: Upgrade high-value Epic equipment to Level 18 to unlock major combat value before Starry Ore costs scale exponentially. Avoid Spreading Resources: Upgrading unused equipment leaves Heroes underpowered in competitive modes like Clan War Leagues.
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