Every figure shows its source. Where a source is missing, the number is a placeholder — and it is never written as fact.

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 26 Oct 2026

For Dragon Rider: changed in the 9 Jul 2026 balance update. Old guides may be out of date.

Dragon RiderDamage · official Fan Kit art

Dragon Rider

Troops

Flying unit that heads for defenses and explodes when it is defeated. Part of the Dragon-heavy armies the July update targeted.

RoleDamagecontrolled vocabulary
Space25 housingcommunity wiki
TargetsDefenses (air unit)community wiki
Unlock buildingBarracks level 15community wiki
Town Hall unlockTH13community wiki
Your level
3
Max at TH143game max 6 · wiki rows
Next upgradeMaxed for TH14Next level needs TH16.
Current maximumTown Hall 18official · no TH19Source buildCommunity wiki · 15 Oct 2026level rowsLast verified26 Oct 2026facts vs 30 Aug 2026 updateLatest balance for this unit9 Jul 2026 — changedofficial balance notesSeasonPortal Panic, 1–31 Octofficial · temporary content separate
Start from a situation:

Your Town Hall

TH18 is the current maximum. Greyed Town Halls are below this unit's unlock.

Should I upgrade?

rule of thumb: 8% or more
Nothing to upgrade at TH14

Your level is the cap for TH14. Next level needs TH16.

Impact: No change until the next Town Hall.

Armies affected while it upgrades
Dragon Rider air pushstill usable (lab only blocks this research)
Rider + Lava Hound tankstill usable (lab only blocks this research)

Compare two levels

vs
DPS370430+16%
HP4,4005,100+16%
Cost to reach7.5M14.5M
Time to reach6d9d
Town HallTH13TH16

What each level gives3 of 6 levels · available at TH14

Level table: community wiki rows, read 15 Oct 2026 (https://clashofclans.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Rider). Armies and counters further down are editorial.

LvlDPSHPCostTimeTHΔ DPS

▌ your level▌ next upgradegreyed = needs a higher Town Hallcost = elixir at the Laboratory

What it's for

community reference
Battlefield jobTake out defenses from the air in a group push.
DeployIn a line behind a tank or with healing support, after air defenses are weakened.
Bad atStrong air defense cores and Seeking Air Mines without support.
TargetsDefenses (air unit)
Space25 housing
Farming✓ War✓ RankedClan CastleBeginnerSupport

Armies that use it

Dragon Rider air push

Optimal
TH13+WarHardAirHeroes
  • Dragon RiderDragon Rider ×8damage
  • BalloonBalloon ×6damage
  • Rage SpellRage Spell ×3boost
  • Freeze SpellFreeze Spell ×3control

Why it's here: Riders remove defenses quickly; Freeze covers the air defenses during the push.

Sample composition · GamGem editorial · not a usage statistic

Rider + Lava Hound tank

Learnable
TH13+RankedMediumAirNo hero
  • Lava HoundLava Hound ×2tank
  • Dragon RiderDragon Rider ×7damage
  • Rage SpellRage Spell ×4boost

Why it's here: Hounds absorb air defense fire so Riders can work.

Sample composition · GamGem editorial · not a usage statistic

What stops it

community reference · mechanics, not usage stats

Direct counters

  • Air Defense · airHigh single-target damage to air units.Fails when: Air defenses are frozen or destroyed first.
  • Seeking Air Mine · trapHeavy burst on one flyer.Fails when: A tank triggers the mines first.

Soft counters

  • Air Sweeper · airPushes flyers back and slows them.Fails when: Riders approach from outside its arc.
  • Inferno Tower · single-targetSingle target ramps on high-hitpoint units.Fails when: Freeze or Invisibility covers it.

Counterplay conditions

  • Clan Castle troops · defending troopsAir-targeting defenders distract the push.Fails when: Defenders are lured out first.

Which bases it struggles on

Counter conditions: A counter works only when the target is inside its range and unsupported. Tap a base type for the condition built from the rows above.

splash / threatother buildingsair defense

What the last balance changed

Official notes · 9 Jul 2026
Date
9 Jul 2026
Old value
Not published as numbers
New value
A small hitpoints and damage reduction at the top level.
Source
Official balance notes

For your army: Dragon-based armies were trimmed from several directions at once. Armies built before 9 Jul may not perform as their guides describe.

The 9 Jul 2026 update changed Dragon Duke, Dragon Rider, Logger, Electro Dragon, Meteor Golem and Druid. Supercell's stated goal was to reduce Dragon-heavy TH18 armies: Dragon armies were roughly 20% of TH18-vs-TH18 war attacks, and Dragon plus Thrower-Healer armies roughly 40%.

Patch history (3 entries)
  • 15 Oct 2026Level table read from the Clash of Clans community wiki. [community]
  • 30 Aug 2026August update: no change to this unit listed in the release notes. [official]
  • 9 Jul 2026July balance update: A small hitpoints and damage reduction at the top level. [official]

Ask about this unit

Answers use only the rows on this page and cite them.

How much to trust this page

  • Town Hall maximum (TH18)official
  • Balance statusofficial
  • Unlock and spacecommunity wiki
  • Level tablecommunity wiki
  • Armieseditorial sample
  • Counterseditorial

Watchdog: guides dated before 9 Jul 2026 use pre-balance values for Dragon Rider.

Where sources disagree: None recorded. The level rows come from one source, the community wiki (15 Oct 2026); the official posts publish no per-level table to compare them with.

Community opinion (dated, not evidence): No dated community opinion is held for this unit.

Event check: No Portal Panic interaction recorded for this unit. Totem Thrower is temporary and separate.

Send to a teammate

Dragon Rider · Damage · 25 housing (GamGem)
TH14: level 3 / max 3
Use when: Air pushes after air defenses are weakened
Avoid when: Untouched air-defense cores
Armies: Dragon Rider air push; Rider + Lava Hound tank
Counters: Air Defense, Seeking Air Mine, Air Sweeper
Balance: changed 9 Jul 2026 · TH18 is the max

Sources

GamGem is an independent fan project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Supercell. Emblems are GamGem illustrations; official Fan Kit art appears only where Supercell publishes it, unchanged. Level rows come from the community wiki; sample armies and counters are editorial, not usage statistics. Facts last checked 26 Oct 2026: maximum Town Hall 18 · latest update 30 Aug 2026 · latest balance announcement 17 Oct 2026 · October season Portal Panic 1–31 Oct.