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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 26 Oct 2026

For Root Rider: no balance change in the official notes reviewed (9 Jul balance, 30 Aug update).

Tank · official Fan Kit art

Root Rider

Troops

Breaks walls as she walks. Unlocks at Town Hall 15 (Barracks level 17).

RoleTankcontrolled vocabulary

Space20 housingcommunity wiki

TargetsDefensescommunity wiki

Unlock buildingBarracks level 17community wiki

Town Hall unlockTH15community wiki

Your level

—

Max at TH14lockedgame max 4 · wiki rows

Next upgradeLockedUnlocks at TH15 (Barracks).

Current maximumTown Hall 18official · no TH19 Source buildCommunity wiki · 15 Oct 2026level rows Last verified26 Oct 2026facts vs 30 Aug 2026 update Latest balance for this unitNot changed on 9 Jul 2026official balance notes SeasonPortal Panic, 1–31 Octofficial · temporary content separate

Start from a situation:

Your Town Hall

Show only levels available to me

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

Should I upgrade?

rule of thumb: 8% or more

Not available yet

Reach TH15 and build Barracks.

Impact: No change until the next Town Hall.

Armies affected while it upgrades

Root Rider + Giant pushstill usable (lab only blocks this research)

Root Rider + King and Healingstill usable (lab only blocks this research)

Compare two levels

DPS95105+11%

HP6,2006,350+2%

Cost to reach—15M

Time to reach—8d

Town HallTH15TH15

What each level gives1 of 4 levels · available at TH14

Level table: community wiki rows, read 15 Oct 2026 (https://clashofclans.fandom.com/wiki/Root_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 jobSoak defensive fire so the damage units can work.

DeployFirst, at the front of the push, before the damage units follow.

Bad atLittle damage of its own; single-target defenses that ramp up on high hitpoints.

TargetsDefenses

Space20 housing

✓ Farming✓ War✓ Ranked✓ Clan CastleBeginnerSupport

Armies that use it

Root Rider + Giant push

Learnable

TH15+WarMediumGroundNo hero

Root Rider ×3tank
Giant ×8tank
Healer ×2healer
Wall Breaker ×6wall opening

Why it's here: Giants draw the fire while Root Rider works behind them.

Sample composition · GamGem editorial · not a usage statistic

Root Rider + King and Healing

Optimal

TH15+WarHardGroundHeroes

Root Rider ×3tank
Barbarian King ×1tank
Healing Spell ×3healer

Why it's here: The King leads, Healing keeps the group alive, Root Rider does the work.

Sample composition · GamGem editorial · not a usage statistic

What stops it

community reference · mechanics, not usage stats

Direct counters

Inferno Tower · single-targetDamage ramps up on a single high-hitpoint target.Fails when: Inferno is frozen, or the unit is not what it locks onto.
Giant Bomb · trapWipes a clumped group in one blast.Fails when: Units are deployed in a line, not a clump.

Soft counters

Wizard Tower · splashSplash hits a whole group at once.Fails when: Units spread out or arrive behind a tank.
Clan Castle troops · defending troopsDefenders pull units off the buildings.Fails when: Defending troops are lured out and killed first.

Counterplay conditions

Walls · layoutGround melee units stop at walls.Fails when: Wall Breakers or a Jump Spell open the path.

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: —
New value: —
Source: Official balance notes

For your army: Root Rider is not in the 9 Jul 2026 change list, so guides written since the TH18 release still apply to its stats.

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: not in the changed list. [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: no official post since the 9 Jul 2026 balance update changes this unit; level rows follow the wiki.

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

Root Rider · Tank · 20 housing (GamGem)
TH14: level 0 / max locked
Use when: The push needs a wall of hitpoints in front
Avoid when: Bases with strong single-target defenses and no support behind the tank
Armies: Root Rider + Giant push; Root Rider + King and Healing
Counters: Inferno Tower, Giant Bomb, Wizard Tower
Balance: not changed 9 Jul 2026 · TH18 is the max