I am in the same boat as you. I agree that the splash should be done first. Since there are double upgrades at this level for your defense, it feels slow sometimes. I do my upgrades in waves. I have already finished mortars and WT and I am finishing the first round of AT and cannons. After those are complete, I will concentrate on Teslas and AD so I can complete my walls during that time (because it takes so long). While those are upgrading, I do one barrack at a time to get to level 10. I am ignoring dark troops at the moment because of the lack of DE. Those will be priority near the end of TH8 so I am ready to make the jump.
