Noc’s BH7 Upgrade Guide

[Noctaire]

So - you made it to BH7. Awesome! That’s the latest and greatest, and it’s lots of fun.

But what do you do now that you made it here?

Never fear, I have here your upgrade guide!

Hopefully, you continued to play each day while the Builder Hall was upgrading and now your Gold and Elixir Storages are either at, or nearly at, capacity. If not, you may need to adjust the below to include some raids but the sequence should hold up.

Where you start your BH7 experience depends on whether or not you can pony up a few bucks for the level-up bonus pack.

A lot of players waffle on whether or not to buy the BH7 Bonus Pack. Take my word for it - it’s worth it, even if you’re a fairly casual player. This option gives you 2M Gold and Elixir, a Giant Cannon at level 4, and 2500 gems. It also saves you weeks of saving up resources to complete these builds/upgrades (8.6M gold for that level 4 Giant Cannon), not to mention the time required to build them, and gives you enough resources to immediately buy your fifth Army Camp, second Hidden Tesla, and third FireCrackers. You also become instantly competitive and will quickly rise through the trophy ranks, which means higher daily loot. For those who have limited resource storages - maybe you didn’t upgrade them to level 6 before you moved to BH7 - this option will also ensure you can get the fifth Army Camp and the Giant Cannon without having to wait a week or more to upgrade and gather resources for your storage upgrades, because it literally overfills your storages beyond their capacity, adding to whatever you already have in there.

The upgrade path stays pretty much the same after the initial buy, so we’ll start with a break out of the light gemmer who buys the Bonus Pack and the Free to Play (F2P) player who decides to not buy it.


Light Gemmer

If you are willing and able, now would be a good time to spend just a little money on your game and buy the BH7 Bonus Pack from the shop. This gives you 2M Gold and Elixir, and will overfill your storages; so if you had 2M in there already, now you’ll have 4M even though that’s more than the storages can hold. You’ll also get 2500 gems and a level 4 Giant Cannon.

Place the Giant Cannon on your base then go into the shop and buy everything else that is new (walls, FireCrackers, Hidden Tesla, Army Camp). You have enough gems that you can either gem the timers or wait them out. I suggest gemming them so you can get into full play mode. If you want to wait out the timers, buy everything in the order I mention in parentheses so you have the shortest wait times (0 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 2 days).

(Side note: Since you have the gems and the resources, now would be a good time to make the next jump - upgrade your Hidden Tesla and FireCrackers to level 4 and gem the timers, then hit the Star Laboratory with the remaining Elixir. I was able to do this with the 2500 gems and resources I had available; I think I may have run a couple of my 2 days’ worth of stacked attacks to cover any shortfalls.)

Move on to the “Everybody” section below.


Free to Play (F2P)

If you are a strict F2P player - or just plain ain’t got the cash - your path is the same...it’s just going to take you a bit longer to get there.

Upon completion of the BH7 upgrade, you need to start some upgrades so you can get to your fifth Army Camp. The fifth Army Camp is the most important of the new items in the shop to buy as it improves your attacking capabilities dramatically. As such, your first upgrade will be your Elixir Storages. You need one at level 6 and one at level 7. This will make your Elixir storage capacity 2.6M. As it upgrades, keep raiding to full and when it finishes, raid until at least 2.5M.

The initial buy path is pretty straightforward:

1. Elixir Storage upgrades - 1.5M Gold, 12 Hours
2. Army Camp - 2.5M Elixir, 2 Days
3. FireCrackers - 30K Gold, 15 Minutes
4. Hidden Tesla - 50K Gold, 30 Minutes
5. Giant Cannon - 2M Gold, 12 Hours

You can also get a jump start, defensively, by buying the FireCrackers and Hidden Tesla before running the storage upgrades. This will give you a slight edge defensively over BH6 players and some other F2P players.

Note: If you upgraded to BH7 without first upgrading your Elixir Storages to level 6, you will need to add time and resources to get the other storage to level 6 as well. Likewise, if your Gold Storages are not upgraded yet, you’ll have to upgrade one or both to be able to hold 2M Gold. These upgrades will require you to raid a few extra days to complete the initial buy path.


Everybody

Now you have everything new to BH7 on the game grid, including the Army Camp. At this point, you will be competitive with the typical, entry level BH7 player. The remainder of the upgrade path is basically the same with a caveat for rushers vs near-masers.

1. Bring everything to the same level across the game.
   
   • If you near-maxed your BH6 game, you now have a level 1 Hidden Tesla and a level 1 FireCrackers sitting next to your level 6 units. If you rushed, you have a similar situation. Bring them up to the same level as your existing defensive structures. Do the same for the 4 new wall pieces if you like.
   
   
2. Save your Elixir to upgrade the Star Laboratory.
   
   • The Star Laboratory is a high priority upgrade - you want to be able to put your Elixir into upgrading your key troops. Start saving now for this upgrade and, as soon as you have the 2M elixir, start the 2 day upgrade.

The next step in the upgrade process depends upon where you were when you moved to BH7. Although many of us near-maxed BH6 while waiting for BH7 to be released, most players are rushers and a lot of players did not start with the game upon its initial release. As such, you’ll want to work your structures to a point that makes them the most competitive for BH7.

Resource collectors (Gold Mine/Elixir Collector), traps, and mines (including the MegaMine) are inexpensive upgrades you can nestle between longer upgrades while gathering the resources required for the bigger upgrades. I particularly like getting my resource collectors done early on so I can reap the benefits of the 150K or so in Gold/Elixir they generate each day. Stronger traps and mines will also exert more damage on enemy attack squads. You may also find it worthwhile to slot your last two storage upgrades in between defense upgrades as well. (Many players on the official forums have said they were going to finish off storages and collectors right away, before any other upgrades.)

Here’s my general upgrade path of defensive structures….

Defensive Structure Upgrade Path

(The original upgrade path had the MM first in the line up, followed by the Roaster. Over time, the meta has changed so I’m updating this to put the Roaster first.)

1. Roaster to level 7 - The Roaster is strong against both air and ground attacks. Level 7 gains 240 HP and causes right about 10% more damage. One swipe can take down a level 14 Raged Barbarian.
2. MultiMortar to level 7 - The level 6 MultiMortar was able to take out a level 12 Sneaky Archer in a single volley; it takes another hit to kill the level 14 Sneaky Archer.
3. FireCrackers to level 7 - Air attacks are still strong at BH7, even though the meta currently favors ground attacks. Having THREE FireCrackers is a boon to your air defenses…the increased DPS and HP of the level 7 FireCrackers is even better.
4. Hidden Teslas to level 7 - The level 7 Hidden Tesla gets a solid boost in damage and HP for 2.1M gold and 2 days of upgrade time. it’s ability to attack both ground and air with swift speed makes it a solid defense.
5. Double Cannons to level 7 - The Double Canon is the bane of the Battle Machine’s existence and is hard on other troops approaching the BH as well.
6. Giant Cannon to level 4 - If you bought the BH7 Bonus Pack, you’re already done with this one and can move on. If you’re F2P, now is the time to upgrade the Giant Cannon. You have enough strength in your previously upgraded, ground targeting defenses to sustain your base through the Giant Cannon upgrades. This is a good time to also work on those traps and mines as it will take 3-4 days to save up for each upgrade.
7. AirBombs to level 7 - AirBombs receive an impressive boost to their damage and hitpoints. As the BH7 meta progresses, these become more important to defending against level 14 air troops. By the time you reach this point in the upgrade stream, you’ll also likely be encountering more air attacks and need the additional defense.
8. Archer Towers to level 7 - The Archer Tower is another air/ground targeting defense. The level 7 rendition enjoys about a 10% boost in overall damage and HP.
9. Crushers to level 7 - Crushers are always tough on ground troops, but they only get a small bump in damage and HP between level 6 and level 7. Although this is still a worthwhile bump, it’s not enough to put them ahead of other defenses that become more capable at BH7. Level 6 will do fine for a while.
10. Cannons to level 7 - The level 7 improvements for the Cannon mirrors that of the Archer Tower. It’s ground only, so it comes in closer to the end of the upgrade path.
11. Giant Cannon to level 7 - The Giant Cannon is formidable enough at level 4 to stay there while you work through the other defenses; now is the time to get the rest of its power behind you.
12. Guard Post to level 7 - The Guard Post is always at the end of my upgrade paths. The level 7 GP adds one more Barbarian and bumps the troop levels to 14 from their previous level 12. This will cause more grief for attacking troops that are drawn away from the path the attacker WANTS them to travel, but not enough of a difference to warrant completing the upgrade earlier.

Now…if you rushed to BH7, you’ll need to make some adjustments to this upgrade path. I suggest picking the level at which most of your defenses reside, and getting them all to at least that level, then growing from there. Another way of looking at it is to first get everything to level 4, then bring everything to level 5, then to level 6, then to level 7, using the above upgrade path for each set and simply skipping things that are already at the level you’re working towards.

For example - let’s say you have everything to at least level 4, except for your MultiMortar, Crushers, Roaster, and AirBombs which are all lower and your FireCrackers which are already level 5. Upgrade the 5 defenses to level 4 starting first with the MultiMortar, then the Roaster, then the AirBombs, then the two Crushers. That gives you a solid baseline. Follow the above listed upgrade path to bring everything to level 5 but skip the FireCrackers because they’re already there. Next, follow the path to bring it all to level 6, then to level 7.

Next up is offense....

Troop Upgrade Path

First and foremost - make sure you’re running at least a level 5 Battle Machine. If you have something less, then your first priority needs to be upgrading the Battle Machine to level 5. Next, find a place to fit in the Star Laboratory upgrade. This can be early on (especially if you bought the BH7 Bonus Pack) or as you begin your troop upgrades. I usually make it one of my first upgrades, typically after I’ve completed a 2 or 3 day Gold-based upgrade and am still gathering gold for the next big defense structure upgrade.

Second and most important of the troops - upgrade your key attack. Everyone has one attack that they’re really good at and they use a lot. This is the first thing you want to upgrade to level 14. (Obviously - skip that troop/troops in the following list.)

Here’s the general order I recommend:

1. Raged Barbarians to level 14 - Whether it’s Bombarian or Barb Rush, RBs are a big favorite in the game. At level 14, they’re not only strong but you get 100 of them. If you haven’t perfected your ground game, now is the time to do so.
2. Beta Minions to level 14 - The air attack continues to improve within the meta and strong air attackers do very well. The Beta Minion is easily the most versatile air attacking troop in the game and a 5 shot Long Shot ability means a big group can do a lot of damage fast to kick off your attack.
3. Night Witches to level 14 - The Night Witch really came into her own at level 12; she’s even more of a powerhouse at level 14 with the quicker Bat spawn and additional DPS/HP.
4. Boxer Giant to level 14 - The Giant is the tank of the ground attack and he continues to improve at level 14.
5. Battle Machine - At this point, it’s time to start alternating the Battle Machine with other troop upgrades. I recommend literally doing one Battle Machine upgrade followed by one troop upgrade, back to the Battle Machine, and so forth.
6. Sneaky Archer - The Sneaky Archer gets a bump to 10 units per camp at level 14 and a slight increase in damage/hitpoints at level 13.
7. Drop Ship to level 14 - This one is a long haul. The Drop Ship is new at BH7 but it’s a worthy troop to have in your arsenal. It’s as much a tank for air attacks as the Boxer Giant is for ground attacks. You can easily alternate this with the Battle Machine after a few levels.
8. Baby Dragon to level 14 - The Baby Dragon gets a small boost in damage and hit points, placing this upgrade toward the end of the list.
9. Cannon Cart to level 14 - Unless you’re a Cannon Cart enthusiast, I suggest putting this one at the end of your troop upgrade list.
10. Bomber to level 14 - The Bomber does not receive any appreciable improvements this time around, so he’s last on the list.

This list is designed to provide a general guide to troop upgrades that will allow the best attacking options at any given time. There are many attack strategies that utilize Raged Barbarians or Beta Minions as key troops, so they come up early in the list. The same rationale is applied from there.

Every player runs their troop upgrades a little different from another player. For example, those who prefer ground attacks might go Raged Barbarians, Sneaky Archers, Boxer Giants, Bombers, and THEN start in with air troops. Air attackers (like myself) might prefer to go Beta Minions, Baby Dragons, Night Witches, Cannon Carts, and THEN start with the ground troops. The important thing is to come up with a pattern of upgrades that suits both your attacking style and the meta under which you’re playing at the time.

The meta is in a state of constant flux; you’ll definitely want to adjust your upgrades accordingly.

Remaining Buildings

At this point, you’ve gotten most of your base up to max BH7. Now’s the time to hit the Clock Tower, Gem Mine, and the remaining storages if they’re still waiting. Once those are done, if we’re still waiting on BH8, I suggest hitting your walls.

Conclusion

That’s my upgrade guide for BH7. You’ll want to adjust it here and there to make it better fit with your current levels of structures and troops, as well as your attacking preferences. Hopefully, you’ll find it useful!

The companion video is up; apparently, Adobe Premiere Pro is NOT compatible with the new Mac OS even though they said it was, so that took a bit longer than planned.

[SingleMalt69]

Nice post, but I respectfully disagree with this: "ground assaults are the current meta at BH7". I'm killing it right now as an early F2P BH7 with my L12 minions and bdrags. I'll be upgrading those first.

I also think it's too early to know what the meta is at this point. Too many upgrade paths, both offensively and defensively, to make a blanket statement like that.

[Noctaire]

Nice post, but I respectfully disagree with this: "ground assaults are the current meta at BH7". I'm killing it right now as an early F2P BH7 with my L12 minions and bdrags. I'll be upgrading those first.

I also think it's too early to know what the meta is at this point. Too many upgrade paths, both offensively and defensively, to make a blanket statement like that.

Keep an eye on your battle logs, not for how YOU attack but for how others are attacking you. Across the board, all 10 of the games I’m working on, trophies ranging from 1500-4500...easily 85% of the attacks are ground based. I couldn't believe it myself, but this has been the case for a solid week now. The dominant air attack is Baby Dragons, typically spammed, and it fails all the time against my games. Many, if not most, players on the forums and elsewhere are upgrading Raged Barbarians and/or Sneaky Archers. Lots of talk about Cannon Carts, Night Witches...technically, GiWitch counts as ground too since it is a hybrid air/ground attack.

Like you, my attacks are all air based. Mass Beta Minion, Minion Drops, Mitch, Drop Mitch...these are my primary attacks, along with the occasional GiWitch. I’m absolutely killin’ it too. I think the future of BH7 will be dominated by air, but it isn’t right now.

To be clear - the meta is always in flux, and I’ve said that many times. I called this the current meta, as in right now...not forever. I’ve also said that this is a general upgrade guide and something one should customize to suit their particular gameplay style and the like. No one guide fits all.

Ya gotta start somewhere...!

[Genericuser]

I decided to upgrade minions and baby dragons first. The minions are done and the drags will be done soon. The increase doesn't seem like much on the minions but it makes a huge difference. I'm getting solid 2 stars with every attack unless my battle machine decides to go crazy. I'm pretty excited to try it out when the drags are done. I am only taking them to 13 then going to upgrade archers

[iRvN]

After you buy all the new building of BH7 you should upgrade gold and elixer collectors.
As F2P this is very important, it gives you more 24k ( little more with the clock tower ) gold/elixer every day, and for the long run it makes a huge different.

[Wuthless]

In my log there are 6 air attacks, 2 ground attacks and the rest are mixed ground/air. This about the ratio it has been for at least a week in 4400-4500 range for me.

[Noctaire]

I decided to upgrade minions and baby dragons first. The minions are done and the drags will be done soon. The increase doesn't seem like much on the minions but it makes a huge difference. I'm getting solid 2 stars with every attack unless my battle machine decides to go crazy. I'm pretty excited to try it out when the drags are done. I am only taking them to 13 then going to upgrade archers

I know this will sound awful coming from an air bender, but I just don’t see the BD as tactically useful at BH7. Drop Ships are better tanks and the BD doesn’t hold up well against level 7 air defenses or most base designs I’m seeing. Beta Minions are still great - and definitely #1 or #2 on my upgrade list, no matter which game. BDs, though....

Let me know if you find the upgrade to level 13 really makes a difference...?

After you buy all the new building of BH7 you should upgrade gold and elixer collectors.
As F2P this is very important, it gives you more 24k ( little more with the clock tower ) gold/elixer every day, and for the long run it makes a huge different.

I like to do these early on as well, but I intersperse them, with other upgrades. They’re usually done in the first week or two though.

In my log there are 6 air attacks, 2 ground attacks and the rest are mixed ground/air. This about the ratio it has been for at least a week in 4400-4500 range for me.

I’ve seen an uptick in air the last day or two, but not much. Let’s get a little more factual; looking at the games right now....

BH6....

Clash Maniac - 8 ground, 2 air.
Naid Cosanta - 4 ground, 5 air.
ZedVerteidigung - 5 ground, 4 air.

BH7....

Noctaire - 5 ground, 5 air.
Phoenix Abyss - 6 ground, 4 air.
Nachtherr - 6 ground, 4 air.
Psyberon - 3 ground, 7 air. (Mostly DBDS; this on the La Remontada base.)
KussVonNacht - 3 ground, 7 air.

Wow...definite shift today from what I’ve been seeing since BH7 launched. Several of those air attacks are actually Mitch (so hybrid) but LOTS of Baby Dragon spam - and I mean a LOT. It’s been almost a dead heat between ground and air today and since most of these games had two runs stacked, these are almost all from the last 18-24 hours.

I’m tellin’ ya...when I wrote the guide up yesterday, this was not the stats. It was solid ground over air.

Well...like I said - adjust accordingly. I still wouldn’t do Baby Dragons until the end; they’re just not that strong at BH7, IMNSHO.

I went ahead and cleared the references to ground dominating the meta; easier to save that for a different discussion.

[Wuthless]

My minions are going to lvl 13 at the moment and after that im going to max nw and then barbs. I dont think that lvl 14 to minis are that good compared to max nw or barbs. After them its minis to max. Then the long road with drop ship to max and bm after them.

[Noctaire]

My minions are going to lvl 13 at the moment and after that im going to max nw and then barbs. I dont think that lvl 14 to minis are that good compared to max nw or barbs. After them its minis to max. Then the long road with drop ship to max and bm after them.

I thought the same on Beta Minions until I saw L14 in action. I want the fifth long shot, so I’m definitely going all the way to L14. NWs are right after that though; I can’t wait to have a L14 Mitch!

[Topstong]

Thanks for your insight and dedication to trying to help others with new BH7 Noctaire! I am way behind on the update... 13 more hours to go until BH 7 finished. I have read a few posts on those 'not receiving the upgrade pack'. I truly hope I get one. If I don't I'm gonna experience Clock Tower nerf levels of anger!