Hero Upgrade Management in Clash of Clans
Updated: 18 September 2026 · By the Goblins Farm team
Hero upgrades have the longest timers in the game, which means the only way to finish them is to always have one running. Most players do the opposite, waiting for a convenient moment that never arrives.
The maths is simple and unpleasant. If a hero upgrade takes two weeks and you only run one when it is convenient, you will complete a fraction of the upgrades of a player who simply always has one going. Skill does not close that gap.
Step by step
- Accept the downtime as the cost of progress
You will attack without that hero for days. Everyone does. The alternative is being permanently several levels behind, which costs more in every attack for months.
- Stagger heroes rather than upgrading them together
Where you have several, keep one upgrading while the others are available. Upgrading two at once leaves you with no heroes at all, which genuinely does hurt.
- Schedule around war, not around convenience
If your clan wars on a fixed schedule, start long hero upgrades just after a war ends rather than the day before one starts.
- Farm dark elixir deliberately
Idle heroes for lack of dark elixir is the most common bottleneck in the mid to late game. See farming dark elixir.
- Start the upgrade before you log off
Dark elixir committed to a hero cannot be stolen. Dark elixir in your storage overnight frequently is.
- Save your Books of Heroes for the longest upgrade available
Books do not expire. Using one on a two-day upgrade instead of a fourteen-day one wastes most of its value for no reason. See magic items.
What about hero equipment?
Equipment is a separate track, upgraded with ores rather than dark elixir, so it does not compete for the same resource. The rule there is to concentrate ores on the few pieces you actually equip rather than spreading them thin. Details in hero equipment.
Frequently asked
Should I upgrade heroes if I cannot attack with them?
Yes. Hero timers are the longest in the game, so the only way to finish them is to keep one running continuously. A few days attacking without a hero costs far less than being permanently several levels behind in every attack for months.
Should I upgrade two heroes at once?
Generally no, unless you can spare both. Stagger them so one is always available, since having no heroes at all for a long stretch genuinely damages your attacks and your defence.
Keep reading
Goblins Farm is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or specifically approved by Supercell. Clash of Clans is a trademark of Supercell Oy. This material is unofficial fan content produced under Supercell's Fan Content Policy. Game values change with every update; always verify in-game before committing an upgrade.