Magic Items: Books, Runes, Potions and Hammers
Mechanics
Updated: 18 September 2026 · By the Goblins Farm team
Magic items skip or accelerate the thing the game is actually made of, which is waiting. They are finite, they do not expire, and the single most common mistake players make is using them on a small upgrade because it was convenient at the time.
The one rule
Spend a magic item on the longest timer you can. That is essentially the whole strategy, and it is violated constantly.
A Book of Heroes used on a two-day hero upgrade saved you two days. The same book used on a fourteen-day one saved you fourteen. The book cost the same. Since books do not expire, holding one for three weeks until a big upgrade unlocks costs you nothing and multiplies its value several times over.
The same logic applies to hammers, which are rarer still and should be reserved for the most expensive, longest upgrade available to you at your current Town Hall.
What each family is for
- Books instantly finish one upgrade of a matching type: building, hero, fighting, or spell. They do not pay for it, so you still need the resources in the bank first.
- Hammers instantly finish and pay for an upgrade. They are the rarest items in the game and should be treated accordingly.
- Runes instantly fill a resource storage to capacity. Their value therefore scales with your storage level, which means a rune used at a low Town Hall is worth a fraction of the same rune used later. Hold them.
- Potions temporarily boost a system: training speed, research speed, builder speed, clock speed. Best used at the start of a session where you will actually exploit the boost, not tapped at random.
Practical habits
- Do not tap items to clear a notification. The red dot is not a reason.
- Check the timer before spending. If the upgrade is under a day, it is almost never the right target.
- Runes get better the longer you hold them. Since they fill storages to capacity and storage capacity grows, an unspent rune is an appreciating asset.
- Potions want a plan. A training potion is worth using when you have an hour to farm, not when you are about to log off.
- Save around Town Hall transitions. The upgrades immediately after a Town Hall jump are the longest and most expensive ones you will meet, and that is exactly when your saved items pay out most.
How magic items fit the broader schedule is covered in upgrade priority.
Frequently asked
When should I use a Book of Heroes?
On the longest hero upgrade available to you, not on whatever is running now. Books do not expire, so holding one until a fourteen-day upgrade unlocks is strictly better than spending it on a two-day one, and it costs you nothing to wait.
Do magic items expire?
No. They sit in your storage indefinitely, which is exactly why hoarding them until a high-value moment, typically just after a Town Hall upgrade, is the correct strategy.
What is the best use of a Rune of Gold or Elixir?
Later rather than sooner. A rune fills your storages to capacity, so its value grows as your storage capacity grows. Using one at a low Town Hall wastes most of its potential.
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.