The Right Upgrade Order in Clash Royale (What Most Players Get Wrong)
One of the most common mistakes Clash Royale players make is upgrading cards in the wrong order. Gold is precious, and upgrading randomly can leave you with a weaker deck and fewer positive trades. If you want to climb quickly and efficiently, you need to upgrade with intention.
Surprisingly, about 99% of players don’t follow a real upgrade strategy. They focus on flashy win conditions or their favorite cards instead of the ones that consistently create value in battles.
Below is the upgrade priority that gives the best results (and why it works).
1) Upgrade your spells first
Spells are the backbone of Clash Royale. They guarantee value, secure positive elixir trades, and give you control over the match. A higher-level spell also lets you eliminate key enemy cards instantly, which can swing the momentum of a game.
Why spells matter most
- A higher-level Zap can instantly kill Goblins and other small troops that would normally survive.
- A stronger Fireball removes support units like Musketeer, Wizard, and Magic Archer more reliably.
- Arrows, Log, Rocket, and other spells help you counter swarm decks and punish mistakes.
Every time your upgraded spell deletes a troop for a cheaper cost, you gain elixir advantage and tempo. That’s why spells should always be your top upgrade priority.
2) Upgrade your support cards next
After spells, your support troops are the next best investment. These are the cards that sit behind your tank or win condition and actually secure the push. With higher levels, they survive spells that would normally remove them.
Benefits of upgrading support troops
- A leveled Dart Goblin can survive a Log, continuing to shred troops and towers.
- Musketeers survive Fireballs, meaning your opponent is forced to spend more elixir.
- Support units deal more damage, giving your pushes significantly more power.
When your support units survive enemy spells, your opponent is forced to overcommit, letting you control the match flow and punish mistakes.
3) Upgrade your win conditions
Next in priority are your tower-damaging cards—your win conditions. Whether it’s Goblin Barrel, Hog Rider, Royal Giant, or Balloon, upgrading them makes them far more threatening.
Why win conditions come third
- A leveled Goblin Barrel can survive more tower shots, dealing more chip damage.
- Hog Rider pushes through buildings more effectively at higher levels.
- Bigger level differences make your offensive pressure harder to stop.
These upgrades increase pressure and force your opponent to react faster and spend more elixir.
4) Upgrade swarms and skeleton cards last
Finally, skeleton-based and swarm troops should be the lowest priority. While they’re incredibly useful for cycle and defense, they don’t scale very well with upgrades.
Why they’re lowest priority
- They still die to most spells, even when leveled.
- Their DPS doesn’t increase enough to justify early investment.
- Their main value is distraction, not raw power.
Cards like Skeletons, Skeleton Army, and Bats are amazing utility tools, but they don’t win games by themselves—so upgrade them only when you have spare gold.