The December 2023 update for Clash of Clans is live and introduces Town Hall 16, merged defenses, hero equipment, a new pet, the new Root Rider troop and a number of new levels for existing troops and structures.

This post will summarise what has been added/changed in one place, however full patch notes can be viewed here:

Town Hall 16

Coming 14 months after the release of Town Hall 15, there are two new flagship defenses added, a new troop, a new hero pet and hero equipment.

New Buildings

The following structures/changes are unlocked:

• 2 x Ricochet Cannons (requires two level 21 Cannons to merge each)
• 2 x Multi-Archer Towers (requires two level 21 Archer Towers to merge each)

Hero Levels

New hero levels available:

• Barbarian King - Levels 91 - 95
• Archer Queen - Levels 91 - 95
• Grand Warden - Levels 66 - 70
• Royal Champion - Levels 41 - 45

Structure Levels

The following structures have received new levels:

• Laboratory - Level 14
• Gold Storage - Level 17
• Elixir Storage - Level 17
• Dark Elixir Storage - Level 11
• Bomb Tower - Level 11
• Wizard Tower - Level 16
• Air Defense - Level 14
• X-Bow - Level 11
• Mortar - Level 16
• Barracks - Level 17
• Pet House - Levels 9
• Air Bomb - Level 11
• Bomb - Level 12
• Giant Bomb - Level 10
• Wall - Level 17

Troop Levels

The following troops have received new levels:

• Barbarian - Level 12 (Super Barbarian Level 12)
• Archer - Level 12 (Super Archer Level 12)
• Giant - Level 12 (Super Giant Level 12)
• Wall Breaker - Level 12 (Super Wall Breaker Level 12)
• Balloon - Level 11 ()
• Wizard - Level 12 (Super Wizard Level 12)
• Healer - Level 9
• Dragon - Level 11 (Super Dragon level 11)
• P.E.K.K.A - Level 11
• Miner - Level 10 (Super Miner level 10)
• Electro Dragon - Level 7
• Dragon Rider - Level 4
• Valkyrie - Level 11 (Super Valkyrie level 11)
• Golem - Level 13
• Witch - Level 7 (Super Witch Level 7)

Spell Levels

The following spells have received new levels:

• Lightning - Level 11
• Healing - Level 10
• Recall - Level 5
• Poison - Level 10

The Giga Inferno

Town Hall 16 remains weaponised with the Giga Inferno, however it only has a single level and is the same stats as a level 5 TH15 Giga Inferno.

Merged Defenses: Ricochet Cannon & Multi-Archer Tower

There are two new flagship defenses for Town Hall 16. These take two maxed level Cannons or Archer Towers to create a single defenses that is stronger than the two structures used to create it.

The merging process is permanent and cannot be undone. Merged buildings can be placed anywhere in your village where there is space available. Merged buildings also have additional upgrade levels to make them even stronger.

Ricochet Cannon

This upgraded cannon has more than double the HP and damage of the cannon used to create it and when firing upon its target, the munition will bounce from the initial target and deal damage to a second target. This can be particularly effective at dealing damage to the unicorn that is healing the Archer Queen when the Queen is the initial target.

Multi-Archer Tower

The Multi-Archer Tower is capable of targeting 3 different attacking enemies, spreading the damage of the defense. If there is less than 3 targets in range, the damage will be focused on those targets. For example:

• If there is only one target, it will be shot by 3 arrows.
• If there are only two targets, one will be shot twice.

New Pet: Spirit Fox

Unlocked once the Pet House has been upgraded to level 9, the Spirit Fox turns its hero and itself invisible for a few seconds.

New Troop: Root Rider

The Root Rider is a ground based unit that targets defenses. She rides a large tree root and smashes through walls on her way to her next target.

She is available at Town Hall 15 once the Barracks have been upgraded to level 17 and has a housing space of 20.

Hero Equipment

Customise your heroes abilities by changing their equipment. Each hero has two pieces of equipment that can be switched out at a new structure, the Blacksmith.

Each piece of equipment can be upgraded using a new resources: Ores. There are three types of ore of varying rarity:

• Shiny Ore: This most common of Ores, for all levels for Common and Epic Equipment.
• Glowy Ore: This rarer Ore is used to upgrade key levels for Common and Epic Hero Equipment.
• Starry Ore: The rarest Ore is needed to upgrade your Epic Equipment beyond certain levels

Ore can be earned by various ways:

• Village star bonus
• Clan Wars
• The Trader
• In-game shop

The Blacksmith is available from Town Hall 8.

Cost and Time Reductions for TH8 - TH15

As often happens with the release of a new Town Hall level, some of the lower level costs and times were reduced to help lower level players reach the higher Town Hall levels quicker. A summary of these reductions can be seen in the following infographics:

Clash Ninja Upgrade Tracker

If you are looking for a tool to show you remaining upgrades for your village and help you plan your upgrade order, check out the Clash Ninja Upgrade Tracker.