On the back of Supercell openly acknowledging community feedback around Ranked Mode and the Town Hall 18 meta, Clash of Clans has rolled out some tweaks to the Ranked Mode alongside League Modifiers changes via a new balance update this January 2026. Here’s a breakdown of everything that has changed with the update.
Ranked Mode January 2026 Balance Changes in Clash of Clans
Below is the full list of Ranked Mode changes that went live with today’s maintenance.
Defensive Buffs
While short-range defenses took a hit, long-range setups are getting some love.
Long Range Mode (Multi Gear Tower)
- All levels received an approximate 15% damage buff
Defensive Nerfs
Several high-impact defenses have been toned down to reduce the overwhelming pressure on attackers, especially in TH18 environments.
Ricochet Cannon
- Ricochet bounce shot damage reduced from 100% → 70%
- Ricochet bounce shot radius reduced from 4.5 → 3.5 tiles
Multi Archer Tower
- Attack speed slowed from 500ms → 600ms
Revenge Tower (TH18)
- Attack speed slowed from 300ms → 350ms
- Stage 3 activation now requires 25 destroyed buildings (was 20)
- Stage 4 activation now requires 50 destroyed buildings (was 40)
Short Range Mode (Multi Gear Tower)
- All levels received an approximate 10.6% damage nerf.
Builder Hut
- Movement speed reduced from 28 → 20
Troop Buffs
A wide range of troops and pets have been buffed, which kind of reduces reliance on a single meta strategy.
Super Archer (Levels 10 to 13)
- HP increased gradually (~2.7% to 9.6%)
Super Wizard (Levels 9 to 14)
- Massive HP buff (~21% to 41%)
Thrower (Levels 1 to 4)
- HP buffed by ~4%
- DPS buffed by ~4–5%
- Movement speed increased from 16 → 18
Electro Titan (Level 4)
- HP increased from 8,400 → 8,700
Super Minion
- Long-range shots increased from 7 → 8
- Range increased from 10 → 10.25 tiles
Poison Lizard (All levels)
- Attack range increased from 3.5 → 4.5 tiles
- HP significantly increased (~10% to 21%)
Giant Giant
- AI logic adjusted: now less prioritized by Grand Warden or Eagle Artillery
Troop Nerfs
Compared to buffs, only one troop gets the cut-down treatment.
Meteor Golem (All levels)
- HP reduced by approximately 13–16%
- DPS reduced by approximately 14–16%
This change pairs with earlier balance passes, clearly pushing Meteor Golem away from being a dominant, low-risk option.
Equipment Buffs
Hero Equipment also saw some targeted buffs to improve its late-game viability.
Minion Prince – Noble Iron (All levels)
- Increased attack range
- Increased number of shots
- Increased attack speed
Barbarian King – Giant Gauntlet (All levels)
- Increased damage reduction
- Increased effect duration
League Modifiers Adjustments for January 2026 in Clash of Clans
League modifiers have been toned down across Ranked play.
Legend League (LL)
- Defense DPS: 20% → 15%
- Defense Heroes: 20% → 15%
- Offense Heroes: 10% → 5%
- Equipment: No change
Masters League (E33)
- Defense DPS: 14% → 10%
- Defense Heroes: 14% → 10%
- Offense Heroes: 6% → 0%
- Equipment: No change
Expert League (E32)
- Defense DPS: 7% → 5%
- Defense Heroes: 7% → 5%
- Offense Heroes: 3% → 0%
- Equipment: No change
These balance changes come shortly after Supercell’s blog addressing Ranked Mode concerns, progression fatigue, and the Town Hall 18 defensive meta, so our feedback is addressed. Supercell has also confirmed that they’ll keep monitoring feedback closely, so more tweaks could arrive soon.
Read other related Clash of Clans articles:
- Clash of Clans free rewards and how to claim them
- Clash of Clans revives Eagle Artillery for Town Hall 17 and above, but with a twist
- When is the next Clash of Clans update
- Clash of Clans Gems Guide: Top 10 ways to get free Gems
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