- Battle Machine arrives as the new December Ruler in Clash Royale's Merge Tactics mode.
- Three fresh troops join the roster while six older units rotate out for a seasonal refresh.
- December adds the first-ever building modifiers alongside four new Traits.
Merge Tactics is rolling into December 2025 with one of its most creative updates yet, arriving right after the November 2025 update in Clash Royale. This holiday-themed season brings a brand-new Ruler to command, an entirely new category of building modifiers, three fresh troops, and six rotating out.
On top of that, you’re getting new Traits, new skins, and a handful of quality-of-life additions that make battles feel smoother and more tactical. There’s plenty to unpack with this update, so let’s dive right in.
Clash Royale Merge Tactics December 2025 Update explained
New Ruler: Battle Machine
Battle Machine sails into the Merge Tactics Arena as the newest Ruler for the December season. His ability, Building Master summons a random 1/2/3/4-Star building at the start of Rounds 1, 3, 5, and 8, giving you an early structure advantage, though it comes with a small trade-off of -1 max Team Size.
You can unlock him on Starsteel Road, where you’ll also earn two skins and one confetti effect:
- Zebrawood Machine
- Scheme Machine
- Blazing Bombshell (Confetti)
The Forge Machine skin will be available in the shop and instantly unlocks the Battle Machine if you haven’t obtained it at the time of purchase. Royale King is also joining the festivities with his new holiday skin, Santa King, purchasable with Gems.
New Troops
Three new troops are coming with this update.
| Troop | Elixir | Traits | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini P.E.K.K.A | 2 | P.E.K.K.A, Brutalist | Lightly armored, heavy-hitting unit who drops pancakes. |
| Royal Giant | 2 | Giant, Ranger | Slow tanky ranged attacker who uses a cannon. |
| Monk | 5 | Ace, Superstar | Creates a shield that deflects damage and heals after every few hits. |
Just like last time, this new season also sees some troop rotations. Six troops will be unavailable this season, of course, temporarily: Archer, Bomber, Knight, Baby Dragon, Electro Wizard, and Giant Skeleton.
New Traits
Once again, the Traits have also been updated, which sees some new additions.
| Trait | Effects | Activations |
|---|---|---|
| Giant | Giants take reduced damage. | 2 Troops: -40% damage taken |
| P.E.K.K.A | Allows its troops to do extra damage and heal after defeating a troop. | 2 Troops: +30% damage, heals 30% max HP after takedowns |
| Brutalist | Gain bonus hit speed, marking enemies with each hit. Enemy targets lose HP after 4 marks. | 2 Troops: +30% hit speed, –20% max HP burst 4 Troops: +60% hit speed, -40% max HP burst |
| Superstar | Troops start with a partially filled ability bar with a 50% chance to recast. | 2 Troops: 1/3 bar 4 Troops: 2/3 bar |
As new traits come into the picture, Avenger, Electric, Fire, Juggernaut, and Mage are rotated out.
Troop and Trait Changes
There have been changes made to troops and their traits, as listed below:
| Troop | Old Trait | New Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Archer Queen | Avenger | Ranger |
| Electro Giant | Electric / Avenger | Giant / Superstar |
| Goblin Machine | Juggernaut | Brutalist |
| Musketeer | Blaster | Superstar |
| P.E.K.K.A | Ace / Avenger | P.E.K.K.A / Brawler |
| Princess | Ranger | Blaster |
| Skeleton King | Juggernaut | Brutalist |
| Valkyrie | Juggernaut | Brutalist |
| Witch | Avenger | Superstar |
| Wizard | Fire / Mage | Clan / Blaster |
New Modifiers
Buildings arrive this month as a new modifier type. Once deployed, buildings cannot move, but act as full combat units with HP, range, and damage. They do not consume Team Size, do not reduce Ruler HP, and are unaffected by card levels.
December Season Modifiers are as follows:
| League | Building Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze II | Elixir Collector | Generates Golden Elixir on the battlefield without disappearing. |
| Silver I | Tesla | Deals damage when enemies enter range. |
| Silver III | X-Bow | Charges, then rapid-fires at the lowest-HP target. |
| Gold II | Mortar | Long-range attacks on the farthest enemy. |
| Diamond | Inferno Tower | Damage ramps up the longer it targets the same enemy. |
More building modifiers are coming in January.
Other Updates
There are some quality-of-life upgrades as well. You can now emote during Merge Tactics battles. Battle Stats arrives as a new stat window that shows round-by-round damage, healing, and more. You can adjust your battlefield view, zooming in or out. Sort Ruler skins by Ruler or Rarity for easier browsing.
Read other related Clash Royale articles:
- Clash Royale Level 16 Explained: Upgrade Costs, Changes, and Progression
- Supercell expands Regional Pricing update to Clash Royale following Clash of Clans’ rollout
- Clash Royale November 2025 update to bring major progression overhaul, Level 16, and more
- Clash Royale free rewards and how to claim them
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