Clash of Clans Balance Changes October 2026: Fire Heart Nerfed
By Sir Ayup
The Clash of Clans balance changes for October 2026 take aim at the two strongest picks in TH18 war attacks, Dragon Duke's Fire Heart and the Ruin Witch, while handing buffs to forgotten troops like the Hog Rider, Miner and P.E.K.K.A. Supercell based the update on TH18 attacks against TH18 bases in Clan Wars and CWL over the last four weeks, and the changes are still marked as incoming. At gamemarket.gg, we broke down every nerf and buff, the data behind each one and what it means for your war armies.
October 2026 Balance Changes at a Glance
- Nerfed: Fire Heart (Dragon Duke) and Ruin Knights (Ruin Witch)
- Buffed troops: Hog Rider, Super Hog Rider, Miner, Super Miner, P.E.K.K.A and Meteor Golem
- Buffed equipment: Frozen Arrow (Archer Queen) and Portal Pendant (Minion Prince)
- Data used: TH18 vs TH18 attacks in Clan Wars and CWL over four weeks
- Status: announced on October 17, with no live date confirmed yet
Nerf: Dragon Duke's Fire Heart
- Bonus HP: reduced by about 8% at every level
- Damage bonus: removed
- Healing at max level: 150 → 140 per second
Why it was nerfed: Fire Heart appears in almost 40% of all attacks and in more than half of all Dragon Duke attacks. Duke with Fire Heart three-stars about 66% of the time, compared with 56% without it and a 53% overall average. Supercell wants Duke's other equipment to be just as competitive.
What it means: Fire Heart keeps its role as a sustain tool, but losing its damage bonus makes it a far less automatic pick. Expect Dragon Duke players to test their other equipment options again.
Nerf: Ruin Witch's Ruin Knights
- Housing space: 20 → 18, so Spring Traps can now launch them
- Movement speed: slightly slower
- HP and damage: slightly lower
Why it was nerfed: Ruin Witch three-stars about 76% of the time, the highest of any troop in meaningful use. Ruin Knights were also too heavy for Spring Traps, so they could trigger a trap and walk away unharmed.
What it means: The housing change is the real nerf. Base builders can now punish Ruin Knights with well-placed Spring Traps, so Ruin Witch attacks will need more careful pathing.
Buffs for Underused Troops
Supercell has not shared exact numbers for these troops, but every one of them gets stronger:
- Hog Rider and Super Hog Rider: more HP
- Miner and Super Miner: more HP at max levels
- P.E.K.K.A: more damage
- Meteor Golem: more HP, which also raises Meteormite HP
Why they were buffed: Hog Rider, Miner and P.E.K.K.A each appear in fewer than 3% of attacks, with three-star rates between 20% and 35%. Super Hog Rider and Super Miner are rarely chosen at all, and Meteor Golem, while used a little more, still sits below average.
What it means: These are classic ground strategies that fell out of the TH18 meta. With the two biggest war picks toned down, Hog and Miner armies could become real options again.
Equipment Buffs: Frozen Arrow and Portal Pendant
Archer Queen: Frozen Arrow
- Slow: +5 percentage points at every level
- Damage: increased at levels 21 to 27, with max level going from 168 to 175
- Current data: used in about 7% of attacks with a three-star rate of about 31%
Minion Prince: Portal Pendant
- Bonus HP: now included, reaching 1,200 at max level
- Reason: Minion Prince's other equipment already had bonus HP, so leaving it off Portal Pendant was described as an oversight
Players who tried the Pendant during the Portal Challenge will notice the difference straight away, since the extra HP keeps Minion Prince alive longer while his portal does its work.
Winners and Losers
Winners
- Hog Rider and Miner players, whose favourite armies finally get a boost.
- Archer Queen, thanks to a stronger Frozen Arrow.
- Minion Prince, with 1,200 bonus HP from Portal Pendant.
- Base builders, who can now stop Ruin Knights with Spring Traps.
Losers
- Dragon Duke with Fire Heart, which loses its damage bonus.
- Ruin Witch, which loses its immunity to Spring Traps.
How to Prepare Your War Armies
- Test a second Dragon Duke equipment before the Fire Heart nerf lands.
- Rethink Ruin Witch pathing around likely Spring Trap spots.
- Upgrade Frozen Arrow if you rely on Archer Queen.
- Revisit Hog and Miner armies once the buffs go live.
- Add Spring Traps to Ruin Witch paths on your war base.
Rebuilding an army list is easier when you compare the buffed units against the best meta troops in 2026, since a Hog or Miner army only makes sense if it can keep up with the current favourites.
Your Balance Changes Checklist
- Watch for the update that puts these changes live.
- Swap out Fire Heart if you rely on its damage.
- Adjust your Ruin Witch attacks for Spring Traps.
- Try Hog, Miner and P.E.K.K.A armies again.
- Level Frozen Arrow and Portal Pendant to take advantage of the buffs.
October's balance changes aim to spread TH18 war attacks across more strategies rather than relying on Fire Heart Duke and Ruin Witch. Start testing alternatives now so your clan is ready when the update lands.
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