Best TH8 Base Layouts 2026

How to Execute

1. 1

   Scout all Air Defense positions and plan two approach angles where Lava Hounds can walk from the base edge directly to their Air Defense targets without pathing around external buildings

2. 2

   Send 3 Minions to the base edge to lure Clan Castle troops — kill them with Poison Spell far from your main Balloon deployment zone

3. 3

   Use Barbarian King to clear corner buildings on the planned Balloon entry side — this creates a funnel that keeps Balloons from fanning out to the base edges

4. 4

   Deploy Lava Hound 1 from the edge nearest Air Defense #1 — it walks directly toward the target and begins tanking

5. 5

   Deploy Lava Hound 2 from the edge nearest Air Defense #2 simultaneously — both Hounds must be tanking before Balloons are released

6. 6

   Wait 10–15 seconds until both Hounds are clearly parked on their Air Defenses with all anti-air fire redirected to them

7. 7

   Release the full Balloon formation behind and between the two Hounds, spread across the full base width so each Balloon targets a different building

8. 8

   Drop first Rage Spell on the densest Balloon cluster as they approach the two untanked Air Defenses

9. 9

   Drop first Haste Spell on the Balloon group stalling on wall segments between defenses

10. 10

    Use second Rage or Haste Spell at the Town Hall cluster for the final push sweep

11. 11

    Deploy remaining Minions to clean up any non-defensive buildings the Balloon sweep ignored

How to Counter It

• 🛡

  Seeking Air Mine plus Giant Air Bomb placed together beside the same Air Defense creates a two-hit trap — the Mine damages the Lava Hound before it parks, the Air Bomb hits the Pup swarm when it pops

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  Seal all Air Defenses inside two full wall layers — Lava Hounds must walk farther into the base to reach them, exposing them to X-Bow fire along the way

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  Clan Castle Dragon engages the approaching Lava Hound and forces it to change pathing — breaking the simultaneous dual-parking timing the attack depends on

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  Position Air Defenses in all four separate base quadrants — Lava Hounds can only tank two simultaneously, leaving the other two firing freely at the Balloon formation

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  X-Bow set to Air mode fires at Balloons between defenses and provides consistent anti-air coverage that Air Defenses alone cannot supply

How to Execute

1. 1

   Lure Clan Castle troops using a single Hog Rider or Barbarian — kill them outside the base with Poison Spell before the main army deploys

2. 2

   Build the funnel: deploy 2 Wizards on the far left corner and 2 Wizards on the far right corner of your planned attack side — let them burn down both corners completely before placing the Golem

3. 3

   Deploy the Golem directly in the center of the cleared funnel opening — it marches forward drawing all splash fire

4. 4

   Use 3 Wall Breakers to open the primary wall layer behind the Golem

5. 5

   Place both Witches directly behind the Golem — skeletons spawn ahead and distract single-target defenses

6. 6

   Deploy both P.E.K.K.As directly behind the Witches — they follow the Golem path and deal high DPS to buildings

7. 7

   Use the first Jump Spell to carry the full army over the second wall ring without stopping to break walls

8. 8

   Rage Spell on the army cluster when it reaches the base center where defense density is highest

9. 9

   Second Jump Spell if a final compartment wall blocks access to the Town Hall

How to Counter It

• 🛡

  X-Bows positioned to cover the main attack corridor shred both P.E.K.K.As and the Golem simultaneously — P.E.K.K.A has high HP but takes rapid damage from X-Bow rapid fire

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  Split-compartment base designs with three or more internal wall rings force GoWiPe to spend both Jump Spells and still need Wall Breakers — consuming the army's spell budget before the TH area

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  Hidden Teslas placed inside your innermost ring reveal mid-attack and deal unexpected burst damage to Golems that reach the core

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  Clan Castle Witch inside the base adds skeleton distractions that pull P.E.K.K.A attacks away from defenses and slow the army's advance through compartments

How to Execute

1. 1

   Scout the base for Spring Trap indicators before attacking — raised ground patches near the gap between two defenses signal trap placement; never run Hogs through those corridors

2. 2

   Send a single Hog Rider to the base edge to lure Clan Castle troops out — eliminate them with Poison Spell and 3 Archers well away from the main Hog deployment area

3. 3

   Deploy all Hog Riders simultaneously in one tight line along the base edge with the shortest path to the most concentrated defense cluster

4. 4

   Watch the Hog pack spread automatically — each Hog targets the nearest defense and the group distributes itself across the base perimeter

5. 5

   Drop Healing Spell 1 immediately when the Hog pack clusters under fire from two or more defenses — do not wait for health to visually drop

6. 6

   If 4+ Hogs disappear simultaneously between two defenses, a Spring Trap or Giant Bomb detonated — redirect remaining Hogs away from that corridor

7. 7

   Drop Healing Spell 2 on the Hog cluster at the base center when they converge on the most heavily defended area

8. 8

   Healing Spell 3 reserved for the Town Hall area — drop it the moment Hogs begin attacking the final ring of defenses

9. 9

   Deploy Archers after Hogs clear all defenses to destroy non-defensive buildings for the 3-star

How to Counter It

• 🛡

  Spring Traps placed in the direct gap between consecutive defenses launch Hog Riders the moment they land from a wall jump — the most efficient TH8 Hog counter

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  Double Giant Bomb pairs positioned along the most predictable Hog pathing route eliminate 6–8 Hogs in one detonation — devastating if the attacker did not scout this position

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  Multi-target Inferno Tower in your Clan Castle shreds grouped Hog Riders faster than any standard TH8 defense and is unavailable to be scouted before deployment

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  Clan Castle Witch creates skeleton swarms that pull Hog Riders off their defense-targeting circuit and waste their precious movement time