Clash of Clans Tips and Tricks

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When many people start out they make one of the biggest and worst mistakes possible in Clash of Clans, not carefully thinking through their base layout. So why is base layout so important? Because the better your defences are the tougher it will be for your enemies to steal your resources from your base and thus you'll have less problems when trying to grow your clan.

I want detail any particular designs here since there are thousands of great suggestions online if you want to go down that path. I've always preferred to create my own though as I think it makes the experience much better and I don't feel as if I'm "cheating".

With that in mind some handy tips for anybody that wants to build their own bases:

• You can never have enough walls to defend yourself.
• Place everything as closely as possible to ensure maximum coverage from defences.
• Think carefully about the buildings on your outskirts.
• Making use of the hidden traps can be particularly deadly.

When an opponent does get through and decimates your settlement you'll get a shield to protect you for a certain amount of time (which increases based on the severity). Too often I've seen players that are too willing to start attacking again which will break your shield protection. You should always use the maximum amount of shield time you're given to rebuild and restock all your resources naturally rather than raiding.

Whether you're buying gems or simply relying on the friends ones the key is to very careful and strategic with your use for them. I can't count the number of times I used some gems to speed things up for no real purpose and then stopped playing for the night a minute later. Also consider making use of ways to get free Clash of Clans gems such as getting free iTunes Codes, participating in events or completing certain objectives. This is also a tactic that will no doubt save you money in the long run as well.

Another common mistake that people fall for is not choosing what path they want to pursue during their "early game". By this I mean that it's generally recommended to either go for a defensive or offensive strategy as at the start you really don't have enough resources to do both and you'll be stuck vulnerable to raids but also not have the offensive power to raid resources for yourself.

If you are new to Clash of Clans style games I usually recommend the offensive path, which might sound odd but generally you won't have the defensive knowledge required (or the patience) to sit on your hands while you gain resources. Just focus on building military buildings and get out there raiding!

If you've played games like Clash of Clans before then a defensive and patient strategy will probably win out for you in the long run.

After someone else raids you in Clash of Clans you've got the option to take your revenge on them, while many people do this simply because it's more satisfying there is a greater strategy element at work here.

When you decide to take revenge on someone you'll actually get the option to survey their base before the attack which does better prepare you for the battle ahead. This is a huge advantage that you should never pass up as it will mean you'll be wasting way less troops then you would otherwise.