Clash of Clans update summons Lava Hound and increases upgrade caps

A big update to hit freemium game Clash of Clans has gone live, introducing a new unit and increasing the maximum upgradeable level on many others. The Lava Hound is a new type of flying tank that can take the hits while other units move in for the kill.

You'll need dark elixir and a Dark Barracks to cook him up, and once air defense takes him down, he'll explode into a bunch of tiny lava pupppies. Barbarians and Archers can be upgraded to level 7 now, Archer Towers to level 13, and Dark Barracks to level 6.

There are plenty more additions though. Here's the full changelog for Clash of Clans 6.253.5.

Lava Hound

  • This brand new flying Dark troop loves to hunt Air Defenses
  • Tough and reliable, it takes tons of damage before erupting into many smaller units!

New Upgrades

  • Barbarian & Archer level 7, Archer Tower level 13 and Dark Barracks level 6

Balancing and interface improvements

  • Upgrade full rows of walls at once with the option to pay Elixir instead of Gold!
  • Hero heal times and Valkyrie training time are greatly reduced
  • Healers now stick to healing bigger groups of units
  • Replays show the attacking army, can be paused or will show time remaining if live

What do you think, clashers? Will Lava Hounds figure prominently into your attack strategy? Be sure to read up on our tips, tricks, and cheats for Clash of Clans if you're just getting started.

Simon Sage
Simon has been covering mobile since before the first iPhone came out. After producing news articles, podcasts, review videos, and everything in between, he's now helping industry partners get the word about their latest products. Get in touch with him at simon@futurenet.com.