TH17 Upgrade Order 2026 -- What to Upgrade First at Town Hall 17

TH17 is the second-highest Town Hall level, and upgrade priority here mirrors every previous TH: build new defenses immediately, continue hero levels (now capping at 110 for BK and AQ), and maintain lab upgrades for the dominant war attack strategies. The difference at TH17 is that the premium defense stack (Monolith, Ricochet Cannon, Multi-Archer Tower, both Scattershots) is now complete -- optimizing this stack through higher levels is the primary defensive focus alongside hero leveling.

Priority 1: New TH17 Defenses -- Build Immediately

Build any new defenses unlocked at TH17 on Day 1. New defenses at their starting level are immediately among the most impactful additions to your war base because they represent new slots in your defensive layout. Start upgrading from level 1 to level 5 within the first two months of TH17. Alongside new defenses, the Monolith, Ricochet Cannon, and Multi-Archer Tower all have higher level caps at TH17 -- prioritize upgrading these three to their new TH17 maximums before secondary defenses.

Priority 2: Heroes to 110

BK and AQ cap at 110 at TH17, Warden at 85, RC at 60. Twenty additional hero levels per hero across four heroes requires sustained DE farming throughout TH17. The attack power difference between a level 100 hero and a level 110 hero is meaningful -- ability damage, HP pool, and DPS all scale. Keep all four heroes rotating through upgrades continuously, never leaving DE idle. The hero level deficit is the most impactful factor separating a new TH17 from a competitive TH17 in war performance.

Priority 3: Trap Maintenance and Lab

At TH17, trap placement and rotation become as important as defense levels because attackers at this level have access to all troops at high levels. Weekly trap rotation based on replay data maintains war base effectiveness. Lab priorities: Root Rider continues to TH17 max, Super Witch to max, Dragon Rider to max. Walls upgrade to level 17 -- full level 17 walls are the TH17 completion benchmark. Scattershots upgrade to level 10 at TH17 -- these continue to be worth prioritizing alongside hero and new defense upgrades.

Browse TH17 base layouts at our TH17 base collection.