Introduction to Clash of Clans Builder Base Roaster

Clash of Clans Roaster is a crucial defensive building in the Builder Base, available once you upgrade to Builder Hall level 6. It is designed to launch rapid bursts of flames, dealing splash damage to ground and air units. This makes it particularly effective against groups of troops, ensuring it can handle swarms efficiently.

The Roaster operates by releasing bursts of flames with a short delay between each attack, covering a wide area. Its splash damage capability can counter diverse troop types, including ranged and melee units. Its ability to target air and ground troops ensures versatility, making it an indispensable part of any defensive strategy.

Positioning the Roaster strategically is essential to maximize its effectiveness. Placing it near high-value targets, such as the Builder Hall or other critical defenses, can provide additional protection against large-scale troop attacks. Its strength lies in controlling enemy troop swarms, making it a vital component of a strong Builder Base layout.

The Roaster was introduced to the Builder Base on June 27, 2017. As it upgrades, its appearance changes, with parts of its wooden scaffolding being added and removed at earlier levels, and replaced with more permanent, robust components at higher levels. This evolving design reflects the Roaster’s growing strength and capability as it progresses through its upgrades.

While it shares the same sound effect with the Double Cannon when tapped and placed, the Roaster has its unique sound when it attacks. This distinct audio cue helps players easily identify when the Roaster is in action during a battle, allowing for better awareness of its effectiveness.

The Roaster has the second-fastest hit speed in the game, at 0.125 seconds. It is only slightly slower than the X-Bow and Inferno Tower, which both have a hit speed of 0.128 seconds. Interestingly, the Firespitter outpaces the Roaster, shooting every 0.0625 seconds, making it the fastest in terms of attack speed. The Roaster’s rapid-fire burst mechanics make it especially effective at handling swarms of troops and providing quick defensive coverage.

Placement Strategies:

Placing the Roaster near the Builder Hall is an effective strategy to protect it from low-hitpoint troops such as Raged Barbarians and Sneaky Archers. By keeping the Roaster close, you can counter these fast-moving units before they cause significant damage to the Builder Hall.

Ensure the Roaster is not positioned solely on one side of the Builder Hall. Ranged units like Sneaky Archers or Beta Minions can exploit this setup by attacking the Builder Hall from the opposite side, bypassing the Roaster’s range. A balanced placement can help mitigate this risk and ensure better coverage.

The Roaster performs best when positioned in areas where swarms of ground troops are likely to converge. Its splash damage can weaken groups of enemies efficiently, giving your base an advantage in defense. Pairing the Roaster with other defenses like the Crusher can enhance its effectiveness, as the Roaster can chip away at Boxer Giants while the Crusher finishes them off.

For air-targeting strategies, consider placing the Roaster near Drop Ship landing zones. This placement allows it to quickly eliminate the Skeletons spawned by Drop Ships, giving your other defenses time to address the air threat without being overwhelmed by additional distractions.

Upgrading the Roaster:

Upgrading the Roaster greatly enhances its damage output and overall effectiveness in defending your Builder Base. As it levels up, its ability to handle both swarms of smaller units and tankier, high-hitpoint troops improves significantly. This makes the Roaster an adaptable defense that can tackle a wide variety of attack strategies, whether it’s dealing with fast-moving units or tougher, more durable forces.

If your base regularly faces attacks involving Night Witches, Beta Minions, or Raged Barbarians, prioritizing the Roaster’s upgrades is a smart choice. These troop types are especially vulnerable to the Roaster’s rapid bursts of splash damage. By upgrading the Roaster, you can effectively counter these strategies, neutralizing the threats before they can inflict significant damage to your key structures.

To create a strong, balanced defense, it’s important to upgrade the Roaster alongside other splash damage defenses. Pairing its increased power with defenses like the Crusher or Multi-Mortar ensures your base is well-prepared for a variety of attacks. This combined approach guarantees your defenses can handle multiple types of offensive units, maintaining a robust and versatile defensive setup that can withstand a wide range of enemy strategies.

Defensive Strategies:

The Roaster is a powerful counter to the Night Witch and her Bats, thanks to its splash damage. It can effectively eliminate swarms of Bats while simultaneously damaging the Night Witch, making it an essential defense against this attack strategy. Its ability to target multiple enemies at once ensures that both the Bats and the Night Witch herself are neutralized before they can cause significant damage.

To handle packs of Raged Barbarians or Boxer Giants, position the Roaster strategically to weaken these units before they reach critical defenses. The Roaster’s splash damage can significantly reduce the strength of groups of troops, allowing your other defenses to handle the remaining enemies more effectively. This makes the Roaster invaluable for slowing down and damaging high-volume or tanky troops.

The Roaster works particularly well in combination with point defenses like the Double Cannon or Archer Towers. While the Roaster focuses on handling swarms and softening larger groups, these point defenses can target and eliminate high-hitpoint units that survive the Roaster’s initial assault. This combination creates a well-rounded defense, ensuring both small and large units are taken down efficiently.

To get the most out of the Roaster, use traps or walls to funnel enemy troops into its range. By controlling the path that enemy troops take, you can ensure they are grouped, allowing the Roaster to hit multiple units at once. This maximizes its damage output and strengthens your base’s overall defensive capabilities, making it more difficult for attackers to overwhelm your defenses.

Offensive Strategies:

Distracting the Roaster with high-hitpoint units like the Battle Machine is a highly effective tactic. While the Roaster targets the Battle Machine, support troops can focus on taking it down. However, it’s important not to cluster your support troops too closely together. The Roaster’s splash damage can quickly eliminate multiple units if they are grouped, making it easier for the Roaster to reduce the effectiveness of your attack.

Ranged troops such as Beta Minions or Sneaky Archers are ideal for taking out a poorly positioned Roaster, especially if it is placed near the edge of the base. These troops can stay at a safe distance and attack the Roaster without entering its splash damage range. This tactic allows you to eliminate the Roaster while avoiding unnecessary casualties.

Scattering your troops across the battlefield is a smart strategy when attacking a base with a Roaster. By spreading out your forces, you reduce the number of units the Roaster can hit with its splash damage in one burst. This allows your troops to survive longer, making it easier for them to deal more damage and increasing the chances of a successful attack.

Interactions with Other Defenses:

Pairing the Roaster with the Crusher creates a formidable defense against both swarms and tank units. The Roaster’s splash damage weakens groups of troops, allowing the Crusher to deal devastating blows to finish off the remaining enemies. This combination is especially effective against high-volume or tanky troops, where the Roaster softens them up and the Crusher takes care of the heavy lifting.

Positioning the Roaster near the Air Bombs boosts your base’s defense against air units like Beta Minions and Baby Dragons. The Roaster’s ability to handle swarms of troops, combined with the Air Bombs’ high air damage, offers a strong defense against aerial threats. This strategic placement ensures that enemy air units are effectively neutralized before they can cause significant damage to your key structures.

When used alongside the Multi Mortar, the Roaster provides excellent area coverage. While the Roaster targets nearby swarms, the Multi Mortar can focus on long-range clusters of enemy troops. This combination makes it challenging for enemies to overwhelm your defenses, as both close-range and distant units are countered. By using these defenses together, your base becomes much harder to breach, creating a balanced and resilient defense strategy.

Effectiveness Against Air Troops:

The Roaster’s splash damage makes it especially effective at countering groups of Beta Minions or Baby Dragons. Its rapid bursts can quickly weaken or eliminate swarms of these air units, offering solid defense against air-heavy strategies. By targeting multiple troops simultaneously, the Roaster ensures that swarms are neutralized before they can overwhelm your defenses.

The Roaster’s versatility in targeting both ground and air units makes it an essential component in defending against balanced attacks. Whether attackers deploy a combination of ground and air units or focus on one type, the Roaster’s ability to adapt to different threats ensures that it can protect your key structures. Its dual functionality allows it to efficiently counter a wide variety of offensive strategies.

Positioning the Roaster near air-targeting defenses, such as Archer Towers, enhances its effectiveness against air-heavy armies. In this setup, the Roaster handles the swarms of smaller air units, while the Archer Towers focus on eliminating high-hitpoint or surviving air troops. This synergistic placement strengthens your base’s defense by covering a wide area, ensuring that all types of aerial threats are dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Vulnerability to High-Damage Units:

The Roaster’s relatively short range makes it vulnerable to long-range units such as Sneaky Archers or Beta Minions, especially if these troops are deployed strategically from a distance. These units can attack from outside the Roaster’s range, allowing them to neutralize the Roaster without taking damage. If not properly protected, the Roaster can be eliminated quickly, reducing its effectiveness as a defense.

High-damage units like the Power P.E.K.K.A or Battle Machine can also pose a significant threat to the Roaster. These units can distract or eliminate the Roaster, particularly if it is not supported by other defensive structures. Without additional protection, these tanky units can bypass the Roaster’s splash damage and deal significant damage to your base, making it crucial to have coverage for the Roaster to ensure it survives longer in the fight.

To maximize the Roaster’s survivability, position it behind walls or other defenses. Strategically placing it within a protected area limits its exposure to long-range units and high-damage troops. Surrounding the Roaster with other defenses, such as point defenses or splash damage structures, can further ensure it is not the first target of enemy troops. Proper placement and protection are essential for maintaining the Roaster’s effectiveness and ensuring it contributes to your base’s overall defense strategy.

Using the Roaster in Multi-Stage Battles:

In multi-stage Builder Base attacks, attackers often aim to eliminate the Roaster early to make the second stage of their attack easier. To counter this, positioning the Roaster behind key defenses is a strategic move. This ensures the Roaster is protected from direct attacks, making it more challenging for attackers to take it down quickly. By placing it behind stronger defensive structures, the Roaster can continue to perform its role in weakening enemy troops.

Additionally, it’s important to position other splash damage defenses like the Multi Mortar or Air Bombs in areas where the Roaster might be vulnerable. These defenses can provide supplementary coverage, helping protect the Roaster from potential threats. With these defenses in place, attackers will face more difficulty breaking through and neutralizing the Roaster, strengthening your base’s overall defensive capabilities.

Using traps strategically is another effective way to disrupt troops that are targeting the Roaster. Traps like spring traps or bomb traps can divert or damage enemy units, buying valuable time for your other defenses to engage. By slowing down or damaging enemy troops, traps give your defenses a better chance to neutralize the threat before the Roaster is overwhelmed. Proper trap placement can be a game-changer, ensuring the Roaster remains operational throughout multi-stage attacks and continues to support your base’s defense strategy.

Counteracting Common Weaknesses:

While the Roaster is a powerful defense, it does have a few weaknesses that attackers can exploit if not properly mitigated. One of its primary vulnerabilities is its relatively short range, which makes it susceptible to long-range attackers like Sneaky Archers and Beta Minions. These troops can attack from a safe distance, targeting the Roaster without being affected by its splash damage. To counter this, ensure that the Roaster is protected by other defenses, such as point defenses or splash damage structures. These can handle long-range units and prevent them from picking off the Roaster before it has a chance to deal significant damage.

Another weakness of the Roaster is its inability to effectively deal with high-damage, high-hitpoint units. Powerful attackers like the Battle Machine or Power P.E.K.K.A can easily distract the Roaster, allowing other units to destroy it. To protect the Roaster from these threats, position it near other defensive structures or behind walls. Pairing it with tanks like Crushers or utilizing support from other defenses like the Double Cannon or Archer Towers will help ensure the Roaster remains intact long enough to fulfill its role of weakening swarms while controlling enemy troops.

Additionally, it’s important to consider the layout of your base to avoid leaving the Roaster exposed to easily accessible areas. Placing it at the edge of the base can make it more vulnerable to being targeted and destroyed early in the attack. Scattering your defenses and placing the Roaster deeper within the base can help reduce the risk of it being bypassed by long-range attackers. When strategically positioned, the Roaster can continue to handle swarms of troops and support your other defenses, contributing to a more resilient and balanced overall defense.

Maximizing Roaster’s Efficiency in Builder Base Layouts:

To maximize the Roaster’s effectiveness in your Builder Base layout, it’s important to consider how it complements other defensive buildings within your base. Positioning the Roaster alongside other splash damage defenses, such as the Multi Mortar or Firecrackers, enhances its ability to handle large groups of troops. By placing it near these defenses, you ensure that enemy swarms are dealt with efficiently, and the Roaster can focus on dealing damage while other structures target high-hitpoint or ranged units.

You can also integrate the Roaster into layouts that capitalize on funneling enemy troops. By strategically placing walls or traps around the Roaster, you can direct attackers toward its range, ensuring they are grouped and vulnerable to its splash damage. For example, positioning the Roaster near the center of your base, with walls guiding enemies into its reach, allows it to hit multiple units in one burst, making it more effective in taking down large groups.

Consider coordinating with your Clanmates for Clan Capital raids where the Roaster plays a significant role in handling ground swarms. Although the Roaster is a Builder Base building, you can apply similar principles from Clan Capital base coordination, such as ensuring that your base layout supports other defensive structures to complement the Roaster’s abilities. Working together with other clan members can further reinforce your defense, making your base harder for attackers to overcome.

With proper placement and synergy with other defenses, the Roaster becomes an essential component of your Builder Base defense, making it more resilient against a variety of attack strategies.