Introduction to Clash of Clans Ice Golem Detailed Guide

The Ice Golem is a Dark Elixir troop in Clash of Clans that is unlocked at Dark Barracks level 8, available from Town Hall level 11. It is a slow-moving ground unit that prioritizes defensive structures, similar to the regular Golem. Despite its low damage output, the Ice Golem has high hitpoints, making it an effective tank for various attack strategies. Each Ice Golem requires 15 housing spaces, making it a valuable but space-consuming addition to an army.

LevelDamage per SecondDamage per AttackFreeze Time after Death on OffenseFreeze Time after Death on DefenseHitpointsResearch CostResearch TimeLaboratory Level Required124484s2s2,600n/an/an/a228564.75s2.25s2,80027,5002d 20h9332645.5s2.5s3,00042,5003d 12h9436726.25s2.75s3,20050,0004d10540807s3s3,40062,5005d10644887.5s3.25s3,600110,0009d12748968s3.5s3,900140,00010138521048.5s3.5s4,200180,00012d 12h14

Offensive Strategy

Tanking Role:

Ice Golems are highly effective tanking units, offering both damage absorption and crowd control. Their substantial hitpoints allow them to soak up significant damage, protecting key damage-dealing troops like Bowlers, Witches, or Balloons. When attacking, Ice Golems slow down defensive structures they hit, reducing their rate of fire and giving additional survivability to the rest of the army. This ability is particularly useful against high-damage defenses like Single-Target Inferno Towers, which take longer to charge up due to the slow effect.

One of the Ice Golem’s most valuable traits is its death ability. Upon defeat, the Ice Golem freezes everything within a 7.5-tile radius, temporarily disabling defenses, heroes, and enemy Clan Castle troops. This freeze effect can last from 4.25 to 6.25 seconds, depending on the Ice Golem’s level. When timed correctly, this ability can prevent an enemy defense, such as an Eagle Artillery or Scattershot, from firing at a crucial moment, allowing the attacking troops to advance with minimal losses.

The Ice Golem’s freeze effect can also disrupt defensive Clan Castle troops, briefly stopping their attacks and allowing friendly troops to eliminate them. Additionally, multiple Ice Golems can be used in succession to continuously freeze key areas of the base, making them an effective support unit in many attack strategies.

Defense Targeting:

Ice Golems prioritize defensive structures over all other targets, meaning they will bypass non-defensive buildings and enemy troops as long as any defenses remain on the battlefield. This targeting behavior makes them reliable for leading attacks, as they will always move toward key defensive threats rather than getting distracted by other structures.

However, it is important to note that the Clan Castle is not classified as a defensive building, even when housing defending troops. This means that Ice Golems will not actively target it unless all other defenses are destroyed. On the other hand, an activated Town Hall weapon (starting from Town Hall 12) is recognized as a defense, causing Ice Golems to attack it if no other higher-priority defenses remain.

Freezing Effect:

The Ice Golem’s death-triggered freeze effect is a powerful tool for disrupting high-damage defenses and creating opportunities for other units to advance. When an Ice Golem is destroyed, it freezes everything within a 7.5-tile radius for several seconds, depending on its level.

This freezing effect is especially valuable against defenses like Single-Target Inferno Towers, which have a damage ramp-up mechanic. By freezing the Inferno Tower upon the Ice Golem’s death, you can reset its damage ramp-up, preventing it from eliminating high-hitpoint units like Heroes or P.E.K.K.As.

The freeze effect also provides critical moments for your troops to eliminate or bypass dangerous defenses such as Eagle Artillery, Scattershots, or even defensive Heroes. During the freeze period, other troops can target and destroy these key buildings without taking additional damage, increasing the overall effectiveness of the attack.

Strategically deploying Ice Golems in areas with clustered defenses or high-value targets can maximize the impact of their death freeze, turning the tide of battle and allowing your main forces to penetrate deeper into the enemy base.

Pairing with other units/spells:

Pairing Ice Golems with specific troops and spells can enhance their effectiveness in battle. The Bat Spell works well with Ice Golems, as the Golems absorb damage while the Bats target defenses. The Ice Golem’s freeze effect further aids the Bats by neutralizing splash defenses, reducing the risk of mass Bat losses.

When using the Archer Queen, an Ice Golem can be deployed first to freeze an area before she moves in. This strategy allows her to take down an entire compartment with minimal resistance, making it particularly effective in Queen Walk or Queen Charge attacks.

Ice Golems can also provide valuable support for Siege Machines. When paired with a Log Launcher, they absorb initial damage while the Launcher clears a path. If placed inside a Wall Wrecker or Battle Blimp, an Ice Golem can reach the base’s core before freezing key defenses, including the Town Hall weapon, giving ground troops a better chance to advance.

Due to their low damage output, Ice Golems should be supported by high-damage troops such as Wizards, Witches, Bowlers, or the Archer Queen. The “Ice Golem BoWitch” strategy, commonly used at Town Hall 11, takes advantage of Ice Golems’ tanking ability to protect Witches and Bowlers, allowing them to deal massive damage.

In situations where high-DPS defenses are concentrated near the Ice Golem’s target, bringing a lesser tank like a Giant can help. The Giant can absorb initial hits, allowing the Ice Golem to reach the intended freeze location without being eliminated too soon. This tactic ensures the freeze effect activates at the most strategic moment, maximizing its battlefield impact.

Defensive Strategy

Damage Soak:

Ice Golems are valuable defensive units due to their high health and unique freeze ability. When placed in the center of a base or near key defensive structures, they act as damage sponges, drawing fire away from more vulnerable buildings. This can significantly slow down an attacker’s progress, especially when multiple Ice Golems are present.

Their ability to slow down enemy units with each attack adds another layer of disruption. This effect is particularly useful against high-DPS troops like P.E.K.K.As, Bowlers, and Super Archers, as it reduces their attack speed, giving defending troops and defenses more time to counter them.

Clan Castle:

Ice Golems are excellent Clan Castle troops due to their ability to soak up large amounts of damage while disrupting enemy attacks with their freeze effect. When placed in the defending Clan Castle, they act as a durable tank that can delay attackers, giving defensive troops and structures more time to deal damage. Their high health makes them difficult to eliminate quickly, forcing opponents to invest additional resources or time to counter them.

However, their freeze effect is weaker on defense than on offense. The area of effect is smaller, and the duration is shorter, making it less effective at stalling large groups of attacking troops. Despite this, the freeze can still disrupt critical moments in an attack, particularly when defending against Hero charges, Siege Machines, or high-DPS troops like Super Bowlers or Electro Titans. The freeze effect can also reset single-target Inferno Towers, potentially saving key defensive structures from destruction.

Spring Traps:

Ice Golems can be sent off the map by a level 4 or higher Spring Trap, which can disrupt the attacker’s plans, especially when the goal is to use the Ice Golem as a tank or to trigger the death freeze effect in a specific area. To mitigate this, you should place Spring Traps in areas where the death freeze won’t negatively affect your most important defenses. For example, avoid placing them near high-priority defenses such as multi-target Inferno Towers or Scattershots, as the freeze effect can stall enemy troops long enough to allow these defenses to deal significant damage.

Synergies

Bat Spell:

The Ice Golem and Bat Spell combination is an excellent synergy in Clash of Clans, especially when dealing with splash damage defenses. The Ice Golem’s high health and ability to draw fire from enemy defenses make it an ideal tank for Bats, which are relatively fragile and can be wiped out by splash damage from defenses like Wizard Towers, Bomb Towers, or Multi-target Inferno Towers.

As the Ice Golem moves through the base, it soaks up damage from defenses while the Bats can target and deal damage to defensive structures. The key advantage comes when the Ice Golem is defeated. Upon death, the Ice Golem releases a freeze effect that impacts all units within a 7.5-tile radius. This freezing effect can significantly hinder splash damage defenses, such as Wizard Towers, by temporarily disabling them. This interruption creates a window of opportunity for the Bats to continue dealing damage without being eliminated by splash attacks.

Archer Queen:

First, deploy the Ice Golem to tank the damage from defenses that might target the Archer Queen. The Ice Golem’s high hitpoints allow it to absorb significant damage without dying too quickly. As it moves through the base, the Ice Golem will engage defensive structures such as X-Bows, Archer Towers, or Inferno Towers, distracting them long enough for the Archer Queen to deal damage to the nearby buildings.

The key moment comes when the Ice Golem is destroyed. Upon death, the Ice Golem releases a freeze effect that impacts everything within a 7.5-tile radius, freezing nearby defenses, including splash damage defenses like Wizard Towers or multi-target Inferno Towers. This freezing effect interrupts the defensive units’ attacks, creating a window of opportunity for the Archer Queen to destroy the compartment almost completely.

Siege Machines:

Ice Golems can be deployed to tank for ground Siege Machines, such as Log Launchers. These Siege Machines are often used to break through walls and create paths for troops. However, they are vulnerable to defensive fire, especially from splash damage defenses like Wizard Towers, Multi-target Inferno Towers, and others. The Ice Golem absorbs the damage from these defenses, allowing the Siege Machine to operate more effectively.

By placing the Ice Golem inside a Siege Machine like a Wall Wrecker or Battle Blimp, you can ensure that it reaches the core of the base while distracting defenses. The Siege Machine acts as the delivery mechanism, allowing the Ice Golem to travel into the heart of the enemy base without taking much damage.

Upon death, the Ice Golem triggers its freeze effect, which disables all defenses within a 7.5-tile radius for a few seconds. This freezing effect can be incredibly useful in disrupting high-damage defenses like the Town Hall weapon or multi-target Inferno Towers. When these defenses are frozen, ground troops, such as Bowlers or Witches, can advance more easily and deal damage without worrying about being destroyed immediately.

The Ice Golem’s freeze effect is a great way to help ground troops continue their push through the core of the base. It can delay the activation of defenses, including the Town Hall weapon, long enough for your troops to get close enough to destroy critical buildings. This combination of tanking and freezing makes the Ice Golem a great asset to Siege Machine strategies.

High Damage Troops:

High-damage troops are essential when using Ice Golems in your strategy, as they compensate for the Ice Golem’s low damage output. Ice Golems excel in tanking due to their high hitpoints and ability to freeze defenses upon death, but they lack the offensive power to deal significant damage themselves. To create a balanced and effective strategy, pairing them with high-damage troops can lead to devastating results. Here’s how high-damage troops complement Ice Golems:

Wizards:

Wizards deal high single-target and splash damage, making them an excellent companion for Ice Golems. The Ice Golem draws the attention of enemy defenses, allowing Wizards to safely deal damage to buildings and troops without being targeted. Wizards can target defensive structures and clear out key buildings in the core of the base while the Ice Golem tanks.

Witches:

Witches are powerful troops that deal splash damage and summon Skeletons to help distract enemy defenses. The “Ice Golem BoWitch” strategy utilizes Ice Golems as tanks, while Witches and Bowlers follow behind to deal massive damage. The Ice Golem’s death freeze helps support the Witches by freezing splash defenses like Wizard Towers or Multi-target Inferno Towers, giving the Witches more time to clear out structures and summon Skeletons to distract defenses.

Bowlers:

Bowlers are another high-damage troop that works well with Ice Golems. Their ability to hit multiple targets in a straight line makes them especially effective at clearing out clusters of defenses or buildings. With the Ice Golem tanking and freezing key defenses, the Bowlers can focus on damaging critical structures without being slowed down by enemy defenses.

BoWitch Strategy:

A popular strategy at Town Hall 11, “Ice Golem BoWitch,” uses Ice Golems to tank for Witches and Bowlers. The Ice Golems absorb damage and freeze key defenses, while the Witches and Bowlers deal significant damage. This combination allows the attack to push deep into the enemy base, clearing out defensive structures and creating chaos while the Ice Golem keeps the troops safe.

Important Considerations

Once all defenses are destroyed, the Ice Golem will continue to target the nearest building or enemy units. However, it won’t switch to attacking enemy units until the current building or structure is fully destroyed. This characteristic makes it a reliable tank but can limit its ability to engage multiple targets simultaneously if not used properly.

The Ice Golem’s death freeze effect is valuable for disrupting high-damage defenses and enemy troops. However, it’s essential to remember that the freeze effect does not prevent traps from triggering, such as Spring Traps or Giant Bombs. When paired with high-DPS troops or Heroes, the freeze effect becomes even more potent, allowing these units to deal significant damage without the threat of being interrupted.

Despite its high health, the Ice Golem is not a long-lasting tank. It has relatively low HP for its housing space, which means it can only absorb damage for a limited time. If there are many high-DPS buildings nearby, the Ice Golem may be overwhelmed before it can do significant work. To counter this, consider using a secondary tank, such as a Giant, to draw the attention of high-DPS defenses and allow the Ice Golem to focus on freezing key structures.

One of the most effective ways to utilize the Ice Golem is by placing it inside a Siege Machine, such as a Wall Wrecker or Battle Blimp. This strategy allows the Ice Golem to bypass outer defenses and enter the core of the base. Upon its death, the freeze effect can neutralize the Town Hall weapon and other critical core defenses, allowing your ground troops to advance unopposed.

When used defensively, the Ice Golem’s freeze effect can stall the attacker’s troops and Heroes for several seconds. This delay can give Clan Castle troops and defenses more time to deal damage to the attacking forces. The freeze is especially effective against ground units that focus on defensive structures, providing a significant advantage in slowing down the attacker’s progress.

The defensive strategy of using the Ice Golem’s freeze effect becomes less effective against aerial units, such as Dragons or Lava Hounds, unless a ground unit triggers the Clan Castle’s radius. In such cases, consider placing the Ice Golem near key defensive structures to catch attackers who are likely to deploy ground units.

The Ice Golem is most effective when paired with high-DPS troops or Heroes, as its freeze effect disrupts enemy defenses and units. Whether used offensively to tank and freeze key defenses or defensively to stall the attacker’s troops, its utility can be maximized by understanding its strengths and limitations in different scenarios.