Introduction to Clash of Clans Inferno Artillery Detailed Guide

The Inferno Artillery is an advanced defense introduced at Town Hall 17 in Clash of Clans. This powerful structure is created by merging the Town Hall with the Eagle Artillery, combining their destructive capabilities into a single unit. Once the merging process begins, it cannot be reversed, meaning players cannot revert back to the Town Hall 16 Giga Inferno and Eagle Artillery separately. This change significantly alters base defenses, providing new mechanics that impact both attack and defense strategies.

Unlike the Eagle Artillery, which has a blind spot where troops can safely stand, the Inferno Artillery has no such weakness. It retains elements from multiple defenses, including the Multi Mortar, Lava Launcher, Multi-Archer Tower, and even the Capital Hall, making it a hybrid defensive structure. This combination allows it to be more versatile and effective against a variety of attack strategies.

The Inferno Artillery fires homing fireballs that can retarget if necessary, ensuring they stay locked onto threats. The speed at which these fireballs reach their targets depends on the distance—closer troops are hit faster than those farther away. Upon impact, each projectile inflicts moderate single-target damage while also generating a fire pool in the surrounding area.

These fire pools function similarly to the Lava Launcher, continuously damaging enemy units caught within them. However, unlike the Lava Launcher’s lingering effect, the Inferno Artillery’s fire pools do not slow down enemy troops, focusing purely on dealing damage over time. This unique attack style makes it a formidable defense, capable of disrupting both swarm attacks and high-hitpoint units.

LevelDamage per Second per TargetDamage per Hit per TargetCostBuild TimeExperience GainedTown Hall Level Required140140N/AN/AN/A17245157.510,000,0009d8811735017514,000,00011d97417455192.518,000,00013d1,0591756021022,000,00015d1,13817 HitpointsRangeNumber of TargetsAttack SpeedPoison Max DPSPoison DurationDamage TypeUnit Type Targeted10,40012 tiles43.5s756.8sMultiple TargetsGround & Air

Offensive Strategies

The Inferno Artillery can be extremely dangerous. It can target up to four ground and air units, and its homing projectiles rarely miss.

Countering the Inferno Artillery requires careful planning, as its homing fireballs and lingering fire pools can quickly devastate attacking troops. One of the most effective strategies is using a Freeze Spell to temporarily disable it, preventing it from dealing damage. The Overgrowth Spell can also be used to block its attacks for a short duration, giving your troops time to advance.

The Flame Flinger is not an ideal choice for destroying the Inferno Artillery unless other troops are tanking the damage. Since the Inferno Artillery has no blind spot, the Flame Flinger can be quickly eliminated if left unprotected. Instead, a Battle Blimp carrying high-damage troops can be deployed directly onto the Town Hall. Invisibility Spells can help keep the Blimp and its payload safe, but caution is needed—fire pools can destroy the Blimp before it manages to cause significant damage.

A fully upgraded Fireball combined with Earthquake Boots is capable of destroying the Inferno Artillery outright. In Hard Mode, an additional Spiky Ball is required to bring it down. These tools can be valuable for weakening the structure before committing to a full-scale attack.

When deploying troops, avoid grouping them too closely. The Grand Warden’s Eternal Tome ability can provide temporary invulnerability, preventing damage from both the fireballs and the fire pools. Additionally, the Healing Tome can be used to restore health lost from the Inferno Artillery’s attacks, improving troop longevity.

A Wall Wrecker or Battle Blimp can be effective in targeting the Town Hall, especially against anti-2-star base layouts where the Town Hall is isolated. Allowing these siege machines to focus on the Town Hall while other troops clear distractions can be a strong approach.

It is also important to remember that the Inferno Artillery has an activation delay at the beginning of an attack. This brief window can be used to establish a foothold before it starts firing, making the opening moments of the battle crucial for setting up a successful assault.

Defensive Strategies

To upgrade to Town Hall 17, all merged defenses must be built, and the Eagle Artillery must be upgraded to level 7.

Placing the Inferno Artillery in the right position is key to maximizing its defensive potential. Centralizing it ensures that it can target enemy troops from all angles, making it especially effective against swarm strategies. A ring-style base can also be useful, forcing attackers to take a longer path before reaching the core while the Inferno Artillery continuously fires at them.

Creating compartments that force ground units to clump together enhances the impact of the fire pools. Since each projectile leaves behind lingering flames, tight formations of troops will take continuous damage as they advance. This setup can be particularly punishing for melee-based ground attacks.

Offsetting the Inferno Artillery slightly instead of placing it directly in the center allows it to keep firing while troops are distracted by other core defenses. This ensures that its homing fireballs remain a threat throughout the battle, rather than being immediately neutralized in a direct push.

Pairing the Inferno Artillery with a Rage Spell Tower significantly boosts its attack speed for about five to seven volleys, increasing its damage output. However, the fire pool effect does not benefit from the rage boost, meaning the primary advantage comes from its faster rate of fire rather than increased burn damage.

It is also important to keep the Inferno Artillery separated from other major defenses such as Scattershots and Inferno Towers. Spells like the Overgrowth Spell can temporarily disable multiple defenses if they are too close together, leaving the base vulnerable. Spreading out key structures ensures that attackers cannot neutralize them all at once.

The Inferno Artillery has a longer range than certain units, including the Flame Flinger and the Royal Champion when equipped with the Rocket Spear. This makes it difficult for these units to take it down without additional support. Positioning the Inferno Artillery where it has clear sightlines can help prevent these ranged threats from easily eliminating it.

Mechanics

The fire pools created by the Inferno Artillery deal continuous damage to troops within their area of effect, but their damage-over-time effect does not stack. This means that units standing in overlapping fire pools will not take increased damage beyond the standard effect of a single pool. Additionally, the fire pool damage is not affected by the Rage Spell Tower or Hard Mode modifiers, making its base damage the same in all scenarios.

The Inferno Artillery’s targeting system prioritizes units based on their proximity. If four or more units are within range, each fireball targets the four closest units separately. When only three units are present, two fireballs will focus on the nearest target, while the remaining fireballs hit the other two units. If there are only two targets in range, each one will be struck by two fireballs. When a single unit is in range, all four fireballs will hit that unit, making it extremely dangerous for high-hitpoint troops that get isolated.

Unlike standard defenses, the Inferno Artillery visually emerges at the start of an attack, similar to the Capital Hall in the Clan Capital. However, it does not function as a defensive building until its activation animation is complete. This means there is a slight delay before it starts attacking, but once active, it remains a constant threat throughout the battle.

When destroyed, the Inferno Artillery does not deal direct damage. Instead, its death explosion triggers the Giga Bomb, the same mechanism from the Town Hall 16 Giga Inferno. The Giga Bomb has a knockback effect that pushes troops away, but this effect does not apply to Siege Machines, allowing them to continue their advance without disruption.

The Inferno Artillery is resistant to certain spells, making spell-based attacks less effective against it. It is completely immune to Lightning Spells, meaning it cannot be zapped away like some other defenses. However, it is still vulnerable to Earthquake Spells, which can weaken its health and contribute to its eventual destruction when combined with other attacks.

Synergies with Other Defenses

The Inferno Artillery works best when paired with other high-damage or area-of-effect defenses, creating overlapping zones of destruction that make it difficult for attackers to progress. Proper placement alongside these defenses can maximize its effectiveness while mitigating its weaknesses.

Monolith

The Monolith specializes in dealing percentage-based damage to high-hitpoint units, such as Heroes, P.E.K.K.A.s, and Electro Titans. When combined with the Inferno Artillery, this pairing creates a deadly combination—Monolith quickly softens up tanky troops, while the Inferno Artillery finishes them off with fireballs and persistent fire pools. Positioning the Monolith near the Inferno Artillery can help eliminate key attacking troops before they deal significant damage.

Spell Towers

The Spell Tower can enhance the Inferno Artillery’s effectiveness, depending on the spell selected.

Rage Spell Tower boosts the Inferno Artillery’s attack speed, allowing it to fire more volleys in quick succession. While the Rage Spell does not increase the fire pool’s damage over time, it significantly improves the Inferno Artillery’s burst damage.

Poison Spell Tower weakens incoming enemy troops, reducing their attack speed and movement speed. This can be useful for slowing down incoming threats, forcing them to spend more time inside the Inferno Artillery’s fire pools.

Invisibility Spell Tower can protect the Inferno Artillery for a short time, preventing it from being targeted early in an attack. This can be useful for baiting Siege Machines and Heroes into danger before they can take it down.

Air Defenses and Scattershots

Since the Inferno Artillery targets both air and ground units, pairing it with Air Defenses and Scattershots ensures that mass air attacks like Lalo or Dragons cannot easily overwhelm the base. If the Inferno Artillery weakens a group of Balloons or Dragons, a nearby Air Defense or Scattershot can finish them off quickly.

X-Bows and Inferno Towers

Placing X-Bows in ground mode near the Inferno Artillery provides additional single-target firepower to deal with high-health troops. Multi-target Inferno Towers can further punish groups of enemies caught in the Inferno Artillery’s fire pools. Keeping these defenses spread out ensures that attackers cannot neutralize them all at once with Freeze Spells.

Mortars and Bomb Towers

Although these defenses primarily target ground units, their splash damage complements the Inferno Artillery’s fire pools by dealing additional area-of-effect damage. Mortars can weaken ranged troops like Archers and Witches before they advance into range of the Inferno Artillery.

A well-planned base layout should ensure that the Inferno Artillery is not easily disabled. It should be positioned away from other key defenses to avoid being neutralized by Overgrowth Spells or multiple Freeze Spells at once.

Effectiveness Against Popular Attack Strategies

The Inferno Artillery’s ability to hit both air and ground units, combined with its lingering fire pools, makes it effective against several attack strategies. However, it also has some weaknesses that attackers can exploit.

Against Electro Dragons and Mass Dragons –

Since Electro Dragons tend to clump together, they can take significant damage from the Inferno Artillery’s homing fireballs and fire pools. The lingering flames can soften them up before they reach core defenses. However, Electro Dragons’ chain lightning attack can strike multiple buildings at once, so spacing out defenses is crucial. A well-placed Freeze Spell can temporarily disable the Inferno Artillery, allowing the Dragons to push through.

Against Lalo (Lava Hounds and Balloons) –

The Inferno Artillery is one of the few defenses that can effectively target both Lava Hounds and Balloons. Its fireballs can chip away at swarms of Balloons, while the fire pools continue dealing damage after the initial impact. However, since Balloons are fast-moving, they may avoid prolonged exposure to fire pools. Pairing the Inferno Artillery with Air Defenses and a Rage Spell Tower can improve its effectiveness against Lalo.

Against Queen Charge Hybrid (Miners and Hog Riders) –

Since both Miners and Hog Riders move quickly, they may avoid staying in the fire pools for long. However, Miners briefly surface when they reach a target, making them vulnerable to the Inferno Artillery’s fireballs. If the Queen Charge is funneled into range of the Inferno Artillery, the fire pools can pressure the Archer Queen and force the use of an early ability.

Against Super Bowler Smash and P.E.K.K.A Smash –

Since Super Bowlers and P.E.K.K.A.s are high-hitpoint troops, they can withstand the Inferno Artillery’s damage longer than other units. However, the fire pools can still chip away at their health over time. The Monolith, X-Bows, and Multi-Infernos can assist in taking down these units before they reach the core.

Against Sneaky Goblin Town Hall Snipes –

Some attackers may attempt to use Sneaky Goblins to quickly take down the Town Hall. Since the Inferno Artillery has no blind spot, it can hit Sneaky Goblins as they approach, potentially stopping a Town Hall snipe attempt. However, if a Rage Spell or Freeze Spell is used, Sneaky Goblins may still be able to reach their target before being eliminated.

Against Siege Machines –

The Inferno Artillery’s fire pools can weaken Siege Machines as they approach, particularly the Battle Blimp and Log Launcher. The Flame Flinger, however, outranges the Inferno Artillery, meaning it can deal damage without retaliation. Defending against a Flame Flinger requires placing key defenses near the Inferno Artillery to prevent attackers from safely deploying it.

While the Inferno Artillery is strong against most strategies, careful attack planning, Freeze Spells, and Overgrowth Spells can still bypass its effects. Defenders must ensure that other key defenses support it to prevent attackers from neutralizing it easily.

Hard Mode Differences

In Hard Mode, the Inferno Artillery becomes even more dangerous, gaining increased stats and improved mechanics that make it more challenging to destroy.

Increased Damage and Health –

The Inferno Artillery deals more damage per shot and has higher hitpoints, making it more difficult to take down with standard attacks. Troops standing in its fire pools will take increased damage, making it even deadlier against ground-based strategies.

Faster Projectile Speed –

The homing fireballs travel faster, reducing the time attackers have to react. This makes it harder for units to avoid damage, especially those with slower movement speeds.

Wider Splash Radius for Fire Pools –

In Hard Mode, the fire pools have a slightly larger area of effect, making it more difficult for troops to maneuver around them. Units caught in the fire pools will suffer more consistent chip damage.

More Effective Against Siege Machines –

The Inferno Artillery’s increased firepower makes it a bigger threat to Siege Machines. A Battle Blimp may not survive long enough to reach its target unless protected by Invisibility Spells or Freeze Spells. The Flame Flinger remains a viable option but will require careful planning to avoid taking early damage.

Increased Spell Resistance –

While the Inferno Artillery remains immune to Lightning Spells and vulnerable to Earthquake Spells, its increased health means that it requires additional effort to destroy. Spells alone are unlikely to be enough to eliminate it, making a combination of troops and spells necessary for a successful takedown.

Additional Requirements to Destroy with Fireball and Earthquake Boots –

In Hard Mode, a max-level Fireball and Earthquake Boots alone are not enough to destroy the Inferno Artillery. Attackers must also use a Spiky Ball to fully take it down, adding an extra step to siege strategies.

Overall, Hard Mode significantly increases the Inferno Artillery’s power, making it one of the toughest defenses in Clash of Clans. Attackers must carefully plan their approach, using spells and Siege Machines strategically to mitigate its impact. Defenders, on the other hand, can take advantage of its improved capabilities by placing it in a central location and surrounding it with complementary defenses to create an impenetrable base layout.