Farming is a fundamental feature in Clash of Clans, enabling you to accumulate masses of resources that can be used to upgrade your army.
In this article, we’ll explore the feature in depth, including its pros and cons, and share a few troop compositions to enhance your farming game.
What is Farming in Clash of Clans?

At its core, farming is all about plundering resources from your opponents. The goal is to identify targets overflowing with resources and extract them, ensuring the loot gained wildly outweighs the cost of your army.
The Evolution of the Perfect Clash of Clans Heist

Farming in Clash of Clans has seen a dramatic evolution. In the early days, all you needed was a simple Barbarians and Archers (BARCH) army, providing a brute-force approach to poorly defended bases.
However, as the game grew more complex, so did the strategies, with the introduction of the Goblin Knife strategy. This was achieved by leveraging the Goblins' unique attraction to resource buildings to carve a direct path to a base’s financial core.
Then came the age of air superiority, with Loonion, a deadly surge of Balloons and Minions that targeted the Dark Elixir needed for hero upgrades.
Today, the strategies are a little different and are instead defined by the sheer power of Super Troops. Armies are built around Sneaky Goblins, which can render the most fortified bases obsolete, slipping past defenses to drain storage in seconds.
Choosing the Right CoC Troop Composition for Farming

These days, your choice of army is the most important decision a farmer makes, as a good troop composition needs to combine raw power, training speed, and resource cost. Here are the iconic compositions that are currently working.
Low Cost, High Reward Troops for Farming

● BARCH (Barbarians & Archers): The old guard. Incredibly cheap and fast to train, BARCH is perfect for picking off exposed collectors on dead bases, villages left inactive by their owners. You deploy a wave of Barbarians to absorb initial damage, followed by a line of Archers to pick off buildings from a distance. It’s a simple, elegant solution for lower Town Hall levels.
● Goblin Knife: A strategy built for speed and greed. This composition utilizes a small contingent of tanky troops, such as Giants, to distract defenses while Wall Breakers clear a path. Then, you unleash a swarm of Goblins who rush directly for the storages and Town Hall. It’s a high-risk, high-reward play that can yield massive returns in seconds.
The Best Farming Troops For Serious Loot

● Loonion (Balloons & Minions): An air-based strategy that remains a top choice for farming dark elixir. Balloons methodically take down defenses, while Minions swarm in behind them, clearing out everything else. With the proper spell support (like Haste), this army can bypass ground defenses entirely, making it ideal for targeting well-protected cores at TH9 and above.
● Sneaky Goblins: Perhaps the most efficient farming troop ever introduced. For a small dark elixir investment, you unlock a super-powered Goblin that is invisible for the first few seconds after deployment. This allows you to snipe collectors, storages, and even the Town Hall with near impunity. An army of Sneaky Goblins can also be trained quickly and requires minimal spell support, making it the go-to for serious farmers at higher Town Hall levels.
Farming Army Comparison Rundown

Army Composition | Primary Target Resources | Ideal Town Hall Level | Key Strengths |
BARCH | Gold & Elixir | TH 5 - 8 | Extremely low cost, speedy training time. Perfect for inactive bases. |
Goblin Knife | Gold, Elixir & Dark Elixir | TH 8 - 10 | Targets storage directly, swift raids. |
Loonion | Dark Elixir & Gold | TH 9 - 12 | Bypasses ground defenses, effective against compartmentalized bases. |
Sneaky Goblins | All Resources | TH 11+ | Unmatched efficiency, capable of sniping specific buildings. Trains quickly. |
Finding Your Sweet Spot in the Leagues

It is essential to find an optimal farming methodology. Especially as each trophy league offers a different ecosystem of bases, making finding your ideal hunting ground key to maximizing your profits.
● Lower Leagues (Bronze, Silver, Gold): These leagues are often a treasure trove of abandoned or dead bases. Here, you’ll find collectors overflowing with loot, ripe for the picking with a cheap army like BARCH. The league bonus is minimal, but the sheer volume of easy targets makes it an excellent place for casual farming. Many experienced players will even intentionally drop dead trophies to raid in these lower leagues for easy profits.
● Mid Leagues (Crystal, Master): This is often considered the farming sweet spot for mid-to-high Town Hall levels. You’ll find a healthy mix of active and inactive bases, with substantial loot available in both collectors and storage. The league bonus for winning a raid also becomes a significant source of income, supplementing your earnings.
● Higher Leagues (Champion, Titan): While the loot offered here can be immense and the win bonuses are exceptional, the bases are also much tougher. Farming in these leagues requires a more powerful, and thus more expensive, army. This is typically the domain of players who are blending farming with a gentle trophy push.
A Look at Clash of Clans Defensive Farming Layouts

An experienced farmer understands that protecting their own wealth is every bit as important as looting another player. This is why you’ll need a farming base that will minimize your losses over time.
Most players employ various tactics to render their base unappealing to potential attackers. You can spread your storage across different compartments so an attacker can’t grab everything at once. Alternatively, you can centralize your most valuable resource, usually dark elixir, and protect it with your best defenses and traps.
Many farmers even place their Town Hall outside of their base. This invites attackers to snipe it for an easy one-star victory, giving you a type of shield while your precious storage remains untouched. It’s a clever sacrifice that pays dividends in the long run.
While grinding loot sounds like a great idea, some people are looking to skip the process and play at a higher tier with minimal hassle. At igitems, you can buy maxed-out Clash of Clans accounts that put you in control of a legendary base from day one.
The Final Word on Farming in Clash of Clans

Farming is one of the game’s most vital features, and a reason why some players have stuck with Clash of Clans for years. It’s a great way to expedite your progression, acquire mighty armies, and build a robust base.
By selecting the correct army composition, finding the perfect trophy range, and designing a base that protects your hard-earned loot, you can achieve much better results.