Clash of Clans

How Does Auto Upgrade Work in Clash Of Clans?

5 min read
Sep 30, 2025
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Despite the fact that Clash of Clans is one of those games you can play for years, most people will get bored after a while. Alternatively, some players might leave their accounts dormant for several months as they focus on work, school, and other activities. 

The good news is that you won’t lose a lot of progress while you’re offline, as Clash of Clans has an excellent feature called Auto Upgrade, which makes life easier for returning players. 

It is essentially a catch-up mechanic for the popular mobile strategy game, ensuring that you don’t fall too far behind.

So, if you’ve taken a break from the game and are considering a return, you should definitely learn more about this function. Let’s see how the automatic upgrades work and how you can benefit from them… 

How to Activate the Auto Upgrade Feature in Clash

Although this feature is excellent for catching up, not everyone will gain access to it, as you must be inactive for at least 90 days for the Auto Upgrade to become active. Once you start the game after this period, you’ll notice a notification that says “Welcome Back Chief!”

Below that, you’ll see all the finished upgrades that were completed during your absence. The best thing is that you don’t have to do anything, as these changes are automatically introduced to your base. All you have to do is click the “Okay” button and continue with your adventure. 

You must also keep in mind that this feature can be activated once per year. This ensures it remains a genuine welcome-back gift rather than a tool to be gamed. It’s effectively Supercell’s way of saying, “We missed you, let’s get your base back in fighting shape,” rewarding your return after a long break.

What Gets the Automatic Upgrade?

When you return, you’ll notice that your base has significantly improved. This is a comprehensive overhaul designed to make your base instantly more viable. The system achieves this by intelligently investing in the core components of your village, ensuring both your defense and offense receive a significant boost. Here’s what you can expect to see improved, thanks to the Auto Upgrade:

  • Defensive Fortifications: Your first line of defense will be significantly strengthened. Cannons, Archer Towers, Mortars, and even more advanced defenses like Inferno Towers and X-Bows will be leveled up.

  • Resource Infrastructure: A strong economy is the backbone of any great village, and the Auto Upgrade feature affects your Gold Mines, Elixir Collectors, and Dark Elixir Drills. You can also enjoy upgrades to your Gold and Elixir Storages, ensuring that you have plenty of resources at your disposal once you return.

  • The Laboratory’s Secret Work: What’s a great army without the latest tech? While you’ve been gone, your Laboratory hasn’t been idle. Key troops and spells you’ve already unlocked will receive upgrades! Just imagine returning to find your Archers shoot truer and your Hog Riders hit harder, ready for your next campaign. These laboratory upgrades are a massive boost for returning players.

  • Walls and Traps: The painstaking task of upgrading walls gets a helping hand. Several of your wall segments will be improved, making your base a more challenging target to crack. Hidden traps will also be upgraded, ready to surprise unsuspecting attackers.

  • Clan Castle: Your Clan Castle will also see improvements, allowing it to hold more reinforcement troops and withstand more punishment.

Town Hall Strategies Remain in Your Control

The best thing about Auto Upgrade is that Supercell made it highly selective. In other words, the company didn’t want to touch certain elements, specifically those that could interfere with your strategy and gameplay experience. 

Perhaps the most noticeable thing is that the game won’t touch your Town Hall. The system will never automatically upgrade your Town Hall level, as this would completely alter your game flow. 

This is a great design choice, as it prevents you from being thrown into a higher, more demanding competitive bracket before you’re ready. The decision to advance to a new Town Hall is a pivotal moment in any player’s career, and that choice remains yours alone.

Supercell also didn’t want to tinker with your heroes, as they wanted to give you the enjoyment of improving the vital characters. That way, you can check out some of the differences between lower and higher-tier units before pulling the plug. In some cases, you might even want to leave them at a lower level before investing resources into an upgrade. 

Auto Upgrade At a Glance

To make it crystal clear, here’s a simple breakdown of what the Auto Upgrade feature does and does not cover.

Upgraded Automatically

Remains Under Your Control

Defensive Buildings (Cannons, Towers, etc.)

Town Hall Level

Resource Collectors & Storages

Hero Levels (King, Queen, etc.)

Laboratory Upgrades (Troops & Spells)

Builder Base Progress

A selection of Walls & Traps

Base Layout & Design

Clan Castle

Strategic Army Composition

Taking a Break from Clash of Clans? Here’s the Takeaway

The Auto Upgrade feature is another example of Supercell’s unique and innovative game solutions. Instead of punishing people who don’t have enough time to log in to Clash of Clans consistently, it stimulates them to continue playing without any penalties. 

You can step away, attend to your business, and return to find a village significantly improved, allowing you to enjoy the fun parts, such as refining your attack strategies, participating in Clan Wars, and experiencing the new content you’ve missed, all without the grind.

Ready to accelerate your journey from comeback to conquest? 

While the Auto Upgrade provides a fantastic foundation, reaching the pinnacle of power requires a high-level Clash of Clans account or obtaining the necessary resources. At igitems, we’re providing all the help you need!

Mark
igitems
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