Clash of Clans: Three New Crafted Defenses Explained for TH11 to TH18

Supercell has added three brand new Crafted Defenses in the August update, and they are unlike anything seen before in Clash of Clans. Instead of simply dealing more damage, each defense has its own mechanic. One gets weaker over time, another hunts heroes, and the last one drops explosive cakes across the battlefield. Unlike previous seasonal defenses, these are not exclusive to the highest Town Halls. Every player from Town Hall 11 to Town Hall 18 can unlock and upgrade these new defenses. This makes it the biggest seasonal defense rollout yet. Supercell is also treating the release as a community test to see how players like the system.

🔥 Hot Candle: Power That Burns Out

The Hot Candle behaves a lot like a Multi-Archer Tower... at first. It starts by firing six projectiles at once, splitting them across multiple targets. If only one troop is in range, all six shots hit that single target, making it incredibly dangerous.

But here is the catch. Instead of getting stronger during the battle, the Hot Candle slowly burns out. It has three stages:

The defense visually changes as it weakens, so attackers know which stage it is in. Best against: Dragon spam, early troop deployments, and attacks that enter the base immediately.

🎯 Hero Hunter: The Anti-Hero Specialist

As the name suggests, this defense exists for one job: destroy heroes. The Hero Hunter prioritizes heroes whenever it has to choose a new target. On top of that, every hit applies a Poison Spell effect, slowing heroes while dealing continuous damage. That makes Queen Charges and Dragon Duke entries much riskier than before.

There is another interesting interaction too. Normally, Totems can redirect defenses. But against the Hero Hunter, they do not really help because every time it retargets, it simply locks back onto the hero. Against normal troops, though, it is much less threatening. This defense really shines only when heroes are involved.

🍰 Cake-a-pult: Explosive Desserts for Air and Ground

The Cake-a-pult might remind players of the old Lava Launcher, but there is one massive difference. It attacks both air and ground troops.

Every shot works in two parts. The projectile lands. It leaves behind a cake bomb that explodes shortly after, damaging anything nearby. The defense also has a 3-tile dead zone, much smaller than the Lava Launcher's, so positioning still matters. Fast troops can sometimes outrun the delayed explosion. But healers cannot. If Healers drift into those cake explosions, they can disappear in just a couple of hits, making this defense surprisingly effective against healing-based attacks.

⚙️ Upgrade Modules and Progression

Each Crafted Defense has multiple upgrade modules instead of a single upgrade path. One module increases Hit Points, while the others improve the defense's damage and effectiveness. Upgrade times also increase sharply after certain levels, so choosing the right upgrade order becomes more important at higher Town Halls. Players who invest in the wrong module may find their defenses underperforming in critical wars.

📊 Quick Comparison

🏰 Why These Defenses Matter

The biggest difference with these new Crafted Defenses is that none of them are just another cannon. Each one counters a different style of attack. Hot Candle punishes early spam attacks. Hero Hunter pressures Queen Charges and hero entries. Cake-a-pult threatens both air and ground armies with delayed explosive damage. That makes base building much more interesting, since players will choose their Crafted Defense based on the attacks they face most often, not simply whichever has the highest damage. For those looking to start defending from day one, the Best TH18 Base Layouts guide offers the latest bases for Legends, Ranked, CWL, and Clan Wars. These defenses are already changing how Town Hall 11 to 18 players approach base design in 2026.