Bowler is a 6-housing-space Dark Elixir ground troop unlocked at Town Hall 10 with Dark Barracks level 7. At TH18, it tops out at level 10 with 160 DPS, 352 damage per throw and 860 hitpoints.
What makes the Bowler different is the bounce. The first hit damages the target area, then the boulder carries on and can hit another building behind it. That makes the entry angle and building layout just as important as the troop level. Below you can check Bowler stats, Bowler upgrade cost, research time, bounce mechanics, attack setups, Super Bowler details and common fixes.
AB Ankit
Bowler attacks once every 2.2 seconds, so the damage from one throw is higher than the DPS number shown in-game. A level 10 Bowler, for example, deals 352 damage per hit while its listed DPS is 160. If the buildings line up, that same boulder can bounce into a second target.
| Level | DPS | Damage / hit | Hitpoints | Laboratory | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | 132 | 325 | — | TH10 |
| 2 | 72 | 158.4 | 375 | 8 | TH10 |
| 3 | 84 | 184.8 | 420 | 9 | TH11 |
| 4 | 96 | 211.2 | 470 | 10 | TH12 |
| 5 | 102 | 224.4 | 505 | 11 | TH13 |
| 6 | 108 | 237.6 | 530 | 12 | TH14 |
| 7 | 114 | 250.8 | 565 | 13 | TH15 |
| 8 | 126 | 277.2 | 600 | 14 | TH16 |
| 9 | 140 | 308 | 700 | 15 | TH17 |
| 10 | 160 | 352 | 860 | 16 | TH18 |
At level 10: Bowler has 160 DPS, 352 damage per throw and 860 HP. You need Laboratory level 16 at TH18 to research it.
Bowler unlocks at TH10, and you can take it straight to level 2 once Laboratory level 8 is available. After that, the cap rises by one Bowler level with each new Town Hall, reaching level 10 at TH18.
| Town Hall | Bowler max level | Laboratory |
|---|---|---|
| TH10 | 2 | Lab 8 |
| TH11 | 3 | Lab 9 |
| TH12 | 4 | Lab 10 |
| TH13 | 5 | Lab 11 |
| TH14 | 6 | Lab 12 |
| TH15 | 7 | Lab 13 |
| TH16 | 8 | Lab 14 |
| TH17 | 9 | Lab 15 |
| TH18 | 10 | Lab 16 |
From TH10 onward, the progression is easy to follow: TH10 caps Bowler at level 2, TH11 at 3, and each Town Hall adds one more level until TH18 reaches level 10.
Every Bowler upgrade uses Dark Elixir. The table below shows the base Laboratory cost and research time for each level before any active discount or boost. Level 1 is the unlock level, so there is no Laboratory research cost for it.
| Target level | Dark Elixir cost | Research time | Laboratory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark Barracks unlock | No research | — |
| 2 |  32,500 | 2d | 8 |
| 3 | 44,000 | 2d 12h | 9 |
| 4 | 62,500 | 3d | 10 |
| 5 | 85,000 | 4d | 11 |
| 6 | 110,000 | 6d | 12 |
| 7 | 145,000 | 7d | 13 |
| 8 | 175,000 | 7d 12h | 14 |
| 9 | 260,000 | 10d | 15 |
| 10 | 360,000 | 15d | 16 |
Taking Bowler from level 1 to level 10 costs 1,274,000 Dark Elixir and takes 57 days of base Laboratory research if the upgrades are done one after another. These totals cover Bowler research only; they do not include Town Hall, Dark Barracks or Laboratory upgrade time.
Bowler does not have a preferred building type. It usually attacks the nearest target it can reach, but it can switch to nearby defending troops, Heroes or Skeletons when they engage the army and are within range.
Each throw can do damage twice. The boulder hits the first target with area splash, then travels forward and can strike a second target behind it. That is why a straight lane of buildings is so valuable: one Bowler can damage two structures with a single throw instead of wasting the bounce into empty space.
Most Bowler attacks are decided by the funnel. Clear enough buildings on both sides of the entry so the main group has a reason to move into the base instead of walking around it. Bowlers are ranged damage troops, so let tanks take the first hits and keep the Bowlers behind them.
As the push moves forward, look past the first building. When two useful targets sit in the same line, the bounce gives you extra damage for free. If the army drifts along the edge, the second hit often lands on something unimportant or misses altogether. A clean entry and timely wall access usually help more than simply adding a few extra Bowlers.
Golems, Ice Golems and Yetis can take the damage that Bowlers are not built to absorb. Witches add Skeletons and steady back-line pressure, while Heroes are useful for shaping the funnel and removing key defenses. Healers can work with some ground pushes when their path is safe from air defenses and traps.
Rage is strongest when several Bowlers are firing through the same compartment. Jump keeps the push moving when walls would split or stall the army. Freeze buys time against a dangerous defense, and Poison helps control defending Clan Castle troops before they sit on top of the Bowler line.
At TH10 and TH11, the regular Bowler is the only version available and gives ground armies ranged splash for just 6 housing space. At TH12, Bowler level 4 also unlocks the option to boost a Super Bowler.
From there, the choice depends on the army. Regular Bowlers let you field more units and spread the damage across the group. Super Bowlers use much more housing space but bring higher individual stats and a third impact on each boulder.
Do not force the same Bowler army into every base. Bowlers are at their best when another unit is taking the first wave of damage and the path keeps them facing into useful building lines. If the base is very open and there are few good bounce lanes, another damage troop may fit that attack better.
If you are defending against Bowlers, avoid giving them long, clean lines of valuable buildings. Wider spacing and offset compartments make the second hit harder to use. Splash defenses and ground traps also punish a tight Bowler group, while Skeletons and defending Heroes can slow their building damage.
A defending Bowler only attacks ground targets, so it does not help against an air-only army. Against ground troops, however, its splash and bounce can reach units standing behind the front line. On offense, Clan Castle Bowlers are compact at 6 housing space each and can add ranged splash without changing the basic tank-and-funnel plan.
Super Bowler becomes available once the normal Bowler reaches level 4. The standard boost costs 25,000 Dark Elixir and lasts 3 days. It uses 30 housing space, keeps the same 14 movement speed and 2.2-second attack interval, and gives the boulder a third impact.
That extra bounce changes how you use it. Super Bowlers get the most value from long lanes where the boulder can travel through several layers of the base. Supercell’s Super Bowler introduction shows the three-impact attack. Regular Bowlers are far cheaper in housing space, so the choice comes down to more bodies on the field or a smaller number of heavier units.
| Super Bowler level | DPS | Damage / attack | Hitpoints | Town Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 170 | 374 | 1,600 | TH12 |
| 5 | 185 | 407 | 1,800 | TH13 |
| 6 | 200 | 440 | 2,000 | TH14 |
| 7 | 220 | 484 | 2,300 | TH15 |
| 8 | 240 | 528 | 2,600 | TH16 |
| 9 | 270 | 594 | 3,000 | TH17 |
| 10 | 310 | 682 | 3,700 | TH18 |
Regular Bowler: 6 housing space, two impacts per throw. Super Bowler: 30 housing space, three impacts per throw, much higher HP and damage.
The stats and upgrade numbers in this guide use the current values. The milestones below show the main changes that shaped today’s Bowler levels, housing space and research progression.
| Date | Change | What it means now |
|---|---|---|
| 21 March 2016 | Bowler added with levels 1–3. | The troop entered the Home Village as a Dark Elixir ranged ground unit. |
| 24 May 2016 | Housing space reduced from 8 to 6. | The regular Bowler still uses 6 housing space. |
| 11 June 2018 | Bowler level 4 added. | Level 4 later became the requirement for Super Bowler. |
| 9 December 2019 | Bowler level 5 added. | TH13 progression reached level 5. |
| 27 September 2021 | Bowler level 6 added. | TH14 progression reached level 6. |
| 12 June 2023 | Bowler level 7 added. | TH15 progression reached level 7. |
| 27 February 2024 | Bowler level 8 added. | TH16 progression reached level 8. |
| 3 June 2024 | Several Bowler levels received damage and HP buffs. | The current level 2–7 stats include those increases. |
| 10 February 2025 | Bowler level 9 added. | TH17 progression reached level 9. |
| 27 March 2025 | Troop training time removed. | Bowlers no longer wait in a troop training queue. |
| 17 November 2025 | Bowler level 10 added; level 9 cost, time and stats adjusted. | TH18 progression reaches level 10 and level 9 uses 260,000 Dark Elixir / 10d. |
| 27 April 2026 | Level 10 damage and HP increased. | Current level 10 is 160 DPS and 860 HP. |
TRAINING NOTE
Bowler has no troop training wait. Laboratory upgrades still take research time, and housing space still decides how many Bowlers fit in an army or Clan Castle.
The current Bowler max level is 10 at TH18. It requires Laboratory level 16.
Bowler unlocks at Town Hall 10 when Dark Barracks reaches level 7.
Level 2. TH10 supports Laboratory level 8, which is required for Bowler level 2.
Level 10 has 160 DPS, 352 damage per attack and 860 hitpoints.
360,000 Dark Elixir with a base research time of 15 days at Laboratory level 16.
1,274,000 Dark Elixir and 57 days of sequential base Laboratory research.
The boulder deals area damage on its first impact, then bounces forward and can damage a second target behind it.
No. The regular Bowler targets ground units and buildings only.
Super Bowler requires normal Bowler level 4. The standard boost costs 25,000 Dark Elixir and lasts 3 days.
It uses 30 housing space and its boulder has three impacts instead of two. At level 10 it has 310 DPS and 3,700 hitpoints.
Build the funnel first, put tanks ahead of the Bowlers, and enter where buildings line up so the second impact keeps finding useful targets.
Troop
Troop
Troop
Hero
Hero
Hero
Hero
Hero
Hero
