The Hog Rider is one of the most popular (and effective) units in all
of Clash of Clans. Not only are they one of the coolest looking units,
but their ability to hop over walls and target towers effectively makes
them both the fastest ground and “flying” unit in the game that
specifically targets enemy defensive structures.
In this guide to the Hog Rider, we will cover unit stats, costs,
upgrades, research levels, and strategies for making the best use of
this troop.
Hog Rider Basic Information, Stats, and Levels
Training Time: 2 minutes
Supply Cost: 5
Movement Speed: 24
Targets: Ground
Preferred Target: Defense
Dark Barracks Required: Level 2
Supply Cost: 5
Movement Speed: 24
Targets: Ground
Preferred Target: Defense
Dark Barracks Required: Level 2
Level
|
Damage Per Second
|
Attack Speed
|
Damage Per Hit
|
Hitpoints
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | 1 attack per 1 second | 60 | 270 |
| 2 | 70 | 1 attack per 1 second | 70 | 312 |
| 3 | 80 | 1 attack per 1 second | 80 | 360 |
| 4 | 92 | 1 attack per 1 second | 92 | 415 |
| 5 | 105 | 1 attack per 1 second | 105 | 475 |
| Level | Training Cost (Dark Elixir) | Upgrade Cost (Dark Elixir) | Laboratory Level | Town Hall Requirement |
| 1 | 40 | None | None | 7 |
| 2 | 45 | 20,000 | 5 | 7 |
| 3 | 52 | 30,000 | 6 | 8 |
| 4 | 58 | 40,000 | 6 | 8 |
| 5 | 65 | 50,000 | 7 | 9 |
In the hands of even an unskilled player, the Hog Rider is perhaps
the most powerful unit in Clash of Clans (Golems and Witches take a
little more finesse to use effectively). Hog Riders are very easy to use
and simultaneously very effective from TH7 to TH10.
What makes the Hog Rider so good? For one, it has rather high damage
and health for only being a 5 supply unit. Additionally, it has a quick
movement speed AND targets defenses. In comparison, most melee ground
units have a movement speed of 16 or less, while most units that target
defense preferentially have a movement speed of 12. The unusually high
movement speed and damage for a defensive-targeting unit make the Hog
Rider a great unit. However, on top of that, Hog Riders can actually
jump over walls. This allows the Hog Rider to quickly run through an
enemy’s base, taking out all of their defensive structures.
Once all of an enemy’s defensive structures are destroyed, a few
clean-up units like the Barbarian King and some Archers can be used to
destroy the enemy’s remaining structures.
CoC Hog Rider Strategy
As mentioned earlier, the Hog Rider is one of the best units in the
game for taking out enemy bases and they are very easy to use. However,
their cost means that they cannot be used all the time. In this guide, I
will discuss strategies for using these units and situations in which
the Hog Rider excels.
Hog Riders in War Battles
Hog Riders are the ultimate war unit for TH7, TH8, and TH9 players.
It is impossible for a TH7 and close to impossible for a TH8 to fend off
a heavy Hog Rider attack. With good spell placement and support units,
it is even difficult for TH9 players not to get 3-starred by a mass Hog
Rider army.
The strategy for using these units is simple: load up on healing
spells and perhaps a Rage spell along with Hog Riders. Bring along
Archers for enemy Clan Castle troops. Lure out the Clan Castle
troops and hero units as a priority. Once you have their attention, take
them out with Archers (or perhaps your own Hero unit(s). Next, drop
your Hog Riders. Try not to drop them all in the same place, as this
will leave the Hogs vulnerable to Big Bombs.
As your Hog Riders take damage (particularly from bombs), drop a
Healing spell on the pack of Hog Riders when they get near a few towers
(as the Hogs will be in range for awhile). A high-level Healing spell
will easily top off the Hog Riders as they continue through the enemy’s
base. Keep dropping healing spells as Hog Riders take area of effect
damage, keeping them topped off.
A good enemy base (particularly at TH9) will make heavy use of bombs
in an effort to try to curb Hog Rider attack. Healing Spells and
upgrades (for more health) help mitigate this significantly. However,
sometimes you walk into a trap with multiple Big Bombs and your Hog
Riders might get taken out. For this reason, never send in all 25+ Hog
Riders in a single attack wave. Instead, drop about 15, then keep about
10 on the back burner. Once your first wave takes out a significant
chunk of your enemy’s base, drop the other 10 at another end of the
enemy’s base, so that each Hog Rider group is operating independently.
The question you have to ask yourself is not so much about how to use
Hog Riders, but rather if you want to use them. A Hog Rider-based
attack runs 1,000-2,000 Dark Elixir. For two attacks, that would be
2,000 to 4,000. Is it really worth that for a war win which is likely
not to provide more than 1,200 Dark Elixir? Probably not, unless you are
the last person to attack and only need one or two three star attacks
for your whole clan to win the battle.
I strongly recommend avoiding this tactic at TH7, even for wars. It
is far easier to use 10 Dragons + 3 Lightning Spells for a 3 star clear
on high TH7s or even low to mid TH8 players. TH7 just do not have the
spare Dark Elixir needed to fund Hog Rider attacks.
Hog Riders in Farming
Contrary to what you might think given their high cost, Hog Riders
can actually be used in farming. Consider that an army of about 25 Hog
Riders will run 1,000 to 1,625 Dark Elixir, depending on level upgrades
(the range the cost of 25 Hog Riders, from levels 1-5). Next, consider
that a high-end TH8 base could have 2,000 Dark Elixir in the storage
(plus whatever is in the drill), while a TH9 base could have as much as
2,500 Dark Elixir available in the storage to take (plus whatever is in
the drills) and you can see there is room to take in a nice profit.
In order to successfully farm off these high-end bases, just use the
same strategy described in the war section above. You might as well go
for a 100% clear, grabbing not only the Dark Elixir but the gold and
regular elixir as well to fund wall upgrades and pay for your spells and
other units used in the attack. You can easily pull in 2,200 Dark
Elixir while only spending 1,200 Dark Elixir on a TH8, whereas you can
grab 3,000+ on a TH9 if both drills are full and upgraded.
Personally, I do not like this strategy for one reason: it is
difficult to find TH8 and TH9 bases full enough on Dark Elixir to make
this work. If you push up higher in the trophy count, you will find more
TH9 players with full DE storages, but you will also find at these
higher ranges it is harder to farm Gold and Elixir (as well as protect
your own Dark Elixir). I would rather farm with an Elixir-heavy army so
that I could efficiently farm off of bases offering up 1,000+ Dark
Elixir rather than needing a 2,000+ base to net any DE.
Hog Riders for High Level Trophy Farming
While in theory Hog Riders could be used to trophy push, they are
cost prohibitive for this purpose for most players (unless you plan on
gemming). The odds of finding an easy base for trophy farming that also
has enough Dark Elixir to fund Hog Rider attacks at high trophy ranges
is extremely low (other players would have knocked this guy down and
taken the DE already). You will only be able to fund so many Hog Rider
attacks before running dry on Dark Elixir.
Hog Rider Weaknesses
The Hog Rider has three main weaknesses: bombs, spring traps, and
multi-target Inferno Towers. Here is a quick guide to dealing with each:
- Bombs: The biggest weakness of the Hog Rider is pockets in the enemy’s base that are loaded with Big Bombs and regular bomb traps that are specifically designed to destroy clumps of Hog Riders. Dropping a Healing spell as soon as you notice these traps being triggered is key if you want to save your Hog Riders. Additionally, spread your Hog Riders out into two attacks to help mitigate this effect.
- Spring Traps: Spring Traps are hard to avoid and well-designed bases will naturally funnel units that target defensive targets over a few Spring Traps. Having a large number of Hog Riders is important for countering these traps, as one trap will rarely flip more than 3 Hog Riders even when the Hog Riders are traveling in a pack of 15+.
- Inferno Tower: Inferno Towers set to multi-target are the hardest thing to deal with, as they block the Healing spell from working. A Freeze Spell on Inferno Towers or placing your Hog Riders in such a way that they target perimeter defenses rather than the Inferno Towers may be necessary. While Hog Riders are weak against multi-target Inferno Towers, they are strong against single-target towers. On the flip side, the Barbarian King and Archer Queen are great versus the multi-target Inferno Towers, yet weak against the single-target towers. Use Hog Riders to take out single-target towers, and hero units to take out the multi-target towers.
Hog Riders and Spells
As mentioned, the Hog Rider does very well with the Healing Spell, as
its primary weakness is area of effect damage. Keep dropping Healing
Spells as the pack of Hog Riders takes damage. A Rage Spell could be
useful as well in a high-concentration of towers (typically found in the
center of the map near a Town Hall on a War Base). A Freeze Spell could
also be useful for locking up multi-target Inferno Towers.
Hog Riders as a Clan Castle Unit
Hog Riders are surprisingly a good Clan Castle unit. They have high
health, damage, and a relatively quick attack speed, making them
particularly effective against Archers (the typical unit used to take
out Clan Castle units). The biggest problem with using Hog Riders for
defensive purposes is that they have no anti-air attack – a player with
Minions can just drop a few to take out the Hog Riders after luring them
out.
Hog Riders do make for a great offensive unit if you have an alt
account. Donating a handful of Hog Riders to the Clan Castle with aims
for using them for attacks can cut down the Dark Elixir spend of your
main account.
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