Sep 15th 2014, 16:48:18
Some new player tips:
1. DO NOT SPEND YOUR GEMS on anything until you have 4 builders huts. On both of my accounts I was able to easily save 500 gems for 3rd builder hut before TH 5, and save another 1000 gems for the 4th either shortly after, or during my upgrade to TH 7. During the tutorial, just wait the minute for things to build rather than using gems. Once you've gotten your 4th builder, save your gems for Dark Elixer upgrades. There's nothing worse than stringing together a bunch of raids, having 14,870 Dark Elixer, and then having to go and leave your account vulnerable. Have some gems on hand to get to that 15,000 upgrade.
2. DO NOT RUSH YOUR TH. It can be tempting to unlock new buildings by upgrading your TH, and this is fine until about TH 5 or 6... but after that, do not rush your TH. There is a loot penalty when attacking bases with a TH level lower than yours. One level below, you only get 90% of possible loot. Two levels below I believe it's 50%. Three levels below goes down to about a quarter. It'll be very difficult for you to upgrade your defenses and units if you rush your TH as finding resources will get harder and harder.
3. Army camps should NOT be ignored. You might think that those 5 extra units won't make a difference, but you're wrong. It's not just 5. It's 5, per upgrade, per camp. Get them upgraded.
4. YouTube is your friend. I love using YouTube for base designs and other strategies. There are a few very helpful channels: PlayClashofClans, Wiggy, Daddy, Clash with Cam, etc. You can learn a lot about what to look for when attacking, how to identify whether resources are in storage or in collectors etc.
5. Always have your lab working on something. Upgrades are very important, and you can't fall behind. Generally, archers are the consensus first unit to upgrade. They're the default donation unit in clans, and they're usually one of the main units used in raiding.