TH16 Lab Upgrade Order [2025 Guide] – BrawlOne

You’ve hit TH16, and your lab order will decide how fast you punch above your weight. Start by stacking early power spikes—Super Barbarians and Super Wall Breakers—then pivot to Witches and Root Riders without choking your Dark. Alternate elixir and DE about 2:1, lock in Poison early, and stagger long dark projects so heroes never stall. By day 120, you’ll feel the jump—if you follow the sequence that most players overlook...

Key Takeaways

• Open with Super Barbarians and Super Wall Breakers, then Witch; this delivers the fastest early power spike for TH16.
• Follow a 2:1 cadence: elixir, elixir, dark; prevents dark bottlenecks and keeps heroes and raid options online.
• Prioritize Root Rider next, then Valkyries, Dragons, Dragon Riders, and Super Bowlers for mid-game versatility.
• Slot Poison Spell upgrade within days 30–60; keep Rage or Freeze cycling to handle CCs and bolster key pushes.
• Avoid upgrading all top-tier troops simultaneously; use clan castle support and defer low-impact items and walls to surplus.

Why Upgrade Order Matters at TH16

Because your TH16 lab takes about 310 days to finish, a smart upgrade order compresses real power into the first ~120 days so you win wars and push trophies sooner. You can’t afford to sink weeks into low-impact levels while rivals unlock meta-defining troops. By picking high-impact upgrades first—Super Barbarians, Super Wall Breakers, then core dark options like Witches and Root Riders—you front‑load success and change raid outcomes immediately.

You’ll also avoid resource choke points. Stagger elixir and dark elixir in a steady rhythm (elixir, elixir, dark, elixir, dark, repeat) so both storages stay productive and builders never idle. Prioritize air and siege-impacting units—Dragons, Dragon Rider, Electro Dragon—for versatility, and weave in key spells like Poison and Rage. Use clan castle support to bridge gaps while priority upgrades finish.

120-Day Progression Plan Overview

Although your lab could run all year, this -Day Progression Plan compresses the first 120 days into a tight, high-impact sequence that you can follow week by week. You’ll prioritize upgrades that change your attacks fast, not chase a 310‑day completion.

Run a clean resource cadence: elixir, elixir, dark elixir, elixir, dark elixir, repeat. That balances sinks and keeps your builders and lab humming. Open with Super Barbarian and Super Wall Breaker, then swing to Witch. Cycle into Root Rider, Valkyries, Dragons, Dragon Riders, and Super Bowlers as your next anchors.

Layer essential support so your armies work now: Poison Spell, Healers, and Electro Dragon. With those, you can lean on clan castle troops to skip fringe upgrades. After 120 days, fill gaps for your war needs—Balloons, Zap/Heal, Ice Golem, or Yeti.

Early Power Spike: Super Barbarians and Super Wall Breakers

Kick off your TH16 lab with a one-two punch: Super Barbarians and Super Wall Breakers. Prioritize these elixir upgrades first to grab an immediate power spike without disrupting resource balance. Super Barbarians deliver fast offensive value for farming and wars, improving clear speed, funneling, and survivability in BARCH variants and ground-heavy hybrids. Their upgrade time is standard, so you won’t bottleneck your early schedule.

Pair them with Super Wall Breakers to stabilize your entries. At TH16, higher wall levels punish sloppy openings; early SWB upgrades give predictable pathing and consistent breaches on compact bases. That reliability directly lowers raid fail rates and raises three-star odds in short prep windows. Slot both in your first elixir positions, then rotate to dark to maintain the elixir–elixir–dark cadence.

Dark Elixir Priority: Witches and Root Riders

With your early elixir gains locked in from Supers, shift the lab to dark elixir and put Witch at the front of the line. Witch levels scale hard through skeleton DPS and survivability, unlocking hybrid swarm pressure that punishes single-target defenses and stretches bases. Max Witch first among DE troops to raise your floor in wars and tighten time fails with sustained spawn cycles.

Next, funnel dark into Root Rider. Its mobility and high single-target DPS pair perfectly with Witch swarms, deleting key defenses, opening paths for heroes, and speeding siege clears. If dark is tight, skip lower-impact DE options and keep your lab focused: Witch first, Root Rider next. Lean on clan castle spells and troops to bridge gaps while these two upgrades carry your mid TH16 attack roster.

Alternating Resources: Efficient Elixir vs. Dark Scheduling

Dial in a 2:1 cadence—elixir, elixir, dark—to keep both storages moving and prevent dark bottlenecks during your 120-day TH16 lab plan. Open with long elixir supers (Super Barb, Super Wall Breaker) so the lab stays busy while you slip in short dark jobs like Witch levels or Poison. Track times and costs so you can swap when season bank or boosts hit, conserving whichever currency’s tight.

Use this repeating rhythm: elixir, elixir, dark, elixir, dark. It mirrors priority without starving heroes. Stagger long dark upgrades (e.g., Witch, Yeti, Electro Titan) every 3–4 slots to protect hero paths and raid flexibility.

Mid-Game Core: Valkyries, Dragons, Dragon Riders, Bowlers (Super)

That cadence sets you up to push the mid‑game core: Valkyries, Dragons, Dragon Riders, and Super Bowlers. Open with Valkyries. Their splash and auto-jump pathing spike fast, letting you cleave cores in ground smash and hybrid. Aim to push Valkyries two levels above typical funnel thresholds within 30–40 days.

Move to Dragons next. You want high single-digit levels so they tank and clear reliably, keeping Dragon + Dragon Rider pairings viable for Clan War and CWL.

Queue Dragon Riders after Dragons, or run them concurrently if resources allow. Their targeted DPS deletes key sky defenses in multi-stage bases; level them toward near-max within your 120-day window.

Schedule Super Bowler upgrades on elixir cycles after core Valk/Dragon levels. Their bounce damage multiplies ground pressure and pairs cleanly with Valks.

Spell Essentials: Poison, Rage, and Key Support Spells

Although troops carry your damage, your spell timing wins fights at TH16—so slot Poison and Rage early in the lab plan and anchor your rotations around them. Upgrade Poison first in a dark-elixir slot within days 30–60; it deletes enemy Clan Castle threats, slows heroes, and weakens Healers so your pushes don’t stall.

Pair that with Rage on an elixir slot to keep resource flow smooth and amplify core kill phases and funnel entries—especially with Dragons, Dragon Riders, or Electro Titan cycles. Always keep at least one upgraded support spell (Rage or Freeze) in rotation so your CC provides top-tier value even if troops lag.

If you’re choosing one secondary, take Freeze next. It shuts down multis, cores, and key ability chains when timing matters.

War-Ready Lab Path for Clan Performance

Because wars hinge on dependable, high-impact troops, follow a 120-day, war-first lab cycle that alternates elixir and dark: start with Barbarians and Wall Breakers for their super variants, then slot Witch and Root Rider to cover ground pressure, and weave in Valkyrie for anti-skeleton cores. Keep the elixir–dark cadence tight: elixir, elixir, dark, elixir, dark, repeat. Slide Healers early so queen charges stay viable, then push Bowlers for Super Bowler smash value and reliable funneling. Fit Ice Golem alongside those dark upgrades for freeze utility in sieges.

Secure air flexibility by completing Dragons, Dragon Riders, and Electro Dragon within the window. Insert Poison Spell promptly to hard-counter enemy CCs and skeleton traps. Use clan castle Poison if timing slips, but maintain the cycle to sustain war readiness.

Low-Priority and Situational Upgrades After the Core Plan

Once your 120-day war-first lab path wraps, shift into a cleanup phase that spends surplus without slowing core progress. Treat walls as a sink only when you’ve got excess; don’t let them delay builders or extend the 4‑month window. Skip workshop, modars, small bombs, and red air mines in the core plan—only add them if you have at least one extra month per builder and they match your defensive style.

Traps are optional: include a +1 month trap pass if you run a trap-heavy base; otherwise keep funneling resources into defenses, heroes, and any remaining war-critical lab work. Supercharge each collector type once, then defer the remaining supercharges—full maxing all three types costs 162 days. Adjust order based on farming, pushing, or trophy needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Should I Use Magic Items to Speed up Lab Timing at TH16?

Use hammers on longest, high-impact troops; spend books when upgrades would idle the lab. Stack builder/season boosts, run potion during long sessions, and queue alternating elixir/dark. Save runes for dry spells, claim season bank before big upgrades, and avoid overlapping research.

What’s the Best Order for Pet Research Relative to Troop Upgrades?

Prioritize Frosty, Unicorn, then Electro Owl to boost queen, king, and warden value. Slot pet research between dark-heavy troop upgrades. After core troops, do Phoenix and Mighty Yak. Avoid pet downtime overlapping hero upgrades; stagger books/hammers smartly.

How Do Lab Upgrades Sync With Hero Upgrade Downtimes at TH16?

You sync lab work with hero downtimes by alternating elixir and dark upgrades, matching dark-heavy lab periods to weaker heroes. Stack books, hammers, and potions to finish key troops before wars, and pause hero upgrades during competitive windows.

Which Events or Season Boosts Should I Save for Lab Milestones?

Save Season Bank overflow, 20% season pass research boosts, Book of Fighting/Spells, Research Potions, and Power Potion windows. Stack them for super Barbarians/Wall Breakers, then Witches/Root Riders. Time Clan Games rewards and Trader deals to bridge resource gaps.

How Do I Plan Lab Upgrades Around CWL and Raid Weekends?

Schedule long elixir upgrades right after CWL, start dark-focused ones before Raid Weekend. Keep Poison, Rage, and core troops maxed first. Stagger finishes to align with medals/books, avoid idle lab time, and swap priorities based on war matchups.

Conclusion

You’ve got a clear TH16 roadmap: stack early power with Super Barbs and Super Wall Breakers, then push Witches and Root Riders to anchor war hits. Alternate elixir and dark to keep heroes moving, slip in Poison and core spells early, and target mid-cycle carry troops—Valks, Dragons, Dragon Riders, Super Bowlers—for reliable DPS. Protect your dark, stagger long projects, and ignore low-impact upgrades until the core’s done. Follow this 120‑day plan and you’ll dominate wars fast.