War base, farming base, trophy base — they can look similar, but they're built to win at completely different things. Picking the right type (and knowing when to switch) matters more than any single layout. Here's what each one optimizes, how to tell them apart, and when to use which.
Which base do I need? (30 seconds)
- In a Clan War or CWL? → A war base (denies stars; protects the Town Hall).
- Pushing trophies or in Legend League? → A trophy base (stops attackers taking an easy win off your Town Hall).
- Saving loot for an upgrade? → A farming base (protects your storages).
- Just playing day to day? → A hybrid base (balances both).
Not sure? Start with a hybrid and switch once you have a clear goal.
The three base types
War base. Built to deny stars in Clan Wars and CWL. The Town Hall sits central and the strongest defenses are spread out so a single spell or push can't wreck several at once. It doesn't care about protecting loot — in war there's nothing to steal. Best for war and CWL, in anti-3-star and anti-2-star designs.
Farming base. Built to protect resources. Your storages (Gold, Elixir and Dark Elixir) are pulled into protected compartments so raiders can't reach your loot cheaply. The priority is keeping those storages — a farming base will often accept giving up the Town Hall (and the star that comes with it) as long as your loot stays safe. Best for farming loot between upgrades.
Trophy base. Built to defend against multiplayer attacks so you keep your trophies. The goal is to deny stars and percentage, so attackers can't take an easy win off your Town Hall. It's close to a war base but tuned for everyday multiplayer defense. Best for trophy pushing and Legend League.
Hybrid bases
A hybrid protects both your Town Hall and your storages reasonably well without maxing either. It's the sensible default when you're not actively warring or hard-pushing: you defend some trophies and keep most of your loot.
How to tell them apart
- Town Hall usually dead-center with defenses spread wide → often a war or trophy base.
- Storages clustered in a protected core → usually a farming base.
- Everything moderately protected → often a hybrid.
These are tendencies, not hard rules — on our Town Hall pages you can just filter by type instead of guessing.
Examples — the trade-offs
You can't max all three goals at once; every base gives something up.
- "We're in a war this weekend." → War base. It may leak loot in multiplayer, but that's fine — you want zero three-stars.
- "I'm climbing to Legend League." → Trophy base. Every star and percent you deny keeps your trophies, so defending the Town Hall is everything.
- "I need Dark Elixir for my hero." → Farming base. You'll drop a few trophies, but your storages stay safe.
- "I just play a bit each day." → Hybrid. A little of everything, with no glaring weakness.
The mistake to avoid: running a farming base during a war (you'll hand over stars) or a war base while trophy pushing (it protects the Town Hall but can leak everything else).
Find the right base
Browse layouts by Town Hall and filter by type, rating, or how many times each was copied:
New to importing layouts? Read How to copy and adapt a base first.
Transparency: when you tap Copy Base Link, we count one anonymous copy so we can rank the most-copied layouts across the site. No account, login or personal data is involved.
FAQ
Can one base do all three jobs? Not really. A hybrid is the best all-rounder, but a dedicated war or farming base will always beat it at its own job.
Is a war base good for trophy pushing? It helps, since the Town Hall is protected — but trophy bases are tuned to deny stars and percentage in everyday multiplayer, which is a slightly different problem.
Where does the Town Hall go? Usually central in war and trophy bases. In a farming base your storages come first, so it often accepts giving up the Town Hall star to keep your loot.
Anti-2 vs anti-3 — what's the difference? That's about how many stars a base is built to deny. We cover it in its own guide.
Sources
- Supercell — Clash of Clans, official site (Clan Wars, multiplayer and leagues): supercell.com/games/clashofclans
- Clash of Clans Wiki — Clan Wars: clashofclans.fandom.com