Clash of Clans Laboratory order: research the army you actually use

Start with one troop and one spell that matter to your regular attack, rather than trying to upgrade the entire Laboratory evenly. Keep the next research choice linked to what your army needs: damage, a spell that supports the attack, or an unlock that makes the plan possible.

This planning guide is for the Home Village, roughly Town Hall 1–10. Available research, levels, costs and times depend on your village and updates; check the Laboratory screen before starting. It is not a fixed upgrade list for every army.

Choose an attack before choosing research

Look at the troops and spells you deploy most often when gathering resources or fighting in war. Pick a familiar composition and identify its main damage source. If you regularly depend on one spell to reach or survive the target, include that spell in the research plan too.

For example, if your usual army relies on a particular air troop and a spell that supports it, compare the next available research for those two items. Start with the one you use in nearly every attack and can currently afford. If a necessary building or research level is not unlocked, check its displayed prerequisite first; an upgrade that is not available cannot be started by simply saving more of the resource.

This example is a decision method, not a claim that a named composition is currently best at every Town Hall. Use the troops and spell shown as available in your game.

Keep research and construction coordinated

1. Open the Laboratory and inspect the main troop's next level, cost and time. Check the spell you rely on as well.
2. Compare the research cost with planned Army Camp, Laboratory or other building upgrades. If they use the same resource, reserve enough for the job you want to start first.
3. Start an available research project that supports your regular attack. Schedule the next project before this one ends so you know which resource to save.
4. If an important research level is unavailable, inspect the required Laboratory or Town Hall level and plan the building work alongside your builder queue.

Supercell's December 2022 update notes say Laboratory research can be started while the Laboratory building is being upgraded. Check the current screen for availability and the specific research requirements; do not assume a newly unlocked level is already available before the relevant upgrade completes.

Change the order when the army changes

If your attacks repeatedly fail because the troops cannot reach their target, first review target selection and deployment rather than treating research as the only fix. If you genuinely switch to a different army, move its main troops and spell up the queue; unfinished research for a rarely used army does not have to dictate all future choices.

A Research Potion can accelerate eligible Laboratory research while it is running. Read the current in-game duration and effect, and use it when a project is active. Before spending a magic item, compare the remaining time and the work you intend to do next.

Sources: Supercell: Laboratory upgrade and research · Supercell: magic items · Clash of Clans database: upgrade timing