I’ve tried playing Clash of Clans ten years ago (in 2015), but gave up on it very fast because there was nothing keeping me hooked in the game. My conclusion was that the game kinda’ sucked, as you couldn’t do much as a F2P player that just started. Basically after playing a little, you had to wait as building, upgrading, expanding and so on took a lot of time for players that didn’t want to pay real money to advance faster.

Well, after a pause of only 10 years, I decided to install it again and see if there’s something different now. I’m happy (or sad) to report that very little changed. It’s incredibly difficult for a new player to build things without waiting quite some time, unless they spend real money. That’s bothersome, other games help you advance faster when you start playing them for the first time, but with CoC you advance slow and have to wait a lot to finalize buildings and upgrade your base.

You can watch the video below to see my interaction with it, 10 years later:

What I don’t like about Clash of Clans:

1. “Pay-to-Win” mechanics. CoC’s main issue is the slow progression for Free-to-Play Players. It was like this 10 years ago, it’s like this no. I actually feel that right now, compared to 10 years ago, CoC has become a game that’s increasingly difficult to progress in without spending money.

For instance, you have heroes now, with their own powers and RPG-style character development. The problem is that upgrading hero equipment, especially epic equipment, can be extremely time-consuming for F2P players, putting them at a disadvantage against those who pay to max them quickly.

Another thing is that players spending real money on gems, Gold Passes, and boosts can max out their bases, heroes, and equipment much faster.

2. Repetitiveness. Even if they offer rewards, Clan Games are often too grindy and repetitive, with many challenges offering low points. There’s also a constant addition of new modes (Builder Base, Clan Capital) and events (Clan Games, Clan War League, special events, hero equipment events) that are overwhelming and stressful.

3. AI Issues. Troops behave erratically sometimes, particularly Wall Breakers, as they tend to target unintended structures or get distracted by minor defenses. Some units also have noticeable delays between destroying one target and acquiring another, or between approaching a target and initiating an attack.

4. Clan Management. In-game tools for recruiting new clan members are ineffective and outdated. The inability to permanently ban troublesome players from rejoining a clan is a recurring complaint.

5. Gameplay Balance and Meta. The current game balance favors simpler, “spam” attack strategies (e.g., Electro Dragon spam) over more skillful and diverse army compositions, making the game less engaging. The inability to use heroes while they are being upgraded is a long-standing point of contention, as it significantly impacts gameplay.

I won’t continue playing it, but that’s maybe due to the fact that I’m nostalgic of old strategy games such as Settlers, that were very complex and didn’t require any form of payment after the initial purchase. I guess this is the state of the current gaming industry, pay to advance / pay to win. Sad times though.