Clash of Clans is an online multiplayer game in which players build a community (in the form of a clan), train troops, and attack other players to earn gold, elixir and Dark Elixir. Gold and elixir can be used to build and reload defenses that protect the player from other players attacks.
To earn and store gold and elixir, players must build gold mines and gold storages and elixir collectors and elixir storages, respectively. Elixir is used to train new troops, carry out research in the laboratory to upgrade troops, to re-load X-Bows (available from Town Hall 9) and to build and upgrade certain buildings, mostly pertaining to buildings used in attacking another player's base.
At Town Hall 7, dark elixir becomes available; this type of elixir is used to train and upgrade dark elixir troops and heroes, create dark spells (available from Town Hall 8), and fuel the Inferno Tower, a defensive building that is available only at Town Hall 10.
Aside from the game's resources (gold, elixir and dark elixir), the game also uses gems as a currency. Gems may be used primarily to finish the time that certain processes take, such us the remaining time of a building's or a troop's upgrade, or to instantly train an army.
Clans are groups of players who join together to support each other, either materially (donating troops) or verbally (giving advice). Players can join clans once they rebuild the special Clan Castle building early on. A major component of the gameplay of Clash of Clans is clans facing off against one another. Clan leaders and co-leaders can begin wars against other clans. Each clan is then given one "preparation day" and one "war day." When a player attacks a member of the opposing clan, they receive stars based upon the amount of destruction they cause to the opponent's community.
