Overview
The Battle Drill is the seventh and newest Siege Machine, unlocked when the Workshop reaches Level 7 at Town Hall 15. Introduced in the December 2023 update, it burrows underground for the first 8 seconds of deployment, becoming completely untargetable by all defenses during its approach. When it surfaces, it deals a massive emergence burst (1,800 damage at max level) to all surrounding buildings within 3 tiles, then fights as a high-HP ground unit targeting defenses. At max Level 4, it has 7,600 HP and 590 DPS — the highest HP of any Siege Machine. It received a significant HP and DPS buff in the January 2026 balance update.
The Battle Drill’s underground phase is its defining mechanic: it ignores Walls entirely while burrowing, can be steered to emerge near any target, and takes zero damage during this phase — not even from Giant Bombs, Spring Traps, or player-placed spells. This makes it the only Siege Machine that can be surgically deployed directly adjacent to a high-value defense cluster without being intercepted on the way in. After emerging, it targets defenses just like the Stone Slammer. The January 2026 buff (Level 4: +500 HP, +60 DPS) made it the strongest standalone Siege Machine in the current Feb 2026 meta. Clan Castle troops loaded inside are released when the Drill is destroyed.
📊 Stats & Upgrade Path
| Level |
HP |
DPS |
Emerge Burst DMG |
Emerge Radius |
Research Cost |
Key Milestone |
| 1 |
5,800 |
400 |
1,400 |
3 tiles |
N/A |
Unlocked at Workshop Lvl 7 (TH15) |
| 2 |
6,400 |
470 |
1,550 |
3 tiles |
10,000,000 Gold |
Reinforced drill head |
| 3 |
7,000 |
530 |
1,700 |
3 tiles |
18,000,000 Gold |
Golden plating on body |
| 4 |
7,600 |
590 |
1,800 |
3 tiles |
26,000,000 Gold |
MAX — Jan 2026 buff: +500 HP, +60 DPS |
Key Attributes: Movement Speed: 20 (underground) to 16 (surface) | Underground Duration: 8 seconds | Preferred Target: Defenses | Attack Type: Single-target | Attack Speed: 1.0s | Housing Space: 1. No HP decay — unlike Log Launcher and Flame Flinger, the Battle Drill only dies from defensive damage after surfacing. Underground phase: Immune to all damage including traps and spells. Walls ignored. Emerge burst hits all buildings and troops in 3-tile radius.
⚔️ Attack Strategies
Eagle Artillery Snipe
Deploy the Battle Drill directly toward the compartment housing the Eagle Artillery. During its 8-second underground phase it passes through all Walls and bypasses outer defenses, emerging directly next to the EA. The 1,800 emerge burst immediately damages the Eagle Artillery and surrounding buildings, and the Drill’s 7,600 HP plus 590 DPS finishes it off before most bases can respond. This is the most reliable Eagle Artillery counter in the TH15–17 meta.
Scattershot Core Delete
Use the Battle Drill to emerge beside a centrally placed Scattershot. Scattershots devastate ground armies but cannot hit the Drill during its underground approach. Once surfaced, the Drill absorbs the Scattershot’s focused fire (7,600 HP tanks 3–4 volleys) while delivering 590 DPS. Follow with a wave of
Super Bowlers that enter the compartment through the Wall gap created by the emerge burst.
Root Rider + Battle Drill Split
Deploy the Battle Drill underground toward the Inferno Tower cluster while Root Riders attack from the opposite side. The Drill’s emergence forces Inferno Towers to retarget onto it, removing Inferno fire from the Root Riders entirely. Root Riders then splash-destroy defenses freely while the Drill soaks sustained Inferno DPS. Splitting defensive attention across two high-threat fronts is nearly impossible for most base layouts to handle.
Deep Core CC Delivery
Load high-impact Clan Castle troops —
Super Witches, Electro Dragons, or Yetis — and let the Battle Drill burrow deep into the base before being destroyed. CC troops are released inside 2–3 Wall layers rather than at the perimeter, landing in the core already surrounded by damaged defenses. No other Siege Machine can deliver cargo this deep without first destroying outer Walls.
Freeze Spell on Emergence
Drop a Freeze Spell the instant the Battle Drill surfaces. This prevents surrounding defenses from firing during the 1,800 emerge burst window, stopping Inferno Towers from beginning their ramp-up sequence and Scattershots from volleying immediately. The burst plus Freeze Spell combination eliminates even max-level Inferno Towers before they can deal meaningful retaliation damage.
Steering for Dual-Defense Hit
Tap on the map during the underground phase to steer the Drill’s path. Aim to emerge between two high-value defenses — for example between an X-Bow and a Mortar cluster — so the single 3-tile emerge burst damages both simultaneously. Precision steering is especially valuable on TH16–17 bases where core defenses are packed tightly into small compartments separated by just 1–2 tiles.
🛡️ Defense Tips
Inferno Tower + Scattershot at Emerge Zone
After emergence the Battle Drill becomes a standard ground unit. Position single-target Inferno Towers and Scattershots to cover the most likely emergence zones near Eagle Artillery and central compartments. A fully ramped Inferno plus a Scattershot volley can destroy a max Level 4 Battle Drill in 6–8 seconds, neutralising its threat before it deals sustained DPS to the core.
Monolith in the Core
Place the Monolith deep in the base in the area the Battle Drill will emerge into. Its percentage-based damage scales with the Drill’s 7,600 HP, dealing roughly 1,140 damage per hit and destroying it in 6–7 strikes. Position the Monolith centrally so it engages the Drill immediately after surfacing while other core defenses add supplementary damage.
Firespitter Coverage (TH17)
The Firespitter fires piercing line attacks that cannot be pre-triggered by expendable troops. Orient Firespitters so their firing arcs cross the most common Battle Drill emergence zones in the base core. A Firespitter hit on a freshly emerged Drill combined with Inferno Tower fire creates a kill zone that can eliminate it in under 4 seconds before it destroys the priority defense.
Spring Traps at Emerge Tiles
The Battle Drill occupies only 1 housing space and can be ejected by Spring Traps the moment it surfaces. Study common deployment angles from each base edge to predict the 2–3 most likely emerge tiles. Spring Traps placed there instantly eject the Drill upon emergence — the only trap capable of removing it in one activation. Pair with nearby Tesla clusters to destroy it immediately after ejection.
🎯 Advanced Tips
8-Second Range Calculation
At underground speed 20, the Battle Drill travels approximately 10–12 tiles in 8 seconds. If your target defense is further than 12 tiles from the deployment tile, the Drill surfaces early and must walk the remaining distance above ground taking full defensive damage. Always deploy from a tile where the straight-line distance to the target is 10 tiles or less, or use steering to take a diagonal path that keeps the emerge point within range.
Jan 2026 Meta Dominance
The January 2026 balance update elevated the Battle Drill to the top of the Siege Machine meta at TH15–17. Its untargetable approach, 7,600 HP (highest among all Siege Machines), zero HP decay, and defense-targeting AI after emergence make it the most impactful Siege Machine for precision ground attacks in the current Feb 2026 competitive environment, outperforming the
Wall Wrecker for core-entry strategies.
Pre-Clear Ground Traps
After surfacing, the Battle Drill triggers all ground traps including Giant Bombs and Bomb clusters. Deploy a Giant or Ice Golem above ground along the same surface path the Drill will take after emerging to pre-trigger Giant Bombs before the Drill exits the emerge compartment. A double Giant Bomb cluster deals up to 1,800 area damage — enough to significantly weaken even a max Drill immediately after it surfaces.
Eternal Tome Timing
Unlike the Log Launcher and Flame Flinger, the Battle Drill has no HP decay — it only takes damage from defenses after surfacing. Activate Grand Warden’s Eternal Tome the instant the Drill surfaces (not during the immune underground phase) to grant a free 5-second invincibility window covering the full 1,800 emerge burst and initial DPS output without any defensive retaliation.