THE BASICS

The Battle Machine is the Hero of the Builder Base. It is on the

Builder Base when we 1st arrive as something "needing repairs". Once you

have reached the level five Builder Hall you can repair the Battle Machine

and use it during your attacks only. It does not help you on defense unlike

the Heroes of the Home Village. I'm assuming that the Master Builder, who

is the one who operates the Battle Machine when in use during an attack, can not attack and defend at the same time. This leaves me to wonder why the Battle Machine is even present on your base in defense mode… another time I guess. Similar to the Heroes of the Home Village the Battle Machine is an immortal fighter and can not be killed. It can be knocked out of the Battle (it turns into an orb once all of its HP are depleted) but it will regenerate itself after the battle is over and be back in action as soon as its regeneration time is up. You can not attack in the builder base without a full army built but you do not have to have the Battle Machine present at every attack.

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COST

The level 1 Battle Machine cost 900K elixir to repair into active status and then another 100K is consistently added to that for each additional upgrade from level two all the way to level 20. I like to think about the associated "war weight" for each troop as part of its cost because as you increase the level of all of your troops not only does it cost you in elixir but you pay for each upgrade with increased difficulty in your opponents as well. (war weight is how the computer gauges your base and matches you against another player even though there is no "war" in the builder base as of right now… and the war weight statistics have been pulled from most other reputable sites like the Reddit… we keep them up as a novelty and ever if they are a bit off it will still give you a good idea about how much value Supercell thinks each troop/ defense add to your base) In the case of the Battle Machine war weight is not relevant. The Battle Machine is simply more important to your success than any statistic could possibly indicate. Once you have the Battle Machine, upgrading it should  be your top priority from that point on.

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THE ELECTRIC HAMMER ABILITY

The five level tradition of the Home Village is carried over to the Builder Base. At level five and every five level after that, the Battle Machine (can we call it the BM? I'm not doing it…) gains its ability and it increases in power. At level five you will enjoy this 2 phase power surge that will sound much like the Barbarian King's Iron Fist ability once activated. The Electric Hammer gets supercharged and deals much higher damage for the next couple of strikes. The Electric Hammer ability also regenerates Hit Points like the Heroes in the Home Village but there re 2 major differences with the Battle Machine's ability that will come into play on every attack. First the Electric Hammer does not last for a certain time after it is triggered, it lasts for the first 3 strikes that the Battle Machine dishes out. I will explain why this is so important in just a few seconds. Second you are able to reuse this ability over and over. It recharges itself as the attack goes on. Why is the 3 strikes so crucial for the Battle Machine? As soon as you use the ability you regain some hit points so many players wait until they start getting damaged before they use their 1st ability. This is a mistake, this is why… as soon as the Electric Hammer ability is engaged the timer restarts. So if you were to start the attack deep in an unoccupied area of the enemy Builder Base trigger the ability and then walk towards the walls, by the time you get to the walls and land the 1st supercharged blow your timer will already be close to your 2nd ability. After the first 3 supercharged strikes take place you will already be seconds away from the 2nd ability therefore you could land 6 supercharged strikes within a 5-6 second timeframe. That’s starting out right!

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THE SCOUT

Unlike the Heroes of the Home Village the Battle Machine is both the tanking specialist and the damage specialist. It can single handedly take on large portions of the base by itself if the layout is spread out enough and the Battle Machine is able to continue to reuse its ability. Because you are going to use the Battle Machine is every attack unless you are upgrading it, the scout will be more for the accompanying troops instead of fro the Battle Machine itself. I would suggest using the Battle Machine in one of 2 ways. Either use the Battle Machine to lead the charge by tanking for whatever troops are going into battle with him or leave him in reserve along with either ranged troops like the Cannon Cart or with a group of Raged Barbarians that can enter the base after the defenses have been weakened enough for the Battle Machine come in and make a charge for the Builder Hall.

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EASE OF USE

Due to the versatility of the Battle Machine he is really a simple troop to learn how to use. The one thing I would suggest keeping in mind is that the troop pathing can be quite tricky on the Builder Base. If the Battle Machine is outside of an open wall and closest to a Cannon for example, he may take down whatever building he is on at that moment then walk past a building or two that are next to him to go to the Cannon that he had seen and targeted originally. This will look odd at first because it is not common on the Home Village but it is common in the Builder Base. The Battle Machine will also walk far distances down a wall to an opening in the walls before he will punch through a closed section of walls so be sure you have done a thorough job clearing out exterior buildings if you are trying to funnel the Battle Machine into the base.

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DEFENSE

This is not an easy task. Controlling the Battle Machine will be one of your main priorities but due to its power and regenerative ability you will have to get creative. Here are a few tips.

• Split up the Crushers once you have 2, one on each side of the Builder Hall

• Anyone using air based troops will prioritize your Air Bombs so protect the Air Bombs with the Double Cannons

• The Battle Machine must take time to retarget each defending troop in the Guard Post so try to force the Battle Machine to eliminate Guard Post troops while a Crusher is damaging the Battle Machine

• Use holes in the outer walls to direct the Battle Machine into the base where you want him to go.

• Use the Multi Mortar to damage the Battle Machine from long distances away. Keep it in the core of the base.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The Battle Machine is an awesome addition to the Builder Base. It is the 1st mechanical device introduced as a troop and because of its success and admiration probably not the last. There are significant improvements in the Battle Machines ability to damage the base and regenerate itself as the ability level increases so prioritize the Battle Machine upgrades over the troop upgrades. Use the Battle Machine to tank for the troops leading the charge into the attack or to come in with another small group at the end of the attack to make a charge for the Builder Hall. I try to lead with him if I think I can 3 star and I use the Battle Machine in the 2nd unit if I think the 3 is out of the realm of possibilities and a 2 star attack is more suitable for the base.