How to Scout a Base Before You Attack: A Repeatable Checklist

Last checked: October 12, 2026. Star conditions, war scouting windows, Clan War League reveal rules, defending Heroes, Guardians, Friendly Challenges and Builder Battle preparation come from Supercell's support articles, linked where they appear. October dates come from Supercell's October calendar. The scouting order, base-type reads and the one-sentence plan are ClashVault editorial analysis, not Supercell guidance.

A few seconds of looking before you deploy decide more attacks than a level or two of research. Most players glance at a base, think "looks fine" and deploy on autopilot. Then a base they could have three-starred eats their army. Scouting is a learnable skill. This guide gives you a fixed order to look in, explains how scouting differs between battle modes, and shows how to turn what you see into a plan.

Current season: October 2026

Dates come from Supercell's October announcement and our events calendar. This is the only section we update each month.

What you are scouting for: the three stars

Supercell's Clan War Results article lists the three ways to earn stars, the same in war as in multiplayer:

• one star for 50% destruction
• one star for destroying the Town Hall
• one star for 100% destruction

That turns scouting into three questions. Where is the Town Hall, and can I reach it? Which half of the base can I realistically destroy? And what stops me reaching 100%? Every item in the checklist below serves one of those.

Scout in a fixed order

Look at the same things in the same order every time, so the obvious features don't distract you from the one that ends your attack. This order is editorial:

1. The Town Hall. Is it in the core, offset or exposed? It decides whether the Town Hall star is cheap or expensive.
2. The biggest threats. Find the one or two defenses that will destroy your army if ignored. High-damage splash and late-game signature defenses usually decide the plan.
3. Defending Heroes and Guardians. Supercell's Heroes article says up to four Hero Banners can be placed, and defending Heroes patrol the area around their banner. At Town Hall 18, one selected Guardian also defends, per the Guardians article. Note where each one will meet your army.
4. The funnel. Look at both sides of your planned entry. Which outer buildings would pull your core troops sideways? Those are what your funnel units must clear.
5. The walls. Find the thin section or natural gap that leads toward the core, not into a dead-end compartment.
6. The likely trap spots. Plan as if the tempting path into the core is trapped. Suspicious empty tiles near the core and inviting gaps are where defenders put them.

By the end, you should be able to say one sentence: "I enter here, funnel there, my core goes this way, and I save my key spell for that defense." If you can't say it, you aren't ready to deploy.

Read the base type, then exploit it

Most bases fall into a few shapes, each with a typical weakness (editorial):

Naming the type in your head loads the right plan before you deploy, instead of improvising mid-attack.

How scouting differs by mode

The amount of time and information you get changes a lot between modes. All of these rules come from Supercell's articles.

Regular Clan Wars: scout during Preparation Day

Supercell's Intro to Clan Wars says clan members can look at enemy War Bases during the 23 hours before Battle Day. Opponents can still adjust their War Base during Preparation Day, and changes stop counting once Battle Day begins. So do your deep scouting in Preparation Day, then take one more look when Battle Day starts.

Supercell's Intro to Clan Wars says each participant can attack two enemy War Bases, but not the same base twice. Its Clan War Results article adds that only the best attack on each base counts toward stars. Check whether a clanmate has already hit your target. A base already at two stars has one star left, and only for 100%.

Clan War League: bases are hidden until Battle Day

Supercell's Week of Wars article says the opposing clan's bases are not revealed until Battle Day, and each player in that day's lineup has one attack. That changes the plan. Prepare an army that copes with several base types, then do your real scouting when Battle Day opens. Our CWL guide for small clans covers lineups and assignments.

Ranked and Legend League: what you see is a snapshot

Supercell's Ranked Leagues article says a Ranked defensive base is snapshotted when the player is placed in Monday's league group. In Legend League I, layout and Clan Castle changes apply from the next League Day, per the Legend League layouts article. Ranked attacks are limited each week, so a careful scout on every Ranked base is worth the time.

Regular Battles: decide quickly

In unlimited regular Battles, the cost of a bad attack is lower. Scout for the loot and the Town Hall, check the one or two biggest threats, and move on. Deep scouting matters most where attacks are limited.

Builder Base: use the 60 seconds

Supercell's Builder Battles article gives you 60 seconds of preparation to scout the enemy defenses and switch troop types before the battle starts. Use it to check where the second stage's entrance will put your surviving troops.

Practice scouting without risk

Supercell's Friendly Challenges article lets you scout a clanmate's base before attacking. You don't risk Trophies or resources, and the whole clan can watch live or replay it afterward. Ask a clanmate to post their war layout, write your one-sentence plan, then attack and compare. A replay where the plan failed shows exactly which scouting step you skipped.

Mistakes good scouting prevents

• The polished-base trap. Symmetrical bases look intimidating but are often standard layouts with known weaknesses.
• The unseen lure. A lone outer building can pull your funnel units off course. Spot it before it costs you the funnel.
• Deploying to "see what happens". Troops are not a scouting tool. Decide first.
• Ignoring Hero patrol areas. A defending Hero near your entry can stall a funnel that looked clear.

To see these principles from the defender's side, our defensive base building guide and farming base layout guide explain how defenders try to make stars, loot and funnels expensive. To match the army to what you find, see how to choose your attack army and our Hero Equipment decision guide.

Build the habit

For a week, say the one-sentence plan before every attack, even easy ones. It quickly becomes automatic, and your results improve without a single upgrade. Pair it with keeping your attacking troops researched; the Left to Max planner shows which ones are behind.

Quick answers

How are stars awarded? Supercell lists one star each for 50% destruction, destroying the Town Hall, and 100% destruction.

When can I scout in a regular Clan War? During Preparation Day, which Supercell says is the 23 hours before Battle Day. Re-check at Battle Day, because changes made during Preparation Day count.

Can I scout Clan War League bases early? No. Supercell says opposing bases aren't revealed until Battle Day.

Why does a Ranked base look different from the player's home village? Ranked uses a defensive snapshot taken when the player is placed in Monday's league group, so it can differ from their current layout.

How many attacks do I get in a regular Clan War? Two, on two different enemy bases, per Supercell. Only the best attack on each base counts toward stars.

Where can I practice scouting? Friendly Challenges, where you can scout a clanmate's base first and risk no Trophies or resources.