If you have a Level 13 card, a pile of duplicate copies and never quite enough Gold, the real Clash Royale endgame is card levels, not the ladder. The system in October 2026 is also not the one most guides describe. Elite Wild Cards are gone, the cap is 16, XP no longer exists, and your King Tower now levels up from your card upgrades through Collection Level.
This guide covers how card levels work today: what each level costs after the November 24, 2025 overhaul, how the May 26, 2026 Collection Level update changed King Tower progression, where Crystals and Star Levels fit, and whether maxing a card is worth the Gold. The requirement tables come from Supercell's own posts, the totals are our arithmetic from those tables, and everything was re-checked on October 27, 2026, during Season 88 (Shocktober). Season 89 starts on November 2, and Supercell has said it is not planning balance changes for the start of that season.
Quick answer (October 2026): The max card level is 16. Upgrades cost regular card copies plus Gold at every level, because Elite Wild Cards were removed on November 24, 2025. Level 16 alone costs 120,000 Gold, Levels 12 to 16 together cost 335,000 Gold for any card, and a Common costs 365,625 Gold from Level 1 to 16. Ranked uses the full Level 16 cap. Since May 26, 2026 there is no XP: your King Tower Level goes up when enough cards reach a set level (for example 14 cards at Level 15+ for King Tower 16). Overflow copies of maxed cards become Crystals, which only buy cosmetics.
What are card levels in Clash Royale?
Every card has a level, and nearly all of a card's power comes from it. A higher-level card has more hitpoints and deals more damage than the same card at a lower level. Two players can run the same eight-card deck, and the one with higher levels will usually win because their cards hit harder and survive longer.
You raise a card's level by collecting copies of it and spending Gold. Fill the copies bar, pay the Gold, and the card goes up a level. Copies plus Gold is the whole progression loop, and it is slow on purpose.
Cards come in five rarities: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary and Champion. Rarity changes how many copies each level needs. It does not change the Gold. A Common needs thousands of copies to max, while a Champion needs only a handful because its copies are much rarer. Our Clash Royale card rarities guide goes through each rarity in detail.
Is the max card level 15 or 16?
The max card level is 16. This is still the most common point of confusion, because the cap stayed at 15 for two years.
- 2023: Level 15, branded "Elite", was added above the old Level 14 cap.
- November 24, 2025: the Level 16 update raised the cap to 16 and rebuilt the upgrade economy.
Any guide that says the max level is 14 or 15 is out of date. In October 2026, a fully maxed card is Level 16.
Before the update, the official Clash Royale blog explained why the old system had to go: "When we first introduced Elite Level, Elite Wild Cards were meant to be a more passive form of progression... Over time, we saw that players didn't really experience it that way, and the system itself felt a bit confusing..." (supercell.com)
What happened to Elite Wild Cards?
Elite Wild Cards were removed. For two years, Level 15 could be upgraded only with Elite Wild Cards and cost no Gold at all. That system no longer exists.
Supercell's announcement: "we've decided to say goodbye to Elite Wild Cards. Any remaining Elite Wild Cards in your inventory will automatically convert into Gems." (supercell.com)
The November 2025 update removed several overlapping resources and converted them automatically:
- Elite Wild Cards → Gems
- Books of Cards → Wild Cards (Book of Books → Gems)
- Magic Coins → Gold
The conversion ratio scaled with your King Tower Level. The result is that the top levels now use cards + Gold, the same loop as every other level. There is no separate currency to save up or misunderstand.
How much does each card upgrade cost? (Level 11–16 table)
These are the current per-level requirements from Supercell's progression rework. From Level 12 up, Gold is the same for every rarity, and rarity only changes the number of copies. One exception sits at Level 11: Champions join your collection at Level 11, so their single copy there is the unlock and costs no Gold. Copies needed to reach each of the top levels (supercell.com):
| To reach level | Common | Rare | Epic | Legendary | Champion | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1,000 | 300 | 30 | 4 | 1 (unlock) | 15,000 (Champion: none) |
| 12 | 1,500 | 400 | 50 | 6 | 2 | 25,000 |
| 13 | 2,500 | 550 | 70 | 9 | 5 | 40,000 |
| 14 | 3,500 | 750 | 100 | 12 | 8 | 60,000 |
| 15 | 5,500 | 1,000 | 130 | 14 | 11 | 90,000 |
| 16 | 7,500 | 1,400 | 180 | 20 | 15 | 120,000 |
Three things stand out in that table:
- Level 16 alone costs 120,000 Gold plus a full set of copies. It is the most expensive single step in the game.
- The middle levels got cheaper. Supercell cut card and Gold requirements at Levels 12–14 so that reaching the top "should now feel similar to reaching Level 14" under the old system.
- Champions and Legendaries need few copies, but each copy is rare. A Champion needs only 15 copies for Level 16 and still costs 120,000 Gold. For these cards both the copies (or matching Wild Cards) and the Gold can hold you back.
How much Gold does it take to max one card?
Add up every level in Supercell's table and a Common costs 365,625 Gold to take from Level 1 to Level 16. Rarer cards cost a little less because they join your collection at a higher level and skip the cheap early upgrades. A Champion starts at Level 11, so it needs 335,000 Gold for Levels 12 to 16, the same amount every rarity pays for those five levels. The copies change much more:
- A Common needs roughly 23,000 copies in total to reach Level 16.
- A Rare needs about 4,800, an Epic about 600, a Legendary around 70 and a Champion about 42.
Multiply that across an eight-card deck and you get roughly 2.7 to 2.9 million Gold for one maxed deck, depending on its rarity mix, before you think about a second deck for other matchups. That is why veteran accounts run out of Gold, not cards. With Elite Wild Cards gone, Gold is the resource every top-level upgrade depends on.
What this means for you: a stack of spare Common and Rare copies with no Gold to spend is normal and intended. Before spending, check what each main-deck card is actually short of, copies or Gold, and only upgrade cards in your main deck. Our guide to getting Gold fast in Clash Royale lists every current Gold source.
How do card levels set your King Tower Level now?
This is the change most older guides miss. On May 26, 2026, Supercell removed King's Journey and XP and replaced them with Collection Levels. In its words: "Card upgrades, Mastery rewards, and Clan donations will not award XP anymore, and Clan donations of Max Level cards will give you Gold and Star Points." (supercell.com)
Collection Level is simple to work out. Add up the level of every card you own, then add +5 for each Evolution and Hero form you own. Every upgrade adds +1, whatever the rarity. Merge Tactics Rulers do not count. Milestone rewards begin at Collection Level 20, then come every 10 levels, and every 5 levels once you pass Collection Level 1500.
Your King Tower Level now depends on how many cards you have upgraded to a given level, instead of an XP bar. The official requirements for the top tiers:
| King Tower Level | Cards needed (new system) |
|---|---|
| 12 | 11 cards at Level 11+ |
| 13 | 11 cards at Level 12+ |
| 14 | 12 cards at Level 13+ |
| 15 | 13 cards at Level 14+ |
| 16 | 14 cards at Level 15+ |
Supercell also confirmed that the switch could not lower anyone's King Tower: "It will either stay the same or go up!" Tower Troops do not count toward the requirement.
In practice, upgrades are now the main way your account moves forward (unlocking new cards, Evolutions and Hero forms also adds Collection Level). Spreading a few upgrades across your 12–14 most-used cards raises your King Tower (and your Tower Troop cap) faster than pushing a single card to 16.
Did card levels change in Ranked mode?
Yes, and competitive players still get caught out by it. When Level 16 launched, Supercell did not allow it in Ranked straight away. From the official FAQ: "cards in Ranked will be capped at Level 15 for the first 6 months after release (until May 2026 season) in order to give you time to start upgrading your cards to Level 16." (supercell.com)
That six-month grace period is over. Once the May 2026 season ended, Ranked moved to the full Level 16 cap, the same as Trophy Road. In October 2026 the two ladders have the same level ceiling. An opponent who is Level 16 on Trophy Road can be Level 16 in Ranked too.
Getting into Ranked at all is a separate gate. It needs a trophy total, not a card level. Our guide to unlocking Ranked in Clash Royale explains the requirement.
What are Crystals and Star Levels?
Two systems sit on top of card levels, and neither one adds power.
Crystals came in with the Level 16 update. When you receive copies of a card that is already maxed, they turn into Crystals at a fixed rate per copy:
| Overflow copy | Crystals |
|---|---|
| Common | 1 |
| Rare | 6 |
| Epic | 60 |
| Legendary | 600 |
| Champion | 1,200 |
You spend Crystals in the Shop on cosmetics such as exclusive emotes, and you can only hold so many. They are a cosmetic sink only.
Players complained that the system was punishing, and Supercell said so itself: "The Crystals system has felt punishing for many players, especially when receiving duplicate Level 16 cards." Since February 23, 2026, Lucky Chests have a safeguard:
- With fewer than 60 Max Level cards, you will not receive duplicates of Max Level cards.
- With more than 60, the drop weight of Max Level cards is reduced by 90%.
On October 27, 2026, straight after that day's maintenance break, an r/ClashRoyale thread reported that Wild Cards can now be turned into Crystals once the matching cards are maxed. Supercell has not documented this in patch notes yet. Treat it as a player report and keep your Wild Cards for cards you still need to upgrade, because Crystals buy nothing that wins games.
Star Levels are purely cosmetic as well. You spend Star Points on a gold, animated skin, up to 3 Star Levels per card, and they change zero stats. Since May 26, 2026, Star Points unlock at Arena 5, and the one source Supercell names is clan donations of Max Level cards. Our Star Levels guide covers costs and unlocks.
Should you rush to max your cards?
For almost every player, no. Do not try to max everything. Levels build slowly and Gold is the limit, so spreading upgrades across many cards leaves every deck underleveled. A more efficient order:
- Pick one deck and stick with it. Level the eight cards you actually play, not your whole collection.
- Then widen to about 14 cards. The King Tower now counts how many cards reach a level, so a strong second tier of 12–14 cards does more for your account than one card at 16.
- Know your real shortfall. For Commons and Rares, Gold usually runs out first. For Epics, Legendaries and Champions, copies are often the limit. Judge Pass Royale and Shop offers against whichever you are missing, and spend Mastery Gold on upgrades.
- Upgrade Champions and Legendaries as soon as you have both the copies and the Gold. Their copies are scarce, so do not let them sit waiting once the bar is full.
- Ignore Star Levels and Crystals until your main deck is maxed. Both are cosmetic.
Before spending, check where the meta is going. The October 2026 balance changes show which cards are worth leveling right now, the best Evolutions guide covers which Evo slot cards pay off, and the Season 89 preview covers what arrives on November 2.
More Clash Royale guides: browse the full set of Clash Royale guides on the timesaver.gg blog.
- Clash Royale Star Levels explained
- How to get Gold fast in Clash Royale
- Is Pass Royale worth it in October 2026?
FAQ
What is the max card level in Clash Royale? The max card level is 16. It was raised from 15 in the November 24, 2025 update, and a fully maxed card in October 2026 is Level 16.
Do you still need Elite Wild Cards to upgrade cards? No. Elite Wild Cards were removed in the November 2025 update and converted into Gems. Levels 15 and 16 now cost regular card copies plus Gold, like every other level.
How much Gold does it take to max one card? A Common costs 365,625 Gold from Level 1 to Level 16. Levels 12 to 16 cost 335,000 Gold for any rarity, and that is everything a Champion needs because it starts at Level 11. A full eight-card deck comes to roughly 2.7 to 2.9 million Gold.
How do I level up my King Tower without XP? Upgrade more cards. Since May 26, 2026, King Tower Level depends on how many cards reach a set level, for example 13 cards at Level 14+ for King Tower 15 and 14 cards at Level 15+ for King Tower 16. Tower Troops don't count.
What is Collection Level in Clash Royale? It is the total of all your card levels plus 5 for each Evolution and Hero form you own. Every upgrade adds 1, and you get milestone rewards from Collection Level 20 onwards.
Is Ranked still capped at Level 15? No. Ranked stayed at Level 15 for the first six months after Level 16 launched, until the May 2026 season. It has used the full Level 16 cap since then, the same as Trophy Road.
What are Crystals used for, and do they make cards stronger? No, they don't make anything stronger. Crystals come from overflow copies of maxed cards (600 per Legendary copy, 1,200 per Champion copy) and only buy Shop cosmetics such as emotes. Star Levels are cosmetic too.
