Story Highlights
- Battle Machine arrives as the new December Ruler in Clash Royale’s Merge Tactics mode.
- Three fresh troops join the roster while six older units rotate out for a seasonal refresh.
- December adds the first-ever building modifiers alongside four new Traits.
Clash Royale is getting a festive update in December 2025 with ‘Merge Tactics’, following the November 2025 update. This new season introduces a unique Ruler to lead your forces, a completely new type of building upgrade, three new troops, and will also remove six older ones.
Plus, this update includes new Traits, character skins, and improvements to make gameplay feel better and more strategic. There’s a lot to explore, so let’s get started!
Clash Royale Merge Tactics December 2025 Update explained
New Ruler: Battle Machine
The new Ruler, Battle Machine, is joining the Merge Tactics Arena this December! His special ability, Building Master, creates a random building (with a star rating of 1, 2, 3, or 4) at the beginning of rounds 1, 3, 5, and 8, giving you a head start with structures. However, it slightly reduces your team size by one.
You can unlock him on Starsteel Road, where you’ll also earn two skins and one confetti effect:
- Zebrawood Machine
- Scheme Machine
- Blazing Bombshell (Confetti)
The Forge Machine skin is coming to the shop, and if you don’t already have it, buying it will automatically unlock the Battle Machine skin. Plus, Royale King is getting a festive makeover with his new Santa King skin, which you can buy with Gems.
New Troops
Three new troops are coming with this update.
| Troop | Elixir | Traits | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini P.E.K.K.A | 2 | P.E.K.K.A, Brutalist | Lightly armored, heavy-hitting unit who drops pancakes. |
| Royal Giant | 2 | Giant, Ranger | Slow tanky ranged attacker who uses a cannon. |
| Monk | 5 | Ace, Superstar | Creates a shield that deflects damage and heals after every few hits. |
Okay, so heads up fellow gamers! Just like the last season, they’ve rotated some troops out of the pool. That means six of our favorites won’t be available for a bit. Specifically, I won’t be able to use my Archer, Bomber, Knight, Baby Dragon, Electro Wizard, or Giant Skeleton this season. Bummer, but time to adapt and try out some new strategies!
New Traits
Once again, the Traits have also been updated, which sees some new additions.
| Trait | Effects | Activations |
|---|---|---|
| Giant | Giants take reduced damage. | 2 Troops: -40% damage taken |
| P.E.K.K.A | Allows its troops to do extra damage and heal after defeating a troop. | 2 Troops: +30% damage, heals 30% max HP after takedowns |
| Brutalist | Gain bonus hit speed, marking enemies with each hit. Enemy targets lose HP after 4 marks. | 2 Troops: +30% hit speed, –20% max HP burst 4 Troops: +60% hit speed, -40% max HP burst |
| Superstar | Troops start with a partially filled ability bar with a 50% chance to recast. | 2 Troops: 1/3 bar 4 Troops: 2/3 bar |
As new traits come into the picture, Avenger, Electric, Fire, Juggernaut, and Mage are rotated out.
Troop and Trait Changes
There have been changes made to troops and their traits, as listed below:
| Troop | Old Trait | New Trait |
|---|---|---|
| Archer Queen | Avenger | Ranger |
| Electro Giant | Electric / Avenger | Giant / Superstar |
| Goblin Machine | Juggernaut | Brutalist |
| Musketeer | Blaster | Superstar |
| P.E.K.K.A | Ace / Avenger | P.E.K.K.A / Brawler |
| Princess | Ranger | Blaster |
| Skeleton King | Juggernaut | Brutalist |
| Valkyrie | Juggernaut | Brutalist |
| Witch | Avenger | Superstar |
| Wizard | Fire / Mage | Clan / Blaster |
New Modifiers
This month, we’re introducing Buildings as a new type of unit. Once placed, Buildings stay put but can fully participate in combat, with their own health, attack range, and damage. Importantly, Buildings don’t count towards your team size limit, won’t affect your Ruler’s health, and aren’t impacted by card upgrades.
December Season Modifiers are as follows:
| League | Building Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze II | Elixir Collector | Generates Golden Elixir on the battlefield without disappearing. |
| Silver I | Tesla | Deals damage when enemies enter range. |
| Silver III | X-Bow | Charges, then rapid-fires at the lowest-HP target. |
| Gold II | Mortar | Long-range attacks on the farthest enemy. |
| Diamond | Inferno Tower | Damage ramps up the longer it targets the same enemy. |
More building modifiers are coming in January.
Other Updates
The update also includes several improvements to make the game more enjoyable. You can now use emotes during Merge Tactics battles, and a new Battle Stats window provides detailed, round-by-round information on damage and healing. We’ve also added the ability to zoom in and out during battles, and you can now sort your Ruler skins by Ruler name or Rarity to help you find what you’re looking for.
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2025-11-21 20:13