If you’ve ever had your entire minion horde or goblin gang wiped out by a well-placed Cannoneer supporting a giant push, you know exactly how valuable this low-cost splash damage card is for both ladder and challenge play. If you’re wondering how to get Cannoneer in Clash Royale 2025, you’re in the right place. I’ve been playing Clash Royale on and off for 7 years, hit 6400 trophies last season, and have tested every unlock method for new cards as they roll out, so all the tips below are verified to work with the latest game update. You won’t find any fake hacks or pay-to-win loopholes here, just actionable steps to unlock and upgrade the card as fast as possible.
Official Unlock Methods for Cannoneer in Clash Royale 2025
Supercell keeps Cannoneer’s unlock requirements pretty straightforward, and there are no hidden hoops to jump through to get your first copy. All of the methods below are 100% legitimate and supported directly in the game, so you don’t have to risk your account to access the card:
I’ve seen a lot of new players waste gems on special offers for Cannoneer before they reach Arena 6, but that’s a bad call. You can’t get the card early no matter how much you spend, so save your gems for Pass Royale or challenge entries instead. It will take you less than a week of casual play to reach 1700 trophies if you stick to a solid low-level deck, so there’s no reason to rush with real money.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Unlocking Cannoneer
Many new players get impatient when trying to get Cannoneer in Clash Royale 2025 and make avoidable mistakes that slow their progress way down. These are the three most common errors I see from new players in my clan, and they’re all easy to skip if you plan ahead:
First, don’t rush trophy progression without upgrading your core deck. If you push to Arena 6 with level 3 cards, you’ll get crushed by opponents with level 5-6 cards, and you won’t be able to win battles to get chests with more Cannoneer copies. Take your time, upgrade your 2-3 core win conditions first before pushing for 1700 trophies, and you’ll have a much easier time grinding for copies once you unlock the card.
Second, don’t waste gold on random cards before you unlock Cannoneer. You only need 3 gold per copy once it’s in the shop, but if you spend all your gold on upgrading cards you don’t use, you won’t have enough to max out Cannoneer quickly once you get it. Hold onto at least 500 gold before you reach Arena 6, so you can buy every Cannoneer copy that shows up in your shop for the first week.
Third, don’t fall for fake “free Cannoneer” hacks online. There are tons of sites that claim to give you free cards or gems, but all of them are phishing scams that will steal your account information. Supercell never gives out free cards through third-party sites, so don’t click any of those links. I had a clan mate lose his 5-year-old account last year because he tried to use a fake Cannoneer generator, so don’t make that same mistake.
Fastest Ways to Farm Cannoneer Copies After Unlocking
If your main goal is to get Cannoneer in Clash Royale 2025 to max level as fast as possible, these farming tips will cut your grind time in half. Once you have your first copy from the Trophy Road, you’ll need 958 more copies to upgrade it to level 15, which is the current max level. That sounds like a lot, but these methods make it way easier than grinding regular battles alone:
First, do your daily crown chest every day. The crown chest has a higher drop rate for common cards than regular silver or gold chests, so you’ll often get 2-3 Cannoneer copies from a single crown chest. If you have the free Pass Royale, the crown rewards track also gives out dozens of common cards every season, so you can pick Cannoneer as your preferred common card to get even more copies automatically.
Second, participate in common card challenges that run every few weeks. These challenges cost 50 gems to enter, but you get 100+ common cards of your choice if you get 6 wins, so you can pick Cannoneer as your reward to stock up fast. Even if you only get 3 wins, you’ll still get enough common cards to make the entry fee worth it, so don’t be afraid to join even if you’re not a super skilled player.
Third, use your trade tokens with clan mates. Common trade tokens are super easy to get from challenges and Pass Royale, so if you have extra copies of other common cards, you can trade 25 of them for 25 Cannoneer copies with a clan mate who has spares. Most active clans have plenty of players who have extra Cannoneer copies lying around, so just ask in clan chat and you’ll almost always find someone willing to trade. This is the fastest way to get enough copies to max the card without spending any money.
Finally, check the daily shop every day. If Cannoneer is in stock, buy as many copies as you can afford, since 3 gold per copy is an absolute steal compared to other upgrade costs. I usually buy 10 copies every time it shows up in my shop, and I’ve been able to level my Cannoneer from level 1 to level 12 in just 3 weeks using this method alone.
How to Use Cannoneer Effectively Once You Unlock It
Now that you know how to get Cannoneer in Clash Royale 2025, you’ll want to make sure you’re using it correctly to get the most value out of every elixir spent. Cannoneer is a 3-elixir common card that deals medium splash damage to both ground and air units, so it’s incredibly versatile for almost every deck archetype.
Don’t place Cannoneer right at the bridge – it has very low health, so it will get taken out by a fireball or knight instantly. Instead, place it 2-3 tiles behind your win condition, so it can stay protected while dealing splash damage to defending units. It pairs perfectly with giant, golem, and hog rider pushes, since it can wipe out defending swarms like minion hordes, skeleton armies, and goblin gangs before they can take out your win condition.
It’s also a great defensive card for countering balloon pushes if you pair it with a minion or bats. The Cannoneer will take out the supporting minions behind the balloon, while your air units take down the balloon itself. It can also counter medium-health units like barbarians and wizards if you place it far enough back to get multiple shots off before they reach your tower.
I run Cannoneer in my main giant double prince deck, and it has pushed me from 5800 to 6400 trophies in just 2 weeks, so it’s way more versatile than most players give it credit for. Don’t be afraid to test it in different deck combinations to find what works best for your play style – it works just as well in control decks as it does in beatdown decks, so it’s a great addition to almost any collection.
If you’ve been searching for how to get Cannoneer in Clash Royale 2025, the process is a lot simpler than most guides make it out to be. Focus on pushing to 1700 trophies at a pace that works for your deck level, avoid wasting resources on scams or unnecessary purchases, and farm copies through clan trades and challenges once you unlock it. Once you have it leveled up, you’ll have a reliable, low-cost splash damage card that works in almost every deck archetype, from control to beatdown. You might be surprised by how much it improves your win rate once you get the hang of using it correctly.
