If you’ve ever faced off against an opponent with a level 15 elite hog rider that one-shots your tower before you can even cycle a spell, you know exactly how game-changing these upgraded cards are. For most casual and mid-tier players, figuring out how to get elite cards in Clash Royale feels like a mystery reserved only for players who drop hundreds of dollars on the game every month. But that’s not the case at all. I’ve been playing Clash Royale on and off for six years, have 12 elite cards in my main account, and have never spent more than $15 total on the game. Below, I’m breaking down every legitimate method to earn elite cards, no shady hacks or endless grinding required.
What Are Elite Cards, and Why Do They Matter?
Before we dive into how to get elite cards in Clash Royale, it’s important to understand exactly what these cards do and why they’re worth chasing. Elite cards are any cards upgraded past level 14, with current maximum levels at 16. Each elite level gives a 10% stat boost to the card, which adds up to a massive difference in close matches. I once lost a grand challenge final by 30 hit points because my opponent’s elite fireball did just enough damage to take out my tower, while my non-elite one fell short. That’s the small edge elite cards give you that adds up to more wins over time.
Elite cards only apply to cards you’ve already upgraded to level 14 first, so you don’t have to worry about unlocking them for cards you’re still leveling up for your main deck. You’ll use elite wild cards, a special currency separate from regular wild cards and gold, to upgrade eligible cards to elite levels. A common misconception is that you have to unlock elite cards from chests, but that’s not true—any level 14 card can become an elite card if you have enough elite wild cards to upgrade it.
Free Methods to Get Elite Cards in Clash Royale
You don’t have to spend a single cent to build a full set of elite cards for your main deck, as long as you’re consistent and strategic about how you earn and spend resources. All of these methods are accessible for players of all skill levels, and you can combine them to earn thousands of elite wild cards every month:
The only downside to free methods is they take time to add up. If you only play a few times a week, you can still earn enough to upgrade one card to elite level every 2-3 months, which is more than enough to keep up with most players in your arena. You should only spend elite wild cards on cards you use in your main deck first, don’t waste them on random cards you never play, that’s the biggest mistake I see new players make when they first start earning elite wild cards.
Paid Methods That Are Actually Worth Your Money
I don’t recommend spending money on Clash Royale if you don’t want to, but if you have a few dollars to spare and want to speed up your elite card collection, there are a small handful of options that give you way more value than others. The first and best option is the premium gold pass, which costs $5 per season. It gives you 10,000+ elite wild cards, plus 2-3 full elite cards, plus tons of other rewards like gold, regular wild cards, and exclusive emotes. That’s way more value than buying elite wild cards directly from the shop, which is a total ripoff.
The other worthwile paid options are limited-time value packs that pop up in the shop for $1-$3, usually during holiday events, that include 5,000+ elite wild cards and other bonus rewards. These packs are only available for 24-48 hours, so keep an eye on the shop if you’re looking for cheap ways to stock up on elite wild cards. Never buy individual elite wild card bundles from the shop, they cost 10x more than the value you get from the gold pass or limited-time event packs.
Even if you buy the gold pass every month, you’ll still have to be strategic about which cards you upgrade, it doesn’t let you unlock every elite card overnight, but it cuts the grind time by about 70% in my experience. If you only play for fun and don’t care about climbing to the highest ranks, you don’t need to spend any money at all, the free methods are more than enough for casual play.
Common Mistakes That Slow Down Your Elite Card Progress
Even if you’re earning tons of elite wild cards every season, small mistakes can set you back months when it comes to unlocking elite cards. The first and most common mistake is upgrading every card you get to level 14 right away. You only need to level up the 8 cards in your main deck first, then you can focus on other cards for secondary decks. Wasting gold on leveling up random cards means you can’t level up your main deck cards to 14 faster, which means you can’t use elite wild cards on them sooner.
Another common mistake is ignoring Path of Legends and seasonal challenges. I’ve had clan mates who complain they never get elite wild cards, but they never play any events other than regular ladder matches, so they miss out on thousands of free elite wild cards every month. You don’t have to grind for hours every day, even 10 minutes a day to complete daily challenges adds up to a huge amount of rewards over the course of a season.
Avoiding these common mistakes will make the process of how to get elite cards in Clash Royale way faster and less frustrating, even if you only play casually. If you’re not sure which card to upgrade next, look at your win rate data for your main deck: upgrade the card you use in 80% of your matches first, that will give you the biggest win rate boost. I made the mistake of upgrading an elite miner right before a big nerf a couple years ago, and I haven’t used it in a deck since, that wasted 5,000 elite wild cards I could have used on my hog rider instead. Don’t make that same mistake.
At the end of the day, getting elite cards doesn’t have to be a grind reserved for only the most dedicated or highest-spending players. By focusing on free event rewards, only upgrading cards you actually use, and avoiding common resource-wasting mistakes, you can build a competitive elite card collection faster than you think. If you’re just starting out, take it slow: focus on upgrading one main deck first, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you can figure out how to get elite cards in Clash Royale that fit your playstyle, no hacks or big budgets required. The next time you face off against an opponent with an elite card, you’ll have one of your own to match them soon enough.
