If you’ve spent any time playing Clash Royale after hitting the endgame, you’ve probably accumulated a pile of star points and wondered what the point of upgrading those shiny star levels actually is. I’ve been grinding Clash Royale since its global launch, maxed out three separate accounts, and wasted thousands of star points on useless upgrades early on, so I’ve got first-hand experience with how this system works. Today we’re breaking down what does upgrading star levels do in Clash Royale, from little-known perks to common myths you need to stop believing.
What Does Upgrading Star Levels Do in Clash Royale: Core Perks
Most players assume star levels are only for show, but there are a few small benefits you might not have noticed. First, exclusive cosmetic customizations are the biggest draw for most players. Each star level adds new visual flair to your card: star level 1 adds subtle gold trim to the card art and in-game model, star level 2 adds full gold plating and custom particle effects when you deploy the card, and star level 3 unlocks unique idle, deploy, or attack animations for popular cards like Pekka and Electro Wizard.
Second, minor stat bonuses apply for casual game modes. Contrary to popular belief, these tiny 5% boosts to health and damage only work in friendly battles, custom clan tournaments, and scrimmages. They never carry over to ranked ladder, Path of Legends, or official global tournaments, so you won’t get an unfair edge in competitive play. Third, account progression bragging rights are a fun bonus for completionists: your player profile displays your collection’s average star level, so other players can see how much endgame content you’ve grinded.
How Star Points Work to Unlock Star Levels
You can only upgrade a card’s star level once it hits its current maximum level cap, so you won’t be able to touch this system until you’ve at least maxed a handful of your most used cards. Star points, the currency used for these upgrades, are earned through endgame activities that would otherwise give you duplicate cards you don’t need. There are a handful of reliable ways to farm star points fast if you want to unlock more star levels quickly:
- Donate maxed common and rare cards to clanmates daily, as they give the highest star point return per donation
- Prioritize opening chests when you have all cards of a given rarity maxed to get extra star points instead of useless duplicates
- Claim all free season pass rewards, as they often include bulk star point packs specifically for endgame players
- Complete clan war weekly challenges, which give star point bonuses for clans that finish in the top 3 of their bracket
Star levels cost different amounts of star points based on card rarity, so you’ll want to plan your spending accordingly. A common card only costs 100 star points for star level 1, while a champion card costs 5000 star points for star level 3. That means you can upgrade 50 common star levels for the same price as one champion star level 3, so prioritize based on what matters to you.
Common Star Level Myths You Need to Ignore
There’s a lot of false information floating around Clash Royale lobbies about star levels, so let’s bust the most persistent myths first. The biggest lie you’ll hear is that star levels give stat boosts in ranked play. Star levels do not give stat boosts in ranked game modes, full stop. Supercell has confirmed this multiple times, and any player who claims they lost a match because their opponent had higher star levels is just making excuses for a bad play.
Another common myth is that higher star levels make your cards harder for opponents to see. While some early star skins did blend into certain arena backgrounds, Supercell has adjusted all problematic skins over the years to make sure they’re just as visible as base skins. There’s no competitive advantage to using a star skin to hide your cards. Star points are not wasted if you save them for future card updates, either. A lot of players blow all their star points as soon as they get them, but if a new meta champion drops that you want to main, you’ll be glad you saved up to unlock its star levels as soon as you max it.
The last myth worth mentioning is that star levels affect your match making rating. This is completely false: match making is only based on your trophy count, Path of Legends rank, and the level of the cards in your deck. Your star level collection has zero impact on who you get matched against, so you don’t have to worry about upgrading stars putting you against harder opponents.
Tips to Prioritize Star Level Upgrades for Your Playstyle
There’s no right or wrong way to spend your star points, but these tips will help you get the most value out of your upgrades no matter what you care about. If you main a specific deck for ladder or Path of Legends, upgrade star levels for your most used cards first. You’ll see the cosmetic effects every single time you play, so it’s way more satisfying than upgrading a card you only pull out once a month for fun challenges.
If you play a lot of custom friendly tournaments with your clan, prioritize upgrading star levels for your go-to tournament deck first. The 5% stat boost applies in these modes, so it can give you a tiny edge in close matches where every bit of damage or health counts. If you’re a completionist who wants to raise your account’s average star level as fast as possible, focus on upgrading lower rarity cards first. They cost a fraction of the star points of epic or champion cards, so you can rack up upgraded star levels much faster.
Avoid upgrading niche or unused cards first, no matter how tempting it is to blow your star points on something shiny. I made this mistake a few years ago, when I upgraded every spell card to star level 2 just because I had extra points. I only use two spells in my main Hog Rider deck, so I wasted thousands of star points that I could have used to unlock star level 3 for my Hog and Valkyrie, which I use every single match. If you’re a content creator or streamer, upgrading popular meta cards to star level 3 is also a great way to make your gameplay footage stand out to viewers.
At the end of the day, answering what does upgrading star levels do in Clash Royale comes down to mostly cosmetic rewards with a few small casual mode perks, so it’s completely up to your personal preferences whether it’s worth spending your star points. If you love showing off custom skins for your main deck, it’s one of the most satisfying endgame grinds the game has to offer. If you only care about climbing the ranked ladder, you can ignore star levels entirely without missing out on any competitive advantages. Don’t feel pressured to upgrade every single card in your collection – pick the ones that matter most to you and enjoy the process of earning star points as you play.
