Obstacles

Obstacles are natural objects—trees, logs, rocks, and related foliage—that spawn randomly within your village. New villages typically begin with approximately forty obstacles. These can be cleared for a modest Gold or Elixir cost to free buildable space.

Summary

Obstacles occupy buildable tiles and can prevent the placement of Buildings.
While bases can be designed around existing obstacles, this becomes impractical at higher progression levels. Players typically remove an obstacle, relocate it with a Shovel of Obstacles, or stash it via Village Edit Mode.
Using a Shovel of Obstacles makes the item permanently movable and eligible for stashing; it can still be removed later for standard rewards, with no extra compensation for having used a shovel.
Queued obstacle removal can be canceled before completion, refunding 100% of resources (unlike the usual 50% refund on most upgrades).
A village can contain a maximum of 45 obstacles; once reached, regular obstacles stop spawning until space is cleared.
Gem Boxes and event-themed obstacles ignore this limit and may spawn even above the cap; obstacles stashed in Village Edit Mode still count toward the limit.
The “Nice and Tidy” achievement grants Experience and Gems for removing obstacles.
Troops can be deployed beside and, in some cases, directly on top of obstacles.
Since the Halloween 2014 update, most obstacle removal times were reduced; Mushrooms are excluded.

Undecorated Obstacles

Each obstacle that is removed can yield anywhere from 0 to 6 Gems.
There are two distinct cycles that govern the number of Gems awarded upon the removal of obstacles in your Home Village. These cycles run concurrently and are independent of each other, including those associated with Obstacles in the Builder Base. Therefore, removing an obstacle will only advance one of the cycles listed below, without affecting the progression of the other cycle.
Cycle 1: Applies to original obstacles in the Home Village (those that appeared when you first created your Home Village). Rewards: 4, 5, or 6 Gems. Pattern: 3, 0, 1, 2, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 3, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0.
Cycle 2: Applies to spawned obstacles in the Home Village. Pattern: 6, 0, 4, 5, 1, 3, 2, 0, 0, 5, 1, 0, 3, 4, 0.
On average, each obstacle cleared yields ~2 Gems (excludes the 25 Gems from the Gem Box).

Vegetation:

Vegetation respawns at a rate of one item every eight hours, unless all available spaces in the village are occupied or the 45-obstacle limit has been reached.
With the exception of the Gem Box, an obstacle will only spawn if there is a minimum 1-tile buffer zone between the spawn space and any other building or obstacle.
Given the respawn rate of vegetation and the potential for Gems to be obtained upon its removal, regularly clearing vegetation can provide an unlimited, though occasionally slow, source of Gems.

Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Experience Gained	Respawn Weight
Mushroom	2x2	100	10s	3	10%
Bush	2x2	250	10s	3	20%
Trunk 1	2x2	1,000	10s	3	10%
Trunk 2	2x2	1,000	10s	3	10%
Fallen Trunk	2x2	1,000	10s	3	20%
Small Tree	2x2	2,000	10s	3	20%
Medium Tree	3x3	7,500	15s	3	5%
Large Tree	3x3	10,000	15s	3	5%

Winter Themed Appearances

Since 2012, Vegetation obstacles have a special appearance during the Clashmas period which often extends through Winter.

Obstacles have special textures with snow mixed into them. In 2012, the Large Tree had a different appearance to future years.

Winter Obstacles

Mushroom Winter

Bush Winter

Trunk 1 Winter

Trunk 2 Winter

Trunk Fallen Winter

Winter Tree (Small)

Winter Tree (Medium)

Winter Tree (Large 2012)

Winter Tree (Large 2013-Now)

Clash-O-Ween Themed Appearances

Since 2012, most Vegetation obstacles have a special appearance during the Clash-o-Ween period.

Clash-o-Ween adds special textures and sounds to all Vegetation except the Small Tree. In 2012, the Mushroom had a different appearance to future years.

Clash-O-Ween Obstacles

Halloween Mushroom (2012)

Halloween Mushroom (2013)

Bush Halloween

Trunk 1 Halloween

Trunk 2 Winter

Trunk Fallen Winter

Winter Tree (Medium)

Winter Tree (Large 2012)

Rocks

Rocks are permanent obstacles in Clash of Clans — once removed, they never respawn. Below is the full list with removal cost, time, XP, and respawn weight (always 0).

Rocks in Clash of Clans — removal cost, time, XP, and respawn weight (0)
Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Experience Gained
Rock 1	2x2	500	10s	3
Rock 2	2x2	500	10s	3
Rock 3	2x2	500	10s	3
Rock 4	2x2	500	10s	3
Rock 5	2x2	10,000	15s	3
Rock 6	3x3	20,000	15s	3

Beta Stone

A discontinued rock variant from the game earliest builds. Kept by only a handful of legacy villages.

LegacyUnobtainableCosmetic

Status

Removed from normal circulation

Availability

Not obtainable in current builds

Respawn Weight

0 (never respawns)

Gem Reward

0 Gems on removal

Size

2x2 (visual cluster)

Role

Aesthetic / collector's item

Background

The Beta Stone traces back to experimental releases when obstacle sets were being iterated. It briefly spawned in newborn villages before being retired, leaving only a tiny number of legacy accounts with the object still anchored in place. Because it never reappears after removal and offers no gem yield, many owners preserved it as a historical decoration.

Timeline (high level)

Early builds: briefly available in new villages.
Post-release: spawning disabled; becomes a rarity.
Special content: later showcased in select single-player content and test areas.

Seen in

Legacy player bases from early versions
Selected Single Player challenge maps (event/showcase usage)
Introductory/battle scenarios and internal testing areas

Known Player Tags (historical reports)

Note: tags are community-reported and may change as accounts update privacy or names.

Rarest Stones

Community records mention an early player known as arl who once had two uncommon rock variants placed in their village. That player and the obstacles no longer exist on live profiles.
Supercell staff indicated this was an old, very limited edge case — implying arl was not the only one.
Exact distribution is unknown; some profiles may have had one or both variants. As of now, there are no confirmed live profiles still displaying them.
A similar rock appearance can be found in certain Single Player challenges as a showcase element.

Historically Reported Player Tag

Note: the tag above is cited from historical community posts; availability may change as profiles are renamed or removed.

Gem Box

A mysterious bonus obstacle that hides free gems inside.

The Gem Box is a mysterious box containing 25 Gems.
When first released, it was quickly removed due to glitches involving gem rewards. It returned on April 9, 2014 alongside the Clan Wars update.
That update also increased the reward from 20 to 25 Gems.
Only one Gem Box can exist on your base at a time.
Clearing it costs 1,000 Elixir and takes 30 seconds.
Their spawn rate is low, but was increased in the April 2014 update.

Obstacle

Gem Box

Size

2×2

Removal Cost

1,000

Removal Time

30s

Removal Reward

Guaranteed gem reward once cleared.

Respawn Weight

~1%

Low probability; only one at a time.

Notes: The Gem Box is rare, but its spawn rate improved after 2014.

Special Event Obstacles

These obstacles only appear for a limited time, and are usually created to commemorate holidays. After the period in which they spawn ends, players can continue to keep these obstacles.
Note that all special obstacles ignore the one-tile buffer zone rule that governs where normal vegetation can spawn. They can spawn in any 2x2 empty space within your village, though they tend toward spawning close to the outer edges of the field.

Clashmas Trees

Clashmas Trees are special winter obstacles, appearing every year since the games launch in 2012.
Each tree takes30sto remove and grants5 Experience.
Early versions were named “X-Mas Tree”, later renamed to “Clashmas Tree”, then updated to specify the year of origin.

Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Removal Reward	Respawn Weight
2012 Clashmas Tree Year 2012	2x2	25,000	30s	30,0005(Initially) 50,0005	2%
2013 Clashmas Tree Year 2013	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2014 Clashmas Tree Year 2014	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2015 Clashmas Tree Year 2015	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2016 Clashmas Tree Year 2016	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2017 Clashmas Tree Year 2017	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2018 Clashmas Tree Year 2018	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2019 Clashmas Tree Year 2019	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2020 Clashmas Tree Year 2020	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2021 Clashmas Tree Year 2021	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2022 Clashmas Tree Year 2022	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2023 Clashmas Tree Year 2023	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
2024 Clashmas Tree Year 2024	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%

Values reflect commonly observed amounts for each Clashmas event. Some older years received adjustments during balance passes.

Clash-O-Ween Obstacles

Clash-O-Ween obstacles appear every October during the Halloween event.
Each obstacle takes30sto remove and grants5 XP.
Each obstacle costs25,000to clear and gives bonus XP + Elixir rewards.

Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Removal Reward	Respawn Weight
Halloween Headstone Year 2014	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Halloween Cauldron Year 2015	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Scary Pumpkin Year 2016	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Halloween Obstacle Year 2017	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Witch's Hat Year 2018	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Spooky Tree Year 2019	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Tombstone Year 2020	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
Friendly Flower Year 2021	2x2	25,000	30s	75,000	2%
Trick or Treat? Year 2022	2x2	25,000	30s	75,000	2%
Sinister Sapling Year 2023	2x2	25,000	30s	75,000	2%
Ghost Post Year 2024	2x2	25,000	30s	75,000	2%
Cursed Seedling Year 2025	2x2	25,000	30s	75,000	2%

Values reflect observed Clash-O-Ween rewards. Some years receive special event variations.

Anniversary Cakes

Show GIF (where available)

Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Removal Reward	Respawn Weight
5th Anniversary Cake (2017) Year 2017	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
6th Anniversary Cake (2018) Year 2018	2x2	25,000	30s	75,0005	2%
7th Birthday Surprise (2019) Year 2019	2x2	7,777	30s	77,7775	N/A
8th Anniversary Cake (2020) Year 2020	2x2	8,888	30s	88,8885	N/A
9th Anniversary Cake (2021) Year 2021	2x2	9,999	30s	99,9995	N/A
10th Anniversary Cake (2022) Year 2022	2x2	10,010	30s	101,0105	N/A
11th Anniversary Cake (2023) Year 2023	2x2	10,000	30s	101,0105	N/A
12th Anniversary Cake (2024) Year 2024	2x2	1,200	30s	12,0005	N/A
13th Anniversary Cake (2025) Year 2025	2x2	13	30s	13,0005	N/A

Values reflect commonly observed event rewards. Early cakes 2017 to 2018 had a ~2% respawn weight; later cakes are one-time seasonal spawns.

Lunar New Year Obstacles

These special obstacles appear around the Lunar New Year events.
Each obstacle takes30sto remove and grants bonusXPand resources.

Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Removal Reward	Respawn Weight
Fireworks Stash Year 2018	2x2	500	30s	25,0002	N/A
Fortune Tree Year 2018	2x2	1,000	30s	75,0002	N/A
Glowy Lantern Year 2020	2x2	7,777	30s	77,7775	N/A
Lucky Shrub Year 2021	2x2	7,777	30s	77,7775	N/A
Rabbit Lantern Year 2023	2x2	7,777	30s	77,7775	N/A
Lucky Letterbox Year 2024	2x2	8,888	30s	88,8885	N/A
Snake Sculpture Year 2025	2x2	888	30s	8,8885	N/A

Values reflect known event rewards. Some years may receive balance tweaks or regional differences.

Other Event Obstacles

The Spike-y Cactus was released during the launch of Supercell's game Brawl Stars. It resembles the Brawler Spike.
Mysterious Object started spawning on April 26, 2024 for the Clash with Haaland event. When tapped, it bounces.
Money in the Bank started spawning on April 1, 2025 for the ClashaMania event. It contains money with the Goblin Builder’s face.
The Ore Meteorites (Glowy, Shiny, Starry) began spawning on November 1, 2025. Removing them gives different amounts of Ores.

Obstacle	Size	Removal Cost	Removal Time	Removal Reward	Respawn Weight
Spike-y Cactus (2023)	2x2	1,000	30s	75,0005	N/A
Mysterious Object (2024)	2x2	3,600	9s	93	N/A
Money in the Bank (2025)	2x2	41	30s	41,0005	N/A
Shiny Ore Meteorite (2025)	2x2	18,181	30s	1815	N/A
Glowy Ore Meteorite (2025)	2x2	18,181	30s	185	N/A
Starry Ore Meteorite (2025)	2x2	181	30s	25	N/A

Values based on observed event behavior. Rewards may change in future balance updates.

Immovable Obstacles

These obstacles cannot be made moveable by the Shovel of Obstacles and are removed immediately when tapped.

Obstacle	Size	Removal Benefit	Removal Type	Spawning Event
Tombstone	1x1	20	All Tombstones are cleared upon being tapped, including Dark Tombstones.	Attacking or defending Elixir troop is killed.
Dark Tombstone	1x1	1	All Dark Tombstones are cleared upon being tapped, including normal Tombstones.	Attacking or defending Dark Elixir troop is killed.
Overgrowth Root	1x1	1	All overgrowth roots are cleared upon being touched.	Roots left behind by Overgrowth spell.
Present (2014 Clashmas Tree)	1x1	5,000	Each Present can be removed separately.	Presents spawned by the 2014 Clashmas tree.
Present (Santa's Surprise)	1x1	5,000	All Presents generated from the Spell are cleared upon being tapped.	Presents left behind from the Santa's Surprise spell.
Present (Birthday Boom)	1x1	5,000	All Presents generated from the Spell are cleared upon being tapped.	Presents left behind from the Birthday Boom spell.
Sour Elixir Tombstone	1x1	1	All Sour Elixir Tombstones are cleared upon being tapped.	Attacking Mashup Troop is killed.
Sweet Elixir Tombstone	1x1	1	All Sweet Elixir Tombstones are cleared upon being tapped.	Attacking Cookie Rumble Troop is killed.
ClashaMania Tombstone	1x1	1	All ClashaMania Tombstones are cleared upon being tapped.	Attacking ClashaMania Troop is killed.

Notes: “Present” entries are visually different gifts from separate sources; all are cleared individually. Event-specific tombstones award themed resources.

Exciting Info!

Here are some exciting information about the Obstacles!

Trivia

The rainbow effect on the Gem Box is a reference to the saying "There’s a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow." However, the pot of gold is actually a pot of gems.

The Gem Box may have squashed a patch of mushrooms when falling out of the sky. Mushrooms are visible underneath it.

If no gems are purchased, earned through achievements or spent, 1,623 obstacles (not including Gem Boxes) are needed to buy the 3rd–5th Builder Huts (3,500 gems total) — roughly 528 days assuming the village has < 45 obstacles at all times.

Aside from the Gem Box, the Spike-y Cactus and Glowy Lantern (Builder Base) are the only obstacles that give a different resource than the one used to remove it.

For a 2015 April Fools prank, Supercell claimed Gem Boxes would be affected by the Lightning Spell.

On 13 December 2019, CM Darian made a Reddit post showing how many players had a Clashmas Tree from each year.

Early footage of the November 2025 Meteorites showed earlier names:

Shimmering Stone → Starry Ore Meteorite
Pulsating Stone → Shiny Ore Meteorite
Glowing Stone → Glowy Ore Meteorite
These were likely changed to clarify what each Meteorite gives when removed.

Icon Info

Tapping this icon removes this obstacle using Gold, if you have enough Gold. This icon only appears if the obstacle is in the Home Village and requires Gold to remove.

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How many PLAYERS have Xmas trees around?

Christmas Trees are the most iconic seasonal decorations in Clash of Clans, and many players keep them forever as collectibles.
The chart shows how many players still have each tree. Older versions like the 2012-2014 trees are extremely rare and almost never seen in modern villages.
From 2016 onwards, more players began keeping their trees. The 2019 Clashmas Treehas the highest survival rate with over 5.5 million players keeping it.

* Counts from 2020-2024 are community-estimated based on player census data; not officially published by Supercell.