Clash of Clans is an iconic mobile game. It's front of mind with other classics like Angry Birds and Words With Friends.

Many players are vexed by its freemium model and are looking for ways to get ahead using gems. You can use these to speed up production or get the resources you're missing when buying a unit or building. Rather than forking over cash for the green gems, check out our Clash of Clans guide for strategies, tips, cheats, and hacks to get you ahead for free.

Download: Clash of Clans for Android | iOS (Free)

1. Base Building Guides

A quick YouTube search nets you the ideal configuration for your base at every level. Supercell, the developer of the game, has a multitude of videos [Broken Link Removed] you can choose based on your level. Each contains a guide on how to place your walls and buildings in an ideal configuration to fend off attackers. You need a solid defense to avoid losing your gold and elixir.

There are also building guides for Clash of Clans' Builder Base, the new mode that arrived as part of a massive expansion. In this, units and buildings play slightly differently from the primary base mode. Plus, your two bases do not share resources.

Playing this part of the game generates gems you can use to maximize your main base. You also get bonus upgrades to your main base's buildings like the double cannon. The way the two modes play off each other makes this mode vital to maximizing your gems and resources.

2. Attack Guides

Crafting the perfect defense is vital for protecting your resources. However, the perfect attack is just as important. As with crafting your base, Supercell has guides to combining your units in creative ways [Broken Link Removed]. These show some more efficient ways to maximize your attack. The videos give you the combination of units and their target levels, and then assist you in playing out the attack.

YouTube can get you better results, though. Here you can find guides to the more general tactics of attacking. So regardless of your level, you can attack more efficiently. Better troop direction can get you more resource rewards when attacking. It can also get you bigger bonuses in clan wars.

Experiment with different Clash of Clans attack strategies, and you'll progress much faster.

3. Get a Clan

Clans are pretty straightforward. Get some friends or other players and attack other groups of players in wars. Clan members donate units to aid in attack and defense, which comes in handy at lower levels. If you are not fighting in Clan Wars, you are missing out on significant resource bonuses.

There's a slightly different strategy at work in wars, thus you'll find separate guides devoted to layouts for war bases. The critical difference is that war bases do not require you to protect your resources.

If you do not have a clan, Supercell recently rolled out a new subreddit. Here, clans recruit new members. Head over there and sign up to find a clan and get more resources.

4. Single-Player Mode

There's no denying the fun of the multiplayer battles and the war system in Clash of Clans. You could be forgiven for overlooking the single-player mode. It contains 50 stages with three stars, awarded in the same way as multiplayer battles. You earn one star for dealing 50% damage, one for destroying the town hall, and another for destroying the entire base.

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Not only are there achievements to unlock for getting stars, but it also generates resources. Winning these battles gets gold and elixir, just like raiding another player's base. The later levels can also help you perfect your Clash of Clans strategies when battling against harder bases.

5. Clean Up Your Bases

Logging in every day to clean up your base can seem like a bit of a chore. It takes up one of your builders, and also costs a bit of elixir. However, you should make sure that you are cleaning up junk as soon as it appears.

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Often, clearing these will get you some free gems. You also find gem boxes and coin boxes as soon as they appear. Clearing them as soon as possible will maximize the possibility of more appearing.

6. Save Up for the Builders

The largest pressure to spend gems is when you need an already-busy builder to get an upgrade. Since you start out with only two builders, it's easy to find yourself with a glut of resources when upgrades take days instead of hours. The builders are relatively costly compared to other units.

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The third builder is 500 gems, while the fourth is a more painful 1,000 gems. Unlocking the fifth and final costs a seemingly impossible 2,000 gems. This cost is why you want to make sure that you are getting as many gems as possible. Once you have all five, you can build your upgrades much faster than when you were limited to the two default builders.

7. Achievements

The most accessible source of free gems in Clash of Clans comes via achievements. Some of these occur naturally as you play. You get some for simply upgrading buildings and unlocking units.

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To get others, you need to do a little work (fortunately, the work you need to put in is playing Clash of Clans). It tracks the number of troops that you donate to Clan Wars, which at the highest level nets you 50 gems. The Builder Base has its own achievements to unlock.

8. Events

Not every event is a winner. Sometimes it becomes just a little cheaper to boost production. Other times, the game discounts a unit and gives it an associated challenge.

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During events, you can get some easy gems and save elixir on your attacks. You find these by clicking on the bulletin icon on the right side. Then, the events are located at the middle tab.

Free to Play Forever

It's important to pay for games that you like. However, the freemium model is skewed toward forcing your hand to spend money. In those cases, you should do your best to avoid paying for as long as possible.

If you're patient, pay attention, and use these tips, it's not too difficult to avoid paying real money in Clash of Clans. And if you want to support the team in another manner, they actually sell Clash merchandise [Broken URL Removed].

What are your favorite time and resource savers in Clash of Clans? Do you enjoy the new expansion, or do you stick to the classic mode? Do you have an unconventional strategy that we missed? Share with us in the comments!