Getting a sixth builder in Clash of Clans is one of the best boosts you can give your progress. That extra builder (commonly called B.O.B. or the sixth builder) lets you run more upgrades at once and makes catching up or pushing new upgrades much faster. Below I explain exactly what you must do, step by step, in plain English — plus smart tips to finish the job faster.
Quick summary (if you want the short version)
To unlock the 6th builder you must:
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Reach Builder Hall 9 so you can build the B.O.B. Control.
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Upgrade B.O.B. Control to level 5 by completing four specific tasks (gear up 3 Home Village buildings, upgrade a troop to level 18, upgrade a Builder Base defense to level 9, and reach a combined hero machine level requirement).
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When B.O.B. Control reaches level 5, you can place B.O.B.’s hut in your Home Village and use the 6th builder. (Clash Ninja)
Why you should care about the 6th builder
With five builders, you already can do a lot. But a sixth builder means you can have one more long upgrade running while still working on shorter upgrades. This cuts weeks or months off long-term upgrade time, especially if you’re upgrading big defensive structures or lab troops. The Builder Base update that introduced these cross-village mechanics made this possible — so it’s now a real, permanent goal for serious players. (Supercell)
What exactly you must do (detailed steps)
1. Get to Builder Hall 9
You cannot even start the B.O.B. path until you have Builder Hall 9, because that allows you to build the B.O.B. Control building in your Builder Base. So first focus on reaching BH9 using normal Builder Base progression (battle medals, upgrades, and smart resource use). (Clash Ninja)
2. Build the B.O.B. Control
Once you can construct B.O.B. Control, place it. The building itself does not instantly give you the sixth builder — it has levels. Each level of B.O.B. Control unlocks part of the requirements until, at level 5, B.O.B. becomes available to move to the Home Village.
3. Complete the four requirement types to upgrade B.O.B. Control to level 5
To raise B.O.B. Control to level 5 (and thus get B.O.B.), you must complete several tasks that mix Home Village and Builder Base progress. In simple form these are:
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Gear up three specific Home Village defenses (one Cannon, one Archer Tower, and one Mortar — each has its own level requirement). Gearing up is a mechanic that uses the Master Builder to temporarily leave the Builder Base and upgrade a Home Village building; that uses Home Village gold.
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Upgrade one troop to level 18 (this is done in the Star Laboratory / Home Village).
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Upgrade a Builder Base defense to level 9 (a strong Builder Base defense).
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Reach the required combined level of hero machines / Battle Machine levels (the game checks total levels as part of the last step).
Complete all parts across the required B.O.B. Control levels and the control will be upgradeable to level 5. When level 5 is reached you will be allowed to place B.O.B.’s Hut in the Home Village and deploy the sixth builder. (Clash Ninja)
Smart route to speed things up (practical tips)
Rush smart, not reckless
In the Builder Base you are not punished as harshly for rushing as in the Home Village. That means it’s often faster to move to BH9 early and then finish some remaining upgrades later rather than slowly maxing everything before moving on. Prioritize the upgrade tasks that count toward B.O.B. (troop levels, specific defense levels, and gearing targets). Many guides recommend this "smart rush" approach to shave months off the grind. (blueprintcoc.com)
Use the Trader and Raid Medals
The Trader in Builder Base sometimes sells Builder Base resources or items for Raid Medals. Save medals to buy big resource offers when they appear — those buy windows can be huge helps for quickly upgrading Builder Base defenses to the needed levels. Also, seasonal rewards (Gold Pass) and clan-game Magic Items (Books, Runes) speed the path. (Supercell Support Portal)
Use Magic Items wisely
Books of Building, Runes, and other magic items let you skip long timers. If you can get these from Season Challenges, Clan Games, or offers, use them to finish the largest bottlenecks (like the Archer Tower or Mortar gear ups) so the Master Builder isn’t stuck away from the Builder Base for too long. This keeps your Builder Base progress steady and helps complete B.O.B. requirements faster.
Focus upgrades that count
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Upgrade the Star Lab and the troop you plan to push to level 18.
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Make the Builder Base defense you intend to bring to level 9 your main Builder Base target.
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Start the Home Village gear-ups for Cannon, Archer Tower, and Mortar in sequence so they finish when you can spare the Master Builder. This reduces wasted idle time.
What to expect: time and cost
How long this takes depends on how much you play and whether you use paid speed-ups or Gold Pass. For free players, expect weeks to months of focused work if you are not already deep into Builder Base upgrades. If you buy magic items or use the Gold Pass, you can cut that time dramatically. Most community writeups estimate a realistic time of several weeks of steady progression once you reach BH9 and start focusing on the requirements. (blueprintcoc.com)
After you unlock B.O.B. — how to use the 6th builder best
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Keep the sixth builder on long home village upgrades (defenses, Clan Castle, storages).
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Rotate shorter upgrades among other builders so you always have something finishing.
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Use Books and Runes more sparingly — with six builders you can schedule your boosts for maximum overlap (e.g., use a Builder Boost during a week when you also have a Gold Pass event).
Final checklist (copy this into your notes)
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Reach Builder Hall 9. (Clash Ninja)
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Build B.O.B. Control.
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Gear up Cannon, Archer Tower, Mortar (Home Village).
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Upgrade one troop to level 18.
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Upgrade one Builder Base defense to level 9.
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Meet hero machine combined level requirements → upgrade B.O.B. Control to level 5 → place B.O.B.’s Hut.