The Clash of Clans Community ultimate guide to... Raiding

You can't really play Clash of Clans without getting your hands tainted by battle (the clue's kind of in the name).

So when it comes to raiding, you should expect it to happen to you (it will), but get out there and get fighting, too. There are two ways to do this;

A nice gentle way to ease into battle is to try out the Single Player campaign first. Here you'll find 50 levels requiring you to raid Goblin villages for their Gold and Elixir loot. Levels unlock progressively and offer up to 3 Stars for successful attacks - for a possible maximum of 150 Stars (and the Get Those Goblins! Achievements).

You can revisit past levels to increase your Star count but note that the available loot doesn't replenish.

Attacking in Single Player enables you to get to grips with the dynamics of raiding without the pressure of a time limit (there isn't one) and with limited opposition (which increases gradually, as you'd expect).

Attacking in Single Player does not reward you with Trophies, but it doesn't affect an active Shield either so it's a good way to increase your Gold and Elixir while you're not open to Multiplayer raiding.

Once you're confident about which end of a sword to hold and which bit of the arrow does the most damage, venture forth against other Clashers in Multiplayer raiding.

You can find a match randomly - the game will 'matchmake' based on your number of Trophies and present you with a possible village to raid. If you don't fancy your chances, you can move onto the next choice before the 30-second countdown runs out by tapping the 'Find another match' button (but bear in mind each search will cost you).

Alternatively, you can Revenge an attack on your village by raiding the player responsible. This is done from within your Battle Log screen (where you can also view replays of raids on your village - useful for tactical thinking in how to better protect your assets). The advantage of a Revenge match is that you can check out your opponent's village first (by 'visiting' them) and plan your attack accordingly.

Whichever option you engage in, be aware that unlike Single Player matches you will face a time limit during attacks which can directly affect the number of Stars you earn (you get 1 for 50% destruction, another for levelling the Town Hall, and the third for 100% damage).

So be swift and be ruthless.