Task Bar Hero

Best Starter Build Guide

How to unlock 3 hero slots fast, build the Knight/Priest/Ranger trio, and push Acts 1-3 without stalling on bosses.

Updated June 2025 Acts 1-3 + Nightmare F2P Friendly
Core Problem

Early progression stalls hard with only 1-2 heroes: slow clears, burst deaths, and terrible gear/XP drops. The #1 goal discussed everywhere is unlocking the third hero slot ASAP (~150k gold via Rune tree) and building a stable trio that tanks, sustains, and DPSes fast enough to farm Acts 1-3 and push into Nightmare.

1Unlock the 3rd Hero Slot First

This is the single biggest power spike in the game. Prioritize it above everything else.

  • Rush the Rune tree: focus gold/chest drop nodes on the left side first, then EXP/stash nodes
  • Farm Act 1 stages repeatedly - Stage 1-9 has the best chest rates for early gold farming
  • Keep the game open in your taskbar at all times - offline mode gives gold/XP but zero chests or gear drops
  • Save aggressively; do not spend gold on anything else until you hit 150k
Tip: Active taskbar farming beats offline mode significantly. Chests are the real bottleneck for gear progression, and they only drop when the game is running.

2Party Formation and Roles

The most praised F2P-friendly early comp, consistently recommended across community discussions:

🛡
Priest
Slot 1 - Frontline
Tank/Healer
Put her in front with best defensive gear. Self-heals the whole party and buffs damage.
🏹
Ranger
Slot 2 - DPS
Physical DPS
Core damage dealer. Consistent physical output against packs and bosses.
🔥
Sorcerer
Slot 3 - AoE
AoE/Burst
Fire Hydra for sustained boss DPS. Swap to second Ranger for pure physical.

Why this works: Priest absorbs hits and sustains the party, Ranger deals consistent damage, Sorcerer handles packs and boss melting. The combo covers sustain and multi-target issues that solo/duo comps cannot handle.

Note on Priest: Claim the free DLC Priest ASAP if available. She is preferred over Knight as a tank because her self-heal plus party buffs are stronger than pure tankiness early.

3Skill Priorities (Exact Order)

Priest
  • Max Heal (area heal for bosses)
  • Blessing of Might (party damage buff)
  • HP (stacking)
  • HP Regen
  • Damage Reduction / Absorb
  • Cooldown Reduction
Ranger
  • Attack Speed first
  • Attack Damage
  • Rapid Fire (basic attack skills)
  • Crit - invest later only
Sorcerer
  • Fireball (main nuke)
  • Fire Hydra (boss DPS - wait for lvl 25+ for 5/5)
  • Ice Orb (slow/sustain on tough stages)
  • Fire Damage %
  • Cooldown Reduction
Priest warning: Do not over-invest in block chance (only blocks physical) or excess armor once it is already high. That gold is better spent on Cooldown Reduction or Damage Reduction.

4Gear and Stats Priority

Hero Primary Stats Notes
All Heroes Movement Speed Stack MS on accessories and engravings - one-shots mobs and saves huge time
Priest HP, HP Regen, Damage Reduction, Armor HP on hit if possible; best defensive gear on her since she is your frontliner
Ranger Attack Power, Attack Speed, Physical Damage Immortal Jade Bow + Swift Surge praised by community; Crit last
Sorcerer Fire Damage %, Cooldown Reduction Spell damage decorations; ~50% Fire Resistance needed before Nightmare

Farm chests in Act 1. Use the Steam Market cautiously for cheap early upgrades (Obsidian Shards, Slime Jelly). Always check elemental resistances before entering Nightmare content.

Key Decision Points

Ranger (fast farming, weaker early) vs Knight (forgiving tank, slower clear) First hero pick - Priest is the must-have support once unlocked either way
Priest (self-heal + party buff - preferred) vs Knight (pure tank, no sustain) Priest wins for most players early because sustain beats raw defense
Sorcerer (Fire Hydra - AoE/boss melt) vs Second Ranger (physical, consistent) Sorcerer for multi-target stages; second Ranger if your gear is physical-focused
Stuck on a boss? Make sure Priest has a strong area heal and is in the front position. Add Ice Orb slows on the Sorcerer if the boss hits too fast.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid These
  • Treating it like a traditional RPG and rushing combat instead of optimizing idle/taskbar farming
  • Wasting gold on any non-Rune-tree priority before unlocking the 3rd slot
  • Over-investing in Crit early (very low base chance, terrible returns before midgame)
  • Equipping wrong decorations - never put Crit on Priest; she needs HP and sustain stats only
  • Closing the game or going offline - active taskbar farming is the only way to get chests and gear
  • Ignoring elemental resistances before Nightmare - ~50% Fire Res required or you will die instantly
  • Ignoring Movement Speed - it is underrated and dramatically increases progression speed