TBH Beginner's Guide - Everything You Need to Know in Your First Week
- What Is TBH: Task Bar Hero?
- Your First 30 Minutes - What to Do Immediately
- Party Building - Who to Recruit and When
- Gold Spending Priority - The Exact Order
- AFK vs Offline - The Most Important Mechanic
- Difficulty Progression - When to Move Up
- All 6 Classes - Quick Overview
- Cube System Basics
- Steam Market Basics
- 10 Common New Player Mistakes
- Your First Week - Day by Day Roadmap
What Is TBH: Task Bar Hero?
TBH: Task Bar Hero is a free-to-play idle RPG that lives in your Windows taskbar. That's not a metaphor - the game window is the size of a taskbar icon, fitting neatly above your system clock. Your party of three heroes fights automatically, earning gold, XP, and item drops whether you're watching or not. You check in occasionally to upgrade skills, equip new gear, and progress to harder stages.
We have spent hundreds of hours playing TBH across all six classes, every difficulty level, and through multiple patches. This guide contains everything we wish we knew on day one - not theory, not datamining, but practical knowledge from actual gameplay. If you read nothing else on this site, read this.
Three things to understand before you start: (1) TBH rewards patience - you cannot rush this game, (2) AFK mode (game running, minimized) gives you items; offline mode (game closed) does not, and (3) Knight + Priest is not optional - you need both for all content past the early game.
Your First 30 Minutes - What to Do Immediately
Step 1: Claim the Free Priest DLC
Open Steam, go to the TBH store page, and claim the Priest DLC - it's completely free. The Priest is the only healer in TBH, and without one, you cannot reliably farm past the early game. This takes 30 seconds and saves you from hitting a wall at Stage 1-25.
Step 2: Start With Knight
When you launch the game for the first time, you choose your starting hero. Pick Knight. The Knight has the highest base HP (130) and Armor (45) - it survives fights that would delete any other class. Later you can build other classes, but your first character should always be Knight. We have tested starting with every class; Knight is the only choice that doesn't lead to constant early-game deaths.
Step 3: Equip Everything That Drops
In the first few hours, do not overthink gear. Equip the highest-rarity item in every slot as it drops. Stats barely matter at this stage - simply having gear in every slot is the priority. There are 20 gear slots, and an empty slot is worse than a bad item.
Step 4: Spend Your First Skill Points
For Knight: put every point into Max HP passive until it's maxed (level 8). Then Defense passive. Do not spread points across multiple skills early. A maxed defensive passive is dramatically better than three medium-level skills.
Party Building - Who to Recruit and When
| Order | Hero | Cost | Role | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Knight (starter) | Free | Tank | S Tier - Always pick first |
| 2nd | Priest (DLC) | Free DLC | Healer/Buffer | S Tier - Claim immediately |
| 3rd | Ranger or Sorcerer | Free | DPS | Ranger for consistency, Sorcerer for AoE clear speed |
The 2nd hero slot costs 5,000 gold and unlocks almost immediately. Put the Priest in slot 2. The 3rd slot costs 150,000 gold and takes a few days of farming. Your free DPS choice matters less than you think - both Ranger and Sorcerer are perfectly viable through endgame. We slightly prefer Ranger for new players because its consistent damage output requires less micromanagement, but the difference is small.
Do not buy Hunter or Slayer as your first DPS. Both are paid DLC (~$4 each) and neither replaces the free options in terms of pure farming efficiency. Hunter excels at boss killing; Slayer excels in mob-dense stages. But for your first party, a free DPS funded by free gold is better than a paid DPS you're still learning to build.
Gold Spending Priority - The Exact Order
Gold is TBH's primary progression currency, and spending it in the wrong order can set you back days. This is the exact priority we recommend, tested across multiple fresh accounts:
| # | Purchase | Cost | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2nd Hero Slot | 5,000g | Adds Priest. Doubles your party's effective power immediately. |
| 2 | Auto-Open Chests | Varies | Automatically opens chests as they drop. Without this, chests pile up unopened and you get zero items from AFK sessions longer than a few minutes. |
| 3 | Bag Expansion | Varies | Without bag space, your inventory fills up and you stop looting. This happens faster than you think. |
| 4 | Offline Time + | Varies | Increases offline gold/XP accumulation. Important because you will close the game sometimes. |
| 5 | Exp Boost | Varies | Faster leveling = faster passive unlocks = more power. Levels are the foundation of everything. |
| 6 | 3rd Hero Slot | 150,000g | Your first major gold grind. Adds a DPS, tripling your damage output. This is where the game opens up. |
| 7 | Rune of Awakening | 50,000g | Second active skill slot for every hero. Buy after your 3-hero party is stable. |
| 8 | Cube Unlocks | Varies | Unlock Cube functions as needed. Synthesis first, then Alchemy, then the rest in any order. |
The most common gold mistake we see: players saving 150,000g for the 3rd hero slot while ignoring Auto-Open Chests and Bag Expansion. Then they wonder why they are not getting items during AFK. Quality of life unlocks come before big gold purchases. A third hero with a full inventory earning nothing is worse than two heroes efficiently farming.
AFK vs Offline - The Most Important Mechanic
| AFK Mode (Game Running) | Offline Mode (Game Closed) | |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Yes - continuous | Yes - ~80% of AFK rate, claimed on login |
| XP | Yes - continuous | Yes - accumulated, claimed on login |
| Chest Drops | Yes - full drop rates | No - zero chests |
| Gear Drops | Yes - from chests | No - zero gear |
| Materials | Yes - from chests | No - zero materials |
| Steam Market Income | Yes - items to sell | No - nothing to sell |
This table is the single most important thing to understand about TBH. When we first started playing, we closed the game overnight for a week before realizing we had earned zero items during that time. The gold and XP from offline mode feel substantial - and they are - but items are where the real progression and Steam Wallet value come from. Keep the game running, minimized to your taskbar, as much as possible.
Difficulty Progression - When to Move Up
| Difficulty | When to Enter | Requirement | Party Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | Start | Any party | Just play. This is the tutorial. |
| Nightmare | After clearing Normal Act 1 | 2-hero party, Knight + Priest, decent gear | If Knight dies more than once per hour, your gear is not ready. |
| Hell | After clearing Nightmare Act 2 | 3-hero party, maxed Knight HP/Defense passives, Priest in slot 3 | If anyone dies in the first 10 minutes, go back to Nightmare and farm better gear. |
| Torment | After comfortably farming Hell for 1-2 weeks | Immortal+ gear on all heroes, maxed defensive passives, Priest with enough HP to survive backline targeting | We do not recommend attempting Torment before you have at least 20 hours of stable Hell farming experience. |
Do not rush difficulty. The most painful mistake we see new players make is pushing to Hell difficulty before their party is ready, dying repeatedly, and earning nothing for hours. You earn more gold and items from stable Nightmare farming than from dying every 5 minutes in Hell. When in doubt, stay on the lower difficulty.
All 6 Classes - Quick Overview
| Class | Role | Damage Type | Difficulty | Cost | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knight | Frontline Tank | Physical | Low | Free | Required in every party. Highest survivability. |
| Priest | Healer / Buffer | Celestial (Magic) | Low | Free DLC | Required in every party. Only source of healing. |
| Ranger | Ranged Physical DPS | Physical | Medium | Free | Consistent damage. Best free DPS for long AFK sessions. |
| Sorcerer | Magic AoE DPS | Fire/Cold/Lightning | Medium-High | Free | Best wave clear. Fragile but devastating AoE damage. |
| Hunter | Elemental Ranged DPS | Fire/Cold/Lightning | Medium | ~$4 DLC | Highest damage ceiling. Frost-Explosive combo. |
| Slayer | Melee DPS / Off-Tank | Physical | Medium | ~$4 DLC | Self-sustaining melee. Best in mob-dense stages. |
The Knight and Priest are the only two classes we consider mandatory for progression. Your third slot can be any DPS class - they all work. We have cleared Torment with Ranger, Sorcerer, Hunter, and Slayer as the third slot. Pick the one whose playstyle you enjoy most; the game does not require min-maxing class selection.
Cube System Basics
The Cube is TBH's crafting and item customization system, unlocked as you progress. Here is what each function does and when to use it:
| Cube Function | What It Does | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesis | Combine 9 items → 1 item of next rarity tier | Constantly. Your primary way to climb rarity tiers. |
| Alchemy | Convert materials between types | When you need specific materials for crafting or upgrades. |
| Crafting | Create accessories from materials | Use early and often. Accessories are the hardest gear slots to fill from drops. |
| Engraving | Add permanent stat bonuses to gear | Only on Immortal+ gear you plan to keep for weeks. |
| Decoration | Add special effects to gear | Same as engraving - save for permanent gear pieces. |
| Inscription | Add skill-related bonuses | Late-game optimization. Not a priority for new players. |
| Extraction | Remove Cube modifications from gear | Before selling or synthesizing a modified item. |
| Offering | Sacrifice items for Cube XP | When you have excess low-rarity items with no other use. |
The biggest Cube mistake new players make: using Engravings and Decorations on low-rarity gear they will replace in a day. These modifications are permanent and expensive. Only invest them in Immortal (pink) rarity or higher items that you expect to use for at least a week.
Steam Market Basics
TBH integrates with the Steam Community Market, allowing you to buy and sell in-game items for real Steam Wallet funds. This is the game's most unique feature and a major reason players stick around.
What you can sell: Items of Legendary (orange) rarity and above are marketable, with some restrictions. Items at milestone levels (25, 35, 45, 55, 60, 70, 75, 85, 90) are permanently untradeable regardless of rarity. "Type B" variant gear cannot be sold either. Celestial, Divine, and Cosmic items will become tradeable in July 2026 when market restrictions lift.
Pricing strategy for new players: In our experience, the best approach is to price items slightly below the current lowest listing for a quick sale, rather than trying to extract maximum value and waiting days. Gold you can spend now on progression is worth more than a slightly higher Steam Wallet balance next week. We typically list items at 80-90% of the lowest competing price and they sell within hours.
10 Common New Player Mistakes
- Starting with a class other than Knight. We tested this. It's painful. Start Knight.
- Closing the game overnight. Offline mode gives no items. Keep the game running, minimized.
- Spreading skill points too thin. One maxed skill beats four skills with a few points each.
- Rushing to higher difficulties. Stable farming at a lower difficulty earns more than dying at a higher one.
- Skipping Auto-Open Chests. Without it, your AFK sessions stop producing items after your bag fills.
- Using Cube engravings on temporary gear. Save permanent upgrades for permanent items.
- Not claiming the free Priest DLC. The Priest is mandatory. It's free. Claim it now.
- Ignoring accessory slots. Accessories are the hardest slots to fill. Craft them early.
- Buying the 3rd hero slot before QoL upgrades. Auto-Chest and Bag Expansion come first.
- Not checking item tradeability before investing Cube resources. Milestone-level items and Type B gear can never be sold.
Your First Week - Day by Day Roadmap
| Day | Goal | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Get your bearings | Start Knight, claim Priest DLC, clear Normal Act 1. Spend all gold on 2nd hero slot. Put Priest in slot 2. |
| Day 2 | Stabilize farming | Buy Auto-Open Chests and Bag Expansion. Farm Normal Act 1 overnight. Start building Legendary gear set. |
| Day 3 | First difficulty jump | Try Nightmare Act 1. If Knight survives, stay. If not, farm Normal until gear improves. Buy Offline Time+. |
| Day 4 | Build gold reserves | Farm Nightmare Act 1-2. Start saving for 3rd hero slot (150,000g). Synthesize 9-stacks of duplicate gear. |
| Day 5 | Unlock 3rd hero | Buy 3rd hero slot. Choose Ranger or Sorcerer. Equip from your accumulated gear stash. |
| Day 6 | Push progression | 3-hero party should clear Nightmare Act 2. Start farming Nightmare for Legendary+ gear. Craft accessories for empty slots. |
| Day 7 | Enter mid-game | Assess gear: are all 20 slots filled on all 3 heroes? Are items Legendary+? If yes, try Hell Act 1. If no, keep farming Nightmare. |
This timeline assumes you keep the game running in AFK mode for 12-16 hours per day. If you play less, each day's goals may take 2-3 real days. That's fine - TBH is a marathon, not a sprint. The game rewards consistency, not bursts of activity followed by days of closed-game downtime.
We built TBH Guides because we love this game and wanted a single reliable resource instead of piecing together forum posts and YouTube comments. Every recommendation in this guide comes from actual play experience - we have leveled every class, cleared every difficulty, and made every mistake so you don't have to. If you find something wrong or outdated, email us at [email protected].