TBH: Task Bar Hero FAQ — New Player Questions
Long FAQ for TBH: Task Bar Hero covering F2P, offline chests, starters, Priest, slots, Alchemy vs Synthesis, teams, DLC, Market, hotkeys, and progression walls.
This FAQ answers the questions that show up every week in TBH: Task Bar Hero threads. Short answers first; links go deeper.
Table of contents
- Game & platform
- Idle, offline, chests
- Classes & party
- Gold, runes, Cube
- Combat walls
- Market & DLC spending
- Technical / QoL
- This website
Game & platform
What is TBH: Task Bar Hero?
A free-to-play idle hack-and-slash RPG that runs in a small Windows taskbar window. Heroes auto-fight; you manage builds, runes, and loot. → How it works
Who made it?
Nugem Studio (with Tesseract Studio credited in public materials). Steam app listing is the source of truth for store metadata.
Is it free to play?
Yes. Priest is free DLC. Hunter and Slayer are paid. You can clear without paying; DLC is mostly speed/comfort.
Is it pay-to-win?
Not in the “must swipe to finish” sense that many live-service games use. Paid classes help. Skipping Priest/slots/Alchemy still hurts more than skipping Hunter.
Idle, offline, chests
Does the game progress while closed?
Partial gold/XP with offline runes. Zero chests. Chests are the gear pipeline. → Idle vs Offline
Is minimised the same as closed?
No. Minimised (client still running) still produces the live loop. Closed does not.
Should I leave it open overnight?
If the machine stays on safely, yes — that is real idle. If you must shut down, accept offline as partial progress only.
Why do I feel undergeared even after “lots of play”?
Often those hours were offline, or spent on a wipe-prone stage, or spent synthesizing instead of funding slots.
Classes & party
What hero should I start with?
Knight for safety, Ranger for early speed. Claim Priest immediately either way. → Beginner · Tier list
Is Priest really free?
Yes — claim the free DLC. Not claiming it is one of the costliest early mistakes. → Priest
How do I field more heroes?
Buy formation slots via Rune of Command in the Rune Tree. Owning a class ≠ having a slot. → Rune Tree · Formation
Best free team?
Knight + Sorcerer + Priest. → Best teams
Best team if I buy Hunter?
Knight + Hunter + Priest.
Is Slayer good?
Playable, higher maintenance for AFK. Many efficiency guides prefer ranged DPS seats. → Slayer
Should I run two DPS and no healer?
Only as a temporary bandage. For AFK, Priest usually wins.
Gold, runes, Cube
Where should early gold go?
Slots → skill slots → automation → economy → combat stats. → Gold economy
Alchemy or Synthesis early?
Alchemy until slots and basic automation feel online. Synthesize spare duplicates later. → Cube
Why did Synthesis make my gear “worse”?
Higher rarity does not guarantee better rolls. Compare before equipping.
When do sockets matter?
After Rare gear stops being disposable. Match mats to role. Removal often destroys materials. → Sockets · Rarity
Should I craft constantly?
Craft to fill holes. Do not craft for unused classes. → Inventory
Combat walls
I’m stuck on a stage — keep pushing?
Portal farm an earlier stage for gear/levels, then return. → Acts & progression · Farming
Boss won’t die?
Stack the damage seat, keep Priest uptime, consider Hunter if owned, verify Soul Stone rules on your patch.
Do failed boss attempts waste Soul Stones?
Community guidance often says failures are free and success spends the stone — read your tooltip.
Market & DLC spending
Do I need Steam Market to finish the game?
No. → Steam Market
When should I buy Hunter?
After slots, Priest, Alchemy discipline, and a stable farm. Not as a substitute for fundamentals. → Hunter
Market listings failed / disabled?
It has happened in past patches. Fall back to Alchemy + farming.
Technical / QoL
Window vanished / UI scaled wrong?
Try community hotkeys Shift+F12 (position) / Shift+F11 (UI scale) while running; verify on your patch. → Controls & QoL
What settings matter most?
Auto-retry, chest handling, locking keepers before Cube bulk actions, spending skill points every level.
This website
Is TBH Codex official?
No. Fan-made English guides. Not affiliated with Nugem Studio / Tesseract Studio.
Values don’t match my client?
Patches change costs, names, and unlocks. Use frameworks; confirm expensive spends in-game.
What should I read first?
Unofficial FAQ for TBH: Task Bar Hero.