Best Starter Party Composition
On this page
- The #1 Rule of TBH Parties
- Best Starter Team
- How to Build Your Starter Team
- How to Unlock More Hero Slots
- Best Alternative Teams for Every Stage
- How to Transition to Slayer + Priest + Hunter
The #1 Rule of TBH Parties
Every TBH party has one non-negotiable rule: always bring the Priest.
The Priest's signature skill, Blessing Of Might, provides a passive aura that roughly doubles the attack power of your entire party. Without a Priest, your damage output is literally halved. No other hero comes close to providing this level of party-wide value.
When stacked with other multiplicative buffs, Blessing of Might can make your party feel dramatically more powerful — easily doubling or tripling your effective damage output.
Rule #1: Priest in every team. No exceptions.
Best Starter Team
For new players with low-level gear and limited game knowledge, the safest and most effective three-hero party is:
| Slot | Hero | Role | Why This Hero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Knight | Tank | Highest base HP (130) and armor (45) in the game. Absorbs damage so your DPS stays alive. Low gear requirement — works with whatever you find. |
| Middle | Priest | Buffer/Healer | Blessing Of Might doubles party damage. Blessing of Warding reduces damage taken. Emergency heals prevent wipes. Free DLC — unlocked instantly. |
| Back | Hunter | DPS/Control | Explosive Bolt deals 688% AoE fire damage. Frost Bolt freezes enemies 100% for 1-2 seconds. Charge Trap × 3 + Explosive Bolt combo deals massive burst. Most well-rounded DPS with built-in crowd control. |
Why Not Ranger Instead of Hunter?
Many guides recommend Knight + Priest + Ranger as the beginner team. Ranger is easier to play and has consistent damage. But Hunter offers something Ranger doesn't: guaranteed crowd control. Frost Bolt's 100% freeze chance means you can shut down dangerous enemies before they act. For new players pushing into harder content with underleveled gear, that control is life-saving.
If you find Hunter's trap mechanics confusing, Knight + Priest + Ranger is still an excellent and perfectly viable alternative.
Knight + Priest + Ranger — AFK Farming Setup Details
If you choose the Knight + Priest + Ranger comp for farming, here are the key details to maximize your idle efficiency:
AFK vs. Offline Mode — Critical Distinction
The single most important rule for farming: offline mode drops ZERO chests. If you want gear, materials, or Soulstones, your game must stay online — minimized to the background is perfectly fine, but it must be running.
| Resource | Online AFK (Minimized) | Offline Mode (Game Closed) |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Full rate | Reduced rate (~50-70%) |
| XP | Full rate | Reduced rate (~50-70%) |
| Chests (Normal + Boss) | Drops normally | Zero drops |
| Gear | From chests | None |
| Materials | From chests | None |
Recommended Positioning
Standard progression positioning for Knight + Ranger + Priest:
- Slot 1 (far left): Knight — frontline tank, soaks all initial damage
- Slot 2 (middle): Ranger — backline DPS, safe behind the Knight
- Slot 3 (far right): Priest — healer/off-tank, shares frontline pressure
High Difficulty Positioning Note
In the current version, AI enemies prioritize the furthest-right (last) backline character. In high-difficulty maps (Hell 3-6 and above), your Priest must be in the last slot to soak that initial damage. The reasoning: even if the Priest gets one-shot, your Ranger (with high Life Steal and Attack Speed) can still continue fighting. This positioning logic differs from standard progression — adjust based on the difficulty you're facing.
How to Build Your Starter Team
Knight Build Priority
| Priority | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unyielding Will (passive) | Damage reduction aura — your whole party takes less damage |
| 2 | Aegis Field (active) | Party-wide shield absorbs damage spikes |
| 3 | Retribution Strike | Counterattack on block — adds free damage to tanking |
| 4 | HP > Armor > Resistance | Gear priority: raw HP scales best with damage reduction |
Priest Build Priority
| Priority | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blessing Of Might (MAX FIRST) | +100% party attack at max rank. This is THE reason you bring Priest |
| 2 | Sanctuary | A must-have for Stage 2-8 — nullifies fire magic damage from mobs |
| 3 | Blessing of Warding | Party defense buff — less healing needed, more stable runs |
| 4 | Resurrection | Auto-resurrect fallen heroes. Critical for Slayer teams later |
| 5 | Survival > Skill Effect | Gear: a dead Priest provides zero buffs. Prioritize staying alive |
Hunter Build Priority
| Priority | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Explosive Bolt | 688% AoE fire damage — your main damage dealer |
| 2 | Frost Bolt | 100% freeze for 1-2 seconds — best CC in the game |
| 3 | Charge Trap | Deploy 3 traps + detonate with Explosive Bolt = triple explosion combo |
| 4 | Crit Rate > Crit Damage > Skill Effect | Gear priority: trap detonations can crit, making crit the best scaling stat |
How to Unlock More Hero Slots
You start TBH with only one hero slot. To field a 3-hero team, you need to unlock two additional slots through the Rune Tree.
Slot Unlock Priority
- Second slot: Your first major gold investment. Unlock as soon as you can afford it — even before spending on any other rune node. Two heroes (Knight + Priest) is more than double the effectiveness of one.
- Third slot: Unlock after you've established a comfortable Knight + Priest duo (around Stage 10-15). Add your Hunter (or Ranger) here.
Navigating the Rune Tree efficiently: head toward the hero slot nodes first. Ignore damage and stat nodes until you have your desired number of slots. The return on investment from an extra hero far outweighs any rune stat bonus.
Best Alternative Teams for Every Stage
| Team | Composition | Strength | Gear Requirement | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knight + Priest + Hunter | Knight + Priest + Hunter | Low | Best all-rounder for new players | |
| Knight + Priest + Ranger | Knight + Priest + Ranger | Low | Simpler to play than Hunter; consistent ranged DPS | |
| Knight + Priest + Sorcerer | Knight + Priest + Sorcerer | Medium | AoE wave clear; elemental flexibility | |
| Slayer + Priest + Hunter | Slayer + Priest + Hunter | High | Endgame DPS ceiling; replaces Knight when gear is ready | |
| Slayer + Priest + Ranger | Slayer + Priest + Ranger | High | Boss-killing specialist variant |
How to Transition to Slayer + Priest + Hunter
Once your gear improves (around Stage 30+) and you have solid equipment with lifesteal and crit stats, consider transitioning from Knight to Slayer as your front-liner:
When to Switch
- Your Slayer has at least 15% lifesteal from gear — without it, they'll die to their own Bloodlust skill (consumes 50% HP for +400% attack)
- Your Priest has Resurrection unlocked — Slayer is squishier than Knight and may die more often
- You've unlocked 3+ damage rune nodes to supplement Slayer's scaling
Transition Team: Slayer + Priest + Hunter
This is the current community meta for mid-to-late game. Slayer provides the highest raw damage output in the game (Crushing Blow: 780% physical + 350% AoE on kill), Priest keeps the team buffed and alive, and Hunter adds control and AoE burst. The gear requirement is real — don't rush the switch before your equipment is ready.