Getting Started

What Is TBH: Task Bar Hero?

TBH: Task Bar Hero is a free idle RPG that runs in a tiny window at the bottom of your screen. It was released on Steam in May 2026 by Korean indie studio Nugem Studio, and it quickly hit over 230,000 concurrent players.

The pitch is simple: your heroes auto-fight through stages while you work, study, or browse. Even when the game window is closed, the adventure continues in the background. You check back to collect loot, upgrade gear, and push further.

But don't let the "idle" label fool you — under the hood is a full RPG with 6 classes, 500+ pieces of equipment, 214 skills, 197 rune nodes, pets, achievements, and a deep crafting system called the Hero-dric Cube. There's a lot to sink your teeth into, and that's what these guides are for.

First Time Launching TBH

When you download TBH from Steam and launch it, here's what happens:

1. The game appears as a small window — it's designed to sit comfortably above your Windows taskbar. You can resize it, but most players keep it at the default compact size.
2. You start with the Knight class unlocked. The Knight is a tanky melee fighter — a safe first choice. (We'll cover class selection in a moment.)
3. Stage 1-1 begins automatically. Your hero starts fighting immediately. You don't need to do anything — just watch.

The game uses very few system resources. You can minimize it, hide it, or bury it behind other windows, and it keeps running.

Quick tip: Go to Settings and enable "Auto-retry on fail." This keeps your heroes fighting even when they wipe, which is essential for idle progression.

How to Pick Your First Class

TBH has 6 classes. Here's a quick summary for beginners:

Our recommendation: Start with Knight. Claim the free Priest DLC immediately from the Steam store page. Together they form an unkillable core that lets you push stages safely while you learn the game's systems. Add a Ranger as your third hero when you unlock additional hero slots.

First 5 Goals in TBH

Don't try to learn everything at once. Focus on these five things in your first session:

1. Claim the Free Priest DLC

Go to the TBH Steam store page and claim the Priest DLC — it's completely free. This unlocks the Priest class, which is the only dedicated healer in the game and essential for pushing harder content.

2. Unlock a Second Hero Slot

Open the Rune tree (press the rune icon in the UI) and navigate to unlock a second hero formation slot. This costs gold but is your single most important early investment. Two heroes = more than double your power, because Knight + Priest synergize so well.

3. Reach Stage 10

Push through the early stages. Don't worry about farming or optimizing yet — just advance. Each new stage unlocks more features and better drops. You can reach stage 10 in under an hour with Knight + Priest.

4. Enable Auto-Retry

In Settings, turn on "Auto-retry on fail." Without this, your heroes stop fighting when they die, and you lose hours of idle progress while you're away from your keyboard.

5. Join the Community

The TBH subreddit and Discord are active and helpful. If you get stuck or want build advice, the community usually responds within minutes. Links are available on the Steam community hub.

TBH UI Explained

The TBH interface is compact but packs a lot of information. Here's what matters right now:

• Top bar: Shows your current stage, gold, and experience. Gold is for rune upgrades and cube crafting — spend it freely, it's not scarce.
• Hero panel: Click your hero portrait to see stats, equipped gear, and skill points. You get 1 skill point per level (max level 100).
• Rune tree: This is your tech tree. It unlocks hero slots, skill slots, auto-open chests, and permanent stat bonuses. Prioritize hero slots first.
• Inventory: All dropped gear appears here. You can equip, sell, or cube items. Don't sell common materials — you'll need them for cube synthesis later.
• Cube (unlocks later): The Hero-dric Cube is TBH's crafting system. You'll unlock it naturally as you progress. Don't worry about it in your first few hours.

Top Beginner Mistakes to Avoid in TBH

• Don't sell materials. Common-rarity crafting materials look worthless but become critical for cube alchemy and synthesis at higher levels. Hoard them.
• Don't spread skill points thin. Pick 2-3 skills and max them before branching out. A level-5 skill is far stronger than five level-1 skills.
• Don't forget offline mode limitations. Offline progress caps at 8 hours, and zero chests drop while offline. If you want gear, you need the game running — even if it's minimized.
• Don't ignore the Steam Market. Once your Cube reaches level 10, you can trade Legendary+ items on the Steam Community Market. This is how free-to-play players earn Steam Wallet funds.
• Don't rush to buy DLC. All six classes can be unlocked through gameplay. The only paid DLCs are quality-of-life upgrades and cosmetics. Play for a week before spending anything.

What to Do After Your First Play Session

Once you've cleared stage 10, unlocked two hero slots, and have Knight + Priest running together, you're ready for the mid-game. Here's what to read next:

• Best Starter Party Composition — how to build your first three-hero team
• Class Tier List & Builds — understand each class's strengths and best builds
• Cube System Explained — the crafting system, explained simply