Hero Unlock Order Guide

Early game gold is tight, and every purchase matters. The single biggest mistake new TBH players make is spending gold on stat nodes or gear before unlocking hero slots. This guide shows you the exact unlock order that gives the most power per gold spent — so you can build a full team in the shortest time possible.

Why Hero Slots Are Your Best Early Investment

You start with only 1 hero slot. Running 1 hero is extremely inefficient. You need a full party to multiply your damage, drops, and XP. Running three heroes isn't just adding one more hero's damage — it exponentially increases your XP, gold, and gear acquisition rate. Until you have three heroes, you're playing on a low setting.

Golden Rule: Hero slots are the single best investment in the game. Nothing else comes close. Before you spend a single gold on attack or defense runes, unlock your 2nd and 3rd hero slots.

The 2nd slot costs only 5,000 gold — you'll earn that in your first 15-30 minutes of playing. The 3rd slot at 150,000 gold is your first major gold goal. It takes roughly 10 hours of idle farming to accumulate, but the power spike is worth every coin.

Best Hero Unlock Order

Phase 1: First Hero Choice

You can choose one of three free classes at the start: Knight, Ranger, or Sorcerer. Your first choice isn't permanent — you can switch heroes anytime, and unlocked heroes stay unlocked.

Our recommendation: Pure beginners should start with Knight. Experienced idle game players who don't mind a slower early farm can choose Ranger or Sorcerer. But Knight's tankiness means fewer deaths, which means more idle uptime — and that's the whole point of TBH.

Phase 2: Second Hero (after unlocking Slot 2 for 5,000 gold)

Unlocking the 2nd hero slot should be your first 5,000 gold spent. Then immediately fill it:

Core advice: If you didn't pick Knight as your starter, put either Knight or Priest in Slot 2. But Priest is the only healer in the game; you must eventually get it. Claim the free Priest DLC from the TBH Steam store page — it takes literally 2 minutes and is the best zero-cost power upgrade in the game.

Knight + Priest together form an unkillable core. The Knight tanks, the Priest heals and buffs. This duo can push stages way beyond what either could do alone.

Phase 3: Third Hero (after unlocking Slot 3 for 150,000 gold)

Adding the third hero is when your party truly takes shape. With three heroes, your damage output, farming speed, and survivability all jump to a new level.

Ranger is the most reliable free ranged DPS option. Sorcerer gives you AOE clearing power for mob-dense stages. If you're willing to spend about $4, Hunter replaces Ranger with a notably higher damage ceiling — it's widely considered the strongest pure DPS class in the game.

Free Player Best Team Compositions

For completely free-to-play players, three team compositions stand out:

Our recommendation for free players: Knight + Priest + Ranger. It's the most stable composition in the game and will carry you through all early and mid-game content without issues.

Paid Player Upgrade Path

If you're willing to spend a small amount, the optimal paid upgrade path is straightforward:

Is Hunter worth $4? Yes, if you plan to play long-term. It's the strongest DPS class and the only paid DLC that we'd call a genuine upgrade rather than a cosmetic or convenience purchase. If you only buy one DLC, make it the Hunter.

Key Milestones & Time Estimates

Here's your early-game roadmap in one table. Follow this order and you'll have a full party running in about one day of play:

After you have 3 heroes, your next priority should be unlocking the Awakening Rune (50,000 gold) to give each hero a second active skill slot, followed by Auto-Open Chests for full idle capability. See our Rune Tree Guide for the complete priority order.

Fast-Track: Skip the 150K Gold Grind

Don't want to wait 10 hours to farm 150,000 gold naturally? There's a faster way — and it's not pay-to-win, just smart use of the game's economy:

1. Buy high-rarity gear on the Steam Community Market. Legendary and Immortal items can be purchased with Steam Wallet funds (often for pennies).
2. Sell those items to NPCs via Alchemy in the Cube. High-rarity items sell for significantly more gold than anything you'll find in early stages. One Immortal item can fund your 3rd hero slot instantly.
3. Use the gold to unlock Slot 3 in the Rune Tree. Skip the 10-hour grind and jump straight to a full 3-hero party.

Pro tip: This also works in reverse. Once your Cube reaches level 10, you can sell Legendary+ items you craft on the Steam Market to earn Steam Wallet funds — making TBH one of the few idle games where free players can genuinely earn spending money.

For more details on the Steam Market economy and how to unlock trading, see our Cube System Guide.