TBH: Task Bar Hero is an idle battler RPG from Nugem Studio that runs inside your PC taskbar. You get six hero classes and a set of pets to mix into a team across three acts, with some picks free and others locked behind paid DLC. The June 2026 meta has shifted, and the heroes that carry your runs now are not the same ones that did a few weeks ago.
Quick answer: Build around the free Priest (S Tier support) and free Ranger (S Tier DPS). Run Priest + Ranger + Sorcerer for the strongest fully free team, and equip the Dragon pet for all-round farming.
What changed in the June 2026 meta
The biggest movement is the Knight falling out of the top tier. The current meta leans on Priest sustain and Ranger’s passive damage instead of a dedicated frontline tank, so the all-rounder that used to be everyone’s first pick now sits in B Tier. The Hunter and Slayer DLC classes also dropped a tier each as the free Ranger caught up to premium damage output.
| Class | Previous Tier | Current Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter (DLC) | S | A |
| Knight (Free) | S | B |
| Slayer (DLC) | A | B |
TBH: Task Bar Hero class tier list
Rankings reflect how each hero performs across different formations, how flexible their builds are, and whether their role can be replaced. S Tier classes work in any team and deliver damage, defense, or support without needing a specific build. A Tier classes are strong but want certain pairings or stat investment. B Tier classes still function, but a free or easier option fills the same role better.
| Tier | Classes |
|---|---|
| S | Priest (Free), Ranger (Free) |
| A | Sorcerer (Free), Hunter (DLC) |
| B | Knight (Free), Slayer (DLC) |
S Tier classes
| Class & Type | Why This Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|
 Ranger [Free] | Her passive-trigger kit shines in the current meta. High base attack speed and stacking Bleeding debuffs compound damage across long fights with no manual activation. Rapid Fire scales directly with attack speed, so gear investment pushes her output well past a typical ranged DPS. | F2P ranged builds, Bleeding, DPS |
 Priest [Free] | The only healer in the game. She heals allies, buffs attack output, and revives downed heroes to keep teams alive through the hardest stages. She fits every composition and is now the highest-priority pickup regardless of setup. | Team survival, boss runs, Healing |
A Tier classes
| Class & Type | Why This Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|
 Hunter [DLC] | A strong damage dealer with explosive and lightning AoE crossbow attacks that can shred bosses before they reach the party. She slips from S Tier because the free Ranger now competes at a similar damage level without the DLC cost. Still the stronger pick if you own the DLC and want maximum single-target burst. | Boss fights, AoE damage, DPS builds, attack-focused teams |
 Sorcerer [Free] | The default Mage class. She deals ranged AoE elemental attacks, slows incoming enemies to control movement, and summons a Hydra minion for extra damage during waves. She falls slightly behind Hunter in raw output but adds more utility. Her health pool is low, so pair her with a tank. | AoE clearing, F2P teams, ability-power builds |
B Tier classes
| Class & Type | Why This Tier | Best For |
|---|---|---|
 Knight [Free] | Drops to B Tier as the meta relies less on dedicated frontline tanking and more on Priest sustain plus Ranger’s passive damage. His bubble shield, longsword damage, and hybrid build flexibility still work, but the comps that need a tank anchor have been outpaced. Fine in the right setup, no longer the automatic first pick. | All teams, Tank/All-round |
 Slayer [DLC] | His berserker kit and HP sacrifice mechanic give high-risk burst that paired well with Knight as a frontline duo. With Knight deprioritized and Priest plus Ranger owning the meta roles, his melee damage no longer justifies the DLC price. Worth using if you already own it, not worth buying now. | High-damage melee builds, crowd control |
TBH: Task Bar Hero pet tier list
Pets work differently from classes. Once unlocked, every pet you own stays active at the same time, so there are no roster choices to make. Each pet just contributes its passive bonus permanently. Rankings come down to how many useful bonuses a pet stacks and whether it is free or gated behind DLC.
| Tier | Pets |
|---|---|
| S | Dragon, Dark Spirit, Bat |
| A | Sword, Burning Skeleton, Watcher |
| B | Butterfly, Blue Golem |
S Tier pets
| Pet | Bonuses | Why This Tier |
|---|---|---|
 Dragon | +20% Common Chest drop chance, +15% Gold per kill, +20% EXP gain | The only pet that fires three bonuses at once, improving all three major farming categories together. Nothing matches this, and it stays the top pick at every stage. |
 Dark Spirit | +15% Stage Boss Chest drop chance | Boosts Stage Boss Chest drops, which matter more from Act 2 onward where boss chests reward far better gear. The later you push, the more each boss chest is worth. |
 Bat | +10% Common Chest drop chance, +15% EXP gain | The best free-to-play pet. Its dual bonus beats most single-ability pets regardless of rarity. Farm Act 1 to unlock it early, since the EXP gain compounds across the whole run. |
A Tier pets
| Pet | Bonuses | Why This Tier |
|---|---|---|
 Sword | +15% EXP gain | A clean EXP boost that speeds up leveling at every stage. It lacks Bat’s dual structure but remains useful as a single-stat pet. |
 Burning Skeleton | +10% Stage Boss Chest drop chance | A practical fill-in when Dark Spirit is unavailable. The 5% gap between the two adds up over many boss runs. |
 Watcher | +15% Gold per kill | Gold per kill with no real-money purchase, which already beats the paid Butterfly. Gold compounds fast, though its edge fades later on. |
B Tier pets
| Pet | Bonuses | Why This Tier |
|---|---|---|
 Butterfly | +10% Gold per kill | Needs a DLC purchase yet gives only a single Gold per kill bonus, lower than the free Watcher’s +15%. The cost plus the weaker effect makes it the hardest pet to recommend. |
 Blue Golem | +15% Common Chest drop chance | Looks decent on paper, but Common Chests mostly drop low-rarity fodder that clutters inventory. Bat covers the same chest bonus and adds EXP on top. |
Best team compositions
The strongest builds in the current meta pair one frontline support (the Priest) with two ranged DPS. You start with limited Hero Slots and need to unlock more before you can field a full three-hero party, so make slot unlocks a priority as you progress.
Priest + Ranger + Sorcerer (best overall)
The top team is fully free, with no DLC required. Priest holds the front while healing, buffing, and reviving. Ranger’s passive Bleeding and high attack speed deliver steady damage. Sorcerer’s AoE elemental attacks keep waves under control.
| Slot | Hero | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Frontline/Support | Priest | Tank and team protector |
| Ranged DPS | Ranger | Burst and core DPS |
| Mage DPS | Sorcerer | AoE damage and boss killing |
Recommended pets: Dragon, Dark Spirit, Bat.
Knight + Sorcerer + Priest (free alternative)
A fully free comp built on a traditional tank. Knight holds the front, Sorcerer’s AoE and slow manage waves, and Priest sustains the team through long fights. It does not hit the damage ceiling of the top team, but it performs consistently without spending anything.
| Slot | Hero | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Frontline | Knight | Tank and crowd absorber |
| Mage DPS | Sorcerer | AoE clearing and enemy slow |
| Support | Priest | Healing and attack buffs |
Recommended pets: Bat, Sword, Watcher.
Priest + Ranger + Hunter (double ranged DPS)
This swaps Sorcerer for Hunter to push single-target and boss damage higher. Priest handles sustain, Ranger keeps Bleeding output flowing, and Hunter’s AoE crossbow attacks tear through bosses. Run it if you own Hunter’s DLC and are clearing boss-heavy stages.
| Slot | Hero | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Tank/Support | Priest | Frontline anchoring, healing, buffs, revive |
| Primary DPS | Ranger | Sustained Bleeding DPS and passive scaling |
| Burst DPS | Hunter | Explosive AoE and boss burst damage |
Recommended pets: Dragon, Dark Spirit, Bat.
Knight + Hunter + Sorcerer (fastest wave clear)
Double ranged DPS behind a Knight tanking the front. Hunter and Sorcerer together cover explosive AoE, elemental damage, enemy slow, and boss burst at once, making this the fastest wave-clear setup in the game.
| Slot | Hero | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Frontline | Knight | Tank and team anchor |
| Ranged DPS | Hunter | Explosive AoE and boss damage |
| Mage DPS | Sorcerer | Wave clear, slow, and Hydra summon |
Recommended pets: Dragon, Burning Skeleton, Watcher.
Unlocking the Priest and hero slots
The Priest is free, but she is not in your party by default. You claim her through Steam from inside the game before she can be deployed.
To field a full three-hero team, you need more slots, and these come from Rune of Command nodes in the Runes tree. The second slot is cheap, the third costs more, and the final slot is a major milestone at 150,000 gold. Prioritize these nodes over incremental gear upgrades, since an extra hero outweighs small stat gains. You can grab the game on its official Steam page.
Note: TBH: Task Bar Hero is free to play, but several of the strongest options are paid. The Hunter, the Slayer, and the Butterfly pet each sit behind DLC, with class purchases running around $5 each. You can clear most content with the free Knight, Sorcerer, Priest, and Ranger lineup, and the free Priest plus Ranger core is where every viable team in the current meta starts.
