TBH: Task Bar Hero – How to Reach Nightmare Mode at Level 23 Without Immortal or Arcane Gear

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If you’re stuck progressing through TBH: Task Bar Hero and think you need top-tier gear to reach Nightmare mode, think again. I managed to push all the way to Nightmare difficulty at just level 23, and I did it completely free-to-play with zero Immortal or Arcane items. Along the way, I also racked up about 73 pesos in Steam wallet funds in just 31 hours of playtime. Here’s exactly how I did it.

 

Step 1: Build Your Party Composition

First things first—get the Priest DLC. It’s one of the best classes in the game right now and honestly feels like part of the meta.

My team consisted of:

  • Mage
  • Priestess
  • Knight

This combination carried me smoothly all the way to Nightmare.

Step 2: Build the Mage (Your Main Damage Dealer)

The Mage is your primary source of damage. Every piece of gear, gem, and upgrade should focus on two stats only.

Stat Priority

  1. Cooldown Reduction
  2. Attack Damage

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 1–10)

  • Level 1: Fireball
  • Level 2: Attack Damage
  • Level 3: Attack Damage
  • Level 4: Attack Damage
  • Level 5: Cooldown Reduction
  • Level 6: Fireball
  • Level 7: Fireball
  • Level 8: Fireball
  • Level 9: Fireball
  • Level 10: Cooldown Reduction

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 11–20)

  • Level 11: Lightning
  • Levels 12–16: Cooldown Reduction
  • Levels 17–20: Lightning

Lightning becomes your best wave-clearing ability. Make sure to socket Lightning gems into your main weapon.

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 21–24)

  • Level 21: Unlock Hydra and replace Fireball
  • Respec all points from Fireball and redistribute them
  • Levels 22–24: Hydra

Put any leftover points into Critical Chance.

Step 3: Build the Priestess (Hybrid Tank & Support)

The Priestess needs to survive while keeping constant heals going. Build her as a tank-support hybrid.

Stat Priority

  • Max HP
  • Cooldown Reduction

Accessories

  • Cooldown Reduction

Rune Priority

  • Damage Absorption
  • Dodge Chance

I managed to get around 20% dodge chance on mine.

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 1–10)

  • Level 1: Heal
  • Levels 2–7: Damage Passive
  • Levels 8–10: HP

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 11–20)

  • Levels 11–14: Defense
  • Levels 15–19: HP
  • Level 20: Defense

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 21–24)

  • Level 21: Sanctuary
  • Level 22: Sanctuary
  • Levels 23–24: Cooldown Reduction

Sanctuary is absolutely critical. With this ability, you can breeze through almost all of Act 3.

Step 4: Build the Knight (Main Tank)

The Knight’s job is to absorb all incoming damage for the team.

Stat Priority

  1. HP Regeneration
  2. Armor
  3. Max HP

Rune Priority

  1. HP Regeneration
  2. Armor
  3. Max HP

Important: For Act 3, grab some Fire Resistance runes—they make a huge difference.

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 1–10)

  • Level 1: Piercing Lunge
  • Levels 2–8: Defense
  • Levels 9–10: Damage or Piercing Lunge (your choice)

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 11–20)

  • Levels 11–15: HP Regeneration
  • Levels 16–20: Armor

Skill Point Allocation (Levels 21–24)

  • Level 21: Aegis Field
  • Level 22: Aegis Field
  • Levels 23–24: Armor

Aegis Field is the Knight’s most important skill. It lets you tank massive amounts of damage and makes progression way easier.

Step 5: Rune Progression Order

Follow this exact order for your rune tree:

  1. Unlock all characters
  2. Gold branch up to the 50,000 nodes
  3. Chest branch up to the 70,000 nodes
  4. Experience branch up to the 100,000 nodes
  5. Finally, the Stats branch until you reach the third damage upgrade: War Rune (100,000)

Tips for Earning Steam Wallet Funds

Here’s what I did to earn about 73 pesos in Steam credit during those 31 hours:

  • Every time I got 5 Soul Stones, I sold 4 and kept 1 for myself
  • Sold any Immortal-rarity items that weren’t for my class
  • Just kept repeating this cycle

There are probably more efficient farming routes out there, but this method was consistent and let me keep progressing at the same time.

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Final Tips to Keep in Mind

  • Don’t skip the Priest DLC—it’s that good right now
  • Respec your Mage at level 21 when you unlock Hydra; Fireball becomes obsolete
  • Sanctuary on the Priestess is your Act 3 lifesaver
  • Fire Resistance runes on the Knight for Act 3 are non-negotiable
  • Sell excess Soul Stones and off-class Immortal items for passive Steam wallet income
  • Stick to the rune progression order—it’s optimized for both power and economy

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