TBH: Task Bar Hero rune guide
Updated 2026-06-02 · based on v1.00.06 · 6 min read
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Quick Answer
Runes are TBH: Task Bar Hero’s permanent, account-wide upgrade tree, bought with gold and arranged by direction. Push South first to unlock formation slots 2 and 3, then alternate between Northwest (gold) and Southeast (all-hero combat). Late-game branches cost tens of millions of gold, so commit to a direction instead of spreading thin.
What runes are
Runes are TBH: Task Bar Hero’s long-term progression system: a permanent upgrade tree bought with gold whose bonuses apply to your whole roster, not a single hero. The tree is laid out by direction, and each branch boosts a different part of your account — formation slots, combat stats, gold income, XP, and quality-of-life. Because the upgrades never reset, runes are the backbone of your account power and the main thing your gold should fund once the early game settles.
The rune tree directions
Six branches radiate out from the center. The center (South) is by far the most important early because it unlocks the formation slots that let you field more heroes at once.
| Direction | Focus | Beginner priority |
|---|---|---|
| South (center) | Formation slots 4–6 + a second active skill | ★★★ — unlock slots 2 and 3 ASAP |
| Southeast | All-hero attack, armor, movement speed | ★★ — steady combat power |
| Northwest | Gold from bosses, kills, and alchemy | ★★ — fuels everything else |
| Southwest | XP multipliers for heroes | ★ — faster leveling |
| North | Stash pages + auto-opening chests | ★ — quality of life |
| Northeast | Chest drop rates and capacity | ★ — more loot over time |
Best rune priority order
Gold is tight for a long time, so the order you buy runes in matters more than any single branch. A clean default:
- South first — unlock formation slots 2 and 3 so you can field a full team. This is the single biggest power spike.
- Northwest (gold) next — more gold income compounds into every other branch.
- Southeast (combat) alongside it — flat all-hero attack and armor to keep clearing stages.
- Southwest (XP) once your core is rolling — faster hero leveling.
- North / Northeast (quality of life) last — stash space, auto-open chests, drop rates.
Turn those account-wide combat runes into a concrete per-hero plan with the per-class builds, and see where each class ranks on the class tier list.
Unlocking formation slots
New players often ask how to field more than one hero — the answer is runes. Formation slots are gated behind the South branch, so your very first rune purchases should go there to open slots 2 and 3. Pushing the same branch deeper unlocks slots 4–6 and a second active skill. Until you have at least three slots you can’t run the recommended Knight + Sorcerer + Priest core, which is why South comes before everything else.
Gold & late-game scaling
Rune costs climb fast — late-game levels run into the tens of millions of gold each, so you won’t finish a branch quickly. Keep the Northwest gold branch leveled, and use the Hero-dric Cube Alchemy function to melt junk gear into gold so income never stalls. For how gold ties into farming Acts and difficulty tiers, see the progression section of the beginner guide.
Mistakes to avoid
- Spreading gold thin across every direction — commit to South, then gold + combat.
- Pouring gold into gear synthesis in Act 1 when your runes need it more.
- Ignoring the South branch and wondering why you can only field one hero.
- Neglecting the Northwest gold branch — it pays for everything else.
- Expecting to “finish” a branch — late-game runes scale endlessly, so prioritise.
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