2026-06-15
Task Bar Hero Skill Priority Guide for Every Hero
Skill points are strongest when they answer the wall in front of you. Do not copy a late-game damage route if your party is dying before the boss, and do not overbuild defense if the stage is already safe.
Current patch warning: v1.01.00 changed Hunter and Slayer skill timing, raised the melee Armor-based physical damage reduction ceiling to 85%, and adjusted Knight and Priest passives. The July 30 hotfix then removed infinite Slayer Axe Spin with Multistrike Enhancement. Re-test older routes before spending rare materials.
Priority By Problem
| Problem | First Skill Direction |
|---|---|
| Party dies early | HP, armor, sustain, defensive passives |
| Waves take too long | Attack speed, AoE, cast speed, damage passives |
| Boss survives | Focused damage, crit, controlled burst |
| Farming feels slow | Movement, attack speed, wave clear |
| Solo test fails | Survival first, then speed and damage |
Hero Notes
| Hero | Early Priority | Later Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Knight | HP and armor | Block, defensive actives, then damage |
| Ranger | Attack speed and safe damage | Crit, movement, solo support layers |
| Sorcerer | AoE and cast comfort | Element focus and protected damage |
| Priest | Sustain and support uptime | Party stability and useful utility after the Wrath of Heaven and Blessing of Might fixes |
| Hunter | Explosive Bolt plus damage foundation | Compare Shock Bolt boss/AoE pressure with crit and attack speed |
| Slayer | HP plus Crushing Blow for focused damage | Ground Slam/AoE, physical damage, and lifesteal after survival |
Post-v1.01.00 Skill Decisions
Hunter: Explosive Bolt or Shock Bolt
Explosive Bolt now activates after 5 basic attacks. Shock Bolt activates after 8 and starts at 380% damage with +55% per skill level. Use Explosive Bolt when a shorter burst cycle solves the wall; test Shock Bolt when a longer fight or grouped targets let its stronger scaling matter. Do not assume one route is universally best without timing repeated clears.
Slayer: Crushing Blow or Ground Slam
Crushing Blow now activates after 4 basic attacks and is the cleaner focused-damage test. Ground Slam activates after 7 and is the better comparison when grouped enemies, not one target, end the run. Multistrike Enhancement no longer enables infinite Axe Spin after the July 30 hotfix.
Beginner Rule
If you are unsure, spend points on the reason your current route fails:
- Death means survival.
- Timeout means damage.
- Slow but safe farming means speed.
- Boss wall means focused damage and enough sustain to reach the boss.
When To Respec Your Thinking
You do not need a full reset every time. First ask whether your next stage, new gear, or party slot changed the problem. A Sorcerer build that was too fragile yesterday may work after Knight or Priest stabilizes the run.
Also ask whether a hotfix changed the interaction you were using. Old Priest damage routes, pre-v1.01.00 Hunter timing, and infinite Axe Spin examples are not current build foundations.
Related Pages
Compare the Heroes page, Skills page, Builds page, and Tier List before spending points deep into one route.
Next reads
Continue with the beginner route, update notes, or the full guide archive when you want a different angle.