- Primary Goal: Learn how to maximize your passive progression using the task bar hero pet farming system.
- Key Mechanic: Unlock companions by defeating 5,000 specific enemy types in targeted campaign stages.
- Best Strategy: Import your local save file into the community farming optimizer to calculate exact yields.
- Critical Tip: Pin your in-game log window to track precise stage-clearing times for calculations.
- Top Choice: Use the Bat for early-stage experience gains, or purchase the Dragon DLC for premium stat boosts.
Getting Started with Task Bar Hero Pet Farming
Mastering task bar hero pet farming is the ultimate key to speeding up your progression in this idle RPG. By combining the right companion with the game's powerful farming optimizer, you can maximize your passive gold and experience gains while leaving the game running in the background. Because Task Bar Hero runs seamlessly in your system tray, setting up an optimized routine allows you to grind efficiently while working or playing other games.
To get the most out of your setup, you need to understand how clear times affect your hourly yields. The game tracks your performance constantly, but you must manually enable the right interface options to harness this data.
Video Highlights:
- Learn how to pin the log window to track stage-clear times accurately.
- Discover how to locate and import your local save file into the community farming optimizer.
- Understand how to analyze stage-clearing data to determine whether to prioritize experience or gold.
Always keep the log window pinned while testing new stages. This ensures you have a historical record of your fastest clear times, which is necessary for calculating your optimal farming routes.
How to Unlock All Pets in Task Bar Hero
Unlocking pets in Task Bar Hero requires dedication, but the passive stat boosts they provide are well worth the effort. There are eight pets in total. Three of these are premium DLC companions available as a bundle on the Steam Store, while the remaining five must be unlocked by defeating 5,000 of a specific enemy type.
To farm these free pets efficiently, you must leave your hero on the specific stages where these enemies spawn in high numbers. The table below outlines the exact requirements and the best stages to farm for each free companion.
| Pet | Prerequisite | Stage-Level |
|---|---|---|
| Bat | Defeat 5,000 Bats | 1-7 City Outskirts, 1-8 Cemetery |
| Watcher | Defeat 5,000 Giant Flies | 2-5 Scorching Dunes |
| Burning Skeleton | Defeat 5,000 Fire Elementals | 2-8 Sacred Tomb, 2-9 Pharaoh's Crypt |
| Blue Golem | Defeat 5,000 Hell Golems | 3-6 Burning Ravine |
| Dark Spirit | Defeat 5,000 Ghosts | 3-4 Frozen Glacier Cavern, 3-9 Core Of The Abyss |
Once unlocked, each companion provides unique passive abilities that can drastically alter your farming efficiency. Choosing the right pet depends entirely on whether you need more experience, gold, or equipment drops.
| Pet | Ability | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Bat | +10% common chest drop, +15% EXP gain | Excellent |
| Watcher | +15% gold per kill | Good |
| Burning Skeleton | +10% stage boss chest drop | Good |
| Blue Golem | +15% common chest drop | Moderate |
| Dark Spirit | +15% stage boss chest drop | Excellent |
| Sword | +15% EXP gain | Good |
| Butterfly | +10% gold per kill | Moderate |
| Dragon | +20% common chest, +15% gold, +20% EXP | Outstanding |
For free-to-play players, the Bat is the best early-game choice due to its dual focus on experience gains and chest drops. In the late game, switching to the Dark Spirit helps you acquire high-tier boss gear. For more details on character builds, check out TheGamer's Best Pets Guide.
Step-by-Step Save File Import & Optimizer Guide
To find the absolute best farming stages for your current character power, you should utilize the community farming optimizer tool. This tool reads your character's live statistics and calculates the exact experience and gold yields you will receive across different stages. Follow these steps to import your save and optimize your setup.
Enable the In-Game Log Window
Boot up Task Bar Hero and open the settings menu. Navigate to the General tab and ensure that the Pin log window option is checked. This window keeps a record of your stage completion times.
Locate Your Save File
Press Windows + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog. Copy and paste your local Steam save directory path for Task Bar Hero, then press Enter. Look for the file named save_file_live_es3.
Import Save to the Optimizer
Open the community farming optimizer website in your browser. Drag and drop your save_file_live_es3 file directly into the file upload box on the website to load your character's live stats.
Input Stage Clear Times
Select your highest-rated hero (such as your Ranger) on the optimizer. Run a few test stages in-game, check your pinned log window for the exact clear times in seconds, and enter those times into the optimizer.
Analyze and Farm
Scroll down to view the calculated yields. The optimizer will show you which stages offer 100% experience efficiency and where you can get the highest gold per hour based on your clear speeds.
The optimizer relies entirely on the clear times you input. If you enter an unrealistically fast clear time from a lucky run, the calculations will be skewed. Use average clear times for the most accurate results.
Best Free vs. Paid Pets Comparison
When deciding on your long-term task bar hero pet farming strategy, you must weigh the benefits of free companions against the paid DLC bundle. While the free pets are highly specialized, the paid options offer versatile boosts that can significantly ease the grinding process.
The paid DLC bundle includes the Sword, Butterfly, and Dragon. If you are willing to spend a few dollars, this bundle provides an immediate power spike without requiring you to defeat thousands of enemies first.
The Bat (F2P Best)
- Dual Buffs: Offers +15% experience and +10% common chest drop rates.
- Early Unlock: Can be farmed easily in Act 1 stages.
- Progression: Best for leveling up new heroes quickly.
Dark Spirit (F2P Late)
- Boss Focus: Grants +15% stage boss chest drop rate.
- High-End Gear: Helps you target-farm rare equipment from bosses.
- Requirement: Unlocks after defeating 5,000 ghosts in Act 3.
The Dragon (Paid Best)
- Triple Buffs: Grants +20% common chests, +15% gold, and +20% EXP.
- All-in-One: The single most efficient pet for overall farming.
- Instant Access: Unlocks immediately upon purchasing the Steam DLC.
If you are playing completely free, stick with the Bat until you reach Act 3, then transition to the Dark Spirit to optimize your gear progression. If you choose to support the developers, equipping the Dragon will yield the fastest overall progression.
Progression Checklist & Farming Strategies
To maintain steady progress in Task Bar Hero, you should regularly update your farming location. As your hero gains levels and acquires better gear, stages that were once difficult will become easy to clear. This shifting power dynamic means your optimal farming spot will change frequently.
Use the following checklist to ensure your farming routine remains fully optimized as you push into higher difficulty modes like Nightmare.
Farming Milestones:
- Defeat 5,000 bats in Stage 1-7 or 1-8 to unlock your first companion
- Locate and bookmark your local save folder for quick optimizer access
- Run test stages weekly to update your clear times in the optimizer
- Switch between EXP stages and Gold stages depending on your current upgrade needs
- Farm 5,000 ghosts in Act 3 to secure the Dark Spirit pet for end-game gear grinding
Depending on your current character bottlenecks, you may need to choose between maximizing your experience points or stocking up on gold coins for rune upgrades. The community optimizer helps you identify these specific sweet spots easily.
| Farming Focus | Recommended Stage | Clear Time | Estimated Hourly Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Experience (EXP) | 2-2 Nightmare | 380 seconds | 14M EXP / 930k Gold |
| Gold Coins | 1-3 Nightmare | 189 seconds | 12M EXP / 1.1M Gold |
If you need gold for runes, dropping down to an easier stage like 1-3 Nightmare can actually yield more gold per hour than struggling through a longer, higher-level stage. Always prioritize fast, consistent clear times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I start task bar hero pet farming?
You can start by targeting specific stages in Act 1, such as 1-7 or 1-8, to defeat 5,000 Bats. This will unlock your first free pet, which provides passive bonuses to help you farm more efficiently.
Q: Where can I find my Task Bar Hero save file?
Press Windows + R, paste the local save directory path, and look for the file named save_file_live_es3. You can drag this file into the farming optimizer to analyze your character's stats.
Q: Is the paid Dragon pet worth purchasing?
Yes, the Dragon is the best overall pet in the game because it provides three powerful passive buffs simultaneously: +20% common chest drop chance, +15% gold per kill, and +20% experience gain.
Q: Should I farm for experience or gold?
It depends on your current progression bottle-neck. Use gold farming stages when you need to upgrade your runes, and switch to experience farming stages when you want to level up your heroes to unlock new active skills.
Keep your client updated and periodically back up your save files before importing them into third-party tools to prevent any accidental data loss.