FlashFeed

Full text

I've spent weeks playing Task Bar Hero as part of my daily work routine, and after pouring over 300 hours into the desktop auto-battler, it's safe to say it sits among my favorite idlers. Micromanaging the tiny pixel heroes at the bottom of my screen has also brought out the best worst parts of my 'number must go up' broken gamer brain, so I have some thoughts on what a Task Bar Hero tier list looks like.

Task Bar Hero tier list

(Image credit: Nugem Studio, Tesseract Studio) After clearing all four difficulty modes and micromanaging my little guys all the way to max level (level 101), this is my definitive Task Bar Hero tier list for the current meta. While I bought both DLC classes, I want to highlight that both of my top picks (Ranger and Priest) are free.

Class tier list

S-Tier

Ranger

A-Tier

Priest

B-Tier

Hunter, Sorcerer

C-Tier

Slayer

D-Tier

Knight

Choosing your Task Bar Hero(es)

Ranger is the definitive best Task Bar Hero class right now, but I'll get into more of that below

Priest is incredibly versatile, easily fulfilling the roles of both tank and healer

You can swap Ranger for Hunter , though I wouldn't recommend it unless you've gotten lucky gear drops

Sorcerer is the perfect third hero for double DPS teams with his beefy AoE

If you want a more traditional tank, spend the $5 to invest in Slayer over Knight

Avoid blowing resources on Knight . As it stands, he's painfully outclassed in harder difficulties and a literal deadweight in Torment

Task Bar Hero best teams

A few notes on assembling your team

Redeem the free Priest DLC for access to a perfectly serviceable F2P team

DPS is king in the current meta. Tough fights rarely call for heavy investment into armor upgrades, and even with better pieces, extra sustain won't last long

Build for attack speed on Ranger and Hunter, or cast speed on Sorcerer

Add elemental resistance to armor. It doesn't hurt to hit the 75% cap, especially on tanks

Use one of the three-man teams for the early to mid-game, then swap to the ranger solo strategy for Torment difficulty

(Image credit: Nugem Studio, Tesseract Studio) The DPS Heavy, for a Priestly carry to the end

Class

Priest

Ranger

Sorcerer

Role

Tank/Healer

DPS

AoE-heavy DPS

Priest starts to out-tank both the Slayer and Knight with very little investment. You may struggle early in some of the mid-tier difficulties, but with a few lucky gear upgrades she should start holding on just long enough for Ranger and Sorcerer to chew through enemy waves. Prioritize leveling her Blessing of Might skill to rush a damage boost for the entire team.

While your Sorcerer burns through the entire enemy wave's HP, a speedy Ranger should have no problem finishing off the frontlines within one or two shots.

(Image credit: Nugem Studio, Tesseract Studio) The Holy Trinity, for safely cruising through early to mid-game

Class

Slayer

Priest

Ranger

Role

Tank

Healer/Off-Tank

DPS

Pick Slayer over Knight for his party buffer, Commander's Cry , and an easy ticket to more damage. With him in the tank position, funnel your better armor into keeping him alive and leave gearing Priest for last. She should survive hanging back in the middle while casting heals and Blessing of Might .

Ranger is the best pick in a single DPS team and the star of the show. Prioritize her for any damage upgrade materials, and remember to boost her attack speed whenever possible. Sorcerer won't carry a 3-man team as the only DPS, but if you've gotten lucky with Hunter weapon drops, you can swap her in over Ranger. She's not my first pick, but she'll work until you find better upgrades for Ranger.

(Image credit: Nugem Studio, Tesseract Studio) The Solo Ranger, for farming the endgame

Not only is Ranger the best class and my only S-tier pick, but she's also fully capable of ripping through enemy waves all on her own. When you reach Torment difficulty, it's often better for her damage if you send her in alone.

Take levels like Torment 2-8 for example, where you encounter waves of exploding Fire Elementals. Bringing two extra characters can throw off Ranger's DPS by staggering enemies' HP and positions, and your other allies will quickly die to the mobs anyway. They also get Ranger killed in the process, but you can avoid a wipe by sending her in alone so she'll have a clean shot with perfectly timed cooldowns and auto-attacks.

I found it was easier to farm most Torment difficulty stages with Ranger alone, or at least it was until I had the rest of my party fully kitted out in upgraded endgame gear. In the current meta, you'll never go wrong funneling all of your resources into gear upgrades for Ranger, so prioritize her first to make farming for other Task Bar Hero characters a breeze.

More Task Bar Hero tips

(Image credit: Nugem Studio, Tesseract Studio) Tips for spending gold, upgrading runes, and leveling the Cube

Rush the two extra Runes of Command at the bottom of the Rune grid so you can level three heroes at a time as early as possible

Also pick up the Rune of Awakening early to give the team access to their second skill

Hero attack damage runes found in the lower right of the grid are helpful too, along with upgrades to XP

Keep your inventory tidy by using junk gear to level the Cube, don't waste gold early on excessive inventory slot upgrades or extra stash pages

The Rune of Brevity in the grid's top right corner makes a huge difference in grinding with its "Stage Wave Count -1" effect. It's one of the major upgrades that really accelerated my team's growth around starting around levels 50-60, and snowballed me into the later stages

2026 games : All the upcoming games

Best PC games : Our all-time favorites

Free PC games : Freebie fest

Best FPS games : Finest gunplay

Best RPGs : Grand adventures

Best co-op games : Better together

Full text

Scout has quietly introduced the Traveler Spirit of ’26.

Pays homage to the Spirit of ’76 package from 50 years ago.

Production is set to begin in 2027 and work at plant continues.

It feels like Scout’s return was announced a semiquincentennial ago, so it’s fitting that the brand is celebrating America’s 250 th anniversary with a new Traveler Spirit of ’26.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f");

}

});

Introduced with little fanfare, the model celebrates the red, white, and blue while also delving into the history books. In 1976, the Winter Olympics were being held in Innsbruck, Austria and the U.S. Ski Team needed a rugged fleet of vehicles to transport people and their gear.

More: Scout’s Latest Concept Rethinks What Actually Belongs On The Back Of An SUV

International Harvester stepped forward and provided ten Scout Travelers and seven Scout II Traveltops. Since they were for the U.S. Ski Team and 1976 was America’s bicentennial, they were outfitted with a white exterior as well as blue and red stripes.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform === "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("ea4d4b5a-f8e5-4d5d-9d9a-53a3b956b6cd");

} else{

adpushup.triggerAd("44c0a4dc-e25b-4ba5-ac64-2c510461b92a");

}

});

The company also added U.S. Ski Team decals, ski racks, and winches on a handful of them. Other highlights included a V8 engine, an automatic transmission, and four wheel drive.

The vehicles were a hit and Scout decided to offer a retail version known as the Spirit of ’76. While these eschewed the ski-related details, they retained the iconic livery. The package also included a Wedgwood Blue interior, a blue roll bar, and Rallye wheels wrapped in larger tires. Some versions even offered a denim blue soft top.

Now, 50 years later, Scout is trying to recreate that magic with the Traveler Spirit of ’26. While it’s flown under the radar for the past few days, we randomly discovered the model on a slow news day.

That doesn’t bode well for Scout as the excitement has seemingly evaporated, but the model features a red, white, and blue livery with a graphic layout inspired by old Rallye packages. While it doesn’t quite have the same charm as the original, the new version does incorporate a Harvester graphic.

Since Scout doesn’t have any vehicles to sell, they decided to release a bunch of retro-inspired merch alongside the colorful concept. This includes $36 t-shirts, coolers, and a $99 jacket.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Speaking of production, Scout’s latest plant update is from June and the facility seems to be coming together nicely. Industrial air conditioners were recently installed at the body shop and were going in on the assembly building. Access roads were also in the process of being built and work was continuing on supplier buildings.

The company has been angered by continuous questions about when production will begin and if there have been delays, but their website states “initial production [is] targeted for 2027, [but is] subject to change.

var adpushup = window.adpushup = window.adpushup || {que:[]};

adpushup.que.push(function() {

if (adpushup.config.platform !== "DESKTOP"){

adpushup.triggerAd("bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c");

} else {

adpushup.triggerAd("9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751");

}

});

Full text

When it seems like the entire world, or at least everyone in the gaming community, is united in defiance against the proliferation of AI in games, it's jarring to see game companies increasingly embrace the tech as a way to streamline efficiency and, in a lot of cases, displace human jobs. A recent survey could shed some light on that dichotomy.

In a recent survey of 3,800 Steam players conducted by The GameDiscoverCo newsletter , an alarming number of respondents expressed that they were mostly fine with AI being used in video games. The results found that, of surveyed respondents, a whopping 23.4% "have absolutely no problem with it," which I find shocking, while 19.6% said they were simply "fine with it."

The greatest share of responders said they're "neutral" on AI in games at 25.6%, while 23.3% said they're "not super keen on it," and a tiny 8.1% said they wouldn't consider playing a game with AI in it under any circumstance.

Thankfully, Valve mandates that all developers on Steam disclaim whether AI was used on their games and to what degree, so players across the spectrum of acceptance of AI have the tools to be informed before making a purchase. And that's where developers and publishers looking to push AI should heed warning, as a separate survey proves that while tolerance for AI in games is still surprisingly high, people are paying attention.

That other survey found that 44.4% of respondents, "check in detail" to see whether a Steam game was made using the help of AI, while 44.7% said they'll "glance at it but not pay much attention. 10.9% said they "won't try to read it" at all. That means nearly 90% of polled Steam users will typically check a game's AI disclaimer before buying the game, which suggests to me that most PC gamers aren't ready to just roll over and let gen-AI slop slip its way into games without check.

It's worth noting that the surveys' respondents aren't reflective of the overall Steam player base, and are, in The GameDiscoverCo's words, "more committed than normal." Still, the results are useful in gauging how a particular brand of Steam user feels about AI in game development at the current moment, a topic which will continue to evolve alongside AI and the overall industry's approach to the tech.

Here are the best PC games to play right now.