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Order of the Sinking Star does not have an RPG-style hero-upgrade screen. In Heroes and Light, each hero keeps the ability learned in Hearty Heroes of Hauling; standing in a beam adds that beam’s power. The most reliable “upgrade order” is therefore a learning and unlock order: understand each hero’s base rule, master beam-enhanced movement, follow the area dependencies, and verify every starting board against the current patch. For the Advanced area, clear the Bard memory rooms and outer courtyard before the burned Hell-town chain, which activates the Hell teleporter to the Antipode. The broad campaign route North, East, West, South, then Gold Rooms is useful guidance, not a mandatory lock.
| Priority | Best for | Key fact | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Base hero rules | Learning the crossover | Every hero retains the ability learned in Hearty Heroes of Hauling | Oct 2026 |
| 2. Beam-enhanced behavior | Solving movement and routing puzzles | Standing in a beam grants its power; crystals and goblins also travel through the beam system | Oct 2026 |
| 3. Unlock dependencies | Heroes and Light, Advanced | Bard rooms and the outer courtyard precede the burned Hell-town chain and Antipode teleporter | Oct 2026 |
| 4. Flexible world route | Planning a low-friction campaign | North, East, West, South, then Gold Rooms is a recommendation rather than a required order | Oct 2026 |
| 5. Board verification | Following walkthroughs after updates | The October 14, 2026 update changed some levels and checkpoints | Oct 2026 |
Is Heroes and Light an RPG upgrade system?
No. The name “hero upgrade” is a misleading fit for this game. Arc Games describes Order of the Sinking Star as a narrative puzzle adventure developed by Thekla, Inc., led by Jonathan Blow, with more than 1,000 hand-crafted puzzles and hundreds of hours of play. Its progression comes from solving rooms, opening routes and learning interactions, not from spending currency on attack, defense or rarity levels.
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Heroes and Light is a crossover between Hearty Heroes of Hauling and the Vault of the Beamcasters. A hero does not receive a permanent stat increase when it enters this area. Instead, the hero brings its normal ability into a puzzle, and a beam changes what that hero can do while the hero is standing inside it. That distinction explains why a conventional tier list or ascension guide does not map to the documented mechanics.
There is also no supported evidence of a currency, equipment screen, skill-tree reset or persistent hero-build choice for this area. Treat “priority” as the order in which to learn rules and unlock rooms. If a guide tells you to farm an upgrade resource or rank heroes by combat damage, it is describing a different game or an invented system.
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What should I learn first?
Use the following sequence whenever you enter a new Heroes and Light room. It keeps the permanent hero rule separate from temporary beam effects and prevents you from chasing a nonexistent build order.
1. Identify the hero’s base ability
Each hero retains the ability learned in the Hearty Heroes of Hauling world. Before routing any beam, ask what the hero can do without assistance. This is the stable part of the puzzle: it remains available when the hero leaves a beam and is the reference point for every later interaction.
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Do not assume that a beam replaces the hero’s ability. The beam adds a power to the existing rule. A solution that works only while the hero is illuminated can fail as soon as the hero steps out, so mark which actions are intrinsic and which are temporary.
2. Learn the beam-enhanced rule
Standing in a beam grants the hero that beam’s power. The practical question is not merely “Which hero is strongest?” but “Which hero can stand in which beam at the moment the room requires?” Plan the path into the beam, the action performed there and the path back out.
Beam effects also apply to the room’s moving pieces. Crystals and goblins are part of the same routing system, so a beam can alter the state of an object as well as the hero. Before moving a crystal or goblin, check whether its position will open, block or redirect the beam needed for the next action.
3. Separate temporary access from permanent progress
A beam-enhanced action solves the immediate room; completing the room or a linked group of rooms creates progression. Record both results. If you only remember the move that worked, you may miss that the room opened a new screen or activated a teleporter.
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The Advanced guide warns that puzzle numbers do not necessarily represent play order. A higher-numbered room may be available before a lower-numbered one, while a visually nearby room may remain locked until another chain is complete. Use the room’s access state and the guide’s named landmarks as your ordering signals.
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Which heroes and beams are in Heroes and Light, Advanced?
The documented Advanced roster contains five heroes: Thief, Bard, Wizard, Warrior and Druid. The guide describes purple, gold and green beams. The available documentation does not assign a combat role, damage value or upgrade tier to any of these heroes, so the safe way to compare them is by the base ability each one brings and the beam state a room makes available.
| Advanced element | What is documented | How to use it for planning |
|---|---|---|
| Thief | One of the five named heroes | Start with its normal ability, then test how that ability behaves in each available beam |
| Bard | One of the five named heroes; its memory rooms are an early route dependency | Prioritize the Bard memory-room chain before the burned Hell-town sequence |
| Wizard | One of the five named heroes | Check whether the room requires the hero’s base rule or a beam-added power before committing a route |
| Warrior | One of the five named heroes | Use the same base-rule/beam-state distinction; no separate upgrade tier is documented |
| Druid | One of the five named heroes | Track which beam is active when planning movement and object routing |
| Purple, gold and green beams | Beam colors described for the Advanced area | Color is a routing state, not a hero rarity or permanent stat bonus |
The roster list should not be read as a ranking. The game’s puzzle logic can make any named hero relevant when a room requires that hero’s rule. A hero that seems less useful in one screen may be the only valid solution in another because the beam layout changes.
How large are the main and Advanced areas?
The two labels refer to separate documented sections, not two difficulty settings on one continuous map.
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|---|---|---|
| Heroes and Light | 54 puzzles | The main crossover area combining Hearty Heroes of Hauling with the Vault of the Beamcasters |
| Heroes and Light, Advanced | 22 puzzles across six screens | The Advanced roster of Thief, Bard, Wizard, Warrior and Druid, with purple, gold and green beam interactions |
Because the Advanced section has fewer documented puzzles than the main area, do not assume it is a short tutorial or that its puzzle numbers continue the main-area sequence. It is a separate set of screens with its own dependencies and route landmarks.
What is the correct unlock order for Heroes and Light, Advanced?
The most important local dependency is the route to the Antipode. Complete the Bard memory rooms and the outer courtyard first, then work through the burned Hell-town chain. Finishing that chain activates the Hell teleporter to the Antipode.
- Enter the Advanced area and identify the Bard memory rooms. Treat these rooms as a named chain, not as optional practice. Keep a note of exits that remain inactive after each completion.
- Clear the Bard memory rooms. Solve each room using the hero’s base rule first, then add beam behavior only where the room requires it. If a beam-powered move changes a crystal or goblin, restore the intended beam route before leaving.
- Complete the outer courtyard. The courtyard is the next documented dependency in this route. Check every newly opened edge after the final room; the next chain may not be adjacent to the room you just solved.
- Enter the burned Hell-town sequence. Follow the linked rooms as a chain. Do not use the displayed puzzle number as proof that another room should come first.
- Finish the Hell-town chain to activate the Hell teleporter. Activation is the progression result to look for. If the teleporter remains inactive, revisit the chain for an incomplete room rather than trying random beam combinations in the Antipode area.
- Use the teleporter to reach the Antipode. Once active, the teleporter provides the route to the Antipode; it is not a hero upgrade or a consumable unlock.
This order is an unlock dependency, not a claim that every Advanced puzzle must be solved in a single rigid sequence. Other rooms may be available between these landmarks. The dependency tells you what must be completed before the Antipode route can function.
Should I play North, East, West and South in that order?
A current broad-route recommendation is North first, East second, West and South afterward, then Gold Rooms. It is best treated as a low-friction learning path: it lets you build familiarity with the crossover rules before taking on the later room groups. It is not documented as a mandatory world lock.
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- North: use it as the opening region for learning how the hero’s normal ability and beam power coexist.
- East: continue once the basic beam-routing pattern is comfortable, paying attention to crystals and goblins as moving parts.
- West and South: approach these after the first two regions, but choose between them based on which entrance is open and which room rule you understand.
- Gold Rooms: leave this group until after the four broad regions if you want to follow the recommended progression path.
If your map opens a different region, take the available route. A recommendation cannot override a local dependency, and there is no evidence that choosing a different world permanently weakens a hero.
How do beams, crystals and goblins affect solution planning?
Beam puzzles are state-management problems. The hero, beam and movable objects can each change the conditions for the next move. Use a three-layer check before executing a sequence:
- Hero state: which hero is present, and what can it do without a beam?
- Beam state: which color is currently reaching the hero, and what power does that add?
- Object state: where are the crystals and goblins, and will moving one interrupt or redirect the beam?
When a solution fails, roll back to the last known beam state rather than repeating the entire room from memory. A common source of apparent contradiction is solving the hero movement correctly while leaving a crystal or goblin in a position that changes the next beam path.
Write short state notes such as “hero in purple,” “crystal moved off junction” or “goblin blocks return beam.” These notes are more useful than an assumed hero ranking because they describe the conditions that make a move legal in that room.
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Check the starting layout before following any move sequence. The map reference records an October 14, 2026 update that changed some levels and checkpoints. A guide written for an earlier layout can therefore show a valid-looking sequence that is impossible from your current start.
- Stop at the first mismatch. Do not continue entering moves once a crystal, goblin, beam endpoint or checkpoint differs from the guide.
- Confirm the room identity. Compare the screen name, entrance and visible landmarks, not just the puzzle number.
- Check the checkpoint state. An updated checkpoint can place the hero or an object in a different initial position even when the room appears familiar.
- Rebuild the beam state. Identify the active color and every object touching the route before attempting the guide’s first move.
- Use the current layout as authoritative. Adapt the logic to the board in front of you; never force a sequence designed for a different patch.
This verification step is especially important in a puzzle game because one changed tile or checkpoint can invalidate every subsequent instruction while leaving the room’s overall appearance recognizable.
What should I do when a room appears locked?
First decide whether the room is actually locked or merely inaccessible from your current side. Then check the progression dependency before searching for a hidden hero ability.
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- Review the last named chain you completed and look for an unvisited exit.
- Check whether the Bard memory rooms and outer courtyard are complete if you are pursuing the Antipode route.
- Inspect teleporter activation rather than trying to move through an inactive pad.
- Use the map’s screen boundaries to distinguish a separate screen from a blocked doorway.
- If the board differs from a guide, perform the patch and checkpoint verification procedure before resetting the room.
There is no documented hero-level requirement that unlocks a door. Progress is tied to rooms, chains and activated routes.
How should I use a walkthrough without losing the puzzle logic?
Use a walkthrough as a state checklist, not as a blind macro. The safest process is to translate each instruction into the condition it is meant to create.
- Read the entire room segment before moving anything.
- Mark the intended beam color and the hero’s required position.
- Identify whether a crystal or goblin must move before the hero can enter the beam.
- Execute one or two moves, then confirm that the board still matches the guide’s described state.
- Record the resulting exit, checkpoint or teleporter change before opening the next room.
This method lets you adapt when a checkpoint has changed while preserving the underlying idea of the solution. It also reveals whether a failed attempt came from a wrong hero rule, a wrong beam state or an object placed on the wrong junction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does “best hero upgrade priority” mean in practice?
For this title, the best priority is not a hero ranking. It is a decision framework for learning and unlocking:
- Base ability before beam power: know what the hero can do alone.
- Beam power before object routing: understand what changes when the hero enters purple, gold or green, then account for crystals and goblins.
- Unlock chain before puzzle number: follow Bard memory rooms, the outer courtyard and burned Hell-town when targeting the Antipode.
- Recommended route before improvisation: use North, East, West, South and Gold Rooms as a low-friction default, but take an available route when local access differs.
- Current board before old instructions: verify the post-October 14, 2026 layout and checkpoint before copying a sequence.
This order gives you a repeatable way to decide what to study next without inventing stats or currencies the game does not document.
How was this progression guidance selected?
The priorities above come from the game’s documented mechanics and route dependencies rather than combat-style tiering. The selection criteria are:
- Whether the rule applies across the crossover area.
- Whether understanding it is necessary for later beam and object puzzles.
- Whether a named room chain gates a later screen or teleporter.
- Whether the recommendation remains valid when worlds can be approached flexibly.
- Whether the instruction accounts for the October 14, 2026 level and checkpoint changes.
These criteria explain why learning the five named heroes’ base rules ranks above choosing one hero as universally strongest.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Order of the Sinking Star have more than one thousand puzzles?
Arc Games’ official announcement describes the overall adventure as containing more than 1,000 hand-crafted puzzles and hundreds of hours of gameplay. The 54-puzzle and 22-puzzle counts in this guide refer only to the documented Heroes and Light sections.
Can I respec a hero after entering a beam?
The documented mechanics do not describe a respec or permanent beam-based skill choice. A beam grants its power while the hero is standing in it, so leaving the beam changes the active behavior without creating a lasting build.
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Is the Antipode available as soon as I see its teleporter?
No. The documented Advanced route requires the Bard memory rooms, the outer courtyard and the burned Hell-town chain before the Hell teleporter activates. Seeing the teleporter is not the same as completing its prerequisite chain.
Are the five Advanced heroes ordered from weakest to strongest?
No ranking is established for Thief, Bard, Wizard, Warrior and Druid. Their usefulness depends on the room’s required base ability, beam color and object layout, so a fixed strength order would misrepresent the puzzle design.
Why can two copies of the same walkthrough start from different checkpoints?
The October 14, 2026 update changed some levels and checkpoints. Confirm the room identity and initial object positions before applying a move sequence, especially if the first instruction already fails.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Order of the Sinking Star have more than one thousand puzzles?
Arc Games’ official announcement describes the overall adventure as containing more than 1,000 hand-crafted puzzles and hundreds of hours of gameplay. The 54-puzzle and 22-puzzle counts in this guide refer only to the documented Heroes and Light sections.
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Can I respec a hero after entering a beam?
The documented mechanics do not describe a respec or permanent beam-based skill choice. A beam grants its power while the hero is standing in it, so leaving the beam changes the active behavior without creating a lasting build.
Is the Antipode available as soon as I see its teleporter?
No. The documented Advanced route requires the Bard memory rooms, the outer courtyard and the burned Hell-town chain before the Hell teleporter activates. Seeing the teleporter is not the same as completing its prerequisite chain.
Are the five Advanced heroes ordered from weakest to strongest?
No ranking is established for Thief, Bard, Wizard, Warrior and Druid. Their usefulness depends on the room’s required base ability, beam color and object layout, so a fixed strength order would misrepresent the puzzle design.
Why can two copies of the same walkthrough start from different checkpoints?
The October 14, 2026 update changed some levels and checkpoints. Confirm the room identity and initial object positions before applying a move sequence, especially if the first instruction already fails.
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