Beginner
Five steps to clear Act 1 with your first Demon Hunter — escape the Wall of Storms in 12 hours or less.
Introduction
Welcome, Demon Hunter, to the island. Pass the Fear is a roguelite bullet-hell shooter built around a 12-hour escape timer: a Witch's Disaster has raised an ancient Wall of Storms across the coastline, and your squad of demon hunters — the Iron Bucket Knight, the Explosive Cutie, the One-Eyed Codger, the Money Whiz, and the Mysterious Nun — must break out before the wall closes for good. This beginner guide covers the loop, the timer, your first Weapon Parts, and your first Tarot draft so you reach Act 1's first boss without losing the run. Follow the five steps below and you will understand the bullet-hell flow, build your starter loadout, and reach the camp with enough meta-currency to start your permanent Talent unlocks.
Starter Hunter Tier Comparison
| Demon Hunter | Role | Difficulty | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Bucket Knight | Tank | Beginner | S |
| Explosive Cutie | AoE | Beginner | A |
| One-Eyed Codger | Burst | Intermediate | A |
| Money Whiz | Economy | Intermediate | B |
| Mysterious Nun | Support | Advanced | B |
Starter Demon Hunters
Iron Bucket Knight
Iron Bucket Knight is the most forgiving starter Demon Hunter for new players learning Pass the Fear's bullet-hell patterns. His shield abilities absorb damage spikes during the Storm Wall guardian phases that would otherwise one-shot other starters, and his Bulwark Ultimate grants a 5-second team-wide shield that can save the squad during the most punishing boss enrage timers. Recommended as the first pick for players new to the roguelite bullet-hell genre, because his shield mechanics teach positioning and timing without forcing restart-heavy learning curves. His tank role also makes him the most sought-after squad member in 4-player co-op runs where one player must absorb frontline damage while teammates focus on DPS rotations and burst windows.
Explosive Cutie
Explosive Cutie is the AoE room-clear starter that excels at wiping Act 1 swarms with self-damage bursts. Her blast Ultimate clears most encounter rooms in a single cast, and her weapon affinity for explosive projectile parts multiplies Fireworks Master build potential. However, her self-damage mechanic requires deliberate spacing — stand too close to your own burst and you'll lose half your HP. Recommended for players who enjoy aggressive, screen-clearing play and don't mind the higher skill ceiling. She excels in solo runs where AoE clear speed matters more than burst-window damage, and her co-op role is support DPS that clears adds while the team's tank holds the front.
Money Whiz
Money Whiz is the economy-scaling starter that converts gold pickups into damage and shop discounts. Where other starters plateau on raw stats, Money Whiz scales infinitely with gold accumulation, making him the strongest solo clear pick for new players who are willing to learn his gold-management loop. His Gold Rush Ultimate doubles gold drop rate for 30 seconds, which compounds with his passive gold-to-damage Talent to create runaway scaling. Best for solo runs and shop-heavy builds; less impactful in 4-player co-op where gold drops are split across the squad. He rewards patient playstyles that prioritize economy over burst damage.
One-Eyed Codger
One-Eyed Codger is the precision crit starter that focuses on single-shot burst damage for boss melt windows. His Snipe Ultimate adds 200% next-shot crit chance to the killing bullet, which pairs with Leaf Cutter's single-shot chassis to enable one-bullet boss clears. He is the recommended first-clear pick for experienced roguelite players who can position for precision hits. His weapon affinity for crit builds means he underperforms on AoE-focused chassis like Skorpian, so pair him with Leaf Cutter rather than Skorpian. The wiki tracks the recommended Talent path for the fastest first-clear using One-Eyed Codger.
Mysterious Nun
Mysterious Nun is the support starter that keeps the squad alive through clutch saves and debuff auras. Her Resurrect Ultimate is uniquely strong in co-op, where it can save a wiped squad during the most punishing boss enrage timers. She underperforms in raw DPS without specific build investments, so she reads as weak in the early Talent slots. Best played by experienced players who understand support role positioning and can coordinate with DPS teammates. The wiki tracks the recommended Talent path for the Mysterious Nun's strongest late-game scaling.
Core Mechanics
The core combat loop is a bullet-hell shooter: dodge enemy patterns, fire back, and pick up every Weapon Part and Relic dropped by dead enemies. After every boss, you draft three Tarot Cards and pick one to permanently reshape your build. Each in-run Weapon Part has no hunter restriction, so any Demon Hunter can wield any weapon — build identity comes from how you slot parts and chain keywords, not from class choice. Outside the run, your performance feeds Character Talents (per-hunter unlocks) and Team Talents (squad-wide unlocks) at the camp, and your Relics persist as run-independent meta-progression. The 12-hour escape timer ticks in the background and ends the run when it expires, so pacing matters as much as power: you want to clear Act 3 with at least 30 minutes of margin to absorb a boss wipe on the Storm Wall guardian.
Advantages
The 12-hour escape timer is the single biggest advantage of starting fresh — every run is short enough to plan in full, every Transmutation chain can be tested across two or three attempts before the timer forces a clean reset. Compared to sprawling roguelites that demand 30+ minute runs, Pass the Fear rewards tight decision-making and quick iteration. New players should accept that the first two attempts will end at the 12-hour mark regardless of strategy; the system is designed to punish greed, and the wiki tracks the most consistent clearing strategies to compress that learning curve. The starter Demon Hunter pool is balanced enough that any of the five can clear Act 1 with the right Tarot draft, so first-time players should pick the hunter whose playstyle they enjoy rather than chasing a perceived meta.
Challenges
Pass the Fear's main weakness for new players is the steep difficulty curve in Act 3 — early-game strategy that works in Acts 1-2 falls apart when the Storm Wall guardian phases begin, so off-meta builds tend to drag runs to the 12-hour timer. The Demo save transfer feature was not carried forward to launch, so starting from scratch is mandatory even if you played the demo. Some launch-week multiplayer sessions also report cross-region lag, especially between Asia and North America player pools — single-player is the most reliable experience in week one. Talent point investments cannot be refunded mid-run, so a bad early Talent choice can lock you out of a meta build direction until the camp reset. New players should plan their first run as a learning run rather than a clear attempt.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a single run for a new player?+
Which Demon Hunter should I pick for my first run?+
What should I prioritize in my first run?+
Quick Tips
Always pick the Iron Bucket Knight for your first run, even if you plan to switch later. His shield-tank durability forgives the early-game positioning mistakes that new players inevitably make, and his Bulwark Ultimate grants a 5-second team-wide shield that can save you during the most punishing boss enrage timers. The wiki tracks the recommended first-hunter progression for the fastest meta-progression route. Switching to Explosive Cutie or Money Whiz on the second or third run is the recommended progression for players who have mastered the Iron Bucket Knight's shield mechanics. Each hunter has unique Talent trees that compound your build options as you progress through the meta-progression pool.
Don't try to build-craft on your first run — follow the [Growth] + [Shatter] combo with Skorpian or Leaf Cutter. The combo is the most reliable DPS build for new players because it scales infinitely with kill count, forgives early-game positioning mistakes, and clears Act 2 reliably. Off-meta curiosities (Tarot-only builds, full-support Nun, money-scaling Whiz) can still finish runs given enough Talent resets, but the meta is rapidly consolidating toward [Growth] + [Shatter] by launch-week Day 3. The wiki indexes the proven meta builds so new players can skip the failed-experiment phase.
Watch all cutscenes in your first run, even the optional ones. Roughly 12 of the 56 achievements are missable and tied to specific narrative reveals that lock out if you skip the cutscenes. The Original Sin achievement, in particular, is hidden behind watching all Witch's Disaster cutscenes in Act 2. The wiki indexes each missable achievement with the specific cutscene trigger, so check the achievements category before starting a completion-focused run. Skipping cutscenes may seem like a time-saver, but the achievement-locking makes it a net loss for completionists.
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