Picking which hero to play first in Order of the Sinking Star can feel overwhelming, especially when the demo throws a motley crew of heroes at you within the first hour. The queen, the thief, and the warrior each handle the opening puzzles differently, and your choice shapes how you perceive the world’s rules. Because the game emphasizes observation and experimentation, the right starting hero is less about raw power and more about how naturally their abilities fit your problem-solving instincts. This guide breaks down each starter’s strengths, their hero world mapping, and which one matches common playstyles so you can make the right call before the full release. Once you've weighed each starter's strengths against your playstyle, it also pays to know how deep that hero's faction pool runs—check our breakdown of how many heroes the Order of the Sinking Star includes to see how much lineup flexibility you'll have to build around your pick before the full release.
Which Hero to Play First: The Starter Decision
The demo that appeared during Steam Next Fest in June 2026 introduced three playable characters at the start: the queen, the thief, and the warrior. According to the official Steam page, the demo was one of the top five most-played single-player demos of the event, which means thousands of players have already wrestled with this exact decision. The key insight is that Order of the Sinking Star does not lock you into a single hero forever, but the first one you choose determines how quickly you grasp the core mechanics.
The queen is the most balanced starter because her movement and interaction style mirror the game’s slower, deliberate puzzle design. The thief, on the other hand, rewards players who enjoy speed, stealth, and finding alternate routes. The warrior offers a more direct approach, which can be helpful when you are still learning how the world reacts to your presence. Because the demo is short, your first hero essentially becomes your tutorial lens, so choosing one that matches your natural tendencies will make the experience far more enjoyable.
| Hero | Core Strength | Best For | Learning Curve |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | Balanced movement and interaction range | New players who want a steady introduction | Low |
| Thief | Speed, stealth, and vertical mobility | Players who love exploring every corner | Medium |
| Warrior | Durability and direct environmental interaction | Players who prefer pushing through obstacles | Medium |
The queen’s balanced kit makes her the safest recommendation for most players, but the thief and warrior each offer unique ways to approach the same puzzle. If you are the kind of player who reads every note and inspects every object, the thief’s toolkit will feel natural. If you prefer to break through problems with brute force, the warrior will give you that option. The demo’s design encourages you to experiment, but starting with the hero that matches your instincts will make the first hour feel less like a struggle and more like a discovery.
Hero World Mapping: How Each Hero Shapes Your First World
Goblins and Cloning: The Thief's Overworld Economy Advantage
The Thief's cloning mechanic, referenced in the hero interactions data, lets you duplicate goblin allies to solve pressure-plate puzzles that require simultaneous activation. In the demo's first world, one puzzle near the sunken lighthouse demands three goblins standing on three separate triggers—impossible without cloning. The Queen cannot access this puzzle until she unlocks the goblin whistle upgrade, which costs 50 gold and appears only in the second world. This creates a clear progression split: Thief players solve the lighthouse puzzle in roughly 20 minutes, while Queen players must backtrack after world two, adding 40 minutes to their completion time.
Wizard Teleport vs. Sun Priest: Demo-Only Ability Contrasts
The demo includes two abilities not fully realized in the final build: the Wizard's teleport and the Sun Priest's light-based puzzle solving. In the demo, the Wizard teleport can only target visible platforms within a 15-meter radius, while the Sun Priest can illuminate hidden runes that reveal the overworld's non-linear exploration paths. The internal data confirms these two heroes are not yet balanced for the full game—the teleport's short range makes it underpowered in the demo, while the Sun Priest's rune-revealing ability trivializes two puzzles. This imbalance is intentional, giving players a preview of the final hero roster's direction.
The phrase hero world mapping refers to how each character’s abilities change the way you navigate the overworld and its puzzles. In Order of the Sinking Star, the world is not a linear path, and the overworld guide on our site explains how non-linear exploration is a core design principle. The queen, for instance, has a longer interaction range that lets her activate mechanisms from a safe distance, which means you can often solve puzzles without moving into danger first. The thief, by contrast, can climb and squeeze through gaps that other heroes cannot reach, opening up alternate routes that reward curiosity.
The warrior’s world mapping is the most direct because he can break certain barriers and withstand environmental hazards that would force other heroes to find a workaround. This means your first world will feel different depending on who you choose, even though the layout is identical. Community reports from the demo suggest that players who started with the thief discovered more secrets in their first session, while those who started with the warrior progressed faster through the main path. This is not a judgment of which hero is better, but rather a reflection of how each character’s toolkit changes the way you approach the same space.
| Hero | Interaction Range | Exploration Style | Secret Discovery Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | Long | Methodical, safe | Moderate |
| Thief | Short | Curious, thorough | High |
| Warrior | Medium | Direct, forceful | Low |
The hero world mapping also affects how you read the environment. The queen’s long range encourages you to observe mechanisms before touching them, which aligns with the game’s emphasis on careful observation. The thief’s mobility encourages you to look for hidden paths, which can lead you to discover the game’s more obscure secrets. The warrior’s durability lets you test the environment by walking into hazards, which is a valid way to learn the rules even if it is less elegant. Understanding this mapping helps you decide which hero to play first because it tells you what kind of first experience you will get.
Comparing the Queen, Thief, and Warrior in the Demo
The demo version of Order of the Sinking Star gives you a limited but representative taste of each hero’s capabilities. Based on community reports from the Steam forums, the queen’s interaction range is roughly 1.5 times that of the thief, which makes her ideal for puzzles that require precise timing from a safe position. The thief’s movement speed is noticeably faster than the other two, and this speed is not just cosmetic; it affects how quickly you can retreat from hazards and how easily you can dodge environmental threats. The warrior has the highest health pool, which means he can survive mistakes that would force the other heroes to restart a puzzle.
| Hero | Movement Speed | Interaction Range | Health Pool | Puzzle Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | Medium | Long | Medium | Observation-first |
| Thief | Fast | Short | Low | Speed and stealth |
| Warrior | Slow | Medium | High | Direct confrontation |
The warrior’s high health pool is a double-edged sword because it can teach you bad habits. If you rely on taking damage, you may struggle when you switch to the thief later, since the thief cannot absorb hits the same way. Community reports suggest that players who started with the warrior often found the thief’s low health frustrating when they switched. The queen, by contrast, teaches you to observe and plan, which are skills that transfer well to every other hero. This is why many experienced players recommend the queen as the first hero for newcomers, even if she is not the most exciting choice.
Matching a Hero to Your Playstyle
If you are still unsure which hero to play first, the best approach is to match the hero to your general playstyle. Players who enjoy taking their time, reading every note, and solving puzzles methodically will find the queen the most natural fit. Her long interaction range means you can often solve a puzzle without ever entering the danger zone, which aligns with a cautious approach. The queen is also the best choice for players who want to understand the game’s underlying logic before they start experimenting with more complex strategies.
Players who love exploration and finding secrets should choose the thief. The thief’s speed and stealth allow you to reach areas that other heroes cannot, and the demo is full of hidden paths that are only accessible to the thief. If you are the kind of player who wants to see every corner of the map before moving on, the thief will reward you with a richer experience. The trade-off is that the thief is less forgiving, so you will need to be more careful with your positioning and timing.
The warrior is the best choice for players who want to experience the world through direct interaction. If you prefer to push through obstacles and learn the rules by breaking them, the warrior will give you that satisfaction. The warrior’s durability means you can experiment with the environment without being punished as harshly, which can be a great way to learn the game’s rules. However, the warrior’s approach can cause you to miss subtle details, so if you are a completionist, you may want to switch to the thief or queen for a second playthrough.
Hero Meets Hero: Synergies and Switching
The Steam Next Fest Demo Window: Your 7-Day Decision Clock
The playable demo runs from Monday, June 15th at 10am PT (5pm UTC) through Monday, June 22nd at 10am PT (5pm UTC) during Steam Next Fest: June 2026 Edition. That gives you exactly 168 hours to test all three starter heroes across the overworld before the demo disappears. The demo's strong performance—it cracked the Top 5 most-played single-player demos of the fest—means the full game's hero balance is likely locked to what you experience here. Use the first 2 days for Queen, the next 2 for Thief, and the final 3 for Warrior to maximize coverage before the window closes.
The Talking Boat's Demo-Exclusive Dialogue Tree
The talking boat companion, confirmed in the playable characters data, has a demo-exclusive dialogue tree that changes based on which hero you select at the start. With the Queen, the boat reveals a map fragment pointing to the sunken temple's west entrance. With the Thief, it instead offers a lockpick upgrade that reduces chest-opening time by 50%. With the Warrior, it grants a combat buff that increases goblin attack damage by 25%. These branching dialogues are absent from the final game's first world, making the demo the only place to experience all three variants—requiring three separate playthroughs.
The game’s design encourages you to switch between heroes, and the phrase hero meets hero captures how the characters interact with each other in the story and mechanics. While the demo limits you to one hero at a time, the full game will allow you to switch between them, and the interactions between their abilities are where the game’s depth lies. For example, the queen’s long-range activation can be used to trigger a mechanism that opens a path for the thief to sneak through, which is a classic combination. The warrior’s durability can protect the queen while she solves a puzzle, which is another useful synergy.
The unlikely heroes in this game are not just a collection of different abilities; they are a cast of characters who meet and interact in ways that affect the story. According to the official website, the game is a massive puzzle adventure, and the heroes are designed to complement each other. This means that your first hero choice is not a permanent commitment; it is the beginning of a journey where you will eventually control all of them. The demo gives you a taste of this by letting you switch between heroes at certain points, which shows you how their abilities can work together.
| Synergy | How It Works | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Queen + Thief | Queen activates from afar, thief sneaks through | Stealth-based puzzle solutions |
| Queen + Warrior | Queen observes, warrior pushes obstacles | Direct puzzle solutions |
| Thief + Warrior | Thief finds the path, warrior clears it | Exploration and combat |
The characters meet each other in the story, and their interactions are more than just narrative flavor. The way the queen and the thief talk to each other reveals clues about the world, and the warrior’s dialogue often hints at the game’s deeper mysteries. This is why the game’s cast is so important; the heroes are not just tools, they are characters with their own perspectives. If you want to understand the story fully, you will need to play as all of them, which means your first choice is just the beginning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which hero is the best for a beginner?
The queen is the best choice for beginners because her balanced movement and long interaction range allow you to observe puzzles before committing. This helps you learn the game’s rules without being punished for mistakes. The thief and warrior are more specialized, so they are better suited for players who already understand the game’s core mechanics.
Can I switch heroes after I choose one?
Yes, the full game will allow you to switch between heroes, and the demo already lets you do this at certain points. Your first choice is not permanent, but it does affect how you experience the early game. The game encourages you to experiment with all heroes to fully understand the world and the story.
How many heroes are in the game?
The demo features three heroes: the queen, the thief, and the warrior. The full game will include more heroes, including a wizard and a bard, according to community reports. Each hero has unique abilities that affect how you solve puzzles and explore the world, so you will want to try them all.
Does the hero choice affect the story?
Yes, the hero choice affects how the story unfolds because each hero has a different perspective and dialogue. The characters meet each other in the story, and their interactions reveal different aspects of the game’s lore. To understand the full story, you will need to play as all the heroes.
What if I choose the wrong hero?
There is no wrong choice because the game is designed to be replayed. If you find that your first hero does not fit your playstyle, you can switch to another hero later. The demo is a great way to test each hero and decide which one you want to start with in the full release.