diff --git a/app/locale/en.coffee b/app/locale/en.coffee
index d549353e9..a0a2dadca 100644
--- a/app/locale/en.coffee
+++ b/app/locale/en.coffee
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@
     account: "Account"
     settings: "Settings"
     next: "Next"
-    previous: "Previous"
+    change_hero: "Change Hero"
     choose_inventory: "Equip Items"
     older_campaigns: "Older Campaigns"
     anonymous: "Anonymous Player"
diff --git a/app/templates/play/modal/play-level-modal.jade b/app/templates/play/modal/play-level-modal.jade
index 398c174d1..3090aebb0 100644
--- a/app/templates/play/modal/play-level-modal.jade
+++ b/app/templates/play/modal/play-level-modal.jade
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 extends /templates/modal/modal_base
 
 block modal-header-content
-  h1#choose-hero-header(data-i18n="choose_hero.choose_hero") Choose Your Hero
-  h1#choose-inventory-header.secret(data-i18n="inventory.choose_inventory") Equip Items
+  h1#choose-hero-header.choose-hero-active.secret(data-i18n="choose_hero.choose_hero") Choose Your Hero
+  h1#choose-inventory-header.choose-inventory-active.secret(data-i18n="inventory.choose_inventory") Equip Items
 
 block modal-body-content
   #choose-hero-view
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ block modal-body-content
   #inventory-view
 
 block modal-footer-content
-  button#choose-inventory-button.btn.btn-lg.btn-success(data-i18n="play.next") Next
-  button#choose-hero-button.btn.btn-lg.btn-primary.secret.pull-left(data-i18n="play.previous") Previous
-  button#play-level-button.btn.btn-lg.btn-success.secret(data-i18n="common.play") Play
+  button#choose-inventory-button.btn.btn-lg.btn-success.choose-hero-active.secret(data-i18n="play.next") Next
+  button#choose-hero-button.btn.btn-lg.btn-primary.choose-inventory-active.secret.pull-left(data-i18n="play.change_hero") Change Hero
+  button#play-level-button.btn.btn-lg.btn-success.choose-inventory-active.secret(data-i18n="common.play") Play
   
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee b/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee
index 1380c93d8..f8914877e 100644
--- a/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee
@@ -115,6 +115,9 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
     @$el.find('#selected-items').hide()  # Hide until one is selected
     @delegateEvents()
 
+    if @selectedHero and not @startedLoadingFirstHero
+      @loadHero()
+
   afterInsert: ->
     super()
     @canvasWidth = @$el.find('canvas').innerWidth()
@@ -329,7 +332,8 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
     @loadHero()
 
   loadHero: ->
-    return unless @selectedHero and not @$el.hasClass 'secret'
+    return unless @supermodel.finished() and @selectedHero and not @$el.hasClass 'secret'
+    @startedLoadingFirstHero = true
     @stage?.removeAllChildren()
     if @selectedHero.loaded and movieClip = @movieClips?[@selectedHero.get('original')]
       @stage.addChild(movieClip)
diff --git a/app/views/play/WorldMapView.coffee b/app/views/play/WorldMapView.coffee
index f4fe24876..4520b851a 100644
--- a/app/views/play/WorldMapView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/play/WorldMapView.coffee
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ module.exports = class WorldMapView extends RootView
     $(window).on 'resize', @onWindowResize
     @playAmbientSound()
     @preloadTopHeroes()
+    @hadEverChosenHero = me.get('heroConfig')?.thangType
 
   destroy: ->
     $(window).off 'resize', @onWindowResize
@@ -113,7 +114,7 @@ module.exports = class WorldMapView extends RootView
     @startLevel $(e.target).parents('.level-info-container')
 
   startLevel: (levelElement) ->
-    playLevelModal = new PlayLevelModal supermodel: @supermodel, levelID: levelElement.data('level-id'), levelPath: levelElement.data('level-path'), levelName: levelElement.data('level-name')
+    playLevelModal = new PlayLevelModal supermodel: @supermodel, levelID: levelElement.data('level-id'), levelPath: levelElement.data('level-path'), levelName: levelElement.data('level-name'), hadEverChosenHero: @hadEverChosenHero
     @openModalView playLevelModal
     @$levelInfo?.hide()
 
diff --git a/app/views/play/modal/PlayLevelModal.coffee b/app/views/play/modal/PlayLevelModal.coffee
index 116709321..a1eafc8d5 100644
--- a/app/views/play/modal/PlayLevelModal.coffee
+++ b/app/views/play/modal/PlayLevelModal.coffee
@@ -45,8 +45,14 @@ module.exports = class PlayLevelModal extends ModalView
     Backbone.Mediator.publish 'audio-player:play-sound', trigger: 'game-menu-open', volume: 1
     @insertSubView @chooseHeroView = new ChooseHeroView @options
     @insertSubView @inventoryView = new InventoryView @options
-    @inventoryView.$el.addClass 'secret'
-    @chooseHeroView.onShown()
+    if @options.hadEverChosenHero
+      @$el.find('.choose-hero-active').add(@chooseHeroView.$el).addClass 'secret'
+      @$el.find('.choose-inventory-active').removeClass 'secret'
+      @inventoryView.onShown()
+    else
+      @$el.find('.choose-inventory-active').add(@inventoryView.$el).addClass 'secret'
+      @$el.find('.choose-hero-active').removeClass 'secret'
+      @chooseHeroView.onShown()
 
   onHidden: ->
     unless @navigatingToPlay