diff --git a/app/lib/AudioPlayer.coffee b/app/lib/AudioPlayer.coffee
index 7208bd20e..3a32d3759 100644
--- a/app/lib/AudioPlayer.coffee
+++ b/app/lib/AudioPlayer.coffee
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ class AudioPlayer extends CocoClass
   # TODO: load Interface sounds somehow, somewhere, somewhen
 
   preloadSoundReference: (sound) ->
-    name = @nameForSoundReference sound
+    return unless name = @nameForSoundReference sound
     filename = '/file/' + name
     @preloadSound filename, name
     filename
diff --git a/app/lib/LevelLoader.coffee b/app/lib/LevelLoader.coffee
index e832a9495..d588238fb 100644
--- a/app/lib/LevelLoader.coffee
+++ b/app/lib/LevelLoader.coffee
@@ -97,12 +97,21 @@ module.exports = class LevelLoader extends CocoClass
     heroConfig ?= {inventory: {}, thangType: '529ffbf1cf1818f2be000001'}  # If we got here not from PlayLevelModal (like level editor preview), assign Tharin as the hero.
     session.set 'heroConfig', heroConfig unless _.isEqual heroConfig, session.get('heroConfig')
     url = "/db/thang.type/#{heroConfig.thangType}/version"
-    @worldNecessities.push @maybeLoadURL(url, ThangType, 'thang')
+    if heroResource = @maybeLoadURL(url, ThangType, 'thang')
+      @worldNecessities.push heroResource
+    else
+      heroThangType = @supermodel.getModel url
+      @loadDefaultComponentsForThangType heroThangType
+      @loadThangsRequiredByThangType heroThangType
 
     for itemThangType in _.values(heroConfig.inventory)
       url = "/db/thang.type/#{itemThangType}/version?project=name,components,original"
-      @worldNecessities.push @maybeLoadURL(url, ThangType, 'thang')
-
+      if itemResource = @maybeLoadURL(url, ThangType, 'thang')
+        @worldNecessities.push itemResource
+      else
+        itemThangType = @supermodel.getModel url
+        @loadDefaultComponentsForThangType itemThangType
+        @loadThangsRequiredByThangType itemThangType
 
   # Grabbing the rest of the required data for the level
 
diff --git a/app/lib/surface/CocoSprite.coffee b/app/lib/surface/CocoSprite.coffee
index f76caa2e4..798a8f38b 100644
--- a/app/lib/surface/CocoSprite.coffee
+++ b/app/lib/surface/CocoSprite.coffee
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ module.exports = CocoSprite = class CocoSprite extends CocoClass
 
   setUpSprite: ->
     for trigger, sounds of @thangType.get('soundTriggers') or {} when trigger isnt 'say'
-      AudioPlayer.preloadSoundReference sound for sound in sounds
+      AudioPlayer.preloadSoundReference sound for sound in sounds when sound
     if @thangType.get('raster')
       @stillLoading = false
       @actions = {}
diff --git a/app/lib/world/world.coffee b/app/lib/world/world.coffee
index 299296b3d..0cc3469de 100644
--- a/app/lib/world/world.coffee
+++ b/app/lib/world/world.coffee
@@ -68,6 +68,7 @@ module.exports = class World
 
   setThang: (thang) ->
     for old, i in @thangs
+      console.error 'world trying to set', thang, 'over', old unless old? and thang?
       if old.id is thang.id
         @thangs[i] = thang
     @thangMap[thang.id] = thang
diff --git a/app/styles/game-menu/inventory-view.sass b/app/styles/game-menu/inventory-view.sass
index 5d139338d..70615c5ea 100644
--- a/app/styles/game-menu/inventory-view.sass
+++ b/app/styles/game-menu/inventory-view.sass
@@ -122,25 +122,6 @@ $stashWidth: $totalWidth - $equippedWidth - $stashMargin
       margin-bottom: $heroContainerBottomMargin / 2 - 1
       border-top: 1px solid #aaa
 
-    .panel
-      text-align: center
-      width: 31.3%
-      margin: 5px 2% 5px 0
-      float: left
-      cursor: pointer
-      
-      .panel-heading
-        padding: 5px
-      
-    .panel-info .panel-body
-      background-color: #e0f0f5
-      
-    .panel-body
-      height: 50px
-      padding: 5px
-      overflow: scroll
-      font-size: 12px
-
   #available-equipment
     width: $stashWidth
     position: absolute
@@ -163,6 +144,11 @@ $stashWidth: $totalWidth - $equippedWidth - $stashMargin
       background-color: #e0f0f5
     &.equipped
       display: none
+    &.restricted
+      @include opacity(0.5)
+
+      .item-info:after
+        content: ' (locked)'
     
   .item-view
     cursor: pointer
diff --git a/app/templates/play/level/modal/victory.jade b/app/templates/play/level/modal/victory.jade
index 08a753b81..0620c91e8 100644
--- a/app/templates/play/level/modal/victory.jade
+++ b/app/templates/play/level/modal/victory.jade
@@ -17,7 +17,10 @@ block modal-footer-content
     a.btn.btn-primary(href="/play/ladder/#{level.get('slug')}#my-matches", data-dismiss="modal", data-i18n="play_level.victory_go_ladder") Return to Ladder
   else if hasNextLevel
     button.btn.btn-success.next-level-button(data-dismiss="modal", data-i18n="play_level.victory_play_next_level") Play Next Level
-  a.btn.btn-primary(href="/play-hero", data-dismiss="modal", data-i18n="play_level.victory_go_home") Go Home
+  else if level.get('type', true) === 'hero'
+    a.btn.btn-success(href="/play-hero", data-dismiss="modal", data-i18n="play_level.victory_play_next_level") Play Next Level
+  else
+    a.btn.btn-primary(href="/", data-dismiss="modal", data-i18n="play_level.victory_go_home") Go Home
   if me.get('anonymous')
     p.sign-up-poke
       button.btn.btn-success.sign-up-button.btn-large(data-toggle="coco-modal", data-target="modal/SignupModal", data-i18n="play_level.victory_sign_up") Sign Up to Save Progress
diff --git a/app/views/game-menu/GameMenuModal.coffee b/app/views/game-menu/GameMenuModal.coffee
index 514f1e486..6d64d44e8 100644
--- a/app/views/game-menu/GameMenuModal.coffee
+++ b/app/views/game-menu/GameMenuModal.coffee
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ module.exports = class GameMenuModal extends ModalView
     @options.showDevBits = me.isAdmin() or /https?:\/\/localhost/.test(window.location.href)
     @options.showInventory = @options.level.get('type', true) is 'hero'
     @options.levelID = @options.level.get('slug')
+    @options.startingSessionHeroConfig = $.extend {}, true, (@options.session.get('heroConfig') ? {})
 
   getRenderData: (context={}) ->
     context = super(context)
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ module.exports = class GameMenuModal extends ModalView
     Backbone.Mediator.publish 'audio-player:play-sound', trigger: 'game-menu-close', volume: 1
 
   updateConfig: ->
-    sessionHeroConfig = $.extend {}, true, (@options.session.get('heroConfig') ? {})
+    sessionHeroConfig = @options.startingSessionHeroConfig
     lastHeroConfig = me.get('heroConfig') ? {}
     thangType = @subviews.choose_hero_view.selectedHero?.get 'original'
     inventory = @subviews.inventory_view.getCurrentEquipmentConfig()
diff --git a/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee b/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee
index ea35d572d..4482a51af 100644
--- a/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/game-menu/InventoryView.coffee
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
     super()
 
   onLoaded: ->
-    @items.models = _.filter(@items.models, (item) => item.get('original') in @allowedItems) if @allowedItems
     item.notInLevel = true for item in @items.models
     super()
 
@@ -51,6 +50,8 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
     for item in @items.models
       item.classes = item.getAllowedSlots()
       item.classes.push 'equipped' if item.get('original') in context.equipped
+      item.classes.push 'restricted' if @allowedItems and not (item.get('original') in @allowedItems)
+    @items.models.sort (a, b) -> ('restricted' in a.classes) - ('restricted' in b.classes)
 
     context.slots = @slots
     context.equipment = _.clone @equipment
@@ -82,6 +83,7 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
       itemView.render()
       $(availableItemEl).append(itemView.$el)
       @registerSubView(itemView)
+      continue if $(availableItemEl).hasClass 'restricted'
       dragHelper = itemView.$el.find('img').clone().addClass('draggable-item')
       do (dragHelper, itemView) =>
         itemView.$el.draggable
@@ -134,13 +136,17 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
 
   onAvailableItemClick: (e) ->
     itemContainer = $(e.target).closest('.list-group-item')
+    return if itemContainer.hasClass 'restricted'
     wasActive = itemContainer.hasClass 'active'
     @unselectAllAvailableEquipment()
     @selectAvailableItem(itemContainer) unless wasActive
     @onSelectionChanged()
 
   onAvailableItemDoubleClick: (e) ->
-    @selectAvailableItem $(e.target).closest('.list-group-item') if e
+    if e
+      itemContainer = $(e.target).closest('.list-group-item')
+      return if itemContainer.hasClass 'restricted'
+      @selectAvailableItem itemContainer
     @onSelectionChanged()
     slot = @getSelectedSlot()
     slot = @$el.find('.item-slot:not(.disabled):first') if not slot.length
@@ -316,7 +322,13 @@ module.exports = class InventoryView extends CocoView
     necessaryGear = gearByLevel[@options.levelID]
     for slot, item of necessaryGear ? {}
       @equipment[slot] ?= gear[item]
-    @allowedItems = _.union(_.values(gear), _.values(@equipment)) if necessaryGear  # If it's one of these levels, don't show the extra items.
+
+    # Restrict available items to those that would be available by this item.
+    @allowedItems = []
+    for level, items of gearByLevel
+      for slot, item of items
+        @allowedItems.push gear[item] unless gear[item] in @allowedItems
+      break if level is @options.levelID
 
   onHeroSelectionUpdated: (e) ->
     @selectedHero = e.hero
diff --git a/app/views/play/level/LevelHUDView.coffee b/app/views/play/level/LevelHUDView.coffee
index aac9d209a..1c37ac3df 100644
--- a/app/views/play/level/LevelHUDView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/play/level/LevelHUDView.coffee
@@ -199,7 +199,12 @@ module.exports = class LevelHUDView extends CocoView
         group.append('<span class="hud-hint">' + sk + '</span>')
       group.append($('<button class="btn btn-small banner with-dot">' + s + ' <div class="dot"></div></button>'))
       @lastResponses = null
-    @bubble.append($("<h3>#{@speaker ? 'Captain Anya'}</h3>"))
+    if @speaker is 'Hero Placeholder'
+      # Doesn't work if it fires from a script; we don't really know who we are then.
+      name = {knight: 'Tharin', captain: 'Anya'}[@speakerSprite?.thang?.id] ? 'Hero'
+    else
+      name = @speaker
+    @bubble.append($("<h3>#{name}</h3>"))
     @animator = new DialogueAnimator(message, @bubble)
     @messageInterval = setInterval(@addMoreMessage, 1000 / 30)  # 30 FPS
 
diff --git a/app/views/play/level/PlayLevelView.coffee b/app/views/play/level/PlayLevelView.coffee
index 891cc4862..8bce360df 100644
--- a/app/views/play/level/PlayLevelView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/play/level/PlayLevelView.coffee
@@ -369,16 +369,19 @@ module.exports = class PlayLevelView extends RootView
     return if @alreadyLoadedState
     @alreadyLoadedState = true
     state = @originalSessionState
-    if state.frame and @level.get('type', true) isnt 'ladder'  # https://github.com/codecombat/codecombat/issues/714
-      Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:set-time', time: 0, frameOffset: state.frame
     if @level.get('type', true) is 'hero'
       Backbone.Mediator.publish 'tome:select-primary-sprite', {}
       @surface.focusOnHero()
-    else if state.selected
-      # TODO: Should also restore selected spell here by saving spellName
-      Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:select-sprite', thangID: state.selected, spellName: null
-    if state.playing?
-      Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:set-playing', playing: state.playing
+      Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:set-time', time: 0
+      Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:set-playing', playing: true
+    else
+      if state.frame and @level.get('type', true) isnt 'ladder'  # https://github.com/codecombat/codecombat/issues/714
+        Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:set-time', time: 0, frameOffset: state.frame
+      if state.selected
+        # TODO: Should also restore selected spell here by saving spellName
+        Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:select-sprite', thangID: state.selected, spellName: null
+      if state.playing?
+        Backbone.Mediator.publish 'level:set-playing', playing: state.playing
 
   # callbacks
 
diff --git a/app/views/play/level/modal/VictoryModal.coffee b/app/views/play/level/modal/VictoryModal.coffee
index 083963193..e985b9e70 100644
--- a/app/views/play/level/modal/VictoryModal.coffee
+++ b/app/views/play/level/modal/VictoryModal.coffee
@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ module.exports = class VictoryModal extends ModalView
     @session = options.session
     @saveReviewEventually = _.debounce(@saveReviewEventually, 2000)
     @loadExistingFeedback()
+    if @level.get('type', true) is 'hero'
+      @closeButton = false
+      @closesOnClickOutside = false
     super options
 
   loadExistingFeedback: ->