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Pick another hero

Hero Mastery

Bristleback

A retaliating tank: Quill Spray stacks AoE damage, Nasal Goo shreds armor + slows, Bristleback reduces damage from behind, and Warpath ramps up with every cast.

Pos 3 · Offlaner
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Mastery parameters

Your GPM, last hits and damage per game against other Bristleback players — average vs Top 20%.

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Learning journey

  1. 1 Know the kit
  2. 2 Win the lane
  3. 3 Timing & rotations
  4. 4 Win the fights
  5. 5 Master

5 stages, each with one target from your own games and one short quiz. Make Bristleback your mastery hero to start — progress shows on Home and Arcana.

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Phase by phase

Laning: pressure their carry, don't feed

You 50%Team 50%

  • Skills in lane — Pro cores max Quill Spray (W) first — 100% of 394 games since patch 7.41, then Bristleback (E). First talent at level 11.

  • Warpath stacked — Every cast stacks Warpath (damage + speed). The longer a fight drags, the scarier you become.

Skills 1–7

  1. W1
  2. E2
  3. W3
  4. E4
  5. W5
  6. R6
  7. W7

Starting items

  • Iron Branch33%
  • Gauntlets of Strength25%
  • Tango13%
  • Circlet of Nobility11%
  • Magic Stick6%
  • Quelling Blade4%

Pros buy this phase

  • Power Treads57%
  • Vanguard17%
  • Perseverance15%
  • Phase Boots3%
  • Arcane Boots2%
The Offlaner's job this phase
  • Your goal isn't perfect farm — it's making sure THEIR carry doesn't farm. Contest every last hit.
  • Secure range creeps with a spell if needed; XP matters more than gold for you.
  • If the 1v2 is rough, hug your tower and ask the soft support to help zone.

Bristleback

Counters & weaknesses

Tank (big HP & armor)Passive-reliant hero

The items that shut Bristleback down, 4 heroes that trouble it, and your answer when you play it.

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Why this way? How OpenAI Five learned

  1. One hero, one role first

    OpenAI's first bot played only Shadow Fiend, only mid, until it mastered it. Stay on Bristleback in one role before moving on.

  2. Small, measurable rewards

    OpenAI Five was rewarded for last hits and staying alive long before it understood winning. That's why each journey stage has one number to hit.

  3. From yourself to the team

    Its 'team spirit' rose over the game: early on, look after yourself; late, play for the team. Each phase's meter shows the split.

  4. Use proven builds

    OpenAI Five's builds were hand-written, not trial and error. Start from the pro build, then experiment.

Phase items: what pros buy on this hero (OpenDota). Parameters: percentiles of players on this hero (OpenDota). Item effects checked against Valve's own item data.