Hero Mastery

Broodmother

A spider carry: Spawn Spiderlings gives a swelling army, Spin Web blankets a lane with speed + regen, Incapacitating Bite slows + makes the target miss, and Insatiable Hunger for lifesteal burst.

Mastery parameters

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

Members only

Learning journey

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

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

Phase by phase

The 1v1: last hits + rune control

You 70%Team 30%

Skills in lane — Pro cores max Spin Web (W) first — 93% of 92 games since patch 7.41, then Incapacitating Bite (E). First talent at level 11.
Web control — lane dominance — Once webs are up, you're dramatically stronger inside them — kill anyone who enters and snowball spiderlings.
Level 6 — Insatiable Hunger — Insatiable Hunger grants big lifesteal + damage — your solo-kill timing inside the webs.

Skills 1–7

Starting items

Iron Branch31%
Circlet of Nobility20%
Tango13%
Quelling Blade9%
Faerie Fire8%
Slippers of Agility7%

Pros buy this phase

Power Treads80%
Oblivion Staff11%
Yasha9%

The Midlaner's job this phase

Focus on last hits & denies — a 10-creep lead by minute 5 is a real level advantage.
Minutes 6, 8, 10, …: check water/power runes. A full Bottle means you can spam spells.
Ask a support to arrive 30 seconds before power runes when your lane is rough.

Counters & weaknesses

Summoner (many units)

The items that shut Broodmother down, 3 heroes that trouble it, and your answer when you play it.

Members only

Why this way? How OpenAI Five learned

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