Along Came A Spider

Welcome To My Web...... (Broodmother's Introduction)

Welcome to my first guide. I'd tell you about myself, but you came here to learn more about Broodmother instead of me, so let's get started.

Broodmother has a rather unique play style. Early to mid-game, she can produce constant pressure on a lane while getting good farm and gold at the same time. Late-game, she excels at split-pushing and can almost take on any hero 1v1. Her skills compliment her to accomplish these tasks greatly, however, she does have some major weaknesses which cause her to be an unpopular hero.

Itsy Bitsy Spider.... (Pros / Cons)

The Good
+ Built-in invisibility, health-regen, slow, and life-steal from abilities
+ Increased movement speed and ignores terrain with webs
+ Can farm well and dominate in a solo-lane
+ Has the potential to counter a hero who relies on auto-attacks
+ Can almost always defeat a hero 1v1

The Bad
- Heavily reliant on her webs
- Invisibility in webs easily countered with Sentry Ward, Gem of True Sight, Dust of Appearance, and hero abilities that grant True Sight
- Requires good map awareness and micro-managing
- Enemies get gold from killing your babies
- AOE (Area of Effect) Spells counter your pushing power

Does Anything a Spider Can (Skills)

Spawn Spiderlings
I like to max this skill first. Broodmother's starting damage is very weak, but the damage from this spell can serve as a nuke and a way to last-hit. At full-level, it does 300 damage, which can be crucial in starting or ending a kill, especially early in the game. It is heavy on mana, so that's why it is crucial to build mana-regen items first. That way, you can spam this skill to make more spiderlings. More spiderlings equal more pushing power!

Spin Web
This skill is the bread to Broodmother's butter. At max level, you can have up to 8 webs on the map. It should be the very first skill to level. Webs give you what you need to survive in lane, especially a solo one. In addition to increased movement, regenerating your health, and making you invisible, webs allow you to travel over terrain. However, you lose invisibility when you use a skill, attack, or get revealed to True-Sight. Also, you lose the terrain advantage upon taking damage. It's always crucial to set-up your webs so they connect. Offensively, you can cast your webs on or ahead of your enemy to ambush them. Defensively, it is imperative that you have an escape route when you are split-pushing. Most of the time, the opposing team will send up to all of their heroes to stop you. Spinning your webs over trees and cliffs can help you get a clean getaway before the enemy even has time to drop a ward or a stun.

Incapacitating Bite
This passive is a nightmare for heroes who rely on auto-attacking. Yet, the reason why I choose not to level it until later is that her first two skills are so important to get your farm going. In addition, your auto-attacks themselves won't be dealing nearly enough damage for you to be chasing heroes in this manner. The only reason I can see putting into it early would be if you end up with a hard carry as your laning partner. The slow debuff can aid in ganks which could help in guaranteeing a kill. At max level, anyone you attack has a 60% to miss on their next attack. If you manage to get your Butterfly, you'll further increase this miss chance thanks to its evasion. If your enemy wants to hit you in this manner, they will be forced to acquire a Monkey King Bar. Also, keep in mind that this skill is a Unique Attack Modifier, and does not stack with items such as Morbid Mask and Desolator.

Insatiable Hunger
This ultimate is what makes her so hard to kill later in the game. Combined with the miss chance from passive, she can almost always win a fight against the enemy carry. Even though this ability grants you staying power, you are far from invincible. Experienced players know not to take her on one-on-one, so if you are not careful, you will be ganked hard.

Black Widow Baby! (Item Explanation)

Sentry Ward
Experienced players will usually place these in her webs. Since she is so reliant on them, you need to be able to destroy them. In order to do so, you need to place your own to see them. A good way to spot if a ward is present is to check the inventory of your opponents. Also, you can command your spiderlings in a web to scout ahead. Since your spiderlings benefit from webs too, if the incoming creep wave attacks them, you'll know there's a ward nearby.

Tranquil Boots
This boots are usually seen on support heroes, but I choose them mostly for the armor they provide. Broodmother is squishy, so armor gives her more survivability. In addition, her movement speed is further increased as well as her health regeneration in webs. This will bring you back into your lane or fights quicker. Late-game, you can sell this for your Boots of Travel.

Soul Ring
Since Spawn Spiderlings is quite taxing on Broodmother's mana, this item can essentially have her cast it for 'free'. The HP loss is practically negated from health regeneration from webs and your Tranquil Boots. This item is key for spamming your spiders.

Vladmir's Offering
Gives Broodmother and her babies lifesteal and more armor, granting more survivability while pushing. Since her Insatiable Hunger stacks with other sources of lifesteal, that's more life for you!

Orchid Malevolence
Provides more damage,major mana regeneration, and attack speed. In addition, it silences and the target will receive 30% more damage. Always activate it on your target before beginning the assault. This will take care of spells that can aid your target in escaping or fighting back with nukes.

Butterfly
Since she is an Agility hero, this item makes her much more deadlier. The evasion works well with her Incapacitating Bite.

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Other Options

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Assault Cuirass
If the enemy team is heavy on physical damage, the more armor for you, the better.

Black King Bar
If the enemy team has a lot of stuns or heavy magic damage, this item will be key to your survival, giving you enough time to either escape or kill them.

Boots of Travel
If the enemy team is focusing against your big lane push, just teleport away to an uncontested lane and repeat as necessary.

Heart of Tarrasque
Need more health? Want to get back into the fray as soon as possible? Your HP regen will be insane in your webs, letting you go back to what you do best.

Monkey King Bar
In order for Incapacitating Bite to work, you need to be able to hit your target. This is an excellent counter against Phantom Assassin.

Pipe of Insight
More health regen, and useful against magic heavy teams. The reduced magic damage will aid in your survival while you find a web to hide in and quickly recover the health you lost.

Manta Style
Always great on any Agility hero, but the most important aspect is probably the dispel that applies upon activation. Bounty Hunter can really be a pain in your abdomen with Track. Having this item will dispel it, as well as any other nasty debuffs affecting you. Remember to also activate your Insatiable Hunger before Manta Style to give your illusions the bonus damage as well.

Force Staff
On top of extra HP regen, this item can get you out of harm's way, especially if the enemy can see you. If you took damage and can't pass over terrain to get away, Force Staff will get you the extra jump you need, either into a new web or one you had place earlier. One can also use it offensively. Is a hero facing you standing just outside of your web? Hit them with the staff and they are all yours.

Necronomicon
The more units under your command, the better! In addition, getting level 3 grants better minions and True Sight so you can deal with Sentry Wards and enemies like Riki.

Radiance
Not only does this push a lane faster, the 50 DPS gives you a better fighting chance against Meepo and Phantom Lancer, who would normally wreck you!

Drum of Endurance
If for any reason your farm hasn't been going well or you are getting killed left and right, this item can help due to its cost-effectiveness. You'll get more survivability on top of added movement and attack speed, for both you and your spiderlings.

A Mother's Work is Never Done (Spiderling Control)

It is imperative that you practice being able to command your spiderlings efficiently. They can be the deciding factor in getting kills, but at the same time, you don't want to have the enemy farm them. Spiderlings benefit from webs as much as Broodmother does. Never leave a spiderling unattended outside of a web.
While invisible, you can send spiderlings behind your opponent. That way, when you go in for a kill, if they choose to run, they will be blocked. They slow the enemy 15% when they attack, so combined with your Incapacitating Bite, that should be a guaranteed kill.

If for any reason you are losing control of your lane, you can always get spiderlings from the jungle. You can spin webs over the creep camps, allowing you to farm nearly your whole jungle with your babies.

If you are facing enemies with AOE spells, do not send your spiderlings to attack them. Command them somewhere safe and hide, better for them to expire than to give the enemy free gold.

When pushing towers, have your spiderlings soak up the tower damage. This will allow your creeps to stay alive longer to take the tower down, as well as keep the tower off of you. In addition, when the enemy creep wave approaches, use your Spawn Spiderlings on them to replace the babies that the tower killed.

A Tangled Web We Weave.... (Teamwork)

Even though Broodmother can be very effective in her lane, complete victory will also depend on how well your teammates are doing. It is important to work together and communicate often. Here are some tactics and strategies that can prove useful...

Split-push often. Enemies will have to decide which lanes to defend. The more spread-out the enemy team is, the better. When the enemy comes to defend against you, your team can push another lane. If the whole enemy team leaves to defend against your buddies, you can continue your push.

Your team can set-up ganks and ambushes with you and your webs. Have your teammates kite and lure the enemy into your domain. They will either break off the attack or chance a reckless fight.

If you and your allies just had a victorious teamfight, you can all choose a lane and push the hell out of it. Enemies who buyback will be overwhelmed by your presence. Have your spiderlings hug the towers while you and your team deal with the defenders.

Arachnophobia (Hero Counters)

Since Broodmother has a variety of methods to be countered, there will be times when it will not be a good idea to pick her. Thus, if you would like to play as her, wait until the very last minute to select her. Here is how she stacks up against other heroes...

Her favorite prey:
Bloodseeker
Chen
Clockwerk
Huskar
Legion Commander
Lifestealer
Phantom Assassin
Pudge
Sniper
Spirit Breaker
Ursa
Wraith King

Her feared predators: (Choose another hero when facing these)
Ancient Apparition
Axe
Bristleback
Chaos Knight
Doom
Earthshaker
Luna
Meepo
Phantom Lancer
Queen of Pain
Razor
Sand King
Slardar

Eight-Legged Freaks (Conclusion)

So when picking and playing as Broodmother, be mindful of what your enemy is doing, as well as your allies. Communicate, be patient, and above all, practice. If you are a new player to the game, I would not recommend this hero to be your first, but I hope you will enjoy playing as this hero as much as I have. If you love spiders as much as I do, then you will have a great time.

Remember, this is just one of many builds. This is the one I found that works for me the most. There are always other options and possibilities for any hero. Broodmother is a predator, so the best way to use her is to think like a predator.