Broodmother location, weaknesses and strategies in Grounded

The Grounded Broodmother, also referred to as the Hedge Broodmother, is a giant black spider that serves as one of the game's major optional boss fights. The abnormal arachnid doesn't have to be killed, but if you're willing to hunt it down and bring the special BLT that'll summon it to the arena, you can get some of the best weapons and armor in the game. If you're ready for this, here's how to find the Hedge Broodmother in Grounded, how to beat it, and the rewards for doing so.

CONTENT WARNING: For those who are uncomfortable with images of spiders, be aware that images of the Hedge Broodmother and other spiders used in this guide are presented with Grounded's arachnophobia-safe mode, or "spider slider", turned all the way OFF, with spiders appearing in their standard appearance.

Grounded Broodmother location

The Grounded Broodmother is located in the Hedge and South of the Hedge lab, but the actual entrance is fairly well-concealed. Here's how to find it:

• Use our guide on the Grounded Hedge Lab all the way up to Stage 6: The Flingman Flying Disc, the legally-distinct frisbee that acts as a wide platform. 
• Jump down to the Disc. From there, turn to the right (South/Southeast) to see a large, web-covered tunnel.
• Head inside and to the end to a large, web-formed arena. Though terrifying, you're actually safe here until you trigger the event - and summon the Hedge Broodmother.

The Broodmother is summoned through a unique item, the Broodmother BLT, which we've actually made its own guide, considering it's a whole process. However, once you have one, take it to the cluster of egg sac things in the back of the arena and use it on them when prompted. It'll consume the BLT - and summon the Broodmother down from the ceiling behind you. 

Be warned - once the Broodmother is summoned, there's no leaving the arena until either it's dead or all of the players fighting it beaten. With that in mind, let's talk about the metaphorical rolled-up newspaper you'll need to squash this bug.

Hedge Broodmother weaknesses

Rather unnervingly, the Hedge Broodmother boss is resistant to all forms of damage except two - Slashing and Spicy damage, which she's actively weak to. That's not to say other forms of damage won't hurt her, only that she'll take reduced damage from everything else.

With that in mind, players should absolutely go and get the Spicy Coaltana from near the Spilled BBQ on the main Grounded Upper Yard ascent route. It's slashing and spicy damage, all channeled through a powerful Tier 3 weapon - the perfect tool for killing a Broodmother.

It's also worth having some ranged attacks, and some explosives. The Broodmother will summon Spiderlings and Orb Weaver Jrs during her fight, and being able to rapidly dispatch those will do a lot to improve your chances of survival.

Finally, bring the sturdiest Grounded armor you have, and equip yourself with combat-helpful mutations. The Broodmother deals a lot of poison damage, so the Mithridatism mutation can really help negate that - and if you've beaten the fight at the end of the Grounded Shed Lab location, the Mant-sterious Stranger mutation is good too. This is also a good time to dabble in Grounded multiplayer too - two Coaltanas are better than one (or even get three or four). And make sure all of your gear is mid-to-late game quality minimum - otherwise you don't stand a chance.

How to beat the Broodmother

The Broodmother is an arachnid horror and queen of the Grounded Spiders, using poison, fast melee attacks and summoned minions to overwhelm players. Blocking is essential, and you should make sure to drink your most powerful smoothies and buffing meals before depositing the BLT. Make sure all your weapons are ready on your quick-select wheel, as well as any healing items you have. From there, head into the arena, and start the boss fight - the Broodmother will drop from the ceiling and begin.

• Phase 1. To begin with, the Broodmother will go full melee. She bites, lunges and does a little three-hit combo. Block these attacks whenever possible and use selective strikes to weaken her - but be careful. It's better to play safe than risk death so you can do a sliver of damage.
• Phase 2. At roughly 75% damage, the Broodmother's attacks get more elaborate with longer combos and reach, meaning you'll have to be more defensive. She'll also periodically jump to the center of the arena and summon spiderlings, as well as doing an unblockable screech that stuns the players. Back away the moment she jumps, and use arrows or explosives to quickly dispatch the spiderlings at range.
• Phase 3. At 50% health, the Broodmother's defenses increase, reducing damage taken and changing her creature spawns - rather than spiderlings, she now starts bringing in Orb Weaver Jrs. The more health she loses, the more Orb Weaver Jrs she summons (maxing out at four per summon). You absolutely want to kill the Orb Weavers as fast as possible - use arrows and quick melee strikes to finish them off so that you can focus back on the Broodmother (they're unlikely to group up enough for explosives to be really effective)

Beyond all of this, you should be wary about how you use moments between combat. Use moments of calm to heal, revive allies or buff yourself if you can, but make sure you have the time - the worst thing to happen is to get tackled by half a pound of spider while you're trying to drink a herbal milkshake.

Broodmother rewards

If you can kill the Broodmother, she drops the following rewards:

• Broodmother Chunk x5
• Broodmother Fang x3
• Broodmother Venom x1
• The "Mom Genes" mutation

She also drops a lot of Web Fibre, but at this point in the game it's probably not a big deal for you. The Chunk, Fang and Venom aren't useful on their own, but once you analyze them, you can make them into The Club of the Mother Demon (a tier 3 two-handed club that's one of the game's best weapons) and the Mask of the Mother Demon (a helmet that adds a poison effect to all attacks the player makes). These are seriously good items for combat, and gamechangers for players doing late-game challenges like the Grounded ORC lab. Alternatively, if you're interested in bragging rights, you can always craft them into a trophy to hang on your wall.  

The Mom Genes mutation is also pretty powerful, adding a chance whenever you attack enemies to spawn in friendly Spiderlings who will aid you - though be warned that if you get in their way, they can still inflict friendly fire by accident.

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