Broodmother (strategy)

Broodmother Level 18
Hitpoints:	2123
Mana/Stamina:	250
Attack:	107
Defense:	82
Armor:	37
Mental Resistance:	90
Physical Resistance:	100
Fire Resistance:	35
Cold Resistance:	0
Electricity Resistance:	50
Nature Resistance:	75
Spirit Resistance:	50
Special Attacks:	Gas, Grab, Slam, Scream, Spit, Summon Darkspawn, Sweep, Vomit
Immunities:	Charm, Confusion, Fear, Knockdown, Slip, Stun

The joe mother is a dangerous opponent, despite her immobility. This page may offer some tips and insight on defeating her if you are having trouble.

Abilities

The broodmother has the following known attacks and abilities:

• Broodmother Tentacles: The broodmother has four tentacles, which protrude from the ground. Each tentacle can make melee attacks for moderate damage. The tentacles can retreat back into the ground and emerge anywhere that is coated in the broodmother's ooze. The tentacles have high health, and can maneuver themselves to avoid Area of Effect attacks. Some or all of them may move around to target ranged characters in the backline.
• Grabs:
  • Crush (left tentacle): The broodmother will lift a character into the air if that character is standing by her right side. She will squeeze and shake them, and most likely kill them with this attack unless they have adequate armor and healing. This grab hits up to 11 times in total, each for normal attack damage. This grab can be interrupted by attacks that cause knockdown, stun, paralyze, and slip, provided they get through her mental/physical resistance.
  • Vomit Grab (right tentacle): The broodmother will lift a character into the air if that character is standing by her left side. She will vomit on the character, but this is less dangerous than Crush. This grab hits up to 7 times in total, each for normal attack damage. The character will likely still be killed without adequate armor and healing. This grab can be interrupted by attacks that cause knockdown, stun, paralyze, and slip, provided they get through her mental/physical resistance.
• Scream: The broodmother uses Scream when she summons her darkspawn minions, or when she resumes attacking after that. All creatures within 5m are knocked down; those from 5m to 10m away are stunned for 3s; those from 10m to 20m away are dazed for 5s. Other darkspawn are also affected.
• Slam: The broodmother slams her tentacles, dealing normal damage to all creatures in a 70-degree cone within 5-7m, and knocking them down unless they pass a physical resistance check against her strength. Other darkspawn are also affected.
• Spit: The broodmother expectorates a vile toxin, which splashes around the target, dealing 26 nature damage to all creatures within 2m. Spit requires line of sight. Other darkspawn are also affected.
• Summon Darkspawn: The broodmother is able to summon a raiding party of darkspawn twice during the fight: the first time is when she is at or below 66% health, and the second time at or below 33% health. The first group consists of several genlock rogues and archers, and hurlocks. The second group consists of Shrieks. After summoning darkspawn, she will wait for about 25s and will not attack, unless her health is below 56% when first wave appears and 23% when second wave appears, or until the wave has been cleared.
• Sweep: The broodmother sweeps her tentacles in a cone in front of her, damaging all creatures caught. If it is a hit, it has a 50% chance to knock the targets down unless they pass a physical resistance check against her strength. If it is a miss, it deals half damage and knocks the targets back instead. Other darkspawn are also affected.
• Vomit: The broodmother spits toxin in arcs in front of her, dealing 40 nature damage to all creatures within 5m. This ability can hit up to 3 times. Other darkspawn are also affected.

Combat Tactics

The broodmother has five different skills, and Combat Tactics just like party members:

• Gas
  • HP < 25% ~100% chance.
• Ranged Spit
  • Target between short and medium range ~25% chance.
  • Target between medium and long range ~25% chance.
• Scream
  • HP < 25% ~0% chance.
  • HP < 50% ~0% chance.
• Sweep
  • Target at front flank ~100% chance.
• Vomit
  • Surrounded by at least 2 enemies ~15% chance.
  • Surrounded by at least 3 enemies ~25% chance.
  • Surrounded by at least 4 enemies ~50% chance.

Terrain

The battle area has three critical terrain features. First, all exits from the room are blocked by additional tentacles, making retreat impossible and trapping any Ranger pets called before the pre-battle cut scene (if you have a Ranger, unsummon your pet, then wait until the cooldown has worn off). Second, the broodmother's ooze covers the floor. The tentacles can only emerge from ooze-covered areas. Third, on either side of the broodmother are two stone paths which lead up and behind her. She cannot be attacked directly from these paths, but her tentacles cannot emerge there, either.

General Advice

• Put some distance between characters so that spit won't splash them all.
• Place ranged characters and mages on the stone platforms to avoid the tentacles.
• When the darkspawn come, do not leave the platforms, but instead focus on them one by one.
• Each time the broodmother summons darkspawn, she may wait for about 25s and will not attack. She will resume attacking if the entire wave has been killed, or if her health is below a certain threshold (56% for first wave and 23% for second wave). Thus, it is recommended to halt party members' attacks on her when her health reaches 66% and 33%, so she will not attack while you take out her minions.
• Her left-side grab is especially dangerous. It can be avoided by having melee fighters stay on her right side.
• Force Field, Stonefist, Mind Blast, and Dirty Fighting are guaranteed to interrupt a grab. It is recommended to save these abilities specifically for the grab attacks.
• It is helpful to have a mage with the Spirit Healer specialization and at least the first three spells in that talent tree.
• The second wave of darkspawn is especially dangerous, as it has Shrieks, who move and attack fast and can get to your casters quickly.
• If the broodmother grabs a party member, the grab can be interrupted by an ability that causes stun, knockdown, paralyze, or slip (provided the effect gets through her resistances).
• Having a Rogue capable of summoning a Great Bear or Poisonous Spider is helpful. The pet serves as expendable tank, extra damage dealer, and it cannot be grabbed.
• Keep characters near the Broodmother topped up with health so if they are grabbed they are more likely to survive.
• Keep your party clear and cast area spells like Blizzard or Inferno. Death Cloud also works well. While the broodmother takes damage, kill tentacles and summoned darkspawn. When the area spell clears, send your tanks in for some melee carnage or hit her with another area spell. Once their health starts getting low, pull them back and repeat the area attack while your tanks heal up. Having Spell Might active on your area spell caster helps as well.
• Her tentacles will retreat underground when their health is below certain thresholds. Once they retreat, they will not emerge again until she summons the darkspawn, and they do not regain health when they emerge.

Party Recommendations

• Shale
  • For this fight, Shale is an excellent choice. With Large Natural Crystals Shale has extra resistance against the Broodmother's Spit attack. Also use Stone Roar as frequently as the cooldown will allow to keep the big monster's attention on Shale and away from your other ranged attackers.
  • If you have Shale in your party and another member capable of acting as tank (Alistair, The Warden), an alternative is to use Shale's Stone Aura ability (best if Shale has all aura talents including Supernatural Resilience) to provide an excellent party buff. Shale's aura will reach all parts of the Broodmother's main chamber. All other party members can focus on damaging the tentacles, darkspawn, and the Broodmother herself, though Shale will need the occasional heal thrown her way. Shale's aura is also effective if the party has a mage but is low on lyrium potions.
  • Rock Barrage - the rocks will all hit and trigger physical resistance checks due to Broodmother's enormous hitbox.
  • If you do not have Shale, have all your party but the tank do ranged attacks on the broodmother and let the tank keep the darkspawn. If you have 2 or more tankers have them rush the broodmother while the others do ranged attacks.

• At least one strong archer. They will be able to do a lot of damage without having to worry about taking too much damage themselves.
• At least one mage with some offensive area spells like Sleep, Fireball, Cone of Cold, to help clear the darkspawn waves faster. Cold damage is also particularly effective against the Broodmother, among all elemental damage types.

Equipment Recommendations

• If you plan on going with the ranged approach, get a ranged weapon for everyone. You do not need powerful weapons, only that every party member has ranged attacks.
• Lesser and Greater Nature Salves.
• Ice Arrows, Ice Bolts, Sureshot Bolts.
• Frost Runes, Silverite Runes.
• Freeze Bomb.

Playstyle Advice

Spellcaster

• Glyph of Paralysis
• AOE spells like Blizzard and Tempest can work wonders, but be very careful when using Storm of the Century because the chamber is not very large. A misplaced storm can easily kill your own party by friendly fire.
• Storm of the Century might be viable, if you have Glyph of Neutralization. Just make sure your party isn't moving (toggle with H), and as soon as you cast Storm of the Century, cast Glyph of Neutralization in a way that your party is standing on it. You should be immune to the damage.
• At least on PC, if you place your party right against the wall on the sides of the rock plate opposite the Broodmother, 2 on the left and 2 on the right side, the characters are just out the Storm of Century area.
• Spellcasters (except Arcane Warriors who are meleeing/tanking) should stand on the bare rock where tentacles cannot emerge, as they tend to take high damage from them should they get surrounded.
• Have your mage turn on Flaming Weapons if they have it.
• A tactic of {Ally = Grabbed => Lifeward} should be employed by any mage that has that spell.

Melee

• Put your tank on the closest platform to the Broodmother, so that they'd be a desired target.
• Melee attackers should focus on spawning darkspawn as they appear because the Broodmother has a Sweep attack that deals moderate damage and makes it harder to damage her from melee range. The tank is the exception, and even then, with a Greater Nature Salve, may wish to step back from the boss. The Broodmother's spit isn't as damaging as her melee attacks are with high Nature resistance.
• It is quite easy to distract the Broodmother by letting your tank stand at the flank, waiting for the Broodmother to use the sweep ability, and instantly let the tank run away when you see the spell indication above her head. Unlike with most abilities, you can walk away from the attack and not get hit if you are physically out of range (may require some micro-managing). The Broodmother may waste a lot of time unsuccessfully using sweep.

Ranged

• This fight is actually very easy if you do not engage the Broodmother in melee combat at all. The vast majority of her damage output comes from melee abilities that only function within several meters in front of her. When all of your characters stay outside of this range, the only thing she can do is Spit, which can be easily out-healed or mitigated.
• First, focus your attacks on the tentacles to force them to retreat underground. Then simply have all party members use ranged weapons to poke her down from a distance. When the darkspawn come, stop attacking her and focus on the darkspawn. Once the wave is dealt with, repeat the process. It is an easy win, even on Nightmare, as long as no one gets anywhere within 10m of the Broodmother.
• Take advantage of any special ammunition, such as Ice Arrows or Sureshot Bolts, to help speed up the fight.

Solo

The Broodmother fight can be done solo without consumables as a warrior. Berserker specialization is a must due to +1.5 health regeneration from Resilience. Reaver is a good option as well thanks to Devour. It's also highly advisable to have 4 points in Survival for a total of 30% nature resistance, with Resilience bonus taken into account.

For a more in depth analysis of this fight, refer to here.