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Level 1How Bittensor works10 lessons
Subnets, the people in them, and the chain that pays them.
Level 2Your wallet9 lessons
The keys that own your TAO, and how to keep them safe.
Level 3Staking8 lessons
Backing a validator with your TAO, and what it earns.
Level 4Subnets5 lessons
Who runs a subnet, who joins it, and how ownership can change.
Level 5Emissions7 lessons
Where new tokens come from, and who receives them.
Level 6Subnet lifecycle4 lessons
How subnets start, how they end, and what it means for the people holding their alpha.
Level 7Root4 lessons
How staking on root earns, since Root Reborn.
Level 8How rewards are decided5 lessons
How validators' scores turn into payments.
Level 9Validators5 lessons
What validators do, how they qualify, and what to look at when choosing one to stake with.

Epochs: when rewards are paid

Rewards inside a subnet are not paid every block. They build up and are paid out at the end of each epoch.

An epoch is a fixed number of blocks set by the subnet. The default is 360 blocks, about 72 minutes, and an owner can make it longer, up to about a week.

At the end of each epoch, the chain takes the validators' latest scores, works out what each miner and validator has earned, and pays them all at once.

This is why rewards in your wallet go up in steps rather than smoothly. It also means a miner that is removed from a subnet partway through an epoch is not paid for that part.