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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.

Stake weight

Some validators' scores count for more than others. What decides it is stake weight.

A validator's stake weight on a subnet adds two things: the alpha staked behind it on that subnet, and the TAO staked behind it on root, scaled down. Today root TAO counts at 18% of its amount.

The more stake weight a validator has, the more its weights count when the chain combines everyone's scores.

This is the link between staking and scoring. When you stake behind a validator, you are giving its judgement more influence. Validators with very little stake are left out of scoring altogether.