SMITE: Complete Beginner's Walkthrough and Guide to Mastering the Battleground of the Gods

 

1. Overview of SMITE

SMITE is a third-person MOBA game where you play as gods and mythical figures from different pantheons (Greek, Norse, Egyptian, etc.). The objective depends on the game mode, but generally involves team-based combat, taking down enemy structures, and defeating the opposing team’s Titan.

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2. Game Modes

• Conquest: The most popular and standard mode. Two teams of five face off, aiming to destroy each other's Titan. There are three lanes (left, middle, right), with jungle areas in between for farming.

• Arena: A straightforward mode where two teams of five gods fight in an open arena. The objective is to reduce the enemy team’s tickets by killing players and minions.

• Joust: A 3v3 mode played on a smaller map with one lane and jungle camps. The goal is to take down the enemy team’s Phoenix and Titan.

• Assault: A random god selection mode with one long lane. You can’t return to the base except upon death.

• Siege: A 4v4 mode where you push Siege engines to enemy structures. The map is split into two lanes with a jungle in the middle.

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3. Choosing Your God

Each god falls into one of five roles:

• Hunter: Long-ranged physical damage dealers who typically play in the Duo Lane (e.g., Neith, Artemis).

• Mage: Magical damage dealers who are often in the Mid Lane (e.g., Zeus, Ra).

• Warrior: Balanced between damage and defense, usually playing in the Solo Lane (e.g., Hercules, Guan Yu).

• Assassin: High-damage, squishy gods that focus on ganking and jungling (e.g., Loki, Thanatos).

• Guardian: Tanky, crowd-control gods who support the team, usually in the Support role (e.g., Ymir, Geb).

Choose a god based on the role you prefer and your team composition.

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4. Gameplay Basics

Laning

In Conquest, each player chooses a lane or role:

• Solo Lane: The Warrior usually controls this lane.
• Mid Lane: The Mage usually takes this lane.
• Duo Lane: The Hunter and Support share this lane.
• Jungle: The Assassin roams the jungle and ganks lanes.

Farming and Leveling

• Minions: Kill enemy minions in the lane to gain experience and gold. Last-hitting ensures maximum gold.
• Jungle Camps: Farm camps in the jungle to gain experience and buffs (red for damage, blue for mana, etc.).
• Objectives: Take down key objectives like Gold Fury (gives gold) and Fire Giant (gives a buff to the whole team).

Structures

• Towers: Towers protect each lane. Destroy them to push further toward the enemy’s base.
• Phoenixes: Once towers are down, you need to destroy the Phoenix to make your minions stronger.
• Titan: Destroy the enemy Titan to win the game.

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5. Combat Mechanics

Abilities and Combos

Each god has a basic attack and four abilities (including an ultimate). Combos are essential to maximizing damage:

• Basic Attack: Your god's standard, non-ability attack. Useful for finishing enemies or poking.
• Abilities: Use your god's abilities to deal damage, heal, control crowds, or buff your team. Use them strategically as they have cooldowns.
• Ultimate Ability: The most powerful ability, usually having the longest cooldown. Use it in critical moments like team fights or securing objectives.

Positioning

Positioning is crucial, especially for squishier gods like Hunters and Mages. Stay behind tanks and Guardians, and use the terrain (walls, jungle) to avoid direct damage.

Crowd Control (CC)

Use abilities that apply crowd control (stuns, slows, silences) to disable enemy gods. Guardians excel at this, making them invaluable in team fights.

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6. Building Items

Items are essential for boosting your god’s performance. Depending on your role, you’ll build items for:

• Damage: Hunters and Assassins focus on damage items to increase power and attack speed.
• Defense: Guardians and Warriors need defense items to tank damage and initiate fights.
• Mana/Utility: Mages often need items that boost magical power, cooldown reduction, and mana sustain.

Example Builds:

• Hunter: Start with items like Devourer’s Gauntlet (lifesteal) or Transcendence (power and mana).
• Mage: Build Chronos’ Pendant (cooldown reduction) or Rod of Tahuti (massive magical power).
• Assassin: Items like Jotunn’s Wrath (cooldown reduction and power) or Heartseeker (burst damage) are key.

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7. Jungling

• Junglers move between the lanes and jungle camps. Their goal is to gank (surprise attack) the enemy gods in lanes to give their team the advantage.
• Buff Camps: Keep track of jungle buffs (damage, mana) and share them with the team.
• Rotation: Move around the map, helping push lanes and securing objectives.

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8. Team Fights and Objectives

Team Fights

Once the game progresses, your team will need to fight as a group to push lanes or secure objectives. Coordinate with your team:

• Engage with Tanks: Guardians and Warriors initiate fights by diving onto the enemy team, using crowd control to lock them down.
• Focus the Backline: Assassins and Mages should focus on the enemy’s squishy backline (Hunters and Mages).
• Protect the Carry: Guardians should protect the team's damage dealers from enemy assassins.

Objectives

• Fire Giant: Gives a powerful buff to the team. Taking it down as a group is crucial to winning late-game.
• Gold Fury: Provides extra gold to the team, helping you build stronger items faster.

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9. Map Awareness

• Always keep an eye on the mini-map to track enemy movements.
• Place wards in key areas like jungle entrances or around objectives to avoid ganks and ensure your team isn’t ambushed.

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10. Tips for Beginners

• Learn a Few Gods: Focus on mastering a few gods within your preferred role before expanding to more.
• Watch the Mini-map: Good map awareness will help you avoid ganks and react to enemy movements.
• Communication: Use in-game commands or voice chat to communicate with your team.
• Practice in Arena and Joust: These modes help you practice combat without the complexity of Conquest.