SMITE Gods Guide for Beginners

SMITE Gods Guide for Beginners by maniacles

So I came into this game with zero skill. No reflexes. Hadn’t played a fight game since the original street fighter in an arcade, and I wasn’t very good at it then. I’d played Terra and hated it, and SWTOR pvp was the closest thing to reflex based fighting I’d done recently.

I’ve since gotten to at least average skill over time (though my record still hasn’t yet cracked even), but I thought my experiences with the various gods would be good information for new players deciding which ones to buy with their hard earned favor.

There are two primary newb issues that can’t be fixed by watching skilled players play the characters on youtube: Can’t hit the side of a barn with a skill shot, and bad strategic judgement of when to go in for the kill.

Lets start with the original 5.

Rank for the gods is on ease of learning curve to play acceptably, from 1 being hardest and 10 being easiest.

Artimus:
This is a great first character to work on for a newb. Her ult is a stun, Which makes your autoattacks with your 2 easier. The basic strat to learn is Ult, trap, 2. The main skill shot is actually hitting things with her 3, and her main judgement issue is where to place those traps…use them in the jungle to avoid getting jumped, and use them in the lane to maneuver around during battle (they won’t usually catch people, but it makes them have to avoid that spot, making it easier to predict where they will be, and offering some protection from rushes from the likes of agni and sobek, and engaging jumps from sun, odin, bastet and anhur.

Art is where you learn your first judgement lesson: it’s often best to counterattack rather than run away when your traps and ulti are down. Make sure you have enough lifesteal to make it worthwhile.

The standard newb problem with art is utter lack of escapes.

Newb learning curve: 9

Kali:
Kali is who you apply that judgement lesson you learned with art on, only this time it’s with a melee.

Newbs rely on her abilities rather than her melee. The skill to learn with kali is actually hitting autoattack when getting in range. Meleeing effectively means you have to actually facetank, for the most part, which is scary, because they can usually easily hit you as easy as you are hitting them, which is annoying if you have trouble hitting them. Use creeping curse to cure that trouble, get frostbound later so you can keep hitting them, and at least one lifesteal so you can not die from their counterattack. Oddly enough, her ulti is when she’s most vulnerable to mages, because she can’t gain life from her hits, so make sure you use it to finish someone off, not initiate in the middle of a pack of gods.

Kali is most subject to death by bad judgement of when and when not to engage.

Newb learning curve: 6

Sun Wukang:
So you can’t aim the thrown monkey? Hit the creeps with it. and a bounce will usually hit a god. As a newb, it’s easy to get in the habit of just using your two to do damage, and forget to actually autoattack in addition. Once again, creeping curse is your crutch until you get the hang of it. Judgement lesson here is when to apply the ulti. In general, unless there’s someone else also there, or you are running away, avoid using it on full health enemies. Save it for when someone else is also ulting, so that the target can’t react to the other ult.

Newb Learning curve: 5

Ymir:
Ymir is all about learning to place that wall. The standard to learn is Wall, freeze, then hammer or ulti. The wall needs to last longer than 5 seconds for this to work for the most part. His escape being his wall, though, makes him die if you aren’t tanking him up.

Newb Learing curve: 5

Ra:
Ugh, Aimed ulti, Aimed primary damage, and escapes that are only speed! Judgement here is where and when to place healing beams, and skill is in targeting 2 out of 4 abilities. Ra is who you use to practice your aim. Yeah, he’s great at clearing creeps, but killing? Not for newbs.

Newb Learning curve: 4

Ok now on to the gods. Which ones should you get? Well lets start with some of the easier to learn ones.

Ao Kuang:
Just have to nick them with that tornado and they take damage, while you practice you two skill shots same as ra. Unlike ra, it’s the area effect that is your primary damage rather than your skill shot. Things to learn: covering your tracks with a tornado or ulti and running away in it’s path. This forces whoever is following you to avoid that controlled area while you scoot away.

Newb learning curve: 10 Easy!

Vamana:
Since as a newb, you are nearly incapable of killing stuff, it’s best if you stick to tanks, who aren’t expected to kill stuff, just to create chaos and screw up the other sides ability to kill. Where ymir does that with freeze and wall, vamana does this with his ulti and escape, creating situations which madden the other side into chasing him rather than everyone else. So long as your kills plus assists is double or more than your deaths, you are doing fine as a tank.

Vamana also excells at surviving that standard newb strat of “avoid the team fights because you are horrible at them, and go farm some other lane to kill a tower or pheonix, then run away from the inevitable gank team that comes investigating.” aka, overextention. Yes, you’ll p*** off all those players who have read the “join your team for the team fight, or you screw your team because they are fighting 4v5” people, but then, if they are fighting 4v5 they aught to know not to engage and be defending a tower anyway. Towers are like stupid 5th players. They lose to 1 on 1 fights, but they work just fine in group fights so long as one of the group is area clearing the creeps, and honestly, probably better than you at killing opposing players. True strat maximizes the use of towers to effectively get “extra players” during fights. If they yell at you for doing it, Tell them they were idiots to engage in the first place.

The main problem with the strat is when more than one person does it, or someone uses an inappropriate god to do it.

Newb Learning curve: 10

Bastet:
Ulti is automated! Jab them to half life, wait for them to use their escape, then pop the cats! Double jump is awesome, when not bugged, and lets you out of lots of sticky situations. If you don’t get the tank boots, make sure to get beads, to use if you get frozen mid doublejump, so you can jump back. This is the god to learn to melee on, as you can usually get by with a hit or two and then run…also, when the cats are up, you can smack them around, and if they smack back, they are taking 4 for one. Lastly, you can use the cats as tanks for towers and fire giant once you have 4 items.

Newb judgement number 2: when to hit the FG. Since is one of the first gods that can solo it (along with arachne and baka. Later on, any melee or range basic attack dps with lifesteal can), learning the minimum ability you need to solo is key. Just make sure the other team is on the other side of the board when you do, because they can hear you if they are anywhere in the jungle nearby. Not only do you want to know for yourself, but when to expect the other side to try as well. When you can solo FG, you can initiate FG calls at will, not caring whether other people come to help or not.

Newb Learning curve: 9.

Hel:
Finally, a god you don’t have to actually aim to kill with!. Newbs should be maximizing her 3 first, which simultaniously makes people fear coming close, and maxes out her healing capability. You can miss with her 1, and still do good collateral damage even when you only hit with 3…just, don’t go chasing people just to make hits with her 3. You can also do a fine job staying on her light side for the most part, supporting the other players in the team fights, keeping them alive while THEY do the killing, and your allies will appreciate you just fine, even if you have low kills. Remember, kills plus assists greater than double deaths is a fine record.

unfortunately her 3 makes farming feel especially quick, as she can race a lane faster than just about anyone else once she maxes it (yes, even faster than ao). but, just like most mages, she lacks viable escapes, and this time your allies are right to be yelling at you for missing the team fights.

Newb Learning curve: 9

Sobek:
Tanks, in general, are better for newbs to play, as they aren’t really expected to make kills, and need to attract attention. Since newbs naturally attract attention for being easy kills, this is a perfect fit. Basic strategy point for newbs here is “if you are getting hit first, load up on defensive gear”, and since that’s the right move anyway for tanks, and newbs can’t hit the side of a barn, well, like I said, perfect fit.

Sobek’s skill shot is used to separate one enemy teamate from their pack, his 2 is there to create chaos in the enemy ranks while he’s in their midst, and his 3 is to survive a bit longer or finish off an enemy. Don’t forget to whack on things with your basic attack, as smacking enemies is how you up your hide. 1,2 and ult are all escapes, so leave one of them up, if possible, when facing targets who haven’t used their traps yet. Strategy comes in the use of 1 and 2 to stun opponents when they are in the middle of using THEIR abilities so you can waste their time. Try not to be only left with your ulti for escapes during mid fight (when you are at 50ish life vs a melee/ranged), as it doesn’t prevent them from killing you the way 2 and then 1 does.

He’s horrible at clearing lanes…Don’t avoid the team fights with him.

Newb Learning curve: 8

Guan yu:
Yet another tank, and with a heal! Also, his ult is pretty easy to target with (focus on one god and others are just a bonus). Most of the issues with him come from timing when to ult in coordination with your lane partner, and build. His basic kill strat is easy to learn (ult, 2, 3 then heal and hope), and your main issues are going to be getting killed overextending.

Newb Learning curve 8 (would be 7 but…tank, so get him early)

Freya:
Her primary escape is a skill shot, but that doesn’t really affect her killing power. The trick here is to be extra careful after using her ulti as that’s her real get out of jail card. She’s important to get early so you can practice hitting enemies with her banish, and her main damaging ability slows the enemy, making it easier to keep hitting them.

Newb Learning curve: 7.

Hades:
Once again, strategy. The nice thing about him is his damage doesn’t need aim. The annoying thing about him is it usually uses your escape. Learn to silence/fear people before ulting, and how to combo your ult with your allies.

Newb learning curve: 7

Odin:
Yes, he’s a tank, but you have to actually hit them with your melee to kill them. He’s the tank to get after you figured out sun and kali. His ulti combos well with others who have area effects, but is very very easy for newbs to use incorrectly. Don’t get him early, as until you learn strategy, you’ll just earn the screams of your allies for bad ulti placement. On the other hand, he’s tankier than other tanks, which is reasuring when you are going toe to toe vs melees. Make sure you pay attention to the minimap as Odin, as his passive SHOULD mean that you don’t succumb to unexpected ganks. Also good with that standard newb strat of “avoid the team fight”.

Newb learning curve: 6 (Would be 5, but he’s a tank, so…)

Agni:
No skill shots! should be easy right? well, except that his primary non ult damage is his escape. Easy skill, not so easy strategy, very easy for newbs to get killed because of his squishyness rather than make kills from his burst. But oh, that dps….

Newb learning curve: 6

Ares:
Chains are a skill shot. Also No escapes. At least his strategy is easy to learn. The problem is it’s easy to counter as well. These days everyone but fellow newbs buys beads vs ares early. The meta game strategy is to take advantage of their 500 point deficit, Change lanes once you notice that your opponents have bought beads until all your opponents buy beads, and/or group with other stun types that now won’t have to worry about beads because they get used on YOUR ulti, or vice versa.

Newb Learning curve: 5 (would be 4, but he’s a tank, so…)

Cupid:
What’s not to like? well, for one, his primary killing ability is a skill shot which you have to hit BEFORE you stun, and time right (10 basic attacks first). You need to have also mastered Sun’s ult placement (not getting snarky comments of “nice ult” when you use it) before getting Cupid. Strategy is easy enough to pick up: use your healing hearts early and often and demand that your lane partner pick them up whether they need the health or not. Flutter to gtfo of there. As a newb, you want to lane with other gods that stun/snare so you can hit your heart bomb.

Newb Learning curve: 5

Zeus:
No real escapes. Ult placement is hard without friends providing stuns/area control. Pick him up after you’ve mastered sun’s ult placement, and you stop getting killed for overextending. At least his chain lightning gets to use the skill you also learned from sun of targeting the easy to hit creep.

Newb Learning Curve: 5

Bakasura:
No god is better improved by watching videos of good play than baka. Baka is lousy if you lane with him, but great for a jungler who dips in and out of lanes. Practice how to kill buff camps as early as possible, and how to avoid getting ganked in the process. This is the god you get once you start getting a positive record with sun or kali, and have figured out when you can solo fg with bastet. Don’t get him earlier.

Newb learning curve: 5

Arachne:
Don’t get her first. That ulti is a skill shot, and arachnes who can’t hit with it aren’t that good at killing. Egg sack placement is pure strategy. Place them where you expect your opponents to run, get kills. Place them poorly, they get shot before they have a chance to open. Also, no escape. Bonus: free creeping curse equivalent, and that poison from her melee is just nasty dps.

Newb learning curve: 4.5 Skill/strat 6/3

Thor:
This one is weird as aiming the Ulti skill tends to depend on whether you use reverse mouse or not. If you do, don’t get him, because up is down and all that. If you don’t, aiming that ulti should be much easier. I’m hoping this gets changed in a patch to be more like Freya’s ult some day. Aiming his wall is much easier than Ymir, but for damage, both his 1 and ulti require skill shots, and he’s much more reliant on damage from the boomerang hammer than vamana. On the other hand, get him once you’ve mastered that Vamana boomerang. The thing to practice with Thor is trapping your opponent with your wall and a side, then Hammer Throwing them.

Newb learning curve: 4 (two skill shots to do most damage, and if you can’t hit with your ulti, ugh).

Anubis:
It’s all about his skill shot. If you can’t hit with the mummify, you don’t get kills. If you do, you do. Fortunately, hitting usually results in a kill, even from full health, for many gods, the strat comes in figuring out which ones you need to jab with first before mummying. Also, not using your breath in the presence of an un stunned opponent. The trouble with newbs and Anubis is your primary ally is fear of your dps, and newbs have trouble inspiring fear.

Newb Learning curve: 4 (flat out skill shot required skill).

He bo:
Squishy and two abilities that require facetanking. You need to be able to hit with his water spout to be good with He bo. No water spout hits, and you can’t close for the kill with your close range abilities, AND you can’t protect yourself properly. Get him after you start getting good with Freya’s banish ability. Also, don’t lane with him with a jungler as your partner. You are too easy to kill with two people focusing on you, and the point of laning with a jungler is to bring the focus off of him. Once again, those who master him are awesome, but he’s the epitome of the glass cannon.

Newb Learning curve: 3 (no spout skill, don’t even bother).

Anhur:
Speaking of skill shots, this guy is the king of them. You need to have mastered your wall placement with ymir, your aim with ra and art, AND your strategy to not use your 2 unless you can stun. Bad choice for those with bad aim. Awesome for experts, lousy for newbs. People expect better than average play out of Anhur, so leave him to the pubstompers until you’ve gotten decent with those other gods.

Newb Learning curve: 1 One of the most difficult gods to get good with. Experts with Anhur, however, own. You are not an expert, or you wouldn’t be reading this far into this guide.

If I were to set up initial gods, I’d start people with Vamana, Bastet, Ao Kuang, Hel, and Artimus, (for ease of use) and have Ymir, Freya, Sun Wukang, Kali, and Ra (for building the skills needed to do well with the other gods) be the discounted gods, purely based on my own experience working with these gods. As it is, you now have my suggestions for which gods to pick up in order of difficulty.