chowderel

Smite is an upcoming free-to-play Multiplayer-Online-Battle-Arena (MOBA) game developed by Hi-Rez Studios. The game pits two teams of five players against each other in attempt to destroy the enemy's base. The game is currently in closeted Beta and does yet have an official release date.

SMITE is a DotA style game, featuring various mythical gods like Zeus and Odin. Players compete in an arena style gameplay, facing off against players and AI controlled characters, seeking to dominate the opposing force. Each character is unique and offers something different during gameplay, so players will need to balance their team in order to succeed. The game uses a third person camera, instead of a traditional 3/4 view to add to the immersive gameplay experience.

A God-Like Perspective… Except from the ground.

Now as I just mentioned, the third person perspective of Smite really adds a twist to how the gamers perceive the game by taking away the full area of coverage around your chosen god. The same basic lane and jungle setup is there but instead of your enemies hiding in the trees just outside the fog of war, they could be standing right behind you with a nice ultimate qued up and ready to rock your world. So as distracting as watching the minions fight it out in front you can be, check every jungle corner, and check it frequently or become good friends with your mini map.

Five Gods to Start

As with many games, once you are in the game you have some choices to make. There are several classes combined together in SMITE to give each god a unique way of contributing to the fight. All the standards apply, you have ranged or melee attackers, and either tanks, mages, support casters, or assassins. SMITE makes your decision a little easier at first by only allowing you one of five gods when you get into the game.

The Tank: Want to be able to take a beating and laugh about it not hurting later? Then grab a tank and camp out right in front of an enemy tower and watch their feeble attempts at SMITEing you…just not in the early game.

The Assassin: Would you rather be the one doing the SMITEing, and lots of it? Well the assassin is the way to go for massive physical damage, but be careful, what you have in raw power, you sacrifice in defense. Good thing the assassins are rather quick.

The Mage: Do you want to sit back out of the action and SMITE from afar with magical vengeance? If so, you need a magical mage as a damage dealing caster that can be the missing piece in a team match. But be warned, they’re usually slower and unable to take significant amounts of damage, so keep your enemies at bay.

Support: Lover rather than a fighter, or ok with letting your teammate do the SMITEing? You can still join in with the support class caster to help out the team with several potential buffs that can help your fellow god push their way to victory. Now as for whether or not you can also deal damage or take damage depends on the combination that your chosen god comes with.

Once the gods have assembled, it’s time for battle and the third person viewpoint can really make these battles intense. Because of the ever lurking potential for team ganks, it’s even more important to communicate with your team when you can, so shout out when you see the enemy disappear into the jungle, or if there seems to be one missing.