Smite is a 2014 free-to-play third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.SMITE arriving soon on the Xbox One | Hi-Rez Studios, Inc . Hirezstudios.com (August 12, 2014). Retrieved on August 15, 2014. In Smite, players control a god, goddess or other mythological figure and take part in team-based combat, using their abilities and tactics against other player-controlled gods and non-player-controlled minions. In most gamemodes, victory is achieved by slaying the opposing team's titan before losing their own.
The game has multiple player versus player (PVP) modes, 130 playable gods, and has a successful esports scene with multiple tournaments, including the annual million-dollar Smite World Championship. As of 2020, Smite has attracted a total of 40 million players. A sequel, Smite 2, was first announced in January 2024, and entered Open Beta in January 2025.
Gameplay Smite features many different game modes with the largest being Conquest.Smite Stuff . Smite Stuff. Retrieved on July 21, 2015. Players can choose between Training (vs AI), Custom, Co-Op (with clan/friends), Normal and Ranked play styles. From there, they can choose between a variety of standard game modes. Special event games with unique rules like unlimited gold are also often introduced.
At the beginning of each match, players select a god or other mythological figure to play as. , players can choose between a large variety of characters from different pantheons including, but not limited to, Babylonian, Celtic, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Japanese, Norse, Polynesian, Roman, Mayan, Slavic, Voodoo, and Yoruba. The characters of King Arthur's legends (referred to as the Arthurian pantheon in-game) and the Cthulhu Mythos (referred to as the pantheon of the Great Old Ones) are also considered pantheons in this video game.Gods Official Website. Retrieved on November 25, 2019.
Each character is classified as one of the following classes: Assassin, Guardian, Hunter, Mage, or Warrior. Unless otherwise stated, two players on the same team cannot choose the same character (in competitive modes and those using a Draft pick method, each player must use a different character). Successful team configurations typically feature a well-rounded team following standard RPG raid configurations (tank, healer, physical/magical damage) during god selection.
While most MOBA games are played from a top-down perspective, in Smite, the player controls the god in a third-person perspective. Each god has a basic attack, a passive trait, and four abilities with varying effects (area damage, crowd control, status effects, etc.). These abilities are acquired and upgraded when the player's character levels up by gaining experience from being in range of minions when they are killed, taking down towers or phoenixes and defeating enemy characters. The maximum level is 20 and each successive level is more difficult to reach. Each player also accumulates gold through standard periodic income and by slaying enemies (player and NPC alike); gold is used to buy items for their god, as well as potions, wards and abilities.
Each game mode has a specific map it is played on, which is separated into "lanes", where waves of computer-controlled minions march toward the enemy base, and the "jungle", where computer-controlled monsters periodically spawn at specific locations distributed symmetrically across the map. Killing monsters in said jungle grants experience points and gold; killing certain monsters causes a "buff" to drop on the ground which, when picked up by a player, grants temporary bonuses to stats such as damage dealt, movement speed, and attack speed. There are three special monsters who appear less frequently that grant the team which lands the killing blow a set amount of gold, as well as a temporary damage buff and speed boost when coming out of the base.SMITE Announced – MMORPG.com News . Mmorpg.com. Retrieved on December 10, 2012.
Conquest Conquest is the default game mode and follows the standard gameplay of MOBA games, being played on a three-lane map based on Warcraft IIIs Defense of the Ancients map. Two teams of five players begin at opposite sides of the map, at their team's "fountain," and are granted a set amount of gold to buy starting items. There are three continuous "lanes" running from one side of the map to the other, each defended by towers and a "phoenix", both of which deal damage to enemies that come too close.
The game is won by killing the opposing team's titan, a giant warrior located in each team's base. To accomplish this, the players must first destroy the towers and phoenixes guarding the enemy base. The player teams are accompanied by "minions", small soldiers with a weak attack, who spawn at the phoenixes every thirty seconds and run along their lane towards the enemy base, attacking not only enemy players and other minions but also towers, phoenixes and the titan. Towers will prioritize targeting enemy minions over players, allowing players to attack a tower without receiving damage, unless the players attack an enemy player within the enemy tower's range.
Teams can surrender games at any time after ten minutes, provided at least four players agree. If a player loses connection to the game, two players on either team can choose to pause the game for up to thirty seconds to allow the disconnected player to return. If a team has disconnected players, they can surrender within six minutes and with an adjusted majority requirement.
Slash Slash resembles Conquest, but is played on a map with only two lanes, and teams each have two towers, two phoenixes, and a titan. Each team also has their own jungle, while three contested jungles are located in the center (called "left", "right" and "mid"). Players start at level 3 and the middle jungle gets stronger as the match goes on, eventually spawning the boss Apophis. Additional jungle bosses around the map spawn more powerful minions called siege juggernauts when killed, which can destroy towers and kill players and minions. The name Slash is a portmanteau of the two discontinued game modes that it is based on - Siege and Clash; Slash replaced these modes in 2022.
Joust Joust features two teams of three players and is played on a map with only one lane (and a jungle on either side). Teams have one tower, one phoenix and a titan each. Players also start at level 3, due to the smaller map size and increased focus on combat. There is a jungle boss called Bull Demon King in the side lane that renders the opposing team's tower or phoenix unable to attack enemy minions or players. This boss also provides a team buff that gives both health and mana regeneration.
Assault Assault is similar to Joust, being played on a one-lane map, but players are unable to choose their god, instead being assigned a random one at the start of the match. It is played on a one-lane map with two teams of five; teams have two towers, one phoenix, and a titan each. There are no jungle camps and the only goal is to push the minion waves forwards and destroy all of the enemy structures, with the game ending at the death of a Titan. Additionally, once a player has left the fountain, they cannot buy items until they die, and they cannot return to their base to regenerate their health.
Arena Arena has two teams of five players face each other in an open arena without towers or Titans. Instead, each team has a portal they must defend and a stream of minions that march towards the enemy's portal. Each team starts with a stock of five hundred points, and the game is won by reducing enemy team's point total to zero. One point is deducted from the enemy team each time one of their minions die or when an enemy minion enters their portal, and five points are deducted per death of a god. Teams can also spawn minotaurs after collectively killing ten enemy gods, which deduct fifteen points from the enemy team upon reaching their portal. There are three jungle camps on each side of the map (left and right) that drop player buffs when slain. At the start of the match, a Rogue’s Stash will spawn near a random jungle camp that awards a set amount of gold and spawns a computer-controlled "Cyclops Rogue" monster.
Passive gold income is greatly increased for this game mode and the spawn timers are greatly decreased. Each god starts at level three, has more starting gold than other game modes, and gains experience passively.
List of gods
Character Pantheon Achilles Greek Agni Hindu Ah Muzen Cab Mayan Ah Puch Mayan Amaterasu Japanese Anhur Egyptian Anubis Egyptian Ao Kuang Chinese Aphrodite Greek Apollo Greek Arachne Greek Ares Greek Artemis Greek Artio Celtic Athena Greek Atlas Greek Awilix Mayan Baba Yaga Slavic Bacchus Roman Bakasura Hindu Bake kujira Japanese Baron Samedi Voodoo Bastet Egyptian Bellona Roman Cabrakan Mayan Camazotz Mayan Cerberus Greek Cernunnos Celtic Chaac Mayan Chang'e Chinese Charon Greek Charybdis Greek Chernabog Slavic Chiron Greek Chronos Greek Cliodnha Celtic Cthulhu Great Old Ones Cu Chulainn Celtic Cupid Roman Da Ji Chinese Danzaburou Japanese Discordia Roman Erlang Shen Chinese Eset* Egyptian Fafnir Norse Fenrir Norse Freya Norse Ganesha Hindu Geb Egyptian Gilgamesh Babylonian Guan Yu Chinese Hachiman Japanese Hades Greek He Bo Chinese Heimdallr Norse Hel Norse Hera Greek Hercules Roman Horus Egyptian Hou Yi Chinese Hub Batz Mayan Ishtar Babylonian Ix Chel Mayan Izanami Japanese Janus Roman Jing Wei Chinese Jormungandr Norse Kali Hindu Khepri Egyptian King Arthur Arthurian Kukulkan Mayan Kumbhakarna Hindu Kuzenbo Japanese Lancelot Arthurian Loki Norse Maman Brigitte Voodoo Martichoras Greek Maui Polynesian Medusa Greek Mercury Roman Merlin Arthurian Morgan Le Fay Arthurian Mulan Chinese Ne Zha Chinese Neith Egyptian Nemesis Greek Nike Greek Nox Roman Nut Egyptian Nu Wa Chinese Odin Norse Olorun Yoruba Osiris Egyptian Pele Polynesian Persephone Greek Poseidon Greek Ra Egyptian Raijin Japanese Rama Hindu Ratatoskr Norse Ravana Hindu Scylla Greek Serqet Egyptian Set Egyptian Shiva Hindu Skadi Norse Sobek Egyptian Sol Norse Son Wukong Chinese Surtr Norse Susano Japanese Sylvanus Roman Terra Roman Thanatos Greek The Morrigan Celtic Thor Norse Thoth Egyptian Tiamat Babylonian Tsukuyomi Japanese Tyr Norse Ullr Norse Vamana Hindu Vulcan Roman Xbalanque Mayan Xing Tian Chinese Yemoja Yoruba Ymir Norse Yu Huang Chinese Zeus Greek Zhong Kui Chinese Eset was originally called by one of her alternative names, Isis, but this was changed to avoid association with the extremist group Islamic State.
Matchmaking The matchmaking system uses a modified version of the TrueSkill ranking system.. forum.hirezstudios.com. Retrieved on December 10, 2012. Originally, most modes operated on queues with three-minute matchmaking timers; every three minutes, matches would be made from the group of people in queue at that time. In late 2014, this system was replaced with a more common strategy that looks for an optimal match instead of just the best match-ups at the present time. In this system, if it takes five minutes or more to match a player, the game will gradually lower its requirements until a match is found. In 2018, the system was modified to have different time requirements for different modes. The system will prioritize the player's general performance over their account level.
In Ranked Leagues, players are matched by a variation of Elo, a system that rates individual skill of each player based on wins and losses. While the Elo ranking is per-individual, the matchmaking system's goal is to create matches with each team having a similar total Elo ranking, potentially leading to individual disparity within or between teams. Ranked mode is available for Conquest and Joust.