SMITE FAQ

What is SMITE?
SMITE is a free MOBA (or ARTS) game currently in an open beta phase developed by HiRez Studios. The game features a number of gods and other notable figures from various mythological and religious pantheons such as Zeus, Odin, Anubis, Hercules, and more. Besides the traditional three-lane mode, SMITE also contains several alternative maps such as Arena, an all-out team fight in a small coliseum; Assault, a randomized selection of gods on a single-lane; Domination, a king of the hill style map; and Joust, a one-on-one duel in a single lane with small side jungles. Here's a link to HiRez's personal FAQ for the game: http://hi-rez.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/459

What if I've never played a game like this before?
Check out this tutorial video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSL1fpj5pos&feature=youtu.be
SMITE also features an in-game tutorial and several practice modes to get you accustomed to the game's many features.

If I've played LoL, DoTA2, or HoN, what makes SMITE so special or different?
Perspective - and I don't just mean of the opinion variety. SMITE is played in a third-person view as opposed to the traditional isometric camera angle of other MOBAs. You move your character with the WASD keys, control your abilities with 1, 2, 3, 4, your active items with F and G, and your consumables with Z and C. You can, of course, rebind these keys. Your mouse controls the camera movement and direction that your god is facing while left click activates your basic attacks. Because of this, SMITE puts a lot of emphasis on skill shots and positioning. You don't have as broad a view of the battlefield as you do in those other games, so you must be especially conscious of your surroundings and enemy positioning. Plus, SMITE has collision with other gods and enemy minions, but not with your own. So the old tactic of body blocking a creep wave cannot be done in SMITE, but you can, however, body block enemy gods from escaping.

Sounds interesting, but why should I play SMITE instead of those games?
Well, for starters, it's free just like all the rest - so why not? Secondly, SMITE's emphasis on skill shots and positioning tend to give it a very strategic feel. While that's not to say there is no strategy involved in the other games, SMITE really demands it from its players. Cooperation and communication between teammates is essential because of the lack of battlefield vision, so calling out things like an MIA or setting up a gank in the side line is paramount to success. Furthermore, SMITE's method of god acquisition is very similar to LoL's in that you have a handful of gods that are always free, another set that are on rotation every two or so weeks, and the remaining gods that can be purchased with either favor (in-game rewards received for participating in games) or gems which are purchased with real money. Special skins are available for all gods as well, with the more unique skins restricted to gems only. Finally, if you’d like, you can purchase the Ultimate God Pack for $29.99USD, which gets you all current gods and all future gods for that set price. This is a limited time offer and will end once the game exists Beta phase and goes live.

How long is SMITE going to be in Beta for?
Potentially until mid-to-late summer. Right now the tentative launch for the game is once they've released 40 gods. This is, however, subject to change, as they have previously said they were originally going live when they were at 30 gods.

Where can I download SMITE?
Right here!
http://www.hirezstudios.com/smitegame/home

Okay, so what next?
The game's training mode does a decent job of getting you accustomed to the controls and layout of the game, but for more in depth hands-on you can try the Practice Joust mode, which will let you play any god in the game regardless of whether you have them unlocked or not. This is a great way to get to learn a new god before deciding if you want to spend favor on them, or to practice skill shots on gods you already own. The enemy AI in the Practice Joust mode, however, is batshit retarded, so you won't feel like a complete badass when you land that perfect kill.

Are the gods in SMITE similar to the champions or heroes found in games like LoL and DoTA2?
Overall, yes, they are very similar, and as such many of the concepts and terms carry over. There is nothing quite so complicated as someone like Invoker from DOTA2, but for instance, Hel's ultimate in SMITE changes stances from light to dark and vice versa, which changes the effect of her first three abilities, giving her a total of six abilities to manage.  Artemis and Drow are also very similar in look and playstyle. Many of the gods fulfill the standard roles of melee or ranged carry, support, tank, etc., so you should feel right at home with the selection.

Any Pro Tips?
- Turn off Auto Skill Level and Auto Item Buy ASAP. These build bad habits and don't allow you to truly learn the gods you play as. The recommended builds only fulfill a single archetype for each god, where any veteran LoL or DoTA2 player can tell you that you need to build to match the situation, so you'll rarely build the same set of items in the same order twice in a row. Get familiar with the items and abilities in Practice Joust first if you feel overwhelmed or too self-conscious to do it in an actual live game, you'll be better off in the end.
- Enemy minion waves that die within your tower range offer less gold and experience, so try not to get zoned too hard.
- Jungle Buff minions aggro on the first person that attacks them, so a good strategy is to have two people stand in the opening of their spawn point and a ranged god stand on the outside. Once the minions spawn, the ranged god attacks them first and as they try to move toward him, they are body blocked by the other two gods. Thus, no one takes damage.
- Get familiar with the in-game voice command system, which you can use to issue commands such as setting up a gank, calling for defense, or pointing out an MIA. Hit V to bring up the list and the corresponding prompts to call out what you like. Example: VF1 calls out "Enemy missing left!," while VF2 and VF3 call out MIA for mid and right, respectively.
-Jungling is a valid strategy; however, you cannot stay in the jungle for the entire duration like you can in DoTA2. Instead, you'll have to soft jungle and roam: grab the buffs from the jungle minions then hit a lane to gank and help push out the enemy wave. There aren't enough minions in the jungle to sustain your level with your team and the enemy team, so try to maintain a balance. Some good junglers are Thor, Fenrir, and Hun Batz.
- If you're looking for some more advanced tips and tricks for specific gods, check out Drybear's youtube channel for regular updates and live commentary videos (http://www.youtube.com/user/DrybearGamers).
- You can also check out the Teaching Tuesday guides and videos from Smitegame streamer PonPon (http://pastebin.com/0dyqYDa5).