Recently there's been an increase of Smite guides that have been created through either a written media or a video of some kind. These can be very helpful for a short while, but in a game that keeps evolving you'll need to learn fast. You'll fall behind if you can't educate yourself and wait for the next guide instead.

(Thumbnail Art created by Inuki)

As I am writing this there are currently sixty-three Gods and two more coming in the immediate future. It is literally impossible to create enough guides to cover all the intricacies of every single God. Then there's material like game mechanics, counter picking, counter building, etc. By the time all the guides are created something has changed in the game that will require tweaking of the guides. However, in the midst of all that specific knowledge there are core truths that will remain the same. You don't have to be overwhelmed by changes. Take what you already know and figure out how you can adjust it to the current game.

Anhur is currently undergoing some changes, but it's not like you have to start all over again. In Season One he had good push and space control. At the start of Season Two his line clear was nerfed. That didn't mean you had to play him like a brand new God. You take what you already know and then adapt. All it meant was you had to play a little more passive for a few levels and then it was just like playing the old Anhur again. Next patch his clear is going to be reverted, and because you kept the old knowledge you had you will have little to no difficulty in playing him again.

What happens in the case of a complete rework like Arachne or Nu Wa? Thankfully, there's a Public Test Server, more commonly referred to as the PTS. Think of it as a copy of Smite but the changes are already implemented so that the "public" can "test" the changes before they make it over to the official live client. This is where you can go to get into your mad scientist mode and experiment. The PTS doesn't alter your scores, but you can still get reported and banned for misbehaving, so what happens on PTS stays on PTS. The instructions and link for the PTS download will be at the end of this article.

The PTS is useful, but it's not always available. Luckily, we have Practice Modes. The Tutorials are fine for people who have no clue about Smite or MOBA's in general, but the knowlegde is very limited. Joust, Arena, and Conquest Practice are also fine if you have no idea how to play those game modes, but keep in mind that it does not simulate the true nature of the game mode when real people get involved. Jungle Practice is by far my favorite mode for learning Gods before taking them out for a test drive. Warning, if you are testing a build in Jungle Practice on the Gold Fury or Fire Giant you are giving yourself false information. They don't represent the real game since you can't possibly be level twenty with full build, within two minutes, in a real match. Jungle Practice is a great place to throw out all your abilites and get a good feel for them.

After you get a feel for it take it out for a test drive. If you're not practicing any specific God any game mode is fine. Arena is good for practicing team fights. Assault is very casual and great for testing out how flexible you are with your Gods since the game chooses one for you. I don't play a lot of Siege, but to me it feels like the most aggressive game mode there is. Every now and then I'll go into Siege to practice playing aggressively. All these game modes are your training grounds. Think of everything you do as a hands-on-learning experience for you aiming, game mechanics, and timings.

Unfortunately, there is bookwork. You'll need some of the old-fashioned book learning to accompany your machanics. I'm amazed by the amount of people who don't know what Gods are capable of because they don't take the time to read the abilities. There is plenty of reading material floating around to help enlighten you. Watching others play is also a great way to learn, but remain crtitical. Just because th person plays professionally does not mean they know everything or that they're playstyle is the only way to play. YouTube and Twitch is the perfect place to go to study some high level players. Study yourself as well. If you play a ranked game use the replay function by typing in the System Chat "/replay XXXXXXXXXXX" and replace the X's with the match ID number. Study yourself. Where do you excel? Where do you need improvement? Be honest with yourself. You are not the best. Even the best practices so he can be better than the rest.

Final Words

Anytime you play, keep in mind that you are improving even if you lose the match. Play hard and study harder. Take a break every now and then. You won't be able to learn anything if you're burned out. Be honest with yourself. Always look to improve. There's plenty of information available to you from the game itself and from outside sources.

Public Test Server INFORMATION

PTS Download Link: http://hirez.http.internapcdn.net/hirez/InstallHiRezSmitePT19.exe it pops up when you click it. PTS Download Instructions: http://forums.smitegame.com/showthread.php?7952-PTS-Intructions-and-Limitations