Soft crowd control is an underappreciated mechanic in Smite. Soft crowd controls are effects that partially limit a player’s control of their character. These effects are considered “soft” because they do not restrict actions as much as hard CCs such as stuns. The soft crowd control effects in Smite are slow, cripple, and root. This article will explain each effect and delve into interactions involving these soft crowd controls.

Scylla is a god that can manipulate the battlefield using just soft crowd control

Slow

Slows are the most common form of soft CC. Most gods have at least one slow in their kit and there are items that apply slows as well. A slow reduces a target’s movement speed. This makes the target easier to hit or lock down further. Slows can also be used to disengage, making it harder for an opponent to catch up to you. Slows take many forms in Smite, from single target effects to large AoEs. Slows are the softest of CCs in Smite, making movement harder, but not stripping any actions.

Slows are subject to diminishing returns. This means as a target is slowed beyond a point, additional slows are less effective. Slows of 40% or less are unchanged, but when a slow or combination of slows is greater than 40%, diminishing returns will kick in. The formula for diminishing returns on slows is Effective Slow =(Base Slow x 100) / (Base Slow + 60). The formula also works when multiple slows are stacked on a target. The pre-DR slow values are added together and then subjected to the calculations.

Using Nike as an example, her ultimate, Sentinel of Zeus, will slow for 30, which will slow the target by the advertised 30%. When Sentinel of Zeus is empowered by Plan of Action, the slow is increased to 60%, which is then subject to diminishing returns. Plugging the slow into the equation, we have (60 x 100) / (60+60), which simplifies to 6000/120, equaling 50. Nike’s ultimate will slow by 50% when empowered.

Cripple

Cripple is another form of soft crowd control in Smite. Cripples lock out movements abilities such as leaps, dashes, and teleports for their duration. Cripples often have slows or roots paired with them for additional control.

The effectiveness of a cripple depends on the god affected. Susanoo is devastated by cripples because he has a dash and a teleport in his kit whereas Kukulkan does not have a movement ability, so feels no negative effects from a cripple. Crippling an enemy can be devastating, preventing them from escaping and allowing an easy kill.

Root

Roots are the hardest form of soft crowd control. They prevent a character from naturally moving, but do not prevent movement abilities such as leaps and dashes from moving the character. Targets will remain rooted at the end of the leap or dash until the effect expires

Roots are powerful because they lock a target in place. If a god just used their movement ability or does not have one, they are a sitting duck and have to use the Purification relic to escape. Gods still have access to their non-movement abilities while rooted, so they can fight back for the duration of the crowd control and try to turn the situation.

The root and cripple from Nox's Shadow Lock pairs nicely with the silence from her Siphon Darkness

Strategies

There are many strategies that revolve around interactions with soft crowd control. The basis of many of these interactions is that soft CCs do not suffer diminishing returns like hard crowd control does. Slows have their own form of DR that is independent of that of hard CC.

The diminishing returns on hard crowd control is easier to understand than the DR on slows. When a target is hit by a hard CC such as a stun, silence, or fear, the next hard CC effect is 1/3 as long. This effect stacks twice, to up to 2/3 reduction in crowd control duration. Effects cannot be reduced under 0.5 seconds by DR and stacks last 15 seconds. If a hard CC is applied when a target is at 2 stacks, the 2-stack DR timer refreshes back to 15 seconds. Some hard crowd control effects such as knockups and grabs will not suffer from diminishing returns, but will apply or refresh a stack.

Soft crowd control effects do not obey these rules. Slows, cripples, and roots can be applied any number of times to a target and will retain their full duration. This allows teams to chain cripples and roots on a target without causing diminishing returns on any hard CC that is later applied. The same is true in reverse. Stunning a target will not reduce the duration of a root effect that is applied immediately afterward.

Heavy slows should be chained instead of stacked. Using the formula for diminishing returns on slows, it would take a 90% combined slow to slow a target for 60%. We know from Nike’s example that her empowered ultimate’s base 60% slow ends up as just a 50% slow. Because of the aggressive DR after 40%, it is better to stagger slows on targets to get the most effect over time. However, slows can be stacked if your team has enough burst to quickly kill a target and just needs a little more lockdown.

One of the most powerful combinations of soft crowd control is combining root and cripple effects. This combination locks a target in place and prevents them from using movement abilities. The only options an affected god has are to use a relic, fight back with other skills, or die. Often, these effects are built into the same spell, such as Erlang Shen’s Pin or Scylla’s Sic ‘Em. These devastating abilities provide massive amounts of setup and allow a team to quickly dismantle an opponent.

Awilix's Fetherstep ability is a root/cripple, leaving her target little counterplay

Soft crowd control is a powerful yet underappreciated mechanic in Smite. Slows, cripples, and roots fall into this category. Soft crowd control effects do not obey the diminishing returns of hard crowd control, so do not get reduced duration due to multiple applications. This leads to strategies such as chaining these abilities and combing roots and cripples. Soft CC may not be considered as dangerous as hard CC, but they can still be lethal.

Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shop