With the most recent update adding crossplay to Smite, I feel that it’s important to help anybody that may be new to the game with some tips that I wish I had when I was just starting the game. Any regular player will generally know the terms discussed in this article, but even for those of you familiar with Smite, it never hurts to get a refresher on the basics of the game as they are what fundamentally shape you as a player. Not only will they affect how you participate in the game, but they will also help you be an asset to your team in your bout for supremacy. Also please keep in mind that, while this is mainly geared towards the Conquest game type, these tips apply just as well to other game modes.

Callouts

Possibly the most common term you will read or hear when playing Smite is a “callout” as it may be said in praise or in vain. Communication with your team is crucial as the jungle is a dangerous place and in a third person perspective, it’s easy to get tunnel vision on your lane. If you have voice comms or the typing skills of a court stenographer, then give a shout out when you see enemies disappear into the fog. If you don’t have the time to access team chat, Smite’s VGS system is there to be your savior. Just spend a minor amount of time familiarizing yourself with the different callouts that you’ll need, and you’ll find your games running a lot smoother.

Being Self-Aware

This is something I struggled with greatly when I started playing the game, growing more and more tilted after each successful enemy gank. It wasn’t until I took a step back and thought about what I could have done to avoid a death that I realized it had less to do with luck than I had originally thought. Knowing where you are is as important as knowing where your enemies are and there is one superbly important tip I can offer to trim down your death count: wards.

Buy wards like they’re going out of stock. Sure, the support is known to be the one responsible for wards, but there is no excuse for any lane not to be buying them as their usefulness is insane. Not only will you know if someone walks through the little patch you’ve set up, but your entire team will as well, which again, is crucial to winning. If you’re still stuck on whether or not to buy wards, think of it like a health pot. You spend 50 gold, and not only does it potentially save you some health when you’re aware of a gank coming your way, but it also helps your teammates in the very same way.

Rotations

If “callout” is the most common term you’ve heard in Smite, then a close second must be the term “rotation”. Rotating to a lane in need can mean the difference between losing a tower and quickly rushing to Fire Giant to strike while the iron's hot. As previously mentioned, it can be easy to get tunnel vision in Smite while pushing your lane and losing track of where the enemies are. If wards aren’t enough to notify your team of a gank and a team fight ensues, it can be difficult to distinguish when to rotate or when to split push, yet this is a lesson well worth learning. It’s a situational call that depends on your role, but more often than not, lending a helping hand can turn the tides of any team fight, be it by sweeping in with a high damage ult or making a big entrance to divert attention. If you master rotations, you’ll be the teammate that everyone loves to have.

Image courtesy of @Iam4Schnitzel

Conclusion

Smite can be a very simple, casual game and it can be an intense onslaught depending on the skill of all the players involved. My best recommendation in making the games more exciting for yourself and your K/D has less to do with which god you pick and more to do with understanding the game mechanics as a whole. Smite’s defining feature as a MOBA is its third person perspective, which makes you look over your shoulder more than any other game like it. Learn the situational awareness skills that are asked of you when playing Smite, and you’ll go far before you even pick your god.

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