Harassment, toxicity, ‘salt’ – there are a lot of names for it. Most of us get frustrated when things do not go our way. Maybe your Jungler was ganking a different lane instead of helping you. Or your Support was helping another teammate instead of staying in Duo lane to protect you. Mistakes happen, and unfortunately some mistakes can cost you a death, whereas others could cost you the entire game. But a loss is not the end of the world! This guide will help you deal with the issues of harassment, if you are feeling harassed by others or if you are harassing others yourself when you are caught-up in the moment.

Harassment

Harassment has a broad definition, and many things can be seen as harassment. The general definition is ‘repeated or persistent actions made against an individual with the intention to cause distress or harm’. This can include swearing, slurs (for example racial slurs), insults and more.

In Smite, harassment is a reportable offence. No one is exempt from this ruling, including Professional eSports Players. If you harass other players in game, your account can be banned for varying lengths of time, from 3 days up to a year! In extreme cases, such as death threats, accounts will be banned permanently. To see Hi-Rez’s policy on bans and suspensions, click here.

Source: Hel, Goddess of the Underworld - Wallpaper HD by Getsukeii on DeviantArt
Don't let your dark side come out!

I am being harassed by others

- Do not respond

The simplest piece of advice in this article is to ignore the harassment. You can do this by simply not responding to the person harassing you. They’ll realise that they are not provoking any response, and are likely to get bored and stop. As tempting as it is to respond and defend yourself, this only encourages the person to continue, as they are clearly upsetting or annoying you!

- Mute

If an individual does not stop harassing you, and you're finding it hard to ignore them, Smite has a ‘Mute’ feature in game. Open the score screen in game by holding ‘Tab’, and click the mute button next to their name (it is an icon of a speaker). Unfortunately, if you mute someone in game, this restricts all conversation, including VGS commands. You might miss out on some key details, such as enemy rotations, but you will no longer be able to see messages from that player for the rest of this match. Chances are, if they were harassing you, that they were not calling many enemy rotations or benefitting your gameplay with VGS commands, anyway!

When you press and told the 'Tab' button, this menu will appear. Simply click the speaker symbol next to the person you wish to mute on either team to mute them.

Upon a successful mute, a cross symbol will appear next to the speaker, indicating a successful mute. Here, I have succesfully muted the enemy Artemis, however muting works on players of either team.

- Report and block

If you feel it is necessary, you can report the player for harassment at the end of the game. Ensure that you leave a detailed message explaining what occurred, so that Hi-Rez staff can analyse the situation and take appropriate action against the player. You can also block the player, preventing them from sending you any further messages or invites in Smite. In some cases, players might use extreme language and threats against you. It might be necessary to report them through the Hi-Rez support website. You can attach images to reports here, providing evidence of the language used, a feature that cannot be used in-game. Hi-Rez takes harassment very seriously, with a variety of punishments, mentionned prevously.

In patch 3.7 (The Grim Weaver), Hi-Rez added a feature showing you if action was taken against an account you have reported. This is helpful, as many players believe that reporting another player has no effect on them.

­- Do not disturb

If a player is harassing you by directly messaging you, enter Do Not Disturb mode by entering ‘/dnd’ in chat. This prevents any players from sending you any messages, and is helpful if a player is directly messaging you to harass you.

I’m feeling salty

- Keep it to yourself!

‘If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all’. This old proverb is extremely relevant here. Putting down an ally for a mistake they made or their play-style will not help you win. It is more likely to discourage the ally from helping you, because you have harassed them. They are also likely to perform worse, as by being put down they are more likely to have a negative mind-set towards the current game and put less effort in.

- Stop

A tactic I use (in Ranked games) is play until you lose. Personally, I get more wound up, the more games I lose. After losing a game, you’ll be more determined to win. This can boost your performance, but often has a negative effect, as you want to regain the TP you have lost. Why not step away from Ranked, and play with someone on your friends list. Try a fun, upbeat mode to get you back in the mood, such as Arena or Match of the Day. Alternatively, take a short break from Smite – listen to some music, watch a stream, make some food or a drink, go and pee (you’ll be thankful 5 minutes into your next game…). When you return, you will not only feel calmer, but will also feel refreshed and ready to win!

Source: SMITE - ...Let It Go? by Dante-Aran on DeviantArt
Take Ymir's advice...

Remember, Smite is intended to be a fun game, and harassment can ruin the whole game for your entire team.

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