So, in my last article, I covered the characteristics of Smite’s early game gods. Today I'll be discussing late game gods, which are a bit more complex and will require a little more explaining, so let’s jump right in!

High Scaling

As I’ve already discussed, one of the things that separates early and late game characters is the balance of base damage and scaling. Base damage, as you’ll recall, is the static amount of damage that an ability does no matter your Power, while scaling is the percentage amount of your Power (from items, abilities, and passives) that is applied to an ability’s damage. Characters with high base damage tend to perform well in the early game, but “fall off” late in the game. The reverse is also true: characters with low base damage but high scaling, if they can survive a weak early game, can become late-game powerhouses. Take for example the Horror of the Deep, Scylla: her second ability, Crush, deals 310 damage at rank 5. This isn’t really particularly strong by base damage standards; not bad, certainly, but not spectacular. However, this is also coupled with 80% scaling*; considering that a late game Scylla is going to have well over 800 Power, this mean that the ability will be dealing closer to 1000 damage in a late game scenario. Not all mages with high scaling abilities are necessarily considered late game characters, but these abilities will get more powerful as the game goes on, and should be used accordingly.

*Something I failed to mention in my last article is that Physical and Magical Power values are extremely different; a well-scaling Physical Power ability does not necessarily share the same percentage numbers as a well-scaling Magical Power ability.

Item Dependency

Of course, as you’ve probably already noticed, this idea of late game dominance through increased scaling is heavily dependent on the acquisition of items. This means that the power level of a late game character isn’t measured strictly in minutes or levels; it’s more accurately measured by how far through their build they are. Power-heavy items like Rod of Tahuti or Spear of Desolation represent a bigger impact on the character than their current level or the number on the game clock. This dependency on items isn’t necessarily just true of Power, either; some characters require specific items in order to be effective, whether that means upping their healing output with a Rod of Asclepius or enabling crit rampages with Wind Demon. Try looking at the commonly accepted builds for some late game characters (listed at the bottom of this article) and identifying the ways in which those builds make up for those characters’ weaknesses or struggles.

Basic Attacks

So far, I’ve talked mostly about high scaling and item dependency as they refer to mages, and mage abilities. That’s because there’s another, slightly more complicated kind of scaling and item dependency: the kind that applies to Basic Attacks. You’re probably already familiar with the standard role of the Hunter in Smite: to farm up in lane and be a highly damaging force in the mid to late game. This is because most hunters have strong ranged basic attacks, as well as in-kit abilities that enhance the strength or potency of those basic attacks. Hunters scale towards the late game in the same overall style as some others, but instead of increasing the power of abilities, their goal is to throw out more basic attacks, and deal increased damage with them. The ranged nature of Hunters also allows them to pick up high-power items like Qin’s Sais to shred through the enemy team’s frontline from a distance. Also, many Hunter players choose to stack Critical Hit Chance, which gives basic attacks a random chance to deal bonus damage. All of these factors (attack speed, bonus damage, crit…) all take multiple items and significant amounts of gold to be truly effective, however, which is why Hunters are so often assigned to the position in the duo lane and left alone to farm for much of the game.

Late Game Teamfight Utility

In addition to all this talk of numbers, percentages, and items, it’s also worth remembering that some gods gain a late game advantage by simply having abilities that are more valuable in a team setting. In the early stages of the game, Aphrodite’s healing basically just amounts to a tool for living through the lane, and not much else; as the game progresses later, and she begins to fight with her team, that healing can be applied to an ADC or other carry to give them absurd amounts of sustain, and allow them to play aggressively and tear through teamfights. It’s not that her healing has any particularly incredible item benefits (although those certainly help), it’s just that the ability becomes more valuable when used in connection with the team. This is also true of some other characters that I haven’t listed below, because they are fairly effective in all stages of the game: Khepri’s revive is more useful when preventing a 70-second respawn, as opposed to a 10-second timer. Any character with a high-damage area of effect ability like Vulcan, Poseidon, or Isis will be able to make better use of it when all five enemy players are near each other. Janus’ ultimate, while useful for damage, gains another purpose as full-team fast transportation late in the game. This doesn’t necessarily make any of these characters “Late Game Gods” but it does mean that you should pay attention to your ability usage and how it changes as the game goes on.

Summary

Characters with high scaling transition into the late game better than characters with low scaling, although they are dependent on items to do it. Characters focused on basic attack also usually have a strong late phase, although they also need items to up their attack speed and provide attack bonuses and crit. In a third category, we have gods who perform well into late game because they have abilities that influence the game more at that stage. With all that said, here’s a list of some of the more commonly recognized late game gods, and a brief description of each (remember, the meta is always changing):

 Ah Muzen Cab: Like many hunters, Ah Muzen Cab has strong basic attacks and weak early game, but he struggles more than most in lane because of his lack of escapes and CC, making him a prime target for ganks and harassment. When late game arrives, however, he is able to shelter himself behind a strong frontline and dish out heavy damage from a build packed full of luxury items.

Aphrodite: As stated above.

 Apollo: Apollo has the same late game power spike as most other hunters, but he also has one particularly nasty trait to be aware of in the late game: Apollo is the premier Split Pusher in Smite, and can wreak havoc on undamaged turrets and phoenixes if left alone. When playing against a late game Apollo, ward carefully and try and have someone with an active Teleport.

 Artemis: Like Ah Muzen Cab, Artemis’ laning phase is absolutely miserable, but her late game presence is arguably even stronger. Her natural crits from her passive become even more impactful, her early mana consumption becomes a non-issue, her 2 is one of the best attack speed steroids in the game, and her ultimate is particularly effective in teamfights.

 Chronos: Chronos is something of an oddity in Smite: a mage designed around basic attacks. This makes him subject to all the conditions we've talked about regarding basic attacks, and a few of the ones about high scaling mages.

 Freya: Like Chronos, Freya is a magical basic attacker, and like physical basic attackers, requires several important items before she can shred through targets. With six slots full, however, she can ravage an enemy team like no other god in Smite.

 Hel: Like Aphrodite, Hel’s healing is much more valuable when it can be applied to targets like carries or frontliners, allowing them to stay in the fight longer than their counterparts. Hel also becomes exponentially more useful in a siege situation: whereas normally, the defenders would have the advantage because of tower/titan/phoenix damage, a team featuring Hel can dive in, poke down the defenders, and heal up the resulting damage just by grouping up for a second or two.

 Kali: The queen of the late game basic attackers, Kali’s passive and ultimate give her the (theoretical) ability to take on an entire team alone, and win. Both the passive and ultimate, however, assume that Kali will be able to deal a large amount of damage in a short amount of time; something she can only do with significant amounts of attack speed and penetration online.

 Loki: In many respects, Loki actually gets worse as the game goes on; that being said, he’s also an excellent split pusher due to his decoy and stealth. Always watch your back – and your towers – against a late game Loki.

 Mercury: Mercury is another late game basic attacker, although more focused on burst and game-changing crits than attack speed. His damage at full build has earned him the nickname One Punch Man.

 Rama: Another strong basic attacker in the same vein as Artemis. His long-range sniping ultimate and powerful Pick Me Up puts him in a class above many of his fellow hunters.

 Scylla: As discussed above, Scylla has absurdly high scaling and an ultimate that might as well be named the Pentakill Generator. In addition, her passive gives extra Magical Power and utility for each ability leveled to maximum rank.

 Xbalanque: Xbalanque’s 1 acts as another powerful basic attack steroid, and his ability to stall out a teamfight with Darkest of Nights becomes invaluable in the late game. In addition, a longer game gives Xbalanque more time to stack his passive, which grants additional power for each enemy killed.

That’s a quick (or not so quick) guide to what makes a character in Smite transition well into the late game, and who the best of the late game characters are. Let me know if I missed anything! Happy Smiting!

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