As mentioned in the previous article, From Casuals to Ranked - A Smite Guide, we are going to take an in-depth view into this particular subject. Please bear in mind that this article only applies to Ranked Conquest, because Joust only has one lane. In competitive games, rotations are crucial for winning (or losing, if not done properly).

To understand these mechanics, it’s crucial to first know about the three stages of a particular match: Early, Mid and Late Game.

Early game is usually the laning phase, where opponents stay in their lane and farm with minions, kills and assists until approximately level 10, when you have about 2 or 3 items and people start rotating and moving into Mid game. In the early stages, rotations and pressure can be key to shut down a player or a lane, while also getting an advantage in gold and experience for your team and start with some dominance over the enemy.

Mid game is where people are aggressive and rotate from one lane to another, getting kills and shutting down players. By that moment, you try to get individual kills by ganks, and farm around the map, leaving your lane unprotected for certain amount of time, but always getting back to it after one or two kills or getting an objective.

The final stage of the game is Late game, when players have full (or almost full) build, and it’s TEAMFIGHT, TEAMFIGHT and TEAMFIGHT! Here is where the team goes around together and engages in 5v5 fights.

I’m going to explain the different types of rotation for each specific role, and throughout the stages of the match.

Rotations for Mid

As a Mid laner you have a special place in a match, because you are literally in the middle of the map (“you don’t say!”). This can give you the chance to rotate to duo or solo and to put pressure on your opponents. This can either be a curse or a blessing, because it also gives the enemies an opportunity to gank you, whether it be the jungler, solo, or support, so you need to be very careful with your positioning, wards, and enemy rotations!

The idea as a mid laner is to out-clear (dealing with minions faster) your opponent and poke him enough to make him back to the base. Once you do this, you have the time to rotate to another lane or to take advantage in experience and gold by out-farming him in the lane or the jungle. When an opponent goes back to base, you have enough time to gank another lane, and probably get a kill or an assist, get some farm in the jungle, or go for an objective. You can only do one of these things, because due to the proximity of the lane, your opponent can return relatively quickly to it. Of all three lanes, you have the least amount of time between the backing of an opponent and his return, so use your time wisely.

You will see that the main difference between the solo lane rotation vs the mid lane rotation is that the jungler will be most likely able to defend your lane while you are away or that you can group up with your jungler to have a great gank.

Rotations for Solo

The solo lane position is probably the most 1v1 role in the game, where the idea is to push your opponent and get them to go back. If you can poke your enemy to the point where he/she has to retreat, you can get an advantage in experience and the chance to rotate to mid lane, where a kill or an assist can significantly improve your chances to beat your lane opponent.

Take into account that this role usually gets a Teleport relic, so you need to do this twice to really make your opponent lose some farm or at least take some time to return to the lane. This is not the only use for the Teleport relic, you can also use it to go into different lanes to defend the lane, help get an objective, or simply join a teamfight.

Once you can get the first tower or a solid advantage over the other player, you can start rotating freely, and this can create a great impact in a teamfight or in a gank. Why? Because the solo laner can peel a lot of damage for the carries, and also because a warrior can do much more damage than a support, so this can greatly increase the chance for a successful kill.

Rotations for Duo

Rotating in duo can be probably the trickiest type of rotations, because you have to take into account the other two players, and not only one, like in the other roles, and each role of the duo (ADC and Support) have a different type of rotation.

First, I’ll start with the Support rotation. In the early stages, you can rotate when you feel that your ADC can clear the wave by himself with no problem, or when you see the other support rotating. You would preferably let your ADC farm by himself, while the other support is still in the lane, this is because the experience and gold are not split and your ADC will get an advantage over the opposing ADC. Remember that any level or item difference can be decisive in a 1v1 fight, so go and get this advantage over him.

Now, the ADC rotation. This role does not rotate that much. It usually waits until late game, where he/she has full build, and then starts with the role of hypercarry, where the mere presence of the ADC can win or lose a teamfight. Take into account that in the late stages of the game, the ADC does a great amount of damage, so it’s crucial for you to help your teammates in a teamfight or to split push while the other team is busy in order to get a solid advantage in gold and map pressure.

This is not mandatory. You have a whole map full of jungle monsters and enemies, so the rotations can vary from one game to another. For example, you can find yourself being the main target for the jungler, limiting your capacity of rotation, or you can snowball and start gong around the map. The idea is that you can get comfortable and complete your objectives accordingly to the role you have and the context of each match.

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