If you're an avid viewer of the Smite Pro League, then you should be aware of the importance placed on securing objectives. Chances are you've witnessed two teams dance around the Fire Giant in the late game because of how crucial the buff is for closing out a match. Learning that objectives are the key to winning games is certainly a step forward that will massively improve any player. In this article we're going to look at the various objectives you can take, as well as how and when to take them. Some of them are simple, while some require a little more thought.

Before we start, we need to clarify the objectives you can obtain in a normal conquest game. Below is a list of all the objectives available for the taking.

• Tier 1 Towers
• Tier 2 Towers
• Phoenixes
• Gold Fury
• Fire Giant

We're leaving out all the jungle camps since their ability to push a lead is not as great as the objectives above. That said, it is important to clear as many camps as possible throughout the entire match. Back to the list above, it's important to know just how much your team benefits from taking these objectives. It should be noted that each player on your team receives the gold and experience from taking an objective, regardless of what they were doing at the time. Each objective offers a different amount of gold and experience, so below I've highlighted the rewards for completing the objectives above.

• Tier 1 Tower - 100 Gold and 100 Experience
• Tier 2 Tower - 300 Gold and 200 Experience
• Phoenixes - 150 Gold and 0 Experience
• Gold Fury - 150 Gold (+10 per minute up to 350) and 100 Experience (+10 per minute up to 250)
• Fire Giant - 150 Gold and 200 Experience as well as the Fire Giant buff.

As you can see, the rewards for all the objectives are large and certainly more important than kills. Often you see teams falling behind in kills, but their control over objectives often nets them the victory late game. That's why it's important to take objective whenever you can, and now we're going to look at how and when to do so.

Structures:

When talking about structures, we're looking at Towers and Phoenixes. As far as a normal game of conquest goes, destroying these is the normal way of winning a game. There's no direct strategy for taking Towers, with most structures being taken naturally throughout the game. That being said there are some characters that excel at taking towers without the need of their team. This strategy, love it or hate it, is split pushing and is often seen in competitive games.

Some of the best split pushers you can use.

Gold Fury:

The Gold Fury is quite possibly the most fought over objective in Smite. In a regular game this giant, golden harpy is taken down much more often than the Fire Giant since it can be completed far earlier in the game, and by far fewer people. However, it's also the most stolen objective, often being taken by an enemy's ultimate or a single well-timed ability. We're going to look at the best times to take this objective as well as some advice to minimise the chance of it being stolen.

Their team is dead:

This one is obvious. You've won a teamfight and the entire enemy team is dead for a decent amount of time. Here you can look for the Fire Giant or the Gold Fury depending on the situation. This is the best time to take a Gold Fury, but it's also the least common.

There was a heavy rotation to solo:

If the enemy team has made a big rotation to kill your solo laner, it leaves the Gold Fury side of the map completely open. If you think you can take it down quick enough, attempting the Gold Fury at this time may be worthwhile since the enemy team will take a long time to rotate back to defend.

You can secure it easily:

Certain Gods have strong burst abilities that can be used to secure Gold Furies easily. If this is the case for your team, going for the gold fury at any time is viable providing these ultimates are up. It's often a good idea to attack the Gold Fury when these ultimates are available and the enemy team has no ward coverage.

Gods with high burst damage.

Fire Giant:

The Fire Giant is by far the most important buff on the map. Securing it is far trickier then the Gold Fury since the entire team is often needed to take it down. It's also important to note the Fire Giants attack chain. Maximum DPS is required to take this Giant down quickly and getting knocked up by his attacks makes the whole attempt more vulnerable to being stolen. Now we can look at the best times to take Fire Giant. It should be said that the Gods pictured above are also useful for securing the Fire Giant due to their ultimates.

The opposing team are defending their Titan:

Let's imagine your team has sieged a Phoenix and fire minions are pouring into the base. This is a perfect time to take Fire, since members of the enemy team have to defend or risk losing the game to the minions. This should lead to a Fire Giant that is pretty much uncontested. Even when the enemy team comes to defend, you are often going to be in the better position to turn and fight.

There's no ward coverage from the enemy:

It's possible to "sneak" a Fire Giant by taking it quickly without the enemy team knowing. This can be very effective when the enemy team is spread out, but should only be done when you know where each enemy is. Trying to take objectives like this is risky, but can be worthwhile. However, this method should be avoided if the enemy team has global ultimates they can use.

Gods with global ults you need to be aware of.

Your team is much further ahead:

When your team has more items and more levels, taking Fire Giant is a good way to push your lead further. It's very hard for the enemy team to contest it and risk dying in a teamfight if they do. Whenever you're ahead and looking to close out a game, securing Fire is the best way to end a game quickly.

Hopefully the tips above will help in securing objectives and maybe you'll lose fewer Fire Giants due to a bad call. However, one thing to note is that everyone following a bad call is often the best call. If everyone goes to the Gold Fury at a time you think is incorrect, go with them. Don't refuse to help because that increases the chances of it getting stolen. Despite everything, remember you're playing as a team and you need to help even when you think they're in the wrong. Keeping this in mind, don't be afraid to look for those key objectives, since taking them will surely boost your win rate.

Get your own AKRacing Chair here and support our players, all profit goes towards the teams!