Warding

There are two types of wards in the game of Smite. In this article, I am going to break down the two types of wards and try to help further your understanding of when and where to use these wards. Because in the end the ward is essential to the game and understanding when to use them can be the difference between winning and losing.

Sentry Ward

The Sentry Ward is special in that it can detect other wards near it. This is vital because this allows you to deward the enemy. Destroying an enemy ward gives you gold (50) and removes the vision of the enemy team within the jungle. The Sentry Ward itself costs 120 gold. It allows you to detect enemy movement within 45 units but can’t see through a wall as it does respect line of sight. Like all wards, it lasts for three minutes unless destroyed by an enemy and you can only carry one of these wards at a time.

Normal Ward

The Normal Ward costs 50 gold. Much like the Sentry Ward, it detects enemy movement within 45 units, also respecting line of sight so it does not see through walls. This ward also lasts for three minutes unless destroyed by an enemy ward. However, this ward cannot detect the presence of an enemy ward. So this ward is more susceptible to being found and destroyed. However, you can carry two of these wards and time so you can place them and get more vision, even if it is under greater risk of being destroyed.

Chalice of the Oracle

Lastly, in terms of purchasable wards, there is the Chalice of the Oracle. This Chalice costs 400 gold and gives you two normal wards to be dropped anywhere on the map, with all the same rules applying as the wards above. The unique thing about this is that it takes up a consumable spot so, unless you sell it, you will only have one spot for potions or anything extra. The reason it does this is because, if you return to the fountain with an empty Chalice, it will be refilled for free with two more wards ready to go. If you do decide to get rid of this Chalice, it sells back for 0 gold.

4 Essential Ward Spots

There are four very basic spots that are key in each Conquest game for both teams.

In a Path Chokepoint:

Between each lane, there are paths that go through the jungle. These paths share similar chokepoints that anyone who is walking in between may walk over, making this a key spot to ward. Putting a ward here can detect an enemy jungler on his way to gank you or the enemy team rotating to a single lane for a teamfight. The example spot used is near the Duo Lane but remember you can place a ward at any chokepoint and earn your team extra vision like the entry to the jungle in the Mid Lane or Solo Lane.

A Jungle Camp:

Here is another example of a very important place to keep track of during the game of Conquest. Placing a ward on your buff can be safe because it will confirm when your enemy is on your buff for sure. Sometimes a ward in a chokepoint gives you an idea of where they're headed, but a ward directly on the spot will show you if an enemy pops up anywhere within the camp. This ward can also be key if you have lost the timers on your buff, because it will show you the cooldown until the camp respawns, allowing you the time you need to hopefully defend that next spawn.

Gold Fury Pit:

The next big spot would be the Gold Fury Pit, as there are two major objectives that can impact a game the most. The Gold Fury Pit is now even more crucial because of the different forms that it can take to provide even more for your team than just a little kick in gold from the standard version. If you don't have the money for the extra ward here or if you are prioritizing different places on the map, don't forget you can kill the two oracles in the camp next to the Gold Fury Pit for what amounts to a free ward. Sentry Wards become even more important here, as vision over these pits can be the difference maker in when to start a teamfight, so de-warding the enemy team is very important.

Fire Pit:

As you read these spots, you had to see this coming as the last and possible one of the most important places to ward once you start grouping for teamfights. The Fire Giant is essential these days to getting that extra buff your team needs to help close out the game and take that victory. A proper ward in this position can cover not only the Fire Giant but the Pyromancer as well and both of these objectives can do a lot for the team late game. Again, in this spot, I would recommend a Sentry Ward as making sure your enemy has less vision of the Fire Giant Pit so that you can possibly try and start the teamfight on your terms.

I only highlighted four spots to get you started but around each of these spots, you can start dropping even more wards as a team to really help push your vision and make it so you have full control of whatever the team is after. Losing experience in a team game like Smite is the difference between winning and losing. So you may think you can’t afford a ward or don’t need them but as you reach the higher levels of either ranked or competitive being able to see where you enemy is and what they are after is how you can decide to figure out the best method of attack.

As explained, warding can be difficult because of the situations changing drastically every time. But if you always keep a couple wards with you and use the chokepoints as a basic rule of thumb, you should be in a decent situation. Lastly, if you see your wards getting destroyed too quickly drop a Sentry and get that gold. In all, these are just some of the basics about warding. When it comes to understanding your options as well as what your team needs vision of in every game situation, that will come with more experience so all you can do is keep clicking that play button!

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