Smite features many different game modes with the largest being Conquest. Players can choose between Training (vs AI), Custom, Co-Op (with clan/friends), Normal and Ranked play styles. From there, they can choose between a variety of standard game modes. Special event games with unique rules like unlimited gold are also often introduced. At the beginning of each match, players select a god or other mythological figure to play as. , players can choose between a large variety of characters from different
pantheons including, but not limited to,
Babylonian,
Celtic,
Chinese,
Egyptian,
Greek,
Hindu,
Japanese,
Norse,
Polynesian,
Roman,
Mayan,
Slavic,
Voodoo, and
Yoruba. The characters of
King Arthur's legends (referred to as the Arthurian pantheon in-game) and the
Cthulhu Mythos (referred to as the pantheon of the Great Old Ones) are also considered pantheons in this video game. Each character is classified as one of the following classes: Assassin, Guardian, Hunter, Mage, or Warrior. Unless otherwise stated, two players on the same team cannot choose the same character (in competitive modes and those using a Draft pick method, each player must use a different character).
Conquest Conquest is the default game mode and follows the standard gameplay of MOBA games, being played on a three-lane map based on
Warcraft IIIs Defense of the Ancients map. Two teams of five players begin at opposite sides of the map, at their team's "fountain," and are granted a set amount of gold to buy starting items. There are three continuous "lanes" running from one side of the map to the other, each defended by towers and a "phoenix", both of which deal damage to enemies that come too close. The game is won by killing the opposing team's titan, a giant warrior located in each team's base. To accomplish this, the players must first destroy the towers and phoenixes guarding the enemy base. The player teams are accompanied by "minions", small soldiers with a weak attack, who spawn at the phoenixes every thirty seconds and run along their lane towards the enemy base, attacking not only enemy players and other minions but also towers, phoenixes and the titan. Towers will prioritize targeting enemy minions over players, allowing players to attack a tower without receiving damage, unless the players attack an enemy player within the enemy tower's range. Teams can surrender games at any time after ten minutes, provided at least four players agree. If a player loses connection to the game, two players on either team can choose to pause the game for up to thirty seconds to allow the disconnected player to return. If a team has disconnected players, they can surrender within six minutes and with an adjusted majority requirement.
Slash Slash resembles Conquest, but is played on a map with only two lanes, and teams each have two towers, two phoenixes, and a titan. Each team also has their own jungle, while three contested jungles are located in the center (called "left", "right" and "mid"). Players start at level 3 and the middle jungle gets stronger as the match goes on, eventually spawning the boss Apophis. Additional jungle bosses around the map spawn more powerful minions called siege juggernauts when killed, which can destroy towers and kill players and minions. The name Slash is a portmanteau of the two discontinued game modes that it is based on - Siege and Clash; Slash replaced these modes in 2022.
Joust Joust features two teams of three players and is played on a map with only one lane (and a jungle on either side). Teams have one tower, one phoenix and a titan each. Players also start at level 3, due to the smaller map size and increased focus on combat. There is a jungle boss called Bull Demon King in the side lane that renders the opposing team's tower or phoenix unable to attack enemy minions or players. This boss also provides a team buff that gives both health and mana regeneration.
Assault Assault is similar to Joust, being played on a one-lane map, but players are unable to choose their god, instead being assigned a random one at the start of the match. It is played on a one-lane map with two teams of five; teams have two towers, one phoenix, and a titan each. There are no jungle camps and the only goal is to push the minion waves forwards and destroy all of the enemy structures, with the game ending at the death of a Titan. Additionally, once a player has left the fountain, they cannot buy items until they die, and they cannot return to their base to regenerate their health.
Arena Arena has two teams of five players face each other in an open arena without towers or Titans. Instead, each team has a portal they must defend and a stream of minions that march towards the enemy's portal. Each team starts with a stock of five hundred points, and the game is won by reducing enemy team's point total to zero. One point is deducted from the enemy team each time one of their minions die or when an enemy minion enters their portal, and five points are deducted per death of a god. Teams can also spawn minotaurs after collectively killing ten enemy gods, which deduct fifteen points from the enemy team upon reaching their portal. There are three jungle camps on each side of the map (left and right) that drop player buffs when slain. At the start of the match, a Rogue’s Stash will spawn near a random jungle camp that awards a set amount of gold and spawns a computer-controlled "Cyclops Rogue" monster. Passive gold income is greatly increased for this game mode and the spawn timers are greatly decreased. Each god starts at level three, has more starting gold than other game modes, and gains experience passively.
List of gods Eset was originally called by one of her alternative names, Isis, but this was changed to avoid association with the extremist group
Islamic State.
Matchmaking The matchmaking system uses a modified version of the
TrueSkill ranking system. Originally, most modes operated on queues with three-minute matchmaking timers; every three minutes, matches would be made from the group of people in queue at that time. In late 2014, this system was replaced with a more common strategy that looks for an optimal match instead of just the best match-ups at the present time. In this system, if it takes five minutes or more to match a player, the game will gradually lower its requirements until a match is found. In 2018, the system was modified to have different time requirements for different modes. The system will prioritize the player's general performance over their account level. In Ranked Leagues, players are matched by a variation of
Elo, a system that rates individual skill of each player based on wins and losses. While the Elo ranking is per-individual, the matchmaking system's goal is to create matches with each team having a similar total Elo ranking, potentially leading to individual disparity within or between teams. Ranked mode is available for Conquest and Joust. In addition to the matchmaking mechanics, Smite features a structured ranking system in its Ranked Leagues, with specific entry requirements and rules. Players must be Level 30, own a minimum of 20 gods at Mastery Level 2 or higher, and have played at least 30 Normal (PvP) Conquest matches. The ranks progress from Bronze to Grandmaster, each divided into five sub-tiers (I-V), denoted by Roman numerals. Ranked matches use a 10 ban draft pick system. Players earn Tribute Points (TP) from ranked wins, needing over 100 TP to advance through each sub-tier. Players new to Ranked start in Bronze 3 with 1500 MMR. Losing games at 0 TP may result in demotion. == Release ==