Hello again, Constant Reader, and welcome to the first in a five part series of how to survive in one of the biggest MOBAs out there these days, SMITE. In particular, the series will cover the very basics of keeping your head above the water in SMITE's competitive game mode Conquest. This guide will help you keep pace with foes ranging from conventional to the oddballs you'll encounter, so pay attention. Here we go!
1. Choose A Warrior or a Guardian! Now, a lot of the more seasoned players might be grumbling about picks like Ravana or Hades in this lane, but in the current state of the game, you're more likely to encounter solid counters for assassins or mages in the Solo lane. The win starts at the pick phase of the game, so you're going to want to aim at a god with solid sustain and defenses, as well as a powerful wave clearing capability to shove the minion waves out.
Almost every warrior is a decent pick in the Solo lane, but you have some choices that are head an shoulders above others in their current state. King Arthur, Cu Chulain, and Chaac are all solidly built and easy to play. You'll want to stick to a basic build for them, focusing more on defenses with Arthur and Cu Chulain than with Chaac, but it is more about how you play than how you build in the Solo lane. Though counter-building is always key to winning any lane, it won't matter if you're shutting Arthur's build down if he's still piecing you up regardless.
Guardians are just as viable in the Solo role, especially Cerberus and Ymir, who both bring high damage potential and a healthy amount of crowd control((CC)) to the fight. Cerberus is arguably the strongest Guardian in the Solo position at the moment, at least in casual matches of Conquest, as his passive is a direct counter to other Solos. King Arthur relies on an item called Gladiator's Shield, which heals him every time his abilities do damage. Cherberus' passive is a direct solution for facing a King Arthur, as it allows you to basically negate his healing and steal a percentage of what's left for yourself. This can cripple King Arthur, as he is good at outlasting his foes through item healing.
Ymir's damage potential is devastating, utilizing his passive to deal more damage after hitting an enemy with one of your Crowd Control abilities. Coupled with a relatively easy stun, he is an excellent choice for a budding Solo who is trying to bring a meatier option to that lane. He sacrifices mobility for raw damage and great opportunity for bursts of life steal and damage off a Polynomicon buy early on. Be sure to read passive abilities on both gods and the items you build. Sometimes, a clever combination of small effects can spell a victory all on it's own.
2. Choose Your Relic Wisely! Namely, you're going to want a Teleport Glyph. It's how the tanky Solo laners find their way to the middle lane for that sweet gank. If your lane starts getting pressured, you just teleport back to protect and clear the wave. A couple wards can complete a solid high pressure approach to your usually tedious lane. Advancing teleport isn't an urgent need early, but it can help set up creative ganks in the early and mid game.
Another worthy choice is a purification bead. This one is more about escaping particular gods' nasty CC chains. If you are afraid that you'll be bullied by a god's crowd control effects, you can buy the Purification Beads and they will help you avoid some of the worst situations that CC can put you into. I would only buy a choice like this against a Tyr or Achilles, as their ability kits allow them to CC you into your direct demise.
The last healthy option in this lane is a Horrific Emblem. While it affords little in the way of escape or mobility, it is a hyper aggressive option that can often leave your opponent dead when they might otherwise have survived a boxing match. It doesn't really need to be upgraded until later in the match, but upgrading it against a low mana opponent can start a downward spiral that is difficult to pull out of. You may wish to rely on Teleport Glyph until you really understand how your character works in the lane.
3. Don't Ignore Your Buffs! Alright, so there's less to this one. No less important, though. You should always be wary of how long before your buff wears off and how long before the camp spawns. If you can successfully maintain your Blue Buff throughout the fight, you'll struggle less for mana and be able to stay in longer.
Your Totem of Ku buff is also important. Located just outside your lane at the midpoint, the Totem of Ku holds arguably the strongest non-objective camp buff in the game. You team will thank you for staying on top of the camp, as it awards a global buff. You should take care not to get jumped at the Totem, but it is well worth the time every minute or so to go battle it out with the enemy Solo laner for the buff it grants. Entering a tower refreshes the buff from the Totem as long as you control it, with a ring of light around your tower indicating that you still control the buff camp.
4. Keep Your Build Simple and Functional! This is one of the things that I frequently have to tell my SMITE students, because the temptation to experiment with new builds is great. Yes, you'll want to try new things to see how they work out. If your enemy is relying on their time tested best, however, you're likely to find yourself on the wrong end of a fierce beating. Knowing what to build and when each item should be prioritized can make the biggest difference for you in lane over pretty much any other factor.
As a warrior, you'll most likely want to buy your warrior blessing and the first piece of an item called Gladiator's Shield. This item has seen a lot of play, especially on ability heavy gods like King Arthur or Hercules. It's good for sustaining yourself while maintaining aggression against your opponent. On most gods, it isn't enough to sustain into the late game, so you may want to sell it for a more reliable form of healing or life steal when it starts to fall off.
The basic Warrior build I recommend to all new players goes as follows: Warrior Blessing, Warrior Tabi, Breastplate of Valor, Bulwark of Hope, Jotun's Wrath, then finish it however you like. The core four pieces of the build grant you great protections against both types of damage and it also maximizes your cooldown reduction, or CDR. As warriors struggle for mana, this build also helps by adding a hefty pool of mana and quite a bit of MP5. It even offers you some penetration for your opponents physical defenses, which can help you force a defensive purchase out of the enemy Solo laner. The Bulwark is nice for surviving on a sliver of health, but if you find you need the antiheal, you can replace it with the item Pestilence, which offers slightly more defense against magic and reduces your enemy's healing in a radius around you.
Guardians are a little different, as they struggle for both mana and keeping their abilities off cool down. As such, the general build looks about the same, but with some clear changes. Guardian's Blessing, Shoes of the Magi, Breastplate of Valor, Chronus Pendant, and Talisman of Energy make up the core of my Guardian build. The Shoes of the Magi offer some much needed mobility and penetration for your early damage, as most gods start with around thirty magical protections. The Breastplate of Valor serves the same purpose on both classes, as they both struggle for everything it offers. Chronus Pendant is useful because it finishes off your CDR, bringing it to the maximum of forty percent, and it offers a potent passive ability that allows you to reduce your cool downs even further. Talisman of Energy offers the most reasonable amount of health and magic protections while also granting you another potent passive that can be utilized to maintain your hold over the lane.
Utilizing your blessings is another big part of outlasting your opponents and keeping up the ever coveted pressure on your lane. Warrior's blessing grants you health and mana when you successfully strike an enemy god, while Guardian's Blessing offers sustain through assists on minions and frees you up to attack the enemy god with more confidence early on. Since both give you some degree of sustainability, you can use either of them to recuperate from a rough fight while waiting under your tower. Knowing when to back off is just as important as knowing when to commit to a fight.
5. Be Patient and Watch Your Back! As the designated lone wolf of the laning phase of the game, you should be careful to avoid taking too many risks. Each time you take the Totem of Ku, the enemy Solo is going to prioritize it further the next time. If you apply too much pressure, you'll start seeing the enemy Jungler coming out of the woodwork to slap you down. This can be avoided by a few wise ward placements.
Visibility is never a waste of gold, no matter what some folks might believe. If you take the extra one hundred gold pieces to buy a couple wards here and there, you'll be able to watch your back and free your own Jungler up to worry about the weaker lanes. Ganking is going to happen, so be prepared and stay vigilant. Your Jungler will thank you, too, as visibility helps them track their counterpart.
On the subject of helping your Jungler, collecting your own blue buff can really help them, as it frees them up to rotate more toward the action. If you find yourself being babysat by the enemy Jungler, try to keep your cool. You're natural response will probably be to call for help from your Jungler, but you should try to keep their job in mind as well. If you can bait out the enemy Jungler and hold him in your lane by playing defense, you effectively give your Jungler the freedom to gank anyone with impunity. If you can see the Jungler in your lane, they clearly cannot be in the Mid or the Duo lanes, nor can they be running wild in the jungle.
Another important thing to note is that XP is divided between the gods in radius of the minion or god killed. If the enemy team is making frequent rotations into your lane, and you are alone, they will eventually start to suffer from a lack of XP. Since you're by yourself, you won't have to worry about that issue. Stalling out an XP lead is easier for characters with the Guardian's Blessing, since it gives you gold off assists even if the tower has hit an enemy. That means you can let your tower do the lifting if you need to.
Alright, so there you have it. My attempt at giving new players some tips on how to not get pinged straight to an uninstall on SMITE as the Solo lane. Try to keep your head in the game and you should be fine. Even if your team is hating on you for reasons that are out of your control or for mistakes you might have made, don't take it to heart. Often, they are just projecting their disappointment with themselves onto you. Unfortunately, toxicity is a problem in MOBAs and competitive gaming altogether. Try to rise above, stick to the basics, and help you team as much as you can. I have faith in you, Constant Reader. Until next time, good luck, have fun, and always remember that you rock.
-Ben
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