Season 7 is upon us, friends, and with it come some very big changes to SMITE as a game over all. It's going to take some time to get used to the new maps and meta. I've done some of that leg work for you, with a few dozen matches since the season started so far. There are a lot of big switch ups and a few that are more minor. Here's a simple list that can help you transition into the new season.
The Invade Meta is Dying
Yes, we all know how brutal last season was in terms of invasion at the start of the game in conquest. The new map has something to do with it, but there have been several other tweaks to the game over all. The largest changes were to the jungle layout in conquest, with new camps creating increased farm potential and a few walls making certain routes no longer viable, or possible at all.
If you find yourself facing the old invade meta, you should get into the habit of buying a Hand of the Gods consumable, which has been added back to the game as a one use item that deals 150 true damage to allied camps. This can ensure that any invading gods will have their attempt thwarted by a swift input. That fist will thump down and do a solid chunk to the camp, likely confirming your XP and gold and allowing you to escape.
You should be wary of the red buff camp getting invaded at the start of the game. With the inclusion of vision stones, you can easily ward the camp to keep an eye on any invaders. This is a solid strategy to thwart the newly emerging strategy, which should deter others from doing it in the future.
A Lot of Gods Have Seen Changes
Bastet probably deserves the biggest mention here. With a full rework on her ultimate, and a change to every ability in her kit, she's seeing a lot more play than the previous season. She was very low tier last season, boasting only a one trick ultimate strategy and a high escape capability. This has changed, with her damage potential reaching into the thousand plus range on two of her three abilities in the right situations.
Odin has seen a complete rework. While he saw a decent bit of play in the tank meta, he was outplayed by most other gods with similar kits and stats. After a the rework, his spin is now a spear charge. His damage potential has multiplied, making him one of the more powerful gods in the cast. His ultimate has also seen a rework, with walls that can be destroyed that swat you when you cross the line like a Ganesha ultimate. These changes together have brought one of the oldest gods in the game back into the meta.
The Joust Map Has Changed
Joust has always had a mixed history. A lot of players prefer the singe lane game mode for it's quick pace and easy to learn play style. Others believe that Joust is a distraction from the main game mode of SMITE, Conquest. Whether you are a devout jouster or a Conquest Puritan, so to speak, we can all agree this new Joust map is a welcome change.
First of all, the buffs have seen placement changes and a bit of a rework. There is now a yellow buff, which gives movement speed and attack speed in this mode. This is a useful addition that allows a savvy team to acquire a buff for each of their characters, according to their gods' strengths. Red buff has been moved, and in an effort to shake up the flow of the game it spawns a little later in the match.
It's important to note that the Bull Demon King is no longer a bull. He's now just the Demon King, and he resembles Grover, ot Sylvanus's Tree. The buff ring looks different now, with a toxic green color instead of the reddish orange the BDK had. The buff appears to do the same thing, and it still renders the foremost structure defenseless.
They have also added several XP camps to the map, making Jungle play more viable in Joust. The old map had only one XP camp and it could help farm a bit, but was negligible overall. The new map has two more, with a camp on each side of the jungle and then another on the opposite side. Each has multiple harpies, though the neutral camp in the center is rather spread out. These are useful for stacking items or gods who benefit from jungle camps, such as Camazotz or Bakasura.
So, as you can see, several things have changed. I intend to cover more of the big changes in our first episode of the podcast. Of course, you can always see the patch notes for all changes to the current version of the game over at Hi-Rez's official SMITE page. I hope to see you folks out there on the battlefield. Until then, Good Luck, Have Fun.
-Ben
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