Skill Not Required

Part of the appeal of Smite is the over-the-shoulder view unlike the traditional isometric perspective we see in League of Legends or DotA 2. In fact this alternative perspective is one of the main selling points of the game, marketing every action in-game as a true skillshot. Due to the unique nature of Smite and the recently added 'difficulty' ranking on the god screen there seems to be a rising concern over using 'easy' gods.

As numerous reddit posts have alluded, the difficulty ranking is primarily for new players and so I have decided to do an overview of the best god from each class in terms of how well a novice player can utilize them.

Not that kind of easy.

Assassins:
For new players jungling is perhaps the hardest role to learn. The common junglers, the assassin class, tend to have the lowest health pool as well as the lowest base defenses. For beginner junglers both Fenrir and Thor are good choices. Both have slightly higher base health and protections than a Ne'Zha or Thanatos. In addition, Thor and Fenrir boast excellent mobility in a class with usually one or no escapes, Thor has two and Fenrir has three.

At level one both 'Mjolnir's Attunement' and 'Brutalize' do more damage than other comparable skills. Lastly, both Thor and Fenrir can afford to build some defensive items without sacrificing the burst damage that you require on say a Loki or Ne'Zha. Both Thor and Fenrir can stay in a fight longer than most assassins and have more crowd-control to offer in teamfights.

 

Guardians:
As far as Guardians go the best choice for beginners is Ymir. Ymir has 2590 base health as well as the highest base protections at level 1 and 20. Ymir also possesses the most crowd-control in his kit. Last but not least Ymir's initiation doesn't require putting himself at risk. Sobek and Athena have great initiation potential but a mistimed 'Charge Prey' or 'Preemptive Strike' will likely open them up to a lot of damage in retaliation.

As far as other beginner tanks, Ares is a good choice. Ares makes up for his lack of hard crowd-control by bringing tons of damage to an engagement. Ares is also the best choice for keeping the enemy tank at bay due to 'Searing Flesh's' percent damage. Furthermore Ares' 'No Escape' is disorienting to new player and allows you to set up multiple kills, although it is easily counter-able at higher levels of play.

 

Hunters:
Hunters tend to be fairly well-balanced but for new players I would pick up Neith or Apollo. Neith's self-heal from 'Unravel' gives her more sustain in lane at the cost of having the lowest base physical power. Neith's 'Backflip' also allows her to reposition better than most hunters since she can backpedal and still take advantage of her escape. Lastly Neith's 'World Weaver' is the only auto-aimed skill in the game and helps secure kills or set-up a gank in another lane.

Apollo is another excellent choice for beginners because his 'Serenade' and 'The Moves' combo allows him to quick escape for bad situations without allowing immediate chase potential. Apollo is also hands-down the single best split pusher in the game able to quick retreat or rejoin a fight using 'Across the Sky'.

 

Mages:
For mages I think both Ao Kuang and Poseidon are very easy to pick up. Both 'Tornadoes' and 'Whirlpool' can easily clear minion waves after level 6 so you can focus on harassing your opponent. In addition 'Spirit's Tempest' and 'Release the Kraken' provide easy burst damage for solo kills. The other reason both work well is 'Slither' and 'Trident' provide addition move speed meaning it is harder to catch either Ao Kuang or Poseideon out of position compared to a Zhong Kui or He Bo. Lastly, 'Squall' and 'Tidal Surge' can be used to clear mid harpies without sacrificing your wave clear.

 

Warriors:
The two warriors I think new players should learn are Guan Yu and Sun Wukong. Wukong's '72 Transformation' is perhaps the best movement ability in the game and 'The Magic Cudgel' allows for easy and safe wave clear. For Guan Yu 'Taolu Assault' is great for early game clear as well as harass since it is a channeled ability; you can move up through the wave without fear of a counter attack. Finally both Guan Yu and Sun Wukong have extended cc immunity during their ultimates meaning they can safely disengage during attempted ganks.

Part of the take away message here is that even if a god is easy to play that doesn't make them worse than say an Agni or Tyr that tend to require a bit of finesse to play effectively. In fact most of the gods on this list are common picks for both tournament and ranked game. Being easy to play opens up different roles for Smite's player base; a novice may attempt to start jungling because Fenrir is rather forgiving in terms of positioning. The second point of this article is to illustrate the fallacy between assuming a player using any of the 'easy' gods, as deemed by Hi-Rez, is a less skilled player. The difference between a novice playing Ao Kuang and a professional is incredible.

If you are new to Smite or looking to try out different roles I hope this article helps you find a favorite and prepares you for some of the more complex gods.