How Should You Itemize as a Support

In every team-based game, you have to carry your own weight. In Smite, your weight as a Support is to make sure you give your team an advantage wherever you can. Whether you bodyblock, freeze a wave, or rotate from duo lane to solo lane, you do what you have to. This will mostly be focused on the Guardian class.

The way you play the game relies on what you itemize into from the start. For example, buying Watcher’s Gift, Tier 1 Boots or Active, and four Health and Multi Potions will grant you a lot of survivability in the early laning phase with the passive healing from Watcher’s and the double ticking heals from your potions. Remember Tier 1 Boots only grants 6% Movement Speed whereas you might find better utility from Blink or Creeping Curse actives.

With the recent changes to the core defensive items, Sovereignty and Heartward Amulet, Supports now have a bit of flexibility in their build options. Still, it should be noted the nerfs were slight and these items should remain the top options after boots. The passive auras from Sovereignty and Heartward Amulet provide protections, HP5 and MP5 regenenration to your team and minions in a 70 unit area. Your choice of boots comes down to a few factors. Just remember, if you want more damage and penetration, get Shoes of The Magi. If you want more utility and mana, get Shoes of Focus. Should you fall behind early, Traveler’s Shoes can help bridge the gold gap. 

An alternative option you could go for is a bruiser build, especially with a more aggressive god such as Ymir, Sobek, or Ares. After your boots of choice, you can build into a Mystical Mail and Void Stone. You will not be as tanky as the standard core, but your damage output will be much higher. The passive aura of Mystical Mail ticks 40 magical damage per second in 25 unit are and the aura of Void Stone reduces magical protection by 15 in a 55 unit area. Your presence will not just be a tank to get your teammates out of trouble, but someone that can dish out damage in return, netting kills and possibly securing objectives.

After your core items, you should start building into items that benefit your team. Are there multiple Basic Attackers? Grab a Midgardian Mail. Does the enemy have a lot of slows on their team? Get a Winged Blade. Need your abilities to be up more often? Grab a Breastplate of Valor. Are you getting a lot of kills or assists in team fights? Hide of the Urchin or Mail of Renewal can help.You should pick up a Pestilence if the enemy team has a lot of healing. It's all situational, so just check the enemy team composition and that of your own and see what you could bring to the table. You can sell Watcher's Gift at this point if you need to rush an item.

As far as Actives go, you should be getting what your team could take advantage of. Greater Blink, Weakening Curse, and Shell of Absorption are great support actives. Many Guardian Supports can take advantage of Blink to initiate team fights. Weakening Curse reduces healing and movement speed, the former being very prominent in the current meta. And Shell of Absorption provides teamwide protections and damage reduction. Do not get Hand of the Gods as it's been nerfed to the ground and rendered useless.

Lastly, remember to get wards. The vision is paramount, being able to see a gank coming and retreating to counterattack could help swing objectives in your favor. Try to keep the path to mid lane and the Gold Fury warded, especially if there's an enemy Thor or Thanatos.

Whether you're new to Support or not, mess around with your build and find what works for you. Maybe when you find your comfort zone, your teammates could find someone else to blame, like the jungler, perhaps?