Titan Forge rebuilt SMITE in Unreal Engine 5 and opened it on Steam on 27 August 2024 as a free to play title. The deepest change sits in the stat system: Physical and Magical Power became Strength and Intelligence, every basic attack scales off 100 percent of Strength and 20 percent of Intelligence, and abilities state which stat they use. Aspects go further by rewriting a single ability on a god, often flipping them into a different role entirely.
Starting SMITE 2 can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
SMITE 2 is a moba game built around Strength and Intelligence scaling and God Aspects. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Mage | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Hunter | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Warrior | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Guardian | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Assassin | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with Hunter. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Assassin as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Strength and Intelligence scaling
Every basic attack takes 100 percent of your Strength and 20 percent of your Intelligence, and each ability lists which of the two it scales from. A few abilities, like Bellona's Eagle's Rally, scale from both, so the same god supports two very different builds.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Strength and Intelligence scaling works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Mid Lane
The shortest path between the two bases, which makes it the fastest rotation point on the map. Mid laners are usually ranged magical gods who clear waves quickly and then help elsewhere.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Rod of Tahuti: it's the most accessible early upgrade. 3000 gold for 80 Intelligence, 250 max mana and 5 percent penetration, with a passive granting extra Intelligence equal to 25 percent of the Intelligence you already have from items.
Step 4: Understand God Aspects
An Aspect is a per god modifier picked at the fountain that rewrites one ability, sometimes changing its damage type outright. Around seventy exist across the roster, and most gods have at least one.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to Solo Lane
The shorter side lane, sitting on the Fire Giant half of the map. It is designed for self sufficient gods because help arrives less often here than anywhere else.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Strength and Intelligence scaling
Every basic attack takes 100 percent of your Strength and 20 percent of your Intelligence, and each ability lists which of the two it scales from. A few abilities, like Bellona's Eagle's Rally, scale from both, so the same god supports two very different builds.
God Aspects
An Aspect is a per god modifier picked at the fountain that rewrites one ability, sometimes changing its damage type outright. Around seventy exist across the roster, and most gods have at least one.
Item tier recipes
Two Tier 1 items combine into a Tier 2, and Tier 2 items build into Tier 3 items costing roughly 2200 to 3700 gold. You carry six items and cannot hold two copies of the same Tier 3, though duplicate Tier 1 and Tier 2 items are allowed.
Third person aiming
The camera sits behind your god, so most abilities are skill shots you aim by hand and every hit is a manual decision. You cannot see behind yourself, which makes positioning matter more than it does in a top down MOBA.
Jungle buffs and objectives
Four jungle buffs rotate around the map: Caustic for damage, Primal for resources, Inspiration and Pathfinder. Gold Fury sits on the Duo lane side and Fire Giant on the Solo lane side, and the Fire Giant buff turns a won teamfight into a won game.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Rebuilding SMITE 1 item sets from memory
The stat system changed completely, so Physical Power builds do not translate and several familiar items behave differently.
2. Planning around two copies of the same Tier 3 item
Duplicates are only allowed on Tier 1 and Tier 2 items, so that build cannot exist.
3. Ignoring jungle camps as a laner
Primal keeps a mid laner in lane through mana costs, and clearing your own side camps between waves is free gold nobody is contesting.
4. Aiming skill shots at where an enemy currently stands
Third person projectiles have travel time, and failing to lead a moving target is the single most common source of missed damage.
5. Starting Fire Giant a player or two down
It takes long enough that a four person enemy rotation contests it and wins both the objective and the fight.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Strength and Intelligence scaling and God Aspects
- Choose Hunter as starting build
- Clear Mid Lane main content
- Acquire Rod of Tahuti or equivalent upgrade
- Reach Solo Lane
- Read the ability tooltips before you commit to a build. Each ability states whether it scales from Strength or Intelligence, and a small number scale from both, which is the only reason hybrid item choices exist at all.
- Rod of Tahuti belongs in your fifth or sixth slot rather than your second. Its passive grants Intelligence equal to 25 percent of the Intelligence you already have from items, so buying it early wastes most of the effect.
Tips for New Players
- Read the ability tooltips before you commit to a build. Each ability states whether it scales from Strength or Intelligence, and a small number scale from both, which is the only reason hybrid item choices exist at all.
- Rod of Tahuti belongs in your fifth or sixth slot rather than your second. Its passive grants Intelligence equal to 25 percent of the Intelligence you already have from items, so buying it early wastes most of the effect.
- Deathbringer costs 2900 gold and raises critical damage from 1.65x to 2x on top of 45 Strength and 20 percent crit chance. Buy attack speed and penetration first, because a critical strike you never land is worth nothing.
- Gauntlet of Thebes costs 2200 gold and stacks to 40 charges, ending at 900 total health plus 10 protections of each type. Either commit to it inside the first ten minutes or skip it, because a half stacked Thebes is a wasted slot.
- Spirit Robe reacts to hard crowd control with 40 extra protections of each type and a heal over time for 6 seconds. It is the answer to a double Guardian composition, not a default defensive buy.
- Heartseeker converts 2 percent of your Strength into damage against a target's maximum health when abilities hit, so it scales into tanks the way raw damage does not. Ability based Strength gods want it, basic attack carries do not.
- Fire Giant sits on the Solo lane side and Gold Fury on the Duo side, so approach routes differ entirely. Never start either without vision on the enemy jungler, because a single steal reverses a fifteen minute lead.
- After three Gold Fury kills, the Ancient Fury replaces it, and its reward temporarily disables enemy towers and phoenixes. Time that with a fed carry and a full team rather than taking it the moment it spawns.
- Auto build and auto level exist for a reason. Use them for your first ten matches to focus on positioning and objectives, then move to manual builds once you know which stat your god actually scales from.
- Aspects are chosen at the fountain and rewrite one ability outright, sometimes changing the damage type. Read the Aspect text in the god menu before a ranked game rather than discovering mid match that your build no longer matches your damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SMITE 2 free to play?
Yes. It launched on Steam on 27 August 2024 in early access and open beta as a free to play title, with five modes including Conquest, Arena, Joust, Assault and Ranked Conquest.
What replaced Physical and Magical Power?
Strength and Intelligence. Basic attacks scale off 100 percent of Strength and 20 percent of Intelligence, and each ability tooltip names the stat it uses, which is what makes hybrid builds possible.
How many gods are in SMITE 2?
Close to ninety as of 2026, drawn from sixteen pantheons, with more added on a regular release cadence. The roster still trails SMITE 1, which is the main reason some players stayed on the original.
What are Aspects?
Per god modifiers selected at the fountain that rewrite one ability, often changing its damage type or the role the god plays. Around seventy exist, and choosing one changes how you should build.
Which role is easiest to learn?
Support. Guardians like Ymir and Khepri have clear jobs and forgiving cooldowns, so you learn objective timings, warding and rotations without being responsible for the team's damage output.
More SMITE 2 Guides
- SMITE 2 SMITE 2 Overview
- SMITE 2 Best Builds
- SMITE 2 Tier List
- SMITE 2 Walkthrough
- SMITE 2 Tips & Tricks
- SMITE 2 Weapons Guide
- SMITE 2 Combat Guide
- SMITE 2 Boss Guide
- SMITE 2 Maps & Locations
- SMITE 2 Crafting Guide
- SMITE 2 Classes & Characters
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