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.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Mid Lane | Strength and Intelligence scaling basics | Hunter | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Solo Lane | God Aspects mastery | Hunter | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Duo Lane | Item tier recipes + gear | Mage or Hunter | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Jungle buff camps | Build optimization | Mage | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Fire Giant pit | Min-max | Mage or Assassin | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Fast rotations, map control, first blood pressure on either side lane
What to Do in Mid Lane
- 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. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Hunter as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Rod of Tahuti or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Strength and Intelligence scaling fundamentals
- Hunter selected and functional
- Mid Lane main content cleared
- Ready for Solo Lane
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Fire Giant proximity, experience for a lone bruiser
What to Do in Solo Lane
- Work on God Aspects. An Aspect is a per god modifier picked at the fountain that rewrites one ability, sometimes changing its damage type outright. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Rod of Tahuti if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Duo Lane.
- Consider whether Mage might suit your playstyle better than Hunter.
Phase 2 Checklist
- God Aspects integrated into gameplay
- Rod of Tahuti acquired
- Solo Lane fully cleared
- Ready for Duo Lane
Phase 3: Mid Game (Duo Lane)
The longer side lane near Gold Fury, held by a carry and a support together. The support's job is to hold the wave and buy vision while the carry accumulates farm.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Gold Fury access, safest farm for a scaling carry
What to Do in Duo Lane
- Master 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. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Deathbringer. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Third person aiming for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Item tier recipes mastered
- Deathbringer acquired or in progress
- Duo Lane fully cleared
- Ready for Jungle buff camps
Phase 4: Late Game (Jungle buff camps)
Neutral camps between the lanes that grant gold, experience and one of four buffs: Caustic for damage, Primal for resources, Inspiration and Pathfinder. Clearing camps on both sides increases their power.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Four rotating buffs, jungle gold income, invade pressure
What to Do in Jungle buff camps
- Finalize your build. You should be running Mage or Hunter with optimized gear.
- Deathbringer should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Jungle buffs and objectives optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Fire Giant pit.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Deathbringer upgraded to max
- Jungle buff camps fully cleared
- Ready for Fire Giant pit
Phase 5: Endgame (Fire Giant pit)
The larger of the two major objectives, on the Solo lane side. Killing it grants Might of the Fire Giant, a team wide boost to damage and protections that decides most late game pushes.
Level/Difficulty: Mid to late game Key Rewards: Might of the Fire Giant team buff, siege momentum
What to Do in Fire Giant pit
- Fire Giant pit tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Fire Giant pit, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Assassin for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Jungle buffs and objectives mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Fire Giant pit fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More SMITE 2 Guides
- SMITE 2 SMITE 2 Overview
- SMITE 2 Best Builds
- SMITE 2 Tier List
- SMITE 2 Beginner's Guide
- 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
Similar Games
If you enjoy SMITE 2, check out these related guides:
- Dota 2 Walkthrough: moba game with similar mechanics
- Eternal Return Walkthrough: moba game with similar mechanics
- SMITE Walkthrough: moba game with similar mechanics
