This is the original SMITE, the third person MOBA Hi-Rez and Titan Forge launched out of beta on 25 March 2014 and later put on Steam. Its roster closed at 130 gods, finishing with the Egyptian sky goddess Nut in Year 11, after which all new content moved to SMITE 2. The servers are still up and matches still fill, but the game sits in maintenance mode, so what follows describes a settled game rather than a moving one.
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 | Conquest lanes | Physical and Magical Power basics | Hunter | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Jungle buff camps | Relics as free actives mastery | Hunter | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Gold Fury and Oracle Fury pits | Third person aiming + gear | Mage or Hunter | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Fire Giant and Pyromancer camps | Build optimization | Mage | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Arena, Joust and Assault maps | Min-max | Mage or Assassin | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Conquest lanes)
Three lanes with towers and phoenixes, a solo laner on the short lane, a mid laner in the centre and a carry with a support on the long lane. Wave position here decides where the jungler can afford to be.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Lane gold and experience, tower and phoenix pressure, rotation timings
What to Do in Conquest lanes
- Learn Physical and Magical Power. SMITE 1 splits damage into Physical Power and Magical Power, each with its own penetration and its own protection stat. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Hunter as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Buy your second relic the moment you hit level 12. It costs nothing, it sits on a cooldown separate from your items, and forgetting it removes an entire defensive option for the whole mid game.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Jotunn's Wrath or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Physical and Magical Power fundamentals
- Hunter selected and functional
- Conquest lanes main content cleared
- Ready for Jungle buff camps
Phase 2: Early Game (Jungle buff camps)
Neutral camps between the lanes granting mana, damage, movement speed and attack speed buffs. Which buff a jungler takes first is a reliable tell for which lane they intend to visit.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 20 Key Rewards: Four buff types, jungle gold, invade pressure on the enemy jungler
What to Do in Jungle buff camps
- Work on Relics as free actives. Relics are free active abilities on their own cooldowns, held separately from your six item slots. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Jotunn's Wrath if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Purification Beads clear crowd control and grant a short immunity window, while Aegis Amulet gives 1.5 seconds of invulnerability during which you cannot act. Take Beads first against a stun heavy line up and Aegis first against burst damage.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Gold Fury and Oracle Fury pits.
- Consider whether Mage might suit your playstyle better than Hunter.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Relics as free actives integrated into gameplay
- Jotunn's Wrath acquired
- Jungle buff camps fully cleared
- Ready for Gold Fury and Oracle Fury pits
Phase 3: Mid Game (Gold Fury and Oracle Fury pits)
Gold Fury sits beside the long lane and pays the whole team in gold and experience. The Oracle Fury camp sits across from it, spawns 35 seconds into the match and returns roughly every 3 minutes.
Level/Difficulty: From the opening minutes onward Key Rewards: Team gold and experience, early Oracle Fury contest, control of the long lane half
What to Do in Gold Fury and Oracle Fury pits
- Master Third person aiming. The camera sits over your god's shoulder, so most abilities are aimed by hand and every projectile has travel time. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Qin's Sais. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Qin's Sais deals damage as a share of the target's maximum health on basic attacks, so it scales with the enemy tank rather than with your own Physical Power. Buy attack speed alongside it instead of more raw power.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Conquest objectives for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Third person aiming mastered
- Qin's Sais acquired or in progress
- Gold Fury and Oracle Fury pits fully cleared
- Ready for Fire Giant and Pyromancer camps
Phase 4: Late Game (Fire Giant and Pyromancer camps)
Fire Giant sits on the short lane side and its buff converts a won teamfight into a won game. The mid camp behind it despawns 7 minutes in and is replaced by the Pyromancer.
Level/Difficulty: Mid to late game Key Rewards: The Fire Giant team buff, the Pyromancer, siege momentum
What to Do in Fire Giant and Pyromancer camps
- Finalize your build. You should be running Mage or Hunter with optimized gear.
- Qin's Sais should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Book of Thoth is an early commitment. It converts maximum mana into Magical Power and stacks from kills and assists, so one bought at twenty minutes is a slot you have thrown away.
- Maintenance mode and the SMITE 2 handover optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Arena, Joust and Assault maps.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Qin's Sais upgraded to max
- Fire Giant and Pyromancer camps fully cleared
- Ready for Arena, Joust and Assault maps
Phase 5: Endgame (Arena, Joust and Assault maps)
The modes outside Conquest. Arena is one open pit with a ticket counter, Joust is a single lane 3v3, and Assault is a single lane with randomly assigned gods. All three are shorter and far more forgiving.
Level/Difficulty: Any level Key Rewards: Faster matches, low pressure practice on a new god, a place to test item timings
What to Do in Arena, Joust and Assault maps
- Arena, Joust and Assault maps tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Titan's Bane is percentage penetration, so its value climbs with the enemy's protections. Buy it after the enemy frontline starts itemising defence, not as a second item into squishy targets.
- The endgame loop: run Arena, Joust and Assault maps, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Assassin for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Maintenance mode and the SMITE 2 handover 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
- Arena, Joust and Assault maps fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Leaving the second relic slot empty after level 12. It costs nothing to fill and it is the most common oversight at low ranks in this game.
- Buying Book of Thoth or any other stacking item late. Stacking items are a first ten minutes decision, and a half stacked one performs worse than any completed alternative.
- Assuming knowledge from the sequel transfers. The original runs Physical and Magical Power, keeps relics as a separate system and carries 130 gods, so builds and matchups do not map across.
- Starting Fire Giant without vision on the enemy jungler. It takes long enough that a four person rotation steals the objective and wins the fight afterwards, reversing a fifteen minute lead in one attempt.
- Aiming at where an enemy currently stands rather than where they are heading. Every projectile here has travel time, and failing to lead a target is the largest source of missed damage at every rank.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Buy your second relic the moment you hit level 12. It costs nothing, it sits on a cooldown separate from your items, and forgetting it removes an entire defensive option for the whole mid game.
- Purification Beads clear crowd control and grant a short immunity window, while Aegis Amulet gives 1.5 seconds of invulnerability during which you cannot act. Take Beads first against a stun heavy line up and Aegis first against burst damage.
- Qin's Sais deals damage as a share of the target's maximum health on basic attacks, so it scales with the enemy tank rather than with your own Physical Power. Buy attack speed alongside it instead of more raw power.
- Book of Thoth is an early commitment. It converts maximum mana into Magical Power and stacks from kills and assists, so one bought at twenty minutes is a slot you have thrown away.
- Titan's Bane is percentage penetration, so its value climbs with the enemy's protections. Buy it after the enemy frontline starts itemising defence, not as a second item into squishy targets.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More SMITE Guides
- SMITE SMITE Overview
- SMITE Best Builds
- SMITE Tier List
- SMITE Beginner's Guide
- SMITE Tips & Tricks
- SMITE Weapons Guide
- SMITE Combat Guide
- SMITE Boss Guide
- SMITE Maps & Locations
- SMITE Crafting Guide
- SMITE Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy SMITE, check out these related guides:
- Dota 2 Walkthrough: moba game with similar mechanics
- Eternal Return Walkthrough: moba game with similar mechanics
- SMITE 2 Walkthrough: moba game with similar mechanics
