25 April 2013 | |
Mordil
With the latest patch integrating Twitch.tv and adding Ne Zha, Hi-Rez Studios also finally released the Beta promotional skin, Cacodemon Ymir.
To snag yourself this skin, all you have to do is hit level 30 before SMITE goes live.
When will SMITE release? Well Todd Harris suggested around 40 gods in this recent interview we had with him.
For those of us already level 30 (you should mock iTZkooPA for not being 30 already!), all you have to do is play an Arena, Assault, Conquest, Ranked Conquest, Team Ranked Conquest, or Domination match once to unlock it.
Good luck on the grind, SMITErs!
17 April 2013 | |
Mordil
**Update: Hi-Rez released the God Reveal video today, so you can find it below the cut now.
Hi-Rez Studios patched SMITE today, adding Ne Zha. This has been the first Chinese pantheon added since Guan Yu way back last summer during Closed Beta.
I quickly patched and headed into a Joust match against my wife as Anhur. We discovered that Ne Zha’s early game could potentially be very potent if played correctly, but his mid game is lacking. Without levels or items to negate other players, Ne Zha can easily be overtaken if abilities are missed. Anhur managed to kill me five times until I had the items to completely take him down.
Late game gets pretty crazy if you build movement and attack speed. Crits here and there will hit for anywhere between 300-600, with attacks being thrown out 2.5 times per second.
At any rate, here’s the list of things to note in this patch, according to me:
- Portal has had a major change from 1 use and indefinite lifetime to as many players every 2 seconds for a 30 second lifetime.
- Motivate has had a major change as well, from buffing the protections and health of nearby minions to the nearest 3 minions getting fully healed, and become fire minions.
- Cacodemon Ymir is released this patch. Anyone who is level 30 now, or hits level 30 before SMITE goes live will earn this skin.
- Twitch streaming integration is fully added to SMITE, allowing players to stream via the SMITE client without the need of a third party tool.
After the cut you can find Ne Zha’s abilities in text form, along with the rest of the patch notes. Hi-Rez hasn’t has released the God Reveal video for Ne Zha yet, so when they do, we’ll update this post to include it. Check out the official reveal after the cut!
Continue Reading
2 April 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
I’ll just nip this one in the bud.
“Hey, it’s Bob Sagat!”
It’s not. It’s actually Todd Harris, the COO of Hi-Rez Studios, discussing a little project the company calls SMITE. Lore Hound has been following the game. Quite closely. Eerily close in fact. We do the “I have candy, get in the van” schtick for you. To get you all the juicy details on the god-based MOBA. We’re putting on the facade to get your questions answered!
There’s numerous benefits to being such creeps. First off, plenty of time with HiRezBart. We’re forced to play an enjoyable MOBA, learning the ropes in the process. And there’s the occasional preview, interview or charity event to boot.
Todd and iTZKooPA discuss the ongoing beta process of SMITE, including the miss of the Focus mechanic, how the community has guided the title’s design and when to expect the full game. Hit the jump for the latest and greatest interview with Hi-Rez Studios.
Interested in PvP or eSports? Be sure to view the other Hi-Rez interview on those very topics.
Bonus, these meet and greets allow us to have a ton of convention skins, like the one hidden somewhere on this post! Continue Reading
14 February 2013 | |
Mordil
Honestly, this week’s patch has been the first one I’ve been the most happy with since back in November.
Neith is one of the most balanced gods right at release – from what I’ve seen. She doesn’t do too much damage, and she’s about as easy to kill as other gods, even with all her utility. Focus is gone, with it’s somewhat clunky mechanic that was changed almost 3 times before being removed.
Along with Focus being removed, every god had a pass through by the designers to re-assign static values for stuns, slows, damage, speed increases, etc. that used to be scaled by Focus. The lengthy list is below, along with Neith’s God Reveal video, her abilities, and the generic balance changes.
Things of note to me were:
- Hel’s abilities share half the CD time in both stances now (Her 1 in Healing Stance is used, both her Healing Stance and Damage Stance go on CD, with Damage Stance only being on CD for 1/2 the time)
- Hercules’ “Earthbreaker” (knockback) ability had the length of its range reduced by about 10ft.
- New Solo Practice Map for Arena: Ymir, Artemis, Ra, vs. Ymir, Artemis, and whomever you choose.
- Advanced Tooltips have been added for abilities now.
- and again, Focus has been removed.
Check out Neith’s reveal after the jump!
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24 January 2013 | |
iTZKooPA
Hi-Rez Studios announced that their godly MOBA, SMITE, has made its way to Open Beta. In Closed Beta testing for the better part of a year, the growing community can start to prepare for a $100,000 Launch Tournament. Qualifications and scheduling will be detailed in the coming weeks.
The content patch that came along with the transition includes a massive graphical update for the Conquest game mode, a new practice match again AI Ra, in-game Team and Roster management systems, a modified Ranked Team Conquest queue and long-awaited Refer-a-Friend program.
The program offers extra Favor as your “friend” levels up. Stepping away from most programs, players that level cap will earn their referrer actual money in the form of 200 Gems. Care to join me?
There’s another incentive for getting started on your account. All players that reach level 30 before SMITE launches, which is still TBD, will receive a Limited Edition Ymir skin. Thankfully, those that have already begun their progress do not have to fear any wipes. Hi-Rez Studios will not be wiping progress now or in the future.
Hit the jump for the Open Beta trailer. Don’t forget to head over the official SMITE Facebook page to snag the awesome Ra skin shown above. SMITE Wiki has the latest patch notes in full.
Update: Below the cut, we’ve also got the first look at the upcoming Limited Edition Ymir skin!
Continue Reading
4 December 2012 | |
Mordil
Hi-Rez Studios has surprised me this time. Just two weeks ago, the company had a media exclusive stream on its Twitch channel previewing a new game mode in its early stages. Looks like someone decided to jump without looking, as Domination was added to the game in the latest patch, along with some interesting changes.
I played a few matches before writing this, and the changes, overall, feel very good.
One thing worth noting between Domination when I played it on the stream and now, is that you no longer need to stand on the sand dunes to capture the towers. As soon as you kill the enemy’s genie, your genie will appear to defend the point. It makes for faster gameplay, and better strategy, of no longer having the ability of “neutrality” before the enemy’s genie appears to sway the battle in their favor.
Below you can find the patch notes, and my thoughts on all the changes. Continue Reading
24 October 2012 | |
iTZKooPA
They're real- and they're spectacular.
Neither Tribes: Ascend or SMITE are experiencing an invasion of ghoulish characters, but that hasn’t stopped Hi-Rez Studios from participating in the October event. One can only assume that the company has become a bit cash flush with the rising success of SMITE – 700,000+ players playing in the Closed Beta at any moment. The increasing audience enabled the production of a subtle trailer for SMITE revolving around the spirits.
In the video, a museum goer jumps the velvet rope and goes off the beaten path. Venturing into an under construction wing, the man stumbles upon an area named ‘Ancient Mythology Exhibition.’ The Blair Witch-esque cameraman gets in a spot of trouble.
Hit the jump for the short spooking trailer. Be sure to check out SMITE our lore column to learn more about the mythological creatures you saw. It’s too bad the farmed Halloween assets have been pushed live yet. Continue Reading
27 September 2012 | |
iTZKooPA
SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive back story of lore. From the Greek to Hindu, each week we’ll look at two characters from a major pantheon and provide a quick recap of their history and in what capacity their digital incarnation will represent on the field of Hi-Rez Studios’ upcoming MOBA.
Lore: To call Thor’s history well documented would do a massive injustice to the annals of history. Told, retold, modified for the culture of choice and ultimately made into a comic super hero, Thor’s legacy is perhaps without equal in today’s popular culture. In some respects, we celebrate the mighty Norse god every week with Thursday (Thor’s Day). And no, his beginning wasn’t humble by any means.
Fathered by the All-Father, Odin, the red-haired and red-bearded Thor is husband to the goddess Sif and lover to Járnsaxa. Between these two women, he is said to have fathered the potential valkyrie, Thrúd, and Magni, respectively. The god of thunder shares his fame with his powerful hammer, Mjölnir. Like many of his pantheonic relatives, Thor carries an assortment of named accoutrements, the belt Megingjörð, iron gloves Járngreipr, and the staff Gríðarvölr. Continue Reading
