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’ new MOBA.
Lore: Ah Muzen Cab is revered as the Maya God of Bees, but this declaration wasn’t his alone as it is believed different areas of the empire held their own bee gods and veneration for honey. So revered was the sticky substance and the small creatures that created it during crop pollination that Ah Muzen Cab, and those like him, were worshipped in temples for their contributions to everyday life.
The very mythology that bore Ah Muzen Cab allowed his legend to largely vanish to the annuls of history. Or, perhaps, that was the result of their oral history being destroyed so swiftly by Old World microbes that the language barrier between the forgone Maya civilization didn’t have time to pass to the conquerors and absorbed. Regardless of the reason, little knowledge of Ah Muzen Cab’s history, lineage or deeds survives. What we do know is that bees and their honey sustained life, and as a honey brew would attest, happiness. Thus, this forgotten god did not disappear with the civilization that raised temples to him.
In-Game: With such little history to go by Hi-Rez Studios could have decided upon making Ah Muzen Cab fit into any role required in the game. Naturally, with the headway required for such balancing acts, that was not likely the design case. The game designers added him to the list of ranged physical attackers, primarily focus on antagonizing a single enemy as a hunter. Massive single target damage isn’t all his opponents need to be worried about. High mobility, crippling debuffs and sustainability near hives make him a top tier hunter even after the nerfs.
Every one of Ah Muzen Cab’s abilities receives extra damage from physical power items, which should make your build fairly straight forward. Ensure your build allows you to place the maximum of six hives everywhere you can, which may require a mix of cooldown reduction and additional mana. Don’t lose focus. Items like Deathbringer, Qin’s Sais, Jotunn’s Wrath and Hydra’s Lament are best the bulk of your payload.
Further reading:
- Ah Muzen Cab on Wikipedia
- Maya Mythology on Wikipedia
Head over to SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained for details on all of the playable characters.