SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a column dedicated to introducing prospective players of SMITE to its massive backstory 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.
Allow us to introduce you to a whole new pantheon. One that has been teased by Hi-Rez Studios for months. That’s right lore junkies, the Japanese pantheon is now live and playable with the recent release of Amaterasu (not to be confused with Amatera)!
Lore: Some of our readers may be familiar with Amaterasu, the sun god of the Shinto, thanks to her protagonizing Okami, a phenomenal game from generations gone by. Her story differs strongly from those of other pantheons. Mainly due being of loftier stature. Amaterasu, in addition to being the sun god of pan-Asiatic ancestry, is also responsible for the realm of the universe. She worked in conjunction with her two siblings, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi, to meld the realms of the sun, sea and moon. Together the trio painted that which mortals lived, ancient Japan. The triplets were born of Izanagi’s crippling depression over his failure to save Izanami. An emotional bind that collapsed in the face of murder.
It’s not what you’re thinking. This wasn’t sororicide. Tsukuyomi lashed out after witnessing Uke Mochi, the goddess of food, manifest morsels from her mouth, nose…and rectum. The sight sent Tsukuyomi into a murderous rage that had Amaterasu view her brother in a different light. That of an evil spirit who shouldn’t approach her less she shrink away; the day and night cycle.
Susanoo didn’t escape sibling rivalry with Amaterasu. Susanoo challenged Amaterasu to a contest to profess his sincere goodbyes after her was banished from heaven by Izanagi. Still disillusioned, Amaterasu accepted. Each god took an object of the other’s and birthed new gods. Three women sprang from Susanoo’s sword, five men rose from her necklace. How to conclude the winner? Women were the greater being, according to Amaterasu, who declared herself a winner. Susanoo stubbornly contented, until he lashed out on her rice fields, flayed a pony upon her loom and killed an attendant. Susanoo later reconciled through bribery, the bequeathing of the revered Kusanagi sword.
In-Game: Sacrilege, that’s what we’d call a sun god with a hunter or assassin kit. Hi-Rez Studios skirted that issue, barely, by delivering Amaterasu as a warrior goddess with high mobility and incredible area damage. A trio of her abilities deal area damage scaling with her physical power. Partnered with core damage is easy movement from a delayed dash and her Benevolence Aura. Even her personal heal scales with physical power. Scarping all of this together with her passive, the keen eye to expose an enemy’s weakness by focusing basic attacks, culminates in a destructive force for a team, or even death to those that can’t burst her.
Build Amaterasu as most of your typical high-damage warrior. She’s isn’t difficult to maximize by focusing on her scaling physical damage and getting her abilities out often. Engorge your basic attack with extra trickery from a Frostbound Hammer, reduce your cooldown with Jotunn’s Wrath and maximize all your power by wielding the likes of The Executioner. Best utilized as a powerful warrior that can sustain a chase, be sure to mix the likes of damage and cooldown. Situationally, Amaterasu could provide a more guardian like presence. For most builds, a mid-to-late game Spirit Robe will be more than adequate.
Further reading:
- Amaterasu on Wikipedia
- Japanese Mythology on Wikipedia
- The Kojiki by Numerous Authors
- The Nihon Shoki by Numerous Authors
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Head over to SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained for details on all of the playable characters.