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: *twang* Apollo, God of music, poetry, oracles, sun, medicine…let’s just go with art. He’s the God of Music et. al. No, that’s not correct either. Anyways, aside from being the god of plague, he was a fairly benevolent and talented individual. Born of Zeus and Leto, he came from the same seeds as his gamely twin sister Artemis. Given his ridiculous proficiency for mastering a vast array of topics, Apollo was a clever and complex individual routinely given different praises through the times of ancient Greece. Complex enough to maintain the same name and heritage for the Roman pantheon!
Be it with bow and arrow or his famed lyre given to him by Hermes, Apollo could turn the tides of war with a variety of resources. Early fame was brought to him when he killed Pytho, the earth-dragon of Delphi, after it was sent to end his mother’s life. Unphased by her minion’s failure, Hera sent the giant Tityos to finish the deal. Aided by Artemis, the pair once again saved their mother from certain death. Zeus then stepped in, casting Tityos to Tartarus for crows to feast on his liver.
Apollo played a minor role in the famed Iliad, enraging Achilles to begin the Trojan War. Later, he rescued an injured Aeneas before helping guide the arrow from Paris’ bow that drove into Achilles’ heel, coining the term. Apollo took numerous consorts, of both genders, and fathered enough children to make even Hercules or Zeus blush.
In-Game: Apollo is a mid-range physical carry with excellent movement capabilities. Like many of the recent additions to SMITE, Apollo features a special meter that increases with his basic attack. Unlike Bacchus and Poseidon, his Audacity meter only diminishes once it hits ten stacks, which causes him to dual wield his standard attack at 100% the norm. Combined with his movement and stun capabilities Apollo’s general damage output makes him a versatile combatant.
Making use of Apollo’s passive is key to gaining a damage edge against opponents. His high movement, including a Thor-like ultimate, give him some sustainability but he’s not one to stand toe-to-toe. Most carries focus on straight damage. Optimizing Apollo requires maxing his attack speed and balancing Physical Power and Critical chance. Thus making Warrior Tabi, Death’s Toll and Deathbringer superb early items
Further reading:
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Apollo on Wikipedia
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Greek Mythology on Wikipedia
Head over to SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained for details on all of the playable characters.