SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained – Kali

SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained is a new 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: Kali is one of a few deities that have crossed religious boundaries to become culturally relevant far from their historical worship centers. The Goddess of Time and Change in Hindu mythology, Kali literally means “the black one.” The misappropriation of the terms have lead many westerners to believe she’s the Goddess of the Dead or the Underworld. In different western circles, Kali has become a sign of feminism. Both identifications are incorrect, as often happens when religious figures transcend to more mainstream culture.


From her earliest appearances, Kali is closely linked with battle and is famous for the destruction of Raktabija, a demon whose blood created copies of himself. After being called into battle by Durga, Kali proceeds to suck the demon’s blood, causing the duplicates to appear in her mouth where she can consume them. The battle with Raktabija and the other demons laid waste to many deities, including Kali’s consort, Shiva. Her dancing partner being the only person that was capable of controlling Kali, her wildness was unleashed.

In-Game: Kali’s in-game incarnation deeply follows from her battle with Raktabija. A pure physical melee DPS character (since the last patch), her passive is a life leech that increases in power if she loses most of her health. Not to fear, she has an AoE life leech that can fill her health pool if there are enough targets. Combined, these skills make her a viable jungler and deadly assassin. Kali possesses no disables but becomes immune to them when in her dancing frenzy. Her Achilles heel is her inability to get on top of her opponents through disables, leaving her open to incoming attacks as she rages from a distance.

Further reading:

Head over to SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained for access to details for all of the playable characters.