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.
Lore: Skadi holds a unique position in the Norse pantheon. A jotunn married to Njoror, a Vanir of the sea, she shed the typical antagonistic portrayal of the giants. Rather than harass those in the opposing worlds of Norse cosmology, Skadi lived for the winter, its activities and bowhunting. The last being closely aligned with Artemis. Soothing the relationships wasn’t particularly easy for Skadi, or her marriage. The matrimony ended with all the fanfare of a Hollywood couple. “Irreconcilable differences” defined by Skadi’s mountaintop home being too cold and dreary for sea-loving Njoror and the beach being too noisy for the solitude-seeking giantess. Rumor has it that the All-Father Odin was her rebound.
Her penchant for winter sports, subsistence living and generally favoring mountain life pales in her renown for antagonizing trickster Loki. After he boasted how sweet she talks in bed and quipping about her dead father, Skadi became as cold towards her fellow jotunn as the peaks she dwells. Once caught for his wicked ways and bound to a rock by his own son’s innards Skadi instituted the final grim humiliation, hanging a venomous serpent above his head. Loki can’t help by writhe in agony when his wife has to step away to empty her venom-filled bucket.
In-Game: SMITE plays Skadi’s winter loving up to the ninth. The crew slapped the Goddess of Winter on her shouldering a bow, a trusty winter wolf by name of Kaldr by her side and a kit full of crowd control effects. Kaldr scales with many of Skadi’s making the corporeal and spiritual wolf a nuisance in most scenarios, but certainly during early laning. Synergy between beast, basic attacks and your crowd control will enable your Skadi to unleash an avalanche of damage.
The synergy is is spread across offensive and utility features. Increase your basic attack damage and speed with the a pair of Qin’s Sais and increase Kaldr’s sustainability and your general utility with a dash of CDR from Jotunn’s Wrath, a very fitting item. Shy away from items that slow your enemies, like Frostbound Hammer, unless you’re building primiarily as support. Instead, focus on being able to chase them down with a combination of abilities, Kaldr and your paired damage boosted by gems like Ichaival.
Further reading:
- Skadi on Wikipedia
- Norse Mythology on Wikipedia
- The Norse Pantheon in SMITE
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