SMITE: Demigods, Deities and Gods Explained – Zeus

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: Zeus is one of the most well-known gods of any pantheon. The founding member of Olympus with his siblings – including older brother Hades – the God of the Sky and Thunder wrestled control of the heavens from the previous generation of Titans, including his father Cronus. His founding status and control of thunder and the sky awarded Zeus extreme power when the realms were divided between himself, Hades and Poseidon. Even those gods not descended from him respectfully call Zeus “Father.”

Zeus is known for many tales, none more important as overthrowing his own father. Born in Crete and ushered away from Cronus as not to be consumed by him Zeus was saved by deceit. Instead of destroying his son, Cronus swallowed only a rock given to the Titan by Rhea, Zeus’ mother. The deception allowed Zeus to be raised in plotting secrecy. Upon reaching manhood, Zeus forced his father to regurgitate his siblings and other powerful beings. Grateful for their freedom, each deity helped fight the Titans for control of Mount Olympus in their own way.

Since his rise to power Zeus is best known for his sexual exploits, only a handful of them involving his wife Hera. He’s more direct offspring than most towns.

Basically, he was a an ancient frat boy, picking fights and hooking up with the ladies at every turn.

In-Game: The God of the Sky couldn’t be more apt for Zeus’ powers in SMITE. The champion of Olympus is a pure magical ranged caster with a standard ability, Detonate Charge, capable of hitting anywhere on the map. This omnipresent ability is setup by instilling a charge on an opponent via a standard attack or any skillshot. Players looking to wreak havoc on the opposing forces must constantly juggle the charge stacks, making Zeus a difficult character to master.

If Zeus is allowed to farm up a collection of magical power items he can turn the tide of any battle. His major weakness is his slow pace and lack of utility. However, a smart player can use Aegis Shield to turn the tide of many one-on-one gank attempts.

Further reading:

• Zeus on Wikipedia
• Greek Mythology on Wikipedia
• Genealogy focused on Zeus

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