A League of Legends Player's Guide to Choosing a Smite God

If you’re a League of Legends player, you’ve likely heard about some of the other MOBAs out there that you  could potentially be playing. Since a lot of the skillsets required in MOBAs are similar across the board, it’s not all that difficult to move across different games when you want to keep your experiences varied. In the case of Smite, the third-person perspective and greater focus on skillshots might not put it in the same league as League of Legends (hah) and Dota. Nevertheless there are definite similarities.

If you’re trying out Smite for the first time, or any other MOBA really, it’s often easier to transition when you can create links between the God/Hero that you choose and  your favorite League of Legends  champions. For that very reason, here are a few easy-to-play Smite heroes and the champions in League of Legends that they resemble. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive guide to these Gods. If you’d like to check out more thorough explanations and guides for each God, you can check out Smite’s Mobafire equivalent, Smitefire.

Neith Plays Like… Caitlyn

The first God you ever play will likely be Neith in the same way that it was Ashe in LoL — because of the tutorial. If you’re someone who enjoys playing the ADC role, chances are Neith is one of your best bets starting out. Her kit is relatively easy to grasp, with an arrow projectile, AOE ability, and backflip (kind of like Caitlyn’s net). Her ultimate ability allows her to shoot an arrow targeted at an enemy from anywhere on the map (think Ashe ult and Caitlyn ult combined) and is fairly simple to use.

Ra Plays Like… Lux

Ra is a God that plays like Lux simply because they are both ranged champions with lasers. In all seriousness though, Ra’s kit features a searing laser (kind of like Viktor’s but easier to aim), an AOE slow/potential blind that forms around his character model, and an AOE pillar of light that heals allies while dealing damage to enemies. His ultimate ability is essentially the same as Lux’s — a laser-beam-esque light blast shoots out in a long range to sear enemies.

Guan Yu Plays Like… Jarvan IV/Sion

Lots of Smite Gods have playstyles that resemble League champions without really having exact counterparts. In the case of Smite’s Guan Yu, it’s easier to see him as someone who plays like a mix between Jarvan IV and Sion than any one champion.

Yu’s kit features an AOE heal that forms around his character model to heal himself and his allies, a charge forward that deals damage and slows enemies, with a windmill type motion in which Guan Yu spins his blades out in front of himself to deal damage round out the set. He can be built in the same way you’d likely build Jarvan — a somewhat tanky damage dealer. His ultimate, much like Sion’s, has him hopping on his horse and charging forward for 4 seconds (while CC-immune) and enemies hit on the dismount are stunned.

Sun Wukong Plays Like… Wukong

In a surprising turn of events, the God called Sun Wukong in Smite plays a lot like League of Legend’s Wukong with only a few differences. His kit features a staff pummel (a lot like Wukong’s) but it is instead a skill shot, a charge in which he can take 3 different forms that all vary in speed and CC capabilities, and a spin attack that looks a lot like Wukong’s ultimate but does not knock up and only lasts a second or two. Sun Wukong’s ultimate ability creates a decoy on the battlefield and sends him into the sky where he can regenerate health and choose a spot on the field to land.

Chaac Plays Like… Jarvan IV/Garen

Chaac is a big, burly warrior God that has a few similarities to both Jarvan IV and Garen. Chaac’s abilities include throwing an ax forward that deals damage when it lands and remains there for 5 seconds (very Olaf-like), a spin-to-win ability that resemble’s Garen’s but pulls him to his ax if he threw one recently (a lot like Jarvin IV4’s standard throw/knockup, without the knockup), and an AOE rainstorm that forms around Chaac’s model and heals him while slowing enemies. Chaac’s ultimate pulls him into the sky and slams him back down, dealing damage and silencing enemies around him.

Fenrir Plays Like… Warwick

Fenrir and Warwick are extremely similar in the same way that Sun Wukong and Wukong are. Fenrir’s kit is strikingly similar to Warwick’s, but with increased mobility. Fenrir’s abilities include two leaps, one of which lands at the target location and deals damage and the other which lands at the target location and slashes enemies in the radius four times. He has a howl ability much like Warwick’s but instead of increasing attack speed, it grants lifesteal and physical power.

His abilities also gain additional effects depending on how much his passive stacks with his basic attacks. For his ultimate ability, Fenrir grows massive, immune to CC, and is able to pick up an enemy God in his jaws and take them where he pleases.

Hopefully this guide will help you start out in Smite using some of the knowledge you’ve gained over the course of playing League of Legends. Remember, it can be just as frustrating starting out Smite as it was starting League, but it can also be just as rewarding.