Hi-Rez Studios has set the stage for what may be the biggest year yet for their flagship game, SMITE, which is gearing up for Season 9. In an interview with Hi-Rez Brand Manager Alex Cantore and SMITE Lead Designer AJ Walker, new details about the next year of content for SMITE have come out. Most of these were also seen in the Hi-Rez Showcase that aired on January 5.
Many new additions and updates to old parts of the game have been revealed, giving the chance for the already-popular game to grow even more. Similar to Fortnite's Chapter 3 overhaul, Season 9 of SMITE looks to be the most ambitious phase of the game yet. This is great news for the fanbase who have been eagerly awaiting new content.
These new additions include more gods set to be released, an overhaul of the Conquest map, and an entirely new game mode waiting in the wings among other updates. Below one can find a few of the biggest changes that are waiting to be unleashed upon the battlefield of the gods in SMITE Season 9.
For years, Shiva has been one of the most highly requested gods as a candidate to enter the game, and in Season 9, the fans' wish is being granted as Shiva makes his grand entrance to SMITE not only as a playable character, but as the focal point of the season. It has been revealed that Shiva will be a Warrior, the latest addition to SMITE's collection of melee fighters. He is the first Hindu god to be added to the game's roster since Ganesh's debut back in April 2017. In their quest to add Shiva to the game, Hi-Rez developers worked with outside consultants in order to make sure that everything about Shiva, from his lore to his abilities, were both respectful and accurate.
Shiva specializes in using his abilities to either bless his allies or hinder his enemies. The mechanic of his abilities changing for different targets may remind players of Hel. However, while Hel's abilities involved a stance system, Shiva's abilities will change over the course of a match due to a mechanic that is unique to him, shifting their attributes according to his own actions. Of special note is Shiva's ultimate ability, which is his dance that brings about both creation and destruction in concert, another piece of accurate lore in action.
Even considering SMITE's several popular crossovers, including Stranger Things, Shiva may be the most anticipated entrant to the game yet. Shiva will be the first new god joining the roster in Season 9, with several more to follow over the course of the year. If Shiva is any indication, then 2022 will be an excellent year for new gods.
Last year Hi-Rez started experimenting with the idea of maps that evolve over the course of the season, and that same idea is coming back in 2022. Season 8's Babylon-themed Conquest map is making way for SMITE Season 9's theme, known as The Dharmic Era. The order side of the map is now decorated with a temple of Shiva and Hindu imagery, while the chaos side of the map is dominated by Tiamat's abandoned temple, overgrown and with vegetation and left to the elements. The new map also has much brighter lighting, especially in comparison to the rather dark recent winter map.
Online multiplayer games frequently update with new mechanics, and SMITE's new Season 9 update will introduce Obelisks. Each team can make offerings to the Obelisk by performing challenge, one specific example of such is clearing out certain monster camps in the jungle. Once a cycle of the Obelisk has finished, each team will receive gold according to how many successful offerings they made. The team with the most offerings will also receive Indra's Sceptre, a powerful item that can heal allies or damage enemies depending on the situation. As the only item in the game capable of affecting both gods and towers at once, Indra's Sceptre is a powerful one that could change the tide of a battle. The new Conquest map is looking better than ever, with more updates planned later in the year. It will be interesting to see the impact that the Obelisks will have in the new season. Depending on feedback from players, the Obelisks may see some transformations of their own.
Another new announcement for SMITE Season 9 is the reveal of the new glyph system in the item shop. Glyphs are special upgrades that essentially act as a fourth tier for the highest-level items in the game. While they do not grant higher stats, they do offer new effects on top of the weapon's existing stats. Glyphs are designed to make players' item loadouts more customizable, as a glyph that may be good in one situation might not be the one that is needed when that item is built again in the next game. Like the customizable cars in Forza Horizon 5, these items can be adjusted for the proper situation. At launch, glyphs will only be available on a handful of popular items, but if feedback is positive, then they may find their way across the rest of the item list as well.
Similar to glyphs are the newly revealed third-tier upgrades for relics. Previously, relics could only be upgraded once for an improvement over their base attributes. With the new tier of relic upgrades, each relic can now be granted one of two additional abilities upon being upgraded to their third tier. For example, the Drowned Ankh, a third-tier upgrade to the Cursed Ankh, will cause damage over time if an affected enemy attempts to heal their own allies. Of special note is that the Phantom relic has been removed, and its effect will instead be added to certain third-tier relics.
Every item has its place and use. For example, giving Pikachu a Light Ball in Pokemon is a great idea, and the new glyphs and relics reflect that. The glyph system will hopefully add a new dimension to gameplay as players must upgrade their strongest items in the right direction depending on the situation. Once the new upgrades are rolled out, the late-game phases of SMITE matches will become much more interesting.
One of the most stunning reveals of the day regarding SMITE Season 9 was an entirely new game mode, known as Slash mode. Slash mode, whose name is a combination of Siege and Clash, can be considered to be a hybrid of the two modes. Like Clash, it features a dual-lane map, and like Siege, the map features a healthy amount of objectives for both teams to pursue. Much like fellow Hi-Rez game Paladins' upcoming season, devs have taken a twist on an old mode to make an entirely new playstyle. It has been described as a happy medium between the nonstop action of Arena mode and the methodical tactics of Conquest mode.
In Slash Mode, there will be a variety of jungle camps amidst the two-lane map that will provide buffs upon being cleared, with the strongest buff coming from Apophis, the main boss of the map who grants a buff similar to the Fire Giant. In addition, there is a new mechanic for summoning Siege Juggernauts in the form of juggernaut camps that will begin to spawn Apophis-themed Siege Juggernauts for the team that cleared them upon defeat. Players can also use portals at their base to teleport to the location of one of their team's active Siege Juggernauts.
Siege and Clash will be removed from regular queues once Slash mode goes live, but they will remain playable in the form of custom matches. With the changes that Slash mode brings, it looks to require a deft mix of planning and aggression in order to succeed. Hopefully it will prove to be a success alongside SMITE's mainstay Arena and Conquest modes. 2022 is looking to be a highly anticipated year for SMITE, and it has barely even begun. The new gods are off to an excellent start with Shiva, the game is receiving several balance changes to shake things up, and there are even more surprises yet to be revealed. It is safe to say that with what lies ahead for Season 9, it is a very good time to be a fan of SMITE.
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