SMITE 2 News

It has been a wild ride so far! It feels like yesterday that we officially announced SMITE 2 at Worlds, and so much has happened. Alpha Weekends, Flash Tests, and more fun than we could have ever imagined. So today, we would like to officially welcome you all to SMITE 2's launch into 24/7 with Closed Alpha 1!



This is a list of the specific features, fixes, and changes implemented in this update as a direct result of community feedback during the Alpha Weekends. Each of the things listed here is expanded upon in more detail further into the official Update Notes: Here!

To all players who participated and left your feedback: Thank You!

[h2]Illustrated "Card Art" Returns![/h2]

We are bringing back Card Art for the Gods in SMITE 2, enhanced with touch-ups for accuracy to SMITE 2 models, and better art practices.

[h2]Environment Overhaul for Style and Fantasy[/h2]

We have adjusted core engine settings to remove "Default Unreal Engine" visuals, leading to sharper, crisper visuals. The adjustments include:

• Adjusted environments, character models, and lighting to add more vibrant colors and stylized visuals.
  
• New lighting, engine settings, colors
  
• Many new assets, and individual asset reworks
  
• Reworked the Conquest floor game wide to better fit SMITE style and color goals, and improve readability, especially in Gold Fury and Fire Giant areas
  
• Chaos side jungle now has a more unique and complete art style
  

[h2]Game-Wide Performance Updates[/h2]

The team has spent dedicated time working to improve game performance across several parts of the game. We have put significant efforts in order to improve FPS and Connectivity. As well, Players should notice significant improved performance compared to Alpha Weekends, and larger impacts on their performance from changing Video Settings

[h2]K Screen / Ability Screen Added[/h2]

The famous K Screen (Also known as the Ability Screen) has finally made its way into SMITE 2! It makes its first appearance with a variety of new quality of life features.

• Short description updates
  
• Level up amounts and scalings shown
  
• you can now use shortcuts to level up skills from the new screen (On PC, Control + the skill button; on Console D-Pad Up + the skill button)
  
• Changing cast mode per ability is now done in the Settings screen, and not on the “K Screen”
  

[h2]HUD Art / Layout Adjustments[/h2]

We have reorganized the HUD to be more user-friendly, and for better clarity. This includes:

• Relocated allied god view for better clarity
  
• Adjusted HUD element art for more appealing contrast with the gameplay art
  
• Added new slots for Starter Items, Adjusted Active Item ability placements, and more!
  

[h2]20+ Popular SMITE 1 Items Added to SMITE 2[/h2]

We have ported the top 20 most used / popular items from SMITE 1 into SMITE 2! To name a few, we have:

• Gauntlet of Thebes
  
• Book of Thoth
  
• Heartseeker
  
• The Crusher
  

[h2]Minion Knockback, AI, Grouping Matched to SMITE 1[/h2]

We have done a major pass on minion behavior to ensure that minions are acting / reacting more like they did in SMITE 1. We have made changes to hit reactions, knockback, being pushed out of their squad, etc. All minions went to a mandatory "Minion Bootcamp" and should be much better trained.

[h2]Itemization System Changes and UI Updates[/h2]

We have changed the way that building items works, and updated many of the UI elements related to this process. Some examples are:

• Short Description Mode in Store UI
  
• Wards and Consumable slots and function like SMITE 1
  
• Starter items return
  
• Active item system changes and better HUD support
  
• Revised Component Building
  

[h2]Revised God Damage Typing and Scaling Systems[/h2]

We have also revised God Damage Types & the Scaling Systems related to this. At a glance, that involves the following changes:

• All gods will only deal one Damage Type
  
• All gods can still buy all items
  
• Gods will be split into three groups: 100% Strength Scaling, 100% Intelligence scaling, or Hybrid (scaling off both Strength and Intelligence)
  
• Tank now have unique protection scalings on their abilities
  
• Magical/Physical Penetration is removed. Replaced with “Penetration” so all gods are more easily able to access the stat combos they need.
  

[h2]Reworked Existing God Mechanics[/h2]

We have reworked many existing God's mechanics to address "Feels Issues" and functionality inconsistencies with SMITE 1.

[h2]Reworked Existing God Visual FX[/h2]

We have reworked many existing God's visual FX for better clarity, performance, and impact. We have also added a LOD system that throttles the FX emitters based on visual quality settings. Finally, we also took our first major pass of bounding box configuration to reduce CPU usage calculating dynamic bounds on Niagara FX emitters.

[h2]Reworked Existing God Audio SFX[/h2]

We also reworked many existing God's SFX for improved clarity, performance, impact, and to bring familiar sounds from SMITE 1 back.

[h2]And so much more![/h2]

This is only a portion of the changes made for Closed Alpha 1, but these were directly inspired by the feedback we got from the Community. As we continue forward with SMITE 2, we are hoping that we can continue working together with the people that love SMITE as much as us, to make the best version of SMITE 2 ever.

So once again; thank you all for participating, for sharing your feedback and opinions, and welcome to 24/7 SMITE 2!

[h2]Tickets will go on sale on September 13, 2024!
[/h2]
That’s right, SMITE fans, esports is back. Earlier this year, you saw our announcement about the first live LAN of SMITE 2 at the HyperX Arena Las Vegas on January 17-19, 2025, and now we’re here to give you the details.

This $300k prize pool tournament is split between six stages, totaling twelve weeks of competition for both North America and EMEA, and kicks off with Stage One on September 14, 2024. Here’s a quick rundown of each stage:





This open bracket stage will last two weeks, starting September 14 and ending September 22. Teams who compete will earn points based on their final placements, with the top sixteen point earners moving to Stage 2A. Teams that don’t make it to Stage 2A will still have a chance to compete during Stage 2B!



In Stage 2A, the top sixteen teams from Stage 1 will compete in a five-week-long Swiss competition, starting September 28, and ending October 27. Matchups will be determined randomly based on a team’s set score, with everyone starting 0-0 in week one. Teams will only be matched up with others that have a set score matching theirs, (so, 1-0s matched with 1-0s, 2-0s with 2-0s, 0-1s with 0-1s, etc.) until a team is able to amass three set wins.

The top eight teams from this stage will move immediately to Stage 4, while the other eight will move forward to Stage 3. Teams will qualify in waves, with two teams qualifying in Week 3 and three teams qualifying in Weeks 4 and 5. The bottom eight teams will join teams from Stage 2B in Stage 3 – the Last Chance Qualifier. In addition, there will be a $5,000 prize pool for the top teams during the Swiss Stage based on their final placement.





Stage 2B is an open bracket, similar to Stage 1. Teams that sign up will compete in single-elimination tournaments for five weeks during the same timeframe as Stage 2A, amassing points based on their final placements each week. The top eight teams from this stage will join the bottom eight teams from the Swiss Stage in Stage 3.





Sixteen teams will be split into four GSL groups starting November 2 and ending November 10. Teams will be seeded based on their final Swiss ranking and their open bracket points and face off against each other across 5 matches in each group. In the end, the top two teams from each group will advance to the next stage – Playoffs.





The eight teams from GSL groups will join the top eight teams from Swiss in a two-week-long, sixteen-team double-elimination tournament. Starting November 16 and ending November 24, these teams will be seeded based on a group draw where the top-seeded teams from Swiss will choose their opponents in Round 1. The top teams from each region move forward to the studio LAN in Stage 5.


The top teams from playoffs will come to our studio in Alpharetta, Georgia, to compete for a chance to go to Vegas. From December 12-15, these teams will play in two groups, four teams each, for both qualification and seeding, with two teams getting eliminated and the other six qualifying for the live LAN event in the HyperX Arena Las Vegas.


Based on their seeding from Stage 5, six teams will come to the HyperX Arena Las Vegas to compete in a double elimination, $300k prize pool tournament. From January 17 to 19, 2025, these teams will play in front of a live audience to become the first LAN winners of SMITE 2.



It’s a lot to take in and make sure to check out our posts detailing each stage to find out more information on the tournament as a whole. Make sure you stay tuned to our socials (@SmitePro) for more details about tickets and signups.

Interested in competing? Make sure to join the SMITE 2 Esports discord to stay up to date on all the most recent information: discord.gg/SmiteEsports


Also, make sure you tune in on Saturdays and Sundays while the tournament is going on to catch the games live, or, if you can’t make it, check out SmiteVod on YouTube to watch at your own convenience!

Join our 24/7 Closed Alpha, where we are forging a challenging, team-based, mythological Battleground. Become a Founder today to jump into the action and be a part of the development.

[h2]What to Expect in the 24/7 Closed Alpha[/h2]

Our community’s voices are core to how we create a great game experience for you, and we’re committed to responding to player feedback. We recognize the need for more Gods, more polished features, and more modes before we fully launch. Our 24/7 Alpha is the perfect time for you to experiment with everything SMITE 2 has to offer. During this time, get ready to try something new and provide meaningful feedback through surveys and our social channels.

[h2]Closed Alpha Patch Notes[/h2]

If you missed the Update Show, here's a quick overview of the highlights headed your way.
Check out the full patch notes here.

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[h2]HOW DO I DOWNLOAD THE CLIENT?[/h2]

If you want to play in SMITE 2’s Closed Alpha, the best way to guarantee access is to buy a Founder’s Edition. To do this, you can navigate to the SMITE 2 store page on your favorite platform (Steam, Epic, Xbox, PSN) and purchase your favorite Founder’s Edition. You can also request a Key for SMITE 2, for a chance to be granted free access to the game.

After that, the game will be added to your library! On Steam, it will be listed as "SMITE 2 Public Test"

[h2]HOW DO I LINK MY ACCOUNT & GET MY FOUNDER'S EDITION CROSS-GEN SKINS?[/h2]

During the Alpha period we are using the Founder’s Edition as a way to test our Cross-Gen content system.

To use the Nightstalker Neith or The Fallen Zeus in SMITE 2 Alpha, you must:

• Purchase a SMITE 2 Founder’s Edition containing the skin
  
• Log in to SMITE 1 after making your purchase
  
• Link your SMITE 1 account to your SMITE 2 account in-game in SMITE 1, on the Divine Legacy page (Linking via the Divine Legacy Page ensures all your owned Cross-Gen Skins in SMITE 1 will be available in SMITE 2)
  
• Log in to SMITE 2 on the same platform
  
• Once SMITE 2 enters Beta, players will be able to access the Founder’s Edition content in SMITE 2 immediately after purchasing without the need to first log into SMITE 1.
  

All players will be able to use Cacodemon 2 Ymir during the Alpha period, but it will be restricted to Founder’s Edition purchasers once SMITE 2 enters Beta. Badges, Titles, and Ascension Passes are expected to become available in SMITE 2 when the title reaches Beta.

If you have SMITE 2 game access on multiple platforms, you can also link your accounts to take advantage of Cross-Progression! Check out our Linking FAQ for full details, or check out this video for a step-by-step guide.

[h2]WHERE CAN I SHARE BUG REPORTS & FEEDBACK?[/h2]

SMITE 2 Alpha Weekends are SO important for helping us figure out what you loved, and what wasn’t perfect about SMITE 2, so we encourage you to share as much feedback as you can! So please let us know if you find any bugs, what feels amazing to play, what doesn’t feel great, and what you liked / disliked during your time playing. We will be looking at all of this feedback so that we can make SMITE 2 the best it can be.

The best ways to provide feedback are the dedicated SMITE 2 Feedback channels in our Official Discord Server or to provide information through our Official Alpha Survey! The Survey will be available via a link in-game and posted to our official social media channels, so keep an eye out!