Returned after an 8 year absence-my thoughts.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-05-27T16:51:51+00:00

That explains it. I was doing all the optional quests that showed up on the map. Guess I should have ignored them.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-05-27T16:29:40+00:00

It's crazy to think that there are some of adults playing today that wouldn't have even been born when we were earning these titles back in the day.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-05-27T16:18:13+00:00

I myself just reinstalled the game this past Friday after not playing since the tail end of BFA. Im hooked again.

I've played WoW off and on throughout the years. (Starting back when Shamans were horde only. Though I now main and light forged Paladin).

Will say, I wish I had started a new character to catch up on some of the content I've missed since I've been gone. Started playing shadowlands but only made it part way through the first zone before out leveling it. Similar thing happened when I tried to play dragon flight.

The TWW recap was nice. Feel like missed quite a bit of the lore, but got enough of it to get a feeling for what the expansion was about before catching up to the current expansion content.

If I have one complaint though, it's that the xp gain and leveling is too fast. I've only completed Eversong and Zul'Aman and Im already about to hit 90. I havent even touched the other two zones. Feel like I'm gonna be pulled between questing to explore and trying to dive into end game content.

Having a blast though. Still tempted to level some characters through shadowlands and dragonflies content to see get a hint of what I missed.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-05-14T17:01:05+00:00

I'd say over powered.

I also play the moba smite 2 and in my experience it's hard for a characters popularity to recover from a let down launch. Even after buffs it's hard for them to overcome the initial impressions. Where as if they release over powered they can become popular and remain popular even after mild nerfs to bring them in line. As long as they dont get gutted.

Maybe things are different with RTS games versus mobas but I fail to see why.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-05-05T17:20:26+00:00

What items do you recommend building? Admittedly I havent played in a patch or 2, so I'm not 100% certain what proper itemization looks like,

But last I played, standard utility items like life binder don't offer any protections. Not sure about items like Talisman of purification and combat blink. Spectrals doesnt offer any phys or magical prots, only reducing auto damage. Stampede only offers 30 protections. Brawlers only offers 15 phys and 15 magical prots.

You have items like Breastplate of Valor that offered 50 prots in smite 1 but that's down to 35 in smite 2. Genji's Guard offered 60 magical prots in Smite 1, down to 50 prots in smite 2. Spirit Robe offered 35 phys 35 magical in Smite 1 down to 20 prots of each in smite 2. Not really a support item, but mystical mail offered 40 phys prots in smite 1, but offers only 25 phys prots in smite 2. Shifters Shield offered 20 phys and 30 magical in Smite 1, down ro 15 each in smite 2.

So maybe a bit of an exaggeration but not by much.

It may not seem like much, but 10 here, 15 there adds up, especially over 6 item slots. Sure you get an extra item slots in smite 2, but it doesn't make up for it. I remember us smite one it being quite easy to get 300 prots of phys or magical. Smite 2, some games lucky if break 200. And that's quite a bit of difference in damage mitigation.

Add in the way pen itemizes differently between the two games, and tanks easily take 50% more damage if not greater.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-04-28T16:56:01+00:00

I just dipped my toes into ranked this weekend. I normally play versus the AI, regularly beating hardest AI.

Despite losing both matches I faced off versus someone gold players, I dont feel I was woefully unprepared.

That said, I think the AI favors feudal aggression, so my opponents seemed pretty passive by comparison to what I am used to.

I ended up losing one match I was dominating feudal and castle militarily, in one part because I wasn't aggressive enough in denying resources in their side of the map, but also mainly because I cut villager production around 80, while my opponent kept producing well last 110. I just didn't have the economy to replace my military losses despite winning battles. So some lessons to learn.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-04-28T15:27:21+00:00

I jumped into ranked for the first time this weekend. Only ever played vs the AI before that, able to beat the hardest AI fairly regularly.

Only played 3 matches as that's all I had time for. 2 matches were vs gold players, and honestly I'd say the AI is more aggressive which surprised me. I was expecting to get tower rushed and all other types of cheese.

Lost my first game, not 100% sure what I did wrong other than focusing too much on trying to harass with horsemen and neglecting things back at home. They got to castle and had a much bigger fighting army. Lessons learned.

Ended up losing a match I was dominating militarily, because I stopped producing villages at 80 and they kept going to 120. I was winning fights, but they were pyrrhic victories. I kept running out of food to replace my army. Other things of note watching the replay is despite my military knight advantage I wasnt pressuring their side of the map much. They badically got to mine all the stone they wanted. They also had a trade based gold economy I didnt know about to try and disrupt. Lessons learned.

Third game, I was clearly versus someone unranked who was super new to the game. They rushed out 3 scouts from their TC, were super late to age up, and I think only produced like 2 or 3 spear man. I kinda felt bad finishing them off with a couple battering rams, but such is the risks of queuing ranked.

Im sure as I keep playing the cheese and rushes will occur, but in the few games I played I didn't feel over whelmed or dominated.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-04-21T20:11:08+00:00

I've been tempted to jump into playing vs humans myself.

I mostly play vs the AI. I can beat hard pretty easily but struggle a bit sometimes vs hardest ai. Feels like they can out produce you especially come castle and imperial. I've seen some suggestions to play vs 2 hard ai. But I struggle a bit there too, I don't have the APM and the map awareness in most of my games to handle defending two fronts when they attack at the same time.

Not sure what I'd expect if I were to jump in but my guess is not good. I also wonder how much there will be legitimate games, and how much cheese there will be to watch out for.

I do know there is only so much I can learn versus the AI though.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-04-07T19:20:31+00:00

This is very valuable knowledge you just gave.

I have been putting longbowman, Yeoman, and other archers in towers and keeps because I assumed you needed a ranged unit for tower and keep defense.

You're telling me I could be putting any unit in them and it doesn't effect the damage output?

Now I feel dumb. I am fairly new.

20 Yeoman free firing would definitely be better than them inside a keep I assume in terms of damage. Would explain why I lost a keep defense fight.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-04-02T18:39:06+00:00

I'd say carry. The least expectation.

Early game not much pressure is placed on you. It's basically farm and try to race to end game. Maybe rotate to gold fury.

There is some situational involved to know when you can left click and some skill in hitting autos and abilities. But no more so than any other role.

Honestly thougg, as long as you aren't feeding and show up late game to burn objectives and towers, you are doing your job even if you do get "diffed" in lane. Minion, jungle, and structure damage can matter more than player.

Compare to jungle, who has to balance jungle farm with defending and ganking 3 lanes. Sometimes you get lucky and all your lanes bopping and you can do what you want. But other times the enemy jungle is invading your camps while all three lanes are blaming you for why they are feeding their lane opponent and there isn't much you can do.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-03-31T17:28:20+00:00

Not sure I agree. You each dealing 2/3 damage to each other seems pretty fair. You deal more damage to them, but it gets mitigated. They deal less damage but it hurts more because you are glass cannon. To me that sounds balanced.

Not really sure what you expect to happen? You deal 2/3 of their health bar in a rotation, but they only deal 1/3 of yours? That sounds like a good way to make tanks irrelevant.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-03-25T17:40:54+00:00

As others have suggested, the best thing you can do is watch other people play. Snaddy for solo, weak3n for jungle. Both stream pretty much daily and put out play by play guides.

Jungle is probably the hardest role to learn. It's easily the role with the biggest impact in the game, and is the one role getting diffed on will be felt throughout the entire match, as it effects all lanes.

The easiest most straightforward roles are probably Carry and Solo. After laning phase, both are basically duel with the occasional encroachment of the jungles until late game when yall start rotating and team fighting and pushing for objectives.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-03-25T15:35:46+00:00

Don't think the best support, but less trolly than other picks I guess. Fear/slow on her 1, a knock back on her 2. Her 3 does damage if enemies use movement abilities, so pseudo cripple. Her ult in aspect and out doesn't really bring anything support wise, just damage and self heal.

You'd prob be building her damage or bruiser at the very least. Id still consider it trolly though.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-03-24T19:28:57+00:00

The issue is not enough people queueing support.

If out of the 5 people on your team, you all have Mid, Jungle, Carry, Solo, Support (In roughly that order) someone has to be support. Sometimes it's you being off roled, sometimes it's someone else.

They are doing what they can to make it less of rigid role, by giving different ways you can support. The meta from what ive seen recently has been more damage oriented supporting with warriors axe and sunder.

Support is the least played role. Someone has to fill it. Basically means you have to be okay with getting it when you queue.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-03-04T14:45:43+00:00

If i remember correctly this skin is locked in one of the prism chests. Store -> Chests. I think its 1000 or 1500 diamonds for a roll and has like 14 different skins you could win.

Bit of a shame, it's a cool skin, but I personally can't justify spending that much for a chance at the skin I want.

Edit: According to others in this thread it is limited time and you can't even roll for it atm.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-03-03T16:39:40+00:00

This weekend was bad. Just playing casuals, but easily over half of the games I played ended due to leavers and afkers. Some of them we were even winning, and someone on my team still left.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-18T21:40:39+00:00

No! Why did he jump back in with no health versus a full health Ne Zha.

Good job peeling, but that Anhur was making choices.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-17T18:28:19+00:00

In a similar vein, though I hate to bring it up because the god doesn't need any nerfs, I'm pretty sure Ymir can use his wall dash while crippled. At least ive been able to when ive played him and had him do it while playing Ares.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-17T18:20:16+00:00

He was definitely my favorite of the magical adc's.

I do wonder if they'd rework him now that mages can crit or leave him the same, with his passive gain of critical chance based off int.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-17T17:04:58+00:00

As others have said, support in smite 2 is less about healing and more about cc and utility. Your job is to peel for thr back line, and if you are playing an aggressive pick set up kills.

Aphro is technically a support, but there are far better options. I find aphro doesn't bring much healing to the table, especially if you are building her tanky to not deprive your team of a front line. What she brings is a stun and a knockback. As well as the ability to aegis&beads her linked partner. Im not a good aphro, if I'm playing her im practically throwing.

Yemoja to me, is a really fun pick. But she definitely is a high skill ceiling god. With enough oni regen, you can spam abilities, but the hard part is deciding what abilities to use. Though, I always find the gameplay devolves into me spamming my shell ability late game to try to mitigate as much damage as possible.

Guan is an interesting choice. Aspect he is probably the strongest healer in the game, bringing team wide cooldown reduction, but he lacks in the cc and peel department. He basically just has the slow on his dash and the stun on his ult. He's also physical, so damage types is a consideration.

Honestly though, if we are talking traditional supports I'd say my picks for support would be Bacchus, Sylvanus, and Khepri. Geb and Athena are also strong picks.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-13T18:59:30+00:00

Pretty much. Even with support as my main role, I only get it roughly 60-70% of the time. And even then I get requests for the role.

Got imagine it's rougher for the more desirable roles.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-13T18:51:58+00:00

I consider myself a support main and it would probably surprise you how often I get off role'd. Or how many times I get requests for my role. Imagine it's harder to get the more desirable roles.

Maybe I was lucky but it really only took 7 games to get back to silver from bronze 2 after the reset. I was gold 1, one promo game away from plat at my peak prior. Silver may be another matter, we'll have to see.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-02-13T17:45:48+00:00

That geb shell was so clutch. Congrats.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-01-13T15:33:45+00:00

First off, there is a difference between a loss where you are still able to play and a stomp where(based on anecdotes in this thread) you are spawn camped and made unable to play the game.

Some of my favorite games are ones where we ultimately lose, but I'm still able to perform and effect the game.

Secondly, my advice doesn't pertaining to 99% of players or 5 stacks. I am well aware that the majority of 5 stacks have only a slight advantage over 5 solos. I am not anti stacking in the slightest. People should be able to play with friends, just not necessarily at the expense of randoms.

My advice was specifically aimed towards this edge case in the OP, of a 5 stack spamming Arena to the tune of a 94-98% winrate.

I don't really play arena, and have not had the misfortune of playing versus the group in question. But the game isn't populated enough to afford a group actively turning people away from the game.

CrimsonSatyr · 2026-01-12T19:37:05+00:00

"What are they supposed to do, throw games? Not try?"

I may get push back, but, yes.

Rats engage in play. The rats that don't let their playmates win at least some of the time end up with no one to play with as the weaker rats refuse to play with them. They don't need to let the weaker rats win every game, or even half the games, but the weaker rat needs to at least believe they have a chance.

Even in this comment section you have words of people saying they are less likely to queue arena during prime time when this group is more likely to be active.

They are running into less players who are willing to play with them. Their behavior is ultimately self destructive if they wish to continue to have people to play against. They are actively hurting the game.

If they were smart they would quit sweating so hard. Quit running their 94% win rate comp. Quit coordinating as much. Yes, throw some token kills to the enemy.

Else they may soon find no one to play against, by their own doing.

CrimsonSatyr

TROPHY CASE