The SMITE World Championship 2021 event is underway from January 4 through January 10, with the championship qualifiers beginning on January 8. In anticipation of the big event, Hi-Rez revealed some exciting new content coming in Season 8. We got a look at two new upcoming Gods, along with a new conquest map, a new game mode, and more. Here’s everything you need to know if you missed the announcements.
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SMITE Season 8 Updates
Here’s everything Hi-Rez announced during their SMITE Season 8 showcase.
New Gods: Gilgamesh and Tiamat
Two new Gods are coming to SMITE Season 8 in early 2021, and their names are Tiamat and Gilgamesh. Tiamat is coming in February, with Gilgamesh coming in April of this year.
With the introduction of Tiamat, the Babylonian Pantheon is coming to SMITE. Tiamat is a ruler who aims to rebuild the world in her image, by any means necessary. According to Dishant Samtani, Game Designer at Hi-Rez, Tiamat is elegant but quick to anger, and those characteristics show in her kit. Tiamat can stance-switch from an upright regal mage archetype to a more ferocious quadruped form. In her flying stance, she can summon monster creatures, also known as her children.
SMITE’s version of Gilgamesh focuses on his turning point in his mythology. According to concept artist Marc-Ross Michaud, Gilgamesh is bold, confident, and strong during his quest for immortality. His kit includes dropkicks, grapples, slashes, and magical artifacts. Gilgamesh is designed to be a front-line hero at all times.
These two new Gods aren’t the only exciting changes coming for Season 8, though. Seeing as how Tiamat aims to reshape the world in her image, it would be fitting to see a map change, right?
Conquest Season 8 Map Updates
SMITE’s Conquest game mode is getting a new map for Season 8. These are some of the biggest changes yet, including major art updates and new base gates. The goal is to make the map feel more like an ancient wartorn battleground. Overall, it’s more extensive and features room for strategic options regarding god picks and team comps.
Significant changes are also coming to jungle paths, including adding new lanes, encounters, and combat areas. Scorpions also make their debut, a new enemy that can spawn in lanes and drop unique rewards.
Hi-Rez also announced that the Conquest map is a “living map,” which means it will change throughout 2021. Changes will affect various aspects of how the game looks and plays as time goes on.
The new map changes are available to play this weekend on SMITE’s private test servers. Even better, players on PlayStation and Xbox can even join in on it too.
New Game Mode
The last big announcement is that a new game mode is coming to SMITE this year: Slash. It incorporates elements from both siege and clash and is still in the early development stages. More details will come later when Season 8 is closer to release.
Other Season 8 Updates
Some other changes for Season 8 include an overhaul to the Starter Items system. Brand new starter items make their way into the game, featuring lots of unique designs and ones more familiar like Vampiric Shroud and Blue Stone Pendant.
Starter items also have a new upgrade system, allowing them to upgrade into one of two unique late item variants. They are not class-specific, so that they can be viable on most any God.
New models are also coming for Ares, Bastet, and Loki. A full remodel for Sobek is also to be expected, featuring a visual and effects overhaul. Janus will also have a kit rework later in the year, making him more consistent.
Hi-Rez also announced a new Battle Pass for Season 8 featuring content for the Season 8 Gods Tiamat and Gilgamesh, but they did not go into specific details. The team plans to introduce new partner streaming opportunities and upgrades to the store, as well.
If you prefer to watch the video recap, here it is from the official SMITE YouTube channel.
Smite is free-to-play and available on Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.
