Smite Tier List

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Shane’s gaming life may have started with MOBAs like League of Legends and SMITE, but over the past decade or so he has stepped into other genres, eager to experience new stories and types of gameplay. More recently, he has ventured headfirst into narrative-driven RPGs to inspire him in his own writing, but by no means has he abandoned the sweaty life of multiplayer games. After all, a daily dosage of saltiness is necessary for his survival.

Key Info Up Front

Below is my tier list for all 121 gods in SMITE. Please note that the gods within each tier are placed in no particular order, meaning that, for example, Achilles is not better than Ganesha (see tier B+). Rather, they are on relatively equal footing.

Rating System

Before I get into why I rated the gods where I did, I want to clarify my rating system, as there were a few particular aspects I kept in mind when rating each god. They were the following:

Difficulty to play the god.
Mobility of the god.
Crowd control (CC) in the god’s kit.
CC immunity in the god’s kit.
Viability in low (bronze-silver), average (gold-platinum), and high (diamond-masters) levels of play.
How well the god performs their role compared to others of their class.

In some cases, one category might supersede others. For example, if a god lacks mobility but performs their role well, they would be ranked higher than a god who has a lot of mobility but doesn’t perform their role as well. These rules aren’t hard and fast laws for my rankings but are more like guidelines, so bear that in mind.

Generally speaking, the gods I ranked C and below (and even some B’s), while good in their rights have glaring weaknesses (i.e. they’re easy to kill or have abilities that are easy to telegraph). Furthermore, other gods can do what they do better, all the while bringing more to the team.

Also, an important note: I ranked some gods lower than I otherwise would have because of how demanding they are skill-wise. A couple of examples of these gods are Awilix, Ullr, and Merlin, and my main reason for doing this is that they are less effective when not played to their fullest potential.

Indeed, there are some gods with near-equal difficulty that I ranked higher, but I did so because, even when not played to their fullest potential, they are still effective.

Why I Consider Mobility and CC Immunity

Mobility and CC immunity are crucial tools for gods, as they often spell the difference between getting a kill and having your target escape or surviving an all-in and dying to it. Gods with more mobility and CC immunity will naturally be able to do more (and risk more) than those without those tools.

When talking about back-liners (hunters and mages) in particular, having their mobility and CC immunity is extremely helpful, as it does not make them as reliant on the peel of their front line since they can take care of themselves decently.

There are some exceptions to this, most glaringly, Zeus. He has no mobility and no inherent CC immunity, making him one of the easiest targets for diving gods.

However, his damage output is extremely high (to make up for his vulnerability, most likely), and his ultimate is a great way to create some space between him and those that dive him, else they risk taking a great deal of damage should they choose to fight within it.

Justifying My Highest and Lowest Picks

While I won’t be going over every god here (that list would be excruciatingly exhaustive) I do want to justify my highest and lowest picks, specifically my S and S+ tier picks, and my D and E tier picks.

S+ picks

1. Heimdallr

Gods in the Hunter class typically don’t come online until the mid to late game, meaning their early game leaves much to be desired. That said, Heimdallr has quite a good early game thanks to his abilities. He’s got excellent poke and area of effect (AOE) auto attacks (except the last one on his chain).

His 2 (Gjallarhorn) not only slows enemies’ movement speed but their attack speed as well, and even provides a small knockback immediately around him at the end of the cast, allowing him to shake off a dive attempt. His 3 (The Bifrost) is incredible for getting him back to lane faster (a free teleport, pretty much) and can be used as a cheeky way of escape (or engage), providing him with some mobility.

Finally, his ultimate is a massive boom in the lane, as it can turn a 2v2 into a 2v1 (it also makes him CC immune during the cast). He can knock the enemy support (or ADC) out of the fight while he and his support double-team whoever is left.

It can also act as an escape since it’s a long-range dash. He has everything you can ever want and more (mobility, CC, poke), so definitely give him a try.

2. Yemoja

Technically classified as a guardian but also doubling as excellent support, Yemoja has it all. She has loads of CC (as all guardians should), but she can also heal allies with her auto attacks, making her absurdly strong in the laning phase due to her sustain.

Not only that, but her 3 (Riptide) provides not only herself with mobility but allies as well, since they can walk through the circle to get tossed in a specific direction.

3. Bastet

Presently, it’s safe to say Bastet is the best assassin in the game. Her mobility is incredible since she can use 1 (Pounce) to jump in and back to where she originally jumped from, allowing her to take almost any risk she’d like and get away with it scot-free (this acts as a great form of poke too).

She has CC through her 3 (Ensnaring Claw) and her ultimate (Huntress of Bast), the latter of which also makes her CC immune. To top it all off, she’s got a bleed. When it comes to assassins, no god gets better than this, and seeing an enemy lock her in during draft instantly puts a frown on my face.

4. Odin

The primary reason Odin is S+ tier is because of his ultimate ability (Ring of Spears), as it gives him so many benefits and even renders enemy gods unable to heal within his ring.

But that’s not to say the rest of his kit is lackluster. On the contrary, he’s got wonderful mobility (on top of his 3, which is his jump, his passive grants him more movement speed and damage as gods die around him), solid burst damage (even when building tanky), and CC with his 3 (Gungnir’s Might). He’s a warrior with the complete package and is a joy to play.

5. Yu Huang

This mage has everything a ranged god could want, making him top tier. He has CC immunity with his ultimate (Dueling Dragons), his share of CC himself (through two of his abilities), mobility through his reliable escape (3 ability—Celestial Flight), and can output some serious damage.

If he seems absurdly overpowered to you, that’s because he is, which makes sense considering he’s the most recently released god aside from Lancelot. I’m expecting several nerfs coming his way.

6. Shiva

Shiva is one of the more recent releases as of writing this article, and it’s no wonder he’s so strong. Two out of three of his basic abilities are CC, and his 3 (Pillar of Dawn) is his primary source of mobility that also makes him CC immune and causes him to take reduced damage.

As if that weren’t enough, his ultimate is also SIX FULL SECONDS of CC immunity. Oh yea, and he also provides healing and buffs to his allies across all his abilities. Does that seem balanced to you?

S picks

1. Cthulhu

Cthulhu has CC, mobility, and a surprising amount of damage for a guardian. His ultimate (Descend Into Madness) is where he truly shines, as he gains 20% max health, CC immunity, and a new set of basic abilities (a knock-up among them) for ten seconds at rank one, going up one second per rank until it caps out at fourteen seconds.

Imagine having complete CC immunity for a whole FOURTEEN SECONDS. In my experience, when Cthulhu uses his ultimate, I’m either fed enough to kill him outright, or I’m forced to run. Usually, it’s the latter, in case you were wondering.

That said, I put him in the S tier because I believe Yemoja (the only guardian I put in the S+ tier) has better basic abilities than Cthulhu. Also, she has a more supportive function with her healing, making her a stronger pick overall.

2. Freya

Freya is a scaling monster who has CC and mobility. Her mobility comes with her ultimate (Valkyrie’s Discretion), which makes her untargetable for a whole 3.6 seconds too. She has a built-in lifesteal through her passive (Brisingamen’s Blessing), giving her some sustainability in the laning phase and insane damage late game that shreds everyone—including tanks.

Her only form of CC (her 3—Banish) is, as the name implies, a banish, meaning the god(s) she hits is untargetable. While this can gain an advantage in a team fight (say, by banishing the most fed god on the enemy team or initiating a chain-CC), the fact that you can’t deal damage to the banished person is slightly underwhelming. That, along with her relative lack of mobility outside of her ultimate, puts her in S tier instead of S+ tier.

3. Kukulkan

Big damage. Big, big damage. At first glance, you may not think there’s much more to Kukulkan than that, but he has reliable mobility with his 2 (Slipstream), which gives a large movement speed buff and also acts as a cleanse of slows, which is exceedingly valuable, but still, not quite as valuable as complete CC immunity.

His CC, while not that great compared to other mages, is still decent, between his slow with his 1 (Zephyr) and the knock-up with his ultimate, Spirit of the Nine Winds (that is, if the ultimate doesn’t just flat out kill you because of its big, big damage).

Kukulkan is a solid pick-up that offers a lot in team comps and is slippery with his slows and mobility. Make sure you come with hard CC (roots, stuns) when going against him to lock him down.

4. Lancelot

It’s no surprise that Lancelot is as strong as he is, seeing that he is the most recently released god. He has lovely mobility through his horse (which also acts as survivability since it gives him an extra health bar) and very high burst damage, making it easy for him to get in, kill a back-liner, and get out.

As strong as he is, he falls short of the S+ tier due to his lack of CC. Granted, it is often said that the best kind of CC is death, so who knows? Maybe I should’ve ranked him higher.

5. Olorun

Olorun has CC and healing through his 3 (Consecration) and what is probably the best zone control in the game through his ultimate (Sanctified Field). He’s got decent poke and range too, and is, overall, a well-rounded mage. Unfortunately, he lacks mobility, preventing him from a place in the S+ tier.

6. Tsukuyomi

Tsukuyomi is another strong assassin, for even though his auto attacks are melee, his entire kit is ranged (his 2—Kusarigama—is also a stun), which is insane for a melee assassin to have and is very frustrating to deal with as a mage or hunter.

Truthfully, he might as well be classified as ranged. His ultimate (Piercing Moonlight) is his primary form of mobility and gap close, while also giving him CC immunity during his cast. What keeps him from S+ is his lack of mobility otherwise.

7. Ah Puch

Ah, Puch is a mage with incredible range and self-sustain (through his passive, which allows him to eat his corpses to regenerate health and mana). His ultimate provides massive zone control as well. The two reasons he’s not S+ is because of his lack of mobility and CC immunity. Even so, his damage, range, and sustainability make up for it big-time.

D picks

1. Sun Wukong

https://smite.fandom.com/wiki/Ah_Puch?file=SkinArt_AhPuch_Default.jpg — Image From Smite Fandom

As far as warriors go, Sun Wukong is generally average. “But if he’s average, then why isn’t he in C or B tier?” you might ask. To this, I’d answer that the other warriors (non-E tier warriors, that is) in SMITE have more to offer than him.

Wukong has mobility and CC, but one comes at the expense of the other with his 3 (72 Transformation), which is his biggest letdown. His eagle form gives him a wonderful speed boost, his tiger form gives him a single-target stun, and his ox form knocks all enemies out of his path, but he can only be one at a time.

Most other warriors have access to mobility and CC simultaneously, while Sun Wukong doesn’t. Yes, his 2 (Master’s Will) is a short slow of two seconds, but it’s not wildly effective.

2. Thanatos

Make no mistake, Thanatos is a scary god when he’s snowballing. However, if not, he is underwhelming. Outside of his ultimate (Hovering Death), which makes him CC immune during the ability’s cast and allows him to fly, he is immobile and easy to lock down and catch out.

He does have decent sustain through his self-healing abilities, a silence with his 3 (Soul Reap), and an AOE stun (or execute) with his ultimate. These things save him from the E tier, but still don’t put him very high on the list due to his drawbacks. There are just better assassins available.

3. Poseidon

Poseidon can output a great deal of damage, mainly through the use of his ultimate (Release the Kraken!). Unfortunately, the Kraken is easy to telegraph, making it easy to preemptively pop an invulnerability spell or Aegis Amulet (the relic) to negate his entire combo.

Two things save him from E tier, however. First is the movement speed granted to him by his 2 (Trident) and passive (Changing Tides), which give him some mobility. Second is the grounding effect of his 3 (Whirlpool), which helps prevent enemies from utilizing their mobility spells.

4. Ah Muzen Cab

As far as hunters go, Ah Muzen Cab’s damage output is nothing to scoff at, and neither is his range, which lands him above the E tier. However, he has no mobility and no CC immunity built into his kit, making him an easy target for assassins and warriors to dive.

E picks

1. Anubis

Anubis has no mobility and a very easy to telegraph kit. He does have CC, but it’s a single target ability, making him less effective in team fights, and while his ultimate makes him CC immune, he’s stuck in the same spot for the duration of the cast, making him a sitting duck.

2. Osiris

Osiris has extremely low mobility, since his ultimate is his only way to close a gap between him and his opponent, and though he has CC through his 3 (Judgement Tether), it is unreliable since it’s not instant and is thus easily avoidable by enemies.

3. Guan Yu

Guan Yu does have some mobility and some sustain, but overall, his kit is underwhelming. What little CC he has (his ultimate) is remarkably unreliable due to how easy it is to avoid. Everything he can do is done better by other gods, making him an undesirable pick.

4. Hel

Aside from her ability to cleanse herself and her allies of CC, Hel’s kit lacks a great deal. She has no mobility, and the extent of her CC is a single, measly slow (2 ability—Hinder). She can indeed provide some sustain (alternate 3 ability—Inspire), but she is an easy target for assassins and warriors. Other support mages like Chang’e and Aphrodite play the role better than Hel. Miles better than Hel.

5. Janus

Janus is not entirely immobile, but he might as well be, as his primary form of escape from hairy situations is his 1 (Portal), which allows him to blink through walls. This mobility is unreliable because he won’t always be able to get to a wall in time to flee.

Furthermore, his ultimate makes him CC immune for the duration of the cast, but unlike someone like Zeus, whose massive damage output makes up for his lack of mobility and CC immunity, Janus just doesn’t put out that much damage. All mages (except Anubis, depending on your perspective) play the role better than him.

6. Cabrakan

While Cabrakan does have a decent chunk of CC in his kit, he is immobile and is very vulnerable when casting his main form of CC, his 3 (Tremors), as he’s forced to stand in the same spot while slamming the ground. As is the case with the other E-tier gods on this list, there are just other guardians that do their job better than Cabrakan.

7. Nike

Nike doesn’t offer much to her team at all, other than, perhaps, being a meat shield. She has an unreliable disarm with her 1 (Rend) since all three slams need to connect for the disarm to proc (this is useless against mages), a knock-up with her jump (she has some mobility), and her 2 ability (Barrier Formation), which may seem useful at face value, but is super easy to work around, let alone the fact that it only blocks ranged basic attacks.

If you want to play a god in the warrior class, you’re better off picking anyone else. Even Guan Yu or Osiris, I’d say.

FAQs

Question: Are C, D, and E tier gods viable?

Answer: It depends on what elo you’re playing in. When it comes to low elo play (platinum and below), anything is viable as long as you can play it well. As long as your skill level at a lower-tier god is high enough to overcome the inherent gap between them and higher-tier gods, you should be just fine.
High elo is a different monster, though. I would say C-tier gods are viable, but only if you’ve truly mastered your god enough. D and E-tier gods will more than likely get walked over by the higher-tier gods because a master of a high-tier god will inherently be better off than a master of a low-tier god. Generally speaking, high elo players are all really good at the game, so while skill level becomes less of a question, the value of the gods themselves becomes the main concern, making the higher-tier gods superior.

Question: Do you have to play the higher-tier gods to climb in ranked?

Answer: As with the former question, it depends on what elo you’re playing in. The only time you need to worry about playing what is considered “meta” is when you reach high elo (diamond and above). Even then, you might be able to get away with playing a lower-tier god only because of the lack of familiarity your opponents may have with lower-tier gods (since pretty much everyone in high elo plays to the meta).

Question: Are E Tier gods worth playing?

Answer: In casual play, of course. Play whatever your heart desires there. In ranked play, except for bronze elo (and maybe silver elo), I would recommend staying away from E Tier gods. There are just better options. Plus, it’s better to get into the habit of playing higher-tier gods early on instead of waiting until you reach a higher rank and first having to learn them there.

SMITE Tier List Conclusion

All in all, I think SMITE is in a very healthy state at present, and even the gods I put in the lower tiers can offer something to their team. Of course, as in any game, there will be better choices than others, but in this case, even the “lesser” gods can become viable if the player has substantial mastery over them.

Playing the lower-ranked gods may even afford you an advantage, as your opponents may not be entirely sure how to play against you as they would a god in the higher rankings that they see nearly every single game they play.

The best advice I can give is don’t let this, or any tier list influence your decision of which god to play unless you plan on climbing the ranks to a professional (or near-professional) level. With sufficient mastery, any god can be played to at least diamond, and at the end of the day, it’s still a game, so play the god(s) you connect with, master them to the best of your abilities, and take them as far as you can.

Just remember: no matter how strong (or weak) a god is at any given point in time, team composition is what matters the most. With that in mind, don’t think that picking an S or S+ tier god will net you an auto-win because it won’t always achieve that, especially if your opponents draft a better team.