SMITE launched its ninth season this week, and that means there’s been a whole lot of new changes that came down the pike, like the usual variety of new skins, a large-scale rework of relics, and some changes to game modes along with the addition of a new permanent game mode.
The new permanent game mode – the first added to the MOBA in years – is called Slash, a 5v5 battlefield that takes elements from both the Siege and Clash modes and merges them together into an entirely new mode (as well as a sort of portmanteau). Slash features an open central area that promises to feature frequent fights and camps that can be cleared to spawn lane-pushing Juggernauts to create what is described as a “casual objective focused map.”
The new season also brings some changes to the Conquest map, dressing it up in a peaceful style inspired by Shiva while adding some balance changes and a new Obelisk objective cycle that overlaps with other map objectives. Speaking of existing game mode changes, both Arena and Joust will be seeing more XP and gold rewards, with Joust getting a slightly increased emphasis on XP to help players reach level 20.
The last major piece of SMITE’s new season is a reworking of relic items. Overall, relics are either being changed, balanced, or removed, but ultimately all relics have received two new unique Tier 3 Upgraded versions that grant powerful effects. For those who somehow missed them when they were shared near the top of this month, the patch notes provide all of the salient – and lengthy – details.
