Players of Smite who want to assert their dominance over their objective would want to use no one other than the God of the Sky himself. Zeus, Lord of Lightning, will bring down his fury into Hi-Rez's action-packed MOBA straight from Mount Olympus himself. As with other Mages, Zeus boasts a kit that emphasizes sheer crowd control and devastating area damage. However, unlike other Mages, Zeus constantly punishes anyone who dares to try and go approach him.
As a result, Zeus almost always become a handy God to pick for both beginners and veterans alike. For newcomers, Zeus's kit almost always provides them with an easy way to attack opponents. And for veterans, the proper maneuvering and timing can make Zeus's skills extremely lethal in any confrontation.
Zeus:Â Lord Of Lightning
True to his name and status, Zeus remains a foe to be reckoned with in Smite due to his punishing kit. Thanks to his abilities, enemies that face Zeus almost always end up having a bad time. After all, his kit focuses on not only damaging enemies outright but also setting them up to receive more damage the more they stay in Zeus's territory.
Why Play Zeus?
Thanks to his straightforward kit, Zeus remains a fan favorite even for players who have achieved some degree of mastery in the game. Given the damage-oriented abilities of Zeus's skills, it's not extremely difficult to play him. Rather, he offers a ton of damage opportunities that aggressive players would want to take advantage of:
Area potential is frightening. As with other Mages, Zeus relies on massive damage with his AOE attacks. However, unlike other Mages, Zeus has better control over what happens in the areas of his AOE bursts. In turn, simply going to Zeus's territory can spell danger to opponents.
Range and poke makes for solid defense. Due to his incredible AOE range, Zeus can be an effective defender - especially for the Middle Lane. His range can help Zeus poke enemies without risking much trouble. Moreover, this positioning allows him to contribute to team fights without unnecessary risks.
Scaling progression adds adaptability. Unlike other Gods that usually specialize in one stage of the game, Zeus slowly grows in power the longer he stays in play. He can begin as an "okay" God in the early game, a defensive juggernaut in the midgame, and a terrifying team player in the endgame.
Why Avoid Zeus?
Despite his massive damage potential, Zeus has relatively weak mobility. Aside from his lack of escapes, he cannot immediately chase foes for quick executions. Moreover, his nature as a Mage makes him extremely weak once cornered:
Lack of mobility and escape. Sadly, due to Zeus's focus on area damage and range, his abilities don't offer a lot of room for escapes and mobility. In turn, Zeus can easily get killed if he gets boxed out by his opponents. Additionally, his low mobility doesn't make him ideal for chases, either.
Low protections and health. As a Mage, Zeus shares the common problem these spellcasters have: being a glass cannon. Sadly, this also means that Zeus can suffer a lot of damage once a melee fighter closes in and unleashes their bursts.
The Kit: Never Mess With Lightning!
As mentioned, Zeus specializes in optimizing the full range of his AOE abilities. In turn, even getting into his AOE range can spell danger for any foe. When translated into mechanics, players who use Zeus can enjoy a lot of flexibility in terms of AOE damage potential. Instead of just having usual areas of lightning, Zeus can unleash a barrage of lightning to enemies or even build up damage over time.
Overcharge (Passive)
Zeus proves his domination over the realm of lightning with Overcharge (Passive). Thanks to this Passive, lightning bolt attacks against any enemies will give a Charge to them. An enemy can hold up to three Charges at a time. By the time Zeus attacks any enemy with a Charge, their damage decreased increases.
Essentially, all of Zeus's attacks give 30-percent more damage to an enemy with a Charge. Since an enemy can get up to three charges, they can receive up to 90-percent increased damage. Moreover, since Charges last up to five seconds, this gives Zeus a lot of room to play around with combos.
Chain Lightning (Skill 1)
Serving as Zeus's go-to ability, Chain Lightning (S1) enables the God of Thunder to hit various enemies with an arc of lightning. Enemies hit by Chain Lightning (S1) will get a Charge.
Rank Order:Â L4/L15/L16/L18/L19
Damage Per Rank:Â 40/70/100/130/160 (+50-percent of Zeus's Magical Power)
Cooldown:Â 30Â seconds
With Chain Lightning (S1), Zeus can hit up to four targets at once. Moreover, each enemy hit by this attack will get 30-percent slow for two seconds. This might seem little, but this can have a huge impact in terms of team fights.
Aegis Assault (S2)
Accompanying Zeus is the Aegis, his trusty shield. With Aegis Assault (S2), Zeus can throw his shield forward and damage enemies near him. Additionally, the Aegis stays in its new position for five seconds, allowing Zeus to target it with basic attacks or even arc Chain Lightning (S1) with it.
Rank Order:Â L1/L10/L11/L12/L14
Damage (Initial) Per Rank:Â 60/105/150/195/240 (+50-percent of Zeus's Magical Power).
Damage (Static) Per Rank:Â 55/65/75/85/95 (+30-percent of Zeus's Magical Power)
Cooldown:Â 12 seconds
In addition to Aegis's targetable nature, the shield will also erupt with static damage for the first Chain Lightning (S1) or every basic attack that hits it. Moreover, if Zeus does this, the shield will leave a Charge in the area as well.
Detonate Charge (S3)
Zeus's opponents might think that Charges simply allow Zeus to deal more damage to them. Apparently, the God can also have the Charges explode via Detonate Charge (S3). With this skill, Zeus detonates all Charges in enemies and does damage that follows a certain multiplier. This instant ability can cause a world of hurt to opponents affected.
Rank Order:Â L2/L3/L6/L7/L8
Damage (1 Charge) Per Rank:Â 60/90/120/150/180 (+25-percent of Zeus's Magical Power)
Damage (2 Charges) Per Rank:Â 102/153/204/255/306 (+42.5-percent of Zeus's Magical Power)
Damage (3 Charges) Per Rank:Â 144/216/288/360/432 (+60-percent of Zeus's Magical Power)
Cooldown:Â 10 seconds
Due to the fast CD of Detonate Charge (S3), this can easily become a go-to AOE ability of Zeus. However, players need to time this carefully as Zeus cannot detonate without targets, and he needs to prefire it for 0.3-seconds.
Lightning Storm (Ultimate)
Zeus proves to the world that he's a force to be reckoned with due to his Lightning Storm (Ult). This Ultimate will have Zeus create a lightning storm that strikes everything in its area of effect. In addition, each hit will give Charges to the target.
Rank Order:Â L5/L9/L13/L17/L20
Damage (Per Hit, Minimum) Per Rank: 100/130/160/190/220 (+55-percent of Zeus's Magical Power)
Damage (Maximum) Per Rank:Â 500/650/800/950/1100 (+275-percent of Zeus's magical Power)
Cooldown:Â 90 seconds
Due to the massive damage potential of Lightning Storm (Ult), Zeus can use this to either rake up damage in team fights or even force enemies to retreat during crucial situations.
The Play:Â Dominate The Territory
Unlike other Mages, Zeus has an extremely offensive and aggressive approach to combat. Thanks to his kit, Zeus can immediately put pressure to the enemy team as even getting into his range and getting Charges can spell bad news to anyone facing him.
In turn, Zeus's general approach more or less involves either defending the position via good poking or getting aggressive by building momentum to score in kills.
The Lord Of Olympus: Combos To Consider
Thanks to the flexibility of Zeus's damage capabilities, players can have a more dynamic take on how the God can approach combat. Additionally, the long-distance nature of Zeus's abilities can help him stay away from relying on combos most of the time.
However, on the off-chance that Zeus has to rely on combos, he can try the following:
Connect with the Shield:Â Zeus can Aegis Assault (S2) an enemy God to have the Shield stay in the vicinity. That way, Zeus can hit the Shield with Chain Lightning (S1) and proc the slow effect to around four other targets. Zeus can then follow up with Detonate Charges (S3) to score easy high DPS to the target.
Get off my Lawn! Zeus easily becomes a valuable member in team fights, especially when almost everyone is within vicinity. At its core, Zeus can insert his Ult after S2-S1 right before S3 in order to secure as much damage as possible. Even if Zeus can't secure kills, this should be enough to deal major damage to help the Junglers and Carries finish the job.
The Early Game:Â Assert Dominance
Despite the sheer strength of Zeus's abilities, he won't have as much use in the early game if players build him the wrong way. By the time matches start, Zeus would work well by ranking up Aegis Assault (S2) and Detonate Charge (S3) first in order to ensure he has an early poking combo.
Additionally, leveling up Chain Lightning (S1) by Level 3 allows Zeus to have all the ingredients he needs to clear waves quickly. S2-S1-S3 always works as a wave clear combo, as the damage output here can easily kill minions and even threaten Gods.
Moreover, the S2-S1-S3 combo can pose enough of a threat to the enemy Mid that any unfortunate encounters can result in a player kill.
The Mid Game:Â Punish Trespassers
By the time Zeus hits the mid game, he should have grown enough to leave the Middle Lane every now and then to assist with ganks and deter ganking from enemies. Thanks to his area damage, he can easily deter enemy Junglers from trying to gank an ally or even steal a lane from the enemy.
However, players be warned that Zeus in the mid game can still be susceptible to kills if they aren't careful. As much as possible, Zeus should stick to a support rotation while clearing Mid Jungle Camps and without neglecting tower defense. That way, Zeus can sustain protection for the Middle Lane and still become an accessible threat should the team need a backup.
The Late Game:Â God's Wrath
By the time Zeus reaches the endgame, he should have built some core items and have power spikes that assert his dominance in his lane. Moreover, his presence in team fights become more important as his abilities can immediately upset the enemy advantage.
Essentially, in terms of endgame team fights, Zeus should always prioritize getting all his enemies Charges. Zooming in with the S2-S1 combo will work, and a handy Ult will ensure that almost everyone will have at least two Charges. This, on top of the base damage increase that Charges provide, can easily kill an opponent or two by the time Zeus activates Detonate Charge (S3).
The Build:Â It's All In The Area
With the above in mind, players who want to achieve mastery with Zeus needs to maximize the God's base damage and emphasize lowering his cooldowns. That way, Zeus can proc as much Charges as possible and avoid the risk of pausing for even a split-second just to charge his abilities.
As a hard damage dealer, Zeus works best when he gets to consistently dish out his combos.
Effective Starting Items
In terms of starting items, Freya needs to have a means of building her damage or even lifesteal on the get-go. As such, here are items she needs to procure:
Sands Of Time:Â An essential item for mid-laners, Sands of Time can give much-needed 30 Magical Power, 10-percent CD reduction, and 5 MP5 to enhance sustain and attacks. Moreover, its passive that constantly gives 2 MP5 whenever a God loses 10-percent of Mana can greatly enhance offensive abilities later on.
Full Build
Aside from her starting items, Freya needs to build her attack speed in order to ensure the consistency of her damage potential. With that in mind, she can always build these items:
Book Of Thoth:Â This unimposing item gives 80 Magical Power, 250 Mana, and 15 MP5. However, where this book shines is its passive. Players get a Stack for the item whenever they kill anything. Moreover, players get 10 Mana per Stack (a total of 75 Stacks), and 6-percent of Mana from Items become Magical Power. At full stacks, this item gets an upgrade and gives extra 3-percent for the Mana-Magical Power Conversion. This greatly improves Zeus's Mana regeneration.
Shoes Of The Magi:Â This Boots has benefits that immediately support spellcasters. It gives 18-percent Movement Speed, 100 Mana, 75 Magical Power, and 8-percent Lifesteal.
Chronos' Pendant:Â This item greatly helps with CD reduction. The Pendant grants 100 Magical Power, 20 MP5, and 20-percent CD reduction. In addition, its passive will subtract 1 second from all abilities on cooldown every 10 seconds.
Spear Of The Magus:Â This item enhances Zeus's poking abilities. It gives 110 Magical Power and 10 Magical Penetration. Moreover, its passive allows Zeus to debuff any God he damages to receive 7.5-percent more damage from all sources for a whopping 7-seconds. This occurs only once per 15-seconds, but it's still a big deal in encounters.
Rod Of Tahuti:Â This greatly improves Zeus's killing potential. The Rod gives him 140 Magical Power, 10-percent Magical Penetration, and 30 MP5. In addition, its passive allows Zeus to get 25-percent additional Magical Power provided he's fighting a target that has less than 50-percent HP.
Soul Reaver:Â This seemingly-ordinary item gives 95 Magical Power and 300 Mana. However, its passive enables Zeus to deal 2-percent of the target's maximum HP as Magical Damage. Moreover, if a target has more than 2000 HP, the passive instead scales. At 2750 HP, this item enables Zeus to deal 9-percent of the target's max HP as extra damage. When hit more than once, the extra damage becomes half.
Relic Essentials
With regards to Relics, Zeus needs to ensure that the ones he chooses will allow him to maintain a stable defense against team fights. In turn, here are some recommendations:
Aegis Amulet, Purification Beads:Â This Relic pair easily becomes a must-recommend as Aegis Amulet is a great anti-burst tool. Moreover, the anti-crowd control benefit of Purification Beads can allow Zeus to try to escape sticky situations.
Meditation Cloak:Â The handy recovery of Meditation Cloak can help Zeus escape team fights and recover a bit before getting into the encounter again. This is crucial, especially since Zeus's combos can end team fights quickly.