SMITE 2 is bringing big changes to the new Conquest map
Highlights:
- The new interact button reduces accidental buff claims and opens new paths
- Jungle buffs level up as you progress, improving their buffs
- Get around the map in new ways with long grass patches and teleporters
The Conquest map is seeing some changes in SMITE 2, which will bring some interesting new twists to the game. Fans who have purchased the Founder's Edition can jump on the alpha tests to see exactly how this new version of the map works.
If you're curious about what you'll find when jumping into this new map, here are the major changes you can expect.
A new interaction system changes the game
Click to enlargeSMITE 2 is introducing a new interaction system; it's a simple change but it has some interesting and useful implications. Simply put, many interactions that were previously passive or automatic will now require you to hit the interact button (defaults to the spacebar on PC, A on Xbox, and X on PlayStation).
This pertains to things like jungle buffs, now instead of picking them up by walking over them, you will need to hit the button to do so. This may seem like an added hassle, but if you have ever had your buff stolen by another player absent-mindedly walking by, you'll appreciate this change.
The interact button has more uses, like the fountain doors. Previously, they opened automatically but only from one side. Now, you'll be able to walk back through them by actively opening them yourself.
Sound the Warhorn
Click to enlargeAnother feature on the map you'll be able to interact with is the Warhorn. This is a new area next to the Solo lane that can be captured by holding the space for long enough. Interacting with the Warhorn begins filling a meter, and provided it reaches the top without an enemy player interrupting it, you will get the capture.
Activating the Warhorn turns the next wave of minions on all of your lanes into Champion minions. These are much stronger, and left unchecked will dominate the enemy's regular minions. These can be extremely useful for pushing a lane, and the Warhorn can be activated multiple times throughout a single game.
I need jungle buffs!
Click to enlargeThe jungle buffs have gotten a rework ahead of SMITE 2, from the regular jungle camps up to the Gold Fury and the Fire Giant.
One of the biggest changes with jungle camps is they will now level up throughout a match. You'll need to clear them out to level them up, as they do not start dropping buffs until Level 2.
As they level up, their buffs do too, and you can get even greater benefits from them. The new jungle buffs are as follows:
| Jungle Buff | Effect |
| Red buff |
|
| Purple buff |
|
| Yellow buff |
|
| Blue buff |
|
Returning players will be familiar with the colour coding on these buffs, with each one representing a particular role. Yellow buff is still best suited to the Jungler, blue for the Solo laner, then Red and Purple for Carry and Support respectively.
Click to enlargeAs for the biggest mobs in the jungle, the Gold Fury has a pretty big change, whereas the Fire Giant is largely the same save for some new moves. After defeating the Gold Fury three times, this will spawn in the Ancient Fury.
This new version of the jungle boss will disable all enemy towers and phoenixes for 180 seconds when she is defeated, making her even more useful than ever before.
Vanishing & teleporting
Click to enlargeA staple of many MOBAs is long grass, or some other kind of foliage that players can hide in. This hasn't been a thing in SMITE, until now. With SMITE 2, there will now be patches of grass on the map that you can disappear in.
Stepping into these will make you invisible to enemy players, and although this doesn't make you immune to damage, it can be a great tool for making an escape or planning an ambush.
Grass patches appear along each lane and in the jungle. Getting used to where the grass patches are will become a vital part of traversing the map safely, especially for Junglers who like to spring traps on unsuspecting Gods.
Click to enlargeGrass isn't the only way to disappear and reappear in SMITE 2. This change also applies to Conquest in the original SMITE, so in both games, you will be able to teleport across the map. On the far left and right sides of the map, there are teleporters, one at each end of the lanes, meaning four in total.
Stepping on a teleporter and activating it will send you directly across the map on the same side. If you use the teleporter on your team's end of the Duo lane, it will send you to the one on your end of the Solo lane, and vice versa.
That is it for the changes coming to the Conquest map. For more, check out our SMITE 2 homepage where we have guides on Ascension Passes, all Gods and patch notes for the first alpha test, and is Hecate in the alpha?
