SMITE® - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Rich McCormick)

smiteheader

Update Night is a fortnightly column in which Rich McCormick revisits games to find out whether they’ve been changed for better or worse.>

Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of the Hindu faith, is legendarily generous, wise, and optimistic. He s a patron of the arts and sciences, and busies himself by working to remove obstacles in the path of honest and caring people.

It s not really on then, I d say, to call him a fucking idiot.

That s just what my teammates in deity-themed MOBA Smite kept doing, though. Maybe they had it in for the kind, gentle, and benevolent god? Maybe that was why they spent half an hour just absolutely roasting him? Or maybe it was my fault. You see, this was my first time playing Smite as fairly recent addition Ganesha, and I didn t really get how he worked. I died. I died a lot. (more…)

SMITE® - MLC St3alth


New God Skins

Demonic Thanatos



Fiendish Flight Jing Wei



Fiendish Rage Cu Chulainn



Star Salvager Skadi



Knight of Wisdom Athena



Pale Raven Morrigan



Anarchist Bellona



Groovy Aphrodite



Handsome Hunter Hou Yi



Titanium Ronin Susano



Hired Gun Ares



Fire Giant Bundle
  • Included Skins
    - Fiendish Flight Jing Wei
    - Fiendish Rage Cu Chulainn
  • Also Includes
    - Ragnarok Metal Theme
    - Ragnarok Loading Skin
  • AND
    -1 Molten Key (used to unlock Awesome Chest)
  • ONLY COSTS 750 GEMS

Brand NEW Conquest Map
  • Completely New Visuals
    • Mount Olympus vs. Tartarus, the Underworld.
      • Hades has used the chaos of Ragnarok to bring Tartarus directly against Mount Olympus. The map is now divided into two halves as these forces fight for dominance.
      • Everything from the Jungle, Towers, Phoenixes, Bases, Titans, and much more have been completely re-done visually.
    • All characters remodeled
      • Lane Minions Visual Update
      • Harpys Visual Update
      • Cyclops Mage (Blue) changed to Satyr
      • Cyclops Brute (Red) changed to Manticore
      • Cyclops Thief (Yellow) changed to Centaur
      • Cyclops Rogue (Purple) changed to Chimera
      • Oracles Visual Update
      • Gold Fury Visual Update
      • Fire Giant Visual Update
      • Titans Visual Update
  • Map Size Adjustments
    • Increased map size by roughly 20%.
  • Jungle Layout and Atmosphere
    • The layout of the Jungle has undergone many changes. There are more winding paths and narrow locations.
    • The Speed Buff camp has been moved further back into the Jungle. A Harpy camp has taken its place.
    • The Oracles now have their own camp across from the Gold Fury.
    • Jungle Fog has returned!
  • Map Key Features & Landmarks
    • The map is now perfectly symmetrical along the horizontal axis.
    • The map is now divided into two halves by a rift down the center, providing a clear reference for players crossing into enemy territory.
    • Major locations like the Gold Fury and Fire Giant have elements that are located higher than other map features, giving players clear landmarks while moving through the more narrow and windy Jungle.
  • Map Feedback Adjustments
    • Titans are now encased in a crystal, and are broken whenever they lose their immunity.
    • Phoenixes have a visual link to the Titan to indicate how many Phoenixes are affecting the Titan’s health pool.
    • The pads under the Towers and Phoenixes will now light up on the current targets screen to indicate that they are being targeted.
  • Gameplay Pacing Changes
    • Reduced XP Split Bonus from +50% to +20%.
    • Minions hit by Towers will now retain 25% of their gold reward instead of losing all of it.
    • Minions and Jungle Monsters now gain additional XP and Gold over time. Details for each change can be found in the Map NPC Adjustments section.
    • Respawn time of Buff Camps reduced from 180s to 120s.
    • Respawn time of Middle Harpy Camps reduced from 120s to 90s.
    • Respawn time of Back Harpy Camps reduced from 80s to 60s.
    • Conquest start time increased from 60s to 90s.
  • Map NPC Adjustments
    • Jungle Monsters & Buffs
      • All Jungle monsters will now reward an additional 9 XP and 1.5 Gold every 3 minutes. These rewards accumulate over time.
      • Buff Camp, Buff Holder
        • XP reduced from 160 to 116
        • Gold reduced from 60 to 48
        • Base Health reduced from 790 to 470
        • Base Physical Power reduced from 32 to 24
        • Base Physical Protection reduced from 16 to 8
        • Health/Min increased from 120 to 125
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • Buff Camp, Small Minion
        • XP reduced from 40 to 20
        • Gold reduced from 20 to 16
        • Base Health reduced from 160 to 115
        • Health/Min increased from 65 to 72
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • XP Camp, Large Harpy
        • XP reduced from 58 to 34
        • Gold reduced from 38 to 30
        • Base Health reduced from 470 to 410
        • Base Physical Power reduced from 17 to 11
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • XP Camp, Small Harpy
        • XP reduced from 45 to 22
        • Gold reduced from 28 to 22
        • Base Health reduced from 375 to 150
        • Base Physical Power reduced from 14 to 8
        • Base Physical Protection reduced from 7 to 5
        • Health/Min increased from 35 to 55
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • Oracles
        • Oracles have been moved out of the Gold Fury pit and instead placed across from the Gold Fury. They will still provide the same vision benefit.
        • XP reduced from 65 to 40
        • Gold reduced from 42 to 33
        • Physical Protection reduced from 20 to 12
        • Health/Min reduced from 130 to 100
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • Yellow (Speed) Buff
        • Reduced Movement Speed from 20% to 15%
      • Purple (Void) Buff
        • Added 5% Protection Reduction.
    • Jungle (Objective)
      • Gold Fury
        • Gold Fury now spawns at 5:00 (previously spawned at 1:00)
        • Base Health increased from 2550 to 3000
        • Physical/Magical Protections reduced from 25 to 20
        • Health/Min reduced from 280 to 275
        • Physical/Magical Protections/Min increased from 0 to 1
        • Team XP Reward/Min reduced from 10 to 5
        • Team Gold Reward/Min reduced from 8 to 6
      • Pyromancer (NEW)
        • Replaces the Portal Demon
        • The team that defeats Pyromancer has their Fountain buffed for 90s.
          • Upon exiting the fountain, players will gain +40% Movement Speed for 15s. Entering combat will immediately remove this buff.
        • Health/Min reduced from 280 to 250
        • Physical Protection/Min increased from 0 to 2
        • Magical Protection/Min increased from 0 to 1
        • Team XP Reward/Min increased from 0 to 5
        • Team Gold Reward/Min increased from 0 to 3
      • Fire Giant
        • Base Health reduced from 6650 to 6000
        • Power decreased from 155 to 130
        • Physical Protection reduced from 100 to 90
        • Health/Min increased from 160 to 225
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
        • Team Gold Reward/Min increased from 0 to 6
        • Added 5 XP per Minute
      • Enhanced Fire Giant (NEW)
        • Appears when Fire Giant respawns after the 25 Minute mark.
        • Grants an enhanced version of the normal Fire Giant buff:
          • +100 Magical Power
          • +65 Physical Power
          • Regenerate 4% of your Max Health and 2% of your Max Mana every 5 seconds
          • Deal +20% Damage vs. Towers and Phoenixes
        • Added 5 XP per Minute
  • Minions
    • Lane minions will now reward an additional 5 XP and .5 Gold every 3 minutes. These rewards accumulate over time.
    • Lane minions now deal 40% less damage to Gods.
    • Lane minions will now prioritize Towers, Phoenixes, and Titans over Minions, Deployables, and Pets.
    • Ranged Minion
      • XP reduced from 45 to 25
      • Base Health increased from 265 to 305
        • Note: Fire Minion Base Health is unaffected
    • Melee Minion
      • XP reduced from 60 to 45
      • Base Health increased from 365 to 420
        • Note: Fire Minion Base Health is unaffected
    • Brute Minion
      • XP reduced from 60 to 45
      • Base Health increased from 700 to 805
        • Note: Fire Minion Base Health is unaffected
  • Towers/Phoenixes
    • Towers and Phoenixes will now deal an additional 15% damage to Minions.
    • Tier 1 Tower
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125
      • Power increased from 170 to 200
    • Tier 2 Tower
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125
      • Power increased from 200 to 230
    • Phoenix
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125

Click HERE to read the full Patch Notes for 5.1 - Season 5.
SMITE® - MLC St3alth


New God Skins

Demonic Thanatos



Fiendish Flight Jing Wei



Fiendish Rage Cu Chulainn



Star Salvager Skadi



Knight of Wisdom Athena



Pale Raven Morrigan



Anarchist Bellona



Groovy Aphrodite



Handsome Hunter Hou Yi



Titanium Ronin Susano



Hired Gun Ares



Fire Giant Bundle
  • Included Skins
    - Fiendish Flight Jing Wei
    - Fiendish Rage Cu Chulainn
  • Also Includes
    - Ragnarok Metal Theme
    - Ragnarok Loading Skin
  • AND
    -1 Molten Key (used to unlock Awesome Chest)
  • ONLY COSTS 750 GEMS

Brand NEW Conquest Map
  • Completely New Visuals
    • Mount Olympus vs. Tartarus, the Underworld.
      • Hades has used the chaos of Ragnarok to bring Tartarus directly against Mount Olympus. The map is now divided into two halves as these forces fight for dominance.
      • Everything from the Jungle, Towers, Phoenixes, Bases, Titans, and much more have been completely re-done visually.
    • All characters remodeled
      • Lane Minions Visual Update
      • Harpys Visual Update
      • Cyclops Mage (Blue) changed to Satyr
      • Cyclops Brute (Red) changed to Manticore
      • Cyclops Thief (Yellow) changed to Centaur
      • Cyclops Rogue (Purple) changed to Chimera
      • Oracles Visual Update
      • Gold Fury Visual Update
      • Fire Giant Visual Update
      • Titans Visual Update
  • Map Size Adjustments
    • Increased map size by roughly 20%.
  • Jungle Layout and Atmosphere
    • The layout of the Jungle has undergone many changes. There are more winding paths and narrow locations.
    • The Speed Buff camp has been moved further back into the Jungle. A Harpy camp has taken its place.
    • The Oracles now have their own camp across from the Gold Fury.
    • Jungle Fog has returned!
  • Map Key Features & Landmarks
    • The map is now perfectly symmetrical along the horizontal axis.
    • The map is now divided into two halves by a rift down the center, providing a clear reference for players crossing into enemy territory.
    • Major locations like the Gold Fury and Fire Giant have elements that are located higher than other map features, giving players clear landmarks while moving through the more narrow and windy Jungle.
  • Map Feedback Adjustments
    • Titans are now encased in a crystal, and are broken whenever they lose their immunity.
    • Phoenixes have a visual link to the Titan to indicate how many Phoenixes are affecting the Titan’s health pool.
    • The pads under the Towers and Phoenixes will now light up on the current targets screen to indicate that they are being targeted.
  • Gameplay Pacing Changes
    • Reduced XP Split Bonus from +50% to +20%.
    • Minions hit by Towers will now retain 25% of their gold reward instead of losing all of it.
    • Minions and Jungle Monsters now gain additional XP and Gold over time. Details for each change can be found in the Map NPC Adjustments section.
    • Respawn time of Buff Camps reduced from 180s to 120s.
    • Respawn time of Middle Harpy Camps reduced from 120s to 90s.
    • Respawn time of Back Harpy Camps reduced from 80s to 60s.
    • Conquest start time increased from 60s to 90s.
  • Map NPC Adjustments
    • Jungle Monsters & Buffs
      • All Jungle monsters will now reward an additional 9 XP and 1.5 Gold every 3 minutes. These rewards accumulate over time.
      • Buff Camp, Buff Holder
        • XP reduced from 160 to 116
        • Gold reduced from 60 to 48
        • Base Health reduced from 790 to 470
        • Base Physical Power reduced from 32 to 24
        • Base Physical Protection reduced from 16 to 8
        • Health/Min increased from 120 to 125
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • Buff Camp, Small Minion
        • XP reduced from 40 to 20
        • Gold reduced from 20 to 16
        • Base Health reduced from 160 to 115
        • Health/Min increased from 65 to 72
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • XP Camp, Large Harpy
        • XP reduced from 58 to 34
        • Gold reduced from 38 to 30
        • Base Health reduced from 470 to 410
        • Base Physical Power reduced from 17 to 11
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • XP Camp, Small Harpy
        • XP reduced from 45 to 22
        • Gold reduced from 28 to 22
        • Base Health reduced from 375 to 150
        • Base Physical Power reduced from 14 to 8
        • Base Physical Protection reduced from 7 to 5
        • Health/Min increased from 35 to 55
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • Oracles
        • Oracles have been moved out of the Gold Fury pit and instead placed across from the Gold Fury. They will still provide the same vision benefit.
        • XP reduced from 65 to 40
        • Gold reduced from 42 to 33
        • Physical Protection reduced from 20 to 12
        • Health/Min reduced from 130 to 100
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
      • Yellow (Speed) Buff
        • Reduced Movement Speed from 20% to 15%
      • Purple (Void) Buff
        • Added 5% Protection Reduction.
    • Jungle (Objective)
      • Gold Fury
        • Gold Fury now spawns at 5:00 (previously spawned at 1:00)
        • Base Health increased from 2550 to 3000
        • Physical/Magical Protections reduced from 25 to 20
        • Health/Min reduced from 280 to 275
        • Physical/Magical Protections/Min increased from 0 to 1
        • Team XP Reward/Min reduced from 10 to 5
        • Team Gold Reward/Min reduced from 8 to 6
      • Pyromancer (NEW)
        • Replaces the Portal Demon
        • The team that defeats Pyromancer has their Fountain buffed for 90s.
          • Upon exiting the fountain, players will gain +40% Movement Speed for 15s. Entering combat will immediately remove this buff.
        • Health/Min reduced from 280 to 250
        • Physical Protection/Min increased from 0 to 2
        • Magical Protection/Min increased from 0 to 1
        • Team XP Reward/Min increased from 0 to 5
        • Team Gold Reward/Min increased from 0 to 3
      • Fire Giant
        • Base Health reduced from 6650 to 6000
        • Power decreased from 155 to 130
        • Physical Protection reduced from 100 to 90
        • Health/Min increased from 160 to 225
        • Power/Min increased from 0 to 2
        • Team Gold Reward/Min increased from 0 to 6
        • Added 5 XP per Minute
      • Enhanced Fire Giant (NEW)
        • Appears when Fire Giant respawns after the 25 Minute mark.
        • Grants an enhanced version of the normal Fire Giant buff:
          • +100 Magical Power
          • +65 Physical Power
          • Regenerate 4% of your Max Health and 2% of your Max Mana every 5 seconds
          • Deal +20% Damage vs. Towers and Phoenixes
        • Added 5 XP per Minute
  • Minions
    • Lane minions will now reward an additional 5 XP and .5 Gold every 3 minutes. These rewards accumulate over time.
    • Lane minions now deal 40% less damage to Gods.
    • Lane minions will now prioritize Towers, Phoenixes, and Titans over Minions, Deployables, and Pets.
    • Ranged Minion
      • XP reduced from 45 to 25
      • Base Health increased from 265 to 305
        • Note: Fire Minion Base Health is unaffected
    • Melee Minion
      • XP reduced from 60 to 45
      • Base Health increased from 365 to 420
        • Note: Fire Minion Base Health is unaffected
    • Brute Minion
      • XP reduced from 60 to 45
      • Base Health increased from 700 to 805
        • Note: Fire Minion Base Health is unaffected
  • Towers/Phoenixes
    • Towers and Phoenixes will now deal an additional 15% damage to Minions.
    • Tier 1 Tower
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125
      • Power increased from 170 to 200
    • Tier 2 Tower
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125
      • Power increased from 200 to 230
    • Phoenix
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125
      • Protections reduced from 150 to 125

Click HERE to read the full Patch Notes for 5.1 - Season 5.
SMITE® - MLC St3alth


NEW GOD - Cerberus, Warden of the Underworld



Passive – Spirit of Death
Any time an Enemy God within 40 of Cerberus is healed, Cerberus receives 40% of the heal, and the Enemy’s heal is reduced by 20%.

Paralyzing Spit
Cerberus’s snake tail spits venom that passes through and damages Enemies. If Cerberus’s dog heads are Alert, they then also spit venom when the ability is fired. Each head is alerted upon hitting an Enemy with a Basic Attack, and all are alerted after Ghastly Breath. Each projectile that hits the same target deals 20% less damage, but hitting an Enemy with all 4 Stuns them.

Ghastly Breath
Each of Cerberus’s 3 heads releases a cone of noxious breath in front of them, damaging all enemies in range 7 times over 2.4s and reducing their Protections up to three times. Enemies in the center of his breath are also Slowed up to three times. This attack immediately puts all three of Cerberus’s heads on Alert for Paralyzing Spit.

Soul Expulsion
Cerberus leaps a short distance forward, dealing damage on impact and severing the souls of Enemies. These souls will not block Cerberus’s attacks, and killing the souls heals Cerberus.

Stygian Torment
Cerberus’s haunting wail summons below him the souls of the damned, which then lift all Enemy Gods into the air while stretching the link between their bodies and souls, Damaging them. A short time later, Cerberus uses this link to pull the Enemies to him.

New God Skins

Hellwatch Cerberus



Sweet Tooth Sol



Brimstone Demon Thor



Brimstone Beast Camazotz



Grove Keeper Xing Tian



Fire Giant Bundle
  • Included Skins
    - Brimstone Demon Thor
    - Brimstone Beast Camazotz
  • Also Includes
    - Ragnarok Loading Frame
    - Ragnarok Recall Skin
  • AND
    -1 Molten Key (used to unlock Awesome Chest)
  • ONLY COSTS 750 GEMS

Click HERE to read the full Patch Notes for 4.25 Warden of the Underworld.
SMITE® - MLC St3alth


NEW GOD - Cerberus, Warden of the Underworld



Passive – Spirit of Death
Any time an Enemy God within 40 of Cerberus is healed, Cerberus receives 40% of the heal, and the Enemy’s heal is reduced by 20%.

Paralyzing Spit
Cerberus’s snake tail spits venom that passes through and damages Enemies. If Cerberus’s dog heads are Alert, they then also spit venom when the ability is fired. Each head is alerted upon hitting an Enemy with a Basic Attack, and all are alerted after Ghastly Breath. Each projectile that hits the same target deals 20% less damage, but hitting an Enemy with all 4 Stuns them.

Ghastly Breath
Each of Cerberus’s 3 heads releases a cone of noxious breath in front of them, damaging all enemies in range 7 times over 2.4s and reducing their Protections up to three times. Enemies in the center of his breath are also Slowed up to three times. This attack immediately puts all three of Cerberus’s heads on Alert for Paralyzing Spit.

Soul Expulsion
Cerberus leaps a short distance forward, dealing damage on impact and severing the souls of Enemies. These souls will not block Cerberus’s attacks, and killing the souls heals Cerberus.

Stygian Torment
Cerberus’s haunting wail summons below him the souls of the damned, which then lift all Enemy Gods into the air while stretching the link between their bodies and souls, Damaging them. A short time later, Cerberus uses this link to pull the Enemies to him.

New God Skins

Hellwatch Cerberus



Sweet Tooth Sol



Brimstone Demon Thor



Brimstone Beast Camazotz



Grove Keeper Xing Tian



Fire Giant Bundle
  • Included Skins
    - Brimstone Demon Thor
    - Brimstone Beast Camazotz
  • Also Includes
    - Ragnarok Loading Frame
    - Ragnarok Recall Skin
  • AND
    -1 Molten Key (used to unlock Awesome Chest)
  • ONLY COSTS 750 GEMS

Click HERE to read the full Patch Notes for 4.25 Warden of the Underworld.
SMITE® - Valve
Watch the SMITE® World Championships live on Steam.

The SMITE World Championship features the top PC SMITE teams from around the world, competing for ultimate glory. Who will lift Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, this year?

Left 4 Dead 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Alec Meer)

Another year over, a new one just begun, which means, impossibly, even more games.> But what about last year? Which were the games that most people were buying and, more importantly, playing? As is now something of a tradition, Valve have let slip a big ol’ breakdown of the most successful titles released on Steam over the past twelve months.

Below is the full, hundred-strong roster, complete with links to our coverage if you want to find out more about any of the games, or simply to marvel at how much seemed to happen in the space of 52 short weeks.

(more…)

SMITE® - MLC St3alth


New God Skins


Frostfire Ullr




Arctic Seer Artio




Krampus Cernunnos




Crystal Gaze Medusa




Fallen Angel Nike




Tremor Tech Cabrakan




Rocket Punch Mercury




HRX Loki




Empress Nu Wa




Odyssey 2018
  • New Items
    - Frostfire Ullr
    - Level up FX
    - Jump Stamp
    - Recall Skin
    - Arctic Seer Artio
    - Krampus Cernunnos
    - Crystal Gaze Medusa
    - Fallen Angel Nike
    - Fire and Ice HUD Theme
    - Ember Storm Level up FX
    - Let it Snow Fountain FX
    - Cutesy Recall

  • New Quests
    - Play 2 games
    - Get 1 FWOTD
    - Get 30k Player damage
    - Kill 2 towers as a team
    - Play a Celtic God in 1 Game
    - Play a Warrior in 1 Game
    - Play a Guardian in 1 Game


Click HERE to read the full Patch Notes for 4.24 Frostfire.
SMITE® - MLC St3alth


New God Skins


Frostfire Ullr




Arctic Seer Artio




Krampus Cernunnos




Crystal Gaze Medusa




Fallen Angel Nike




Tremor Tech Cabrakan




Rocket Punch Mercury




HRX Loki




Empress Nu Wa




Odyssey 2018
  • New Items
    - Frostfire Ullr
    - Level up FX
    - Jump Stamp
    - Recall Skin
    - Arctic Seer Artio
    - Krampus Cernunnos
    - Crystal Gaze Medusa
    - Fallen Angel Nike
    - Fire and Ice HUD Theme
    - Ember Storm Level up FX
    - Let it Snow Fountain FX
    - Cutesy Recall

  • New Quests
    - Play 2 games
    - Get 1 FWOTD
    - Get 30k Player damage
    - Kill 2 towers as a team
    - Play a Celtic God in 1 Game
    - Play a Warrior in 1 Game
    - Play a Guardian in 1 Game


Click HERE to read the full Patch Notes for 4.24 Frostfire.
SMITE® - MLC St3alth


Ready to earn some bonuses while you play SMITE this weekend?

Step 1: Cancel your plans.
Step 2: Cancel your friends’ plans.
Step 3: Play SMITE together and earn 2x Everything!

Earn 2x Favor, Experience, and Worshipers when you play in a Party of 2 or more.

Event runs Friday, November 17 at 5 am ET to Monday, November 20 at 5 am ET.
...