While the new Welcome Pass grants free rewards to everyone, and a very special Khepri skin joins the updated Viewer Store
Today Smite released the second update of the 2022 Season 9, introducing the new playable Warrior the community has been eagerly waiting for: Shiva, the Destroyer.
This world-famous Hindu deity is the first to join the game since Ganesha in 2017. He was earlier revealed in this cinematic video as the leading figure of Smite’s Season 9. The ‘Dharmic Era’ Conquest Map and in-game Event, released last January, were designed in his honor and paved the way for his arrival.
More than ever in SMITE, the guiding principle in Shiva’s making has been to remain truthfully accurate to his widely accepted Hindu representation. At every stage of Shiva’s design process, a Cultural Consultant helped the SMITE teams on all fronts, including for his weapons and equipment, gameplay, and general personality. Similarly, the composer of Shiva’s music theme specialises in Hindustani music, while his voice over artist is a Hindi speaker. Since Shiva was revealed, these efforts have been recognized by the community.
Shiva is peace, the embodiment of grace and compassion – but he is also wrath, the roaring storm which sweeps away all that stands before it. When Shiva descended upon the Earth, he destroyed it, also ending the year-long story arc that saw Tiamat reign ruthlessly over the Gods. Then Shiva built the world anew and today the Dharmic Era truly begins as the gods enter a unique era of peace and unity.
As the universe itself is part of an eternal cycle of Bliss and Destruction controlled by Shiva, in SMITE he alternates between these two states. Bliss focuses on helpful effects for his allies, while Destruction afflicts his enemies with debuffs. This cycle being inevitable, the transition is not manual but instead dictated by specific combat actions.
“Shiva was a fun and interesting character to work on,” said David Dougherty, Gameplay Programmer. “Shiva pulls engaging elements from stance switchers through a unique symmetry. His abilities trigger bonus effects opposite to one another depending on his state. We strived to make it very clear to players which bonuses were happening. This required a lot of work since we pretty much had to create two versions for each ability. There was a ton of iteration happening between design, programming, and the art teams to get them just right. In the end I think it came together wonderfully, and players should intuitively understand both versions of each ability.”
Shiva’s ultimate, the Tandava dance, plays dynamically. While channeled, players can add inputs in order to perform different dance patterns. Shiva also has a unique movement ability allowing him to manifest an impressive fiery pillar and sit inside in meditation, before bursting out of it.
Extensive details on Shiva’s making can be found in this Closer Look blog post written by SMITE designers.
Welcome Pass
Today’s update is a major step forward for SMITE’s new player experience, introducing the brand-new Welcome Pass, a new reward system entirely free for all.
As of today, new and existing players have access to their very own Welcome Pass, granting specific rewards for each of the first 20 games played. As an individualized feature, it lasts for 30 days after the first time each player logs into SMITE.
The Welcome Pass includes Gems, boosters, and four playable Gods unlocked forever – Cerberus, Medusa, Kukulkan and Nu Wa – each coming with an Exclusive skin. For its finale, the Pass allows players to unlock any God they pick. There has never been a more rewarding time to step into the Battleground of the Gods!
Big Gun Khepri
Giving life to a crowd-favorite community meme, Big Gun Khepri is an offer you can’t refuse. Especially as he is unlocked instantly as part of the new Viewer Pass, available for 600 Gems.
For the entire year, the Viewer Pass doubles all Viewer Points earned from watching SMITE streams and voting on esports matches. Players can use their points to unlock a variety of rotating rewards, ranging from new skins to popular legacy ones. New in 2022, Viewer Points can also be spent on seasonal content related to professional teams.