Wow, I did not make a lot of posts in 2022, did I...
Hey eveyone! Since we've done this last year, I thought I would once again share my first thoughts on what SMITE is planning to release this coming year in terms of gods. This whole blog started with SMITE, and I promise you the God Builds will continue.
Before reading any further, here is the video for you to get familiar with. Anyway, let's go!
Seems like it's going to be five new gods this year, and if that's all we're getting they may be released roughly every 2-3 months. Starting off with Surtr, the Norse Fire Jotun in January. Surtr is famously known as the herald of Ragnarok - it's his fate to use his flaming sword to kill Freyr and destroy our world, only for a new better one to be reborn from the ashes. If you actually look at the released Surtr Teaser, you can see some elements of that story - killed over and over again, a fire jotun gets reborn into Surtr. It's kinda funny how the in-game mini-boss said 'enough is enough' and decided to become a player.
Next up, in the release for (maybe) March, we see what I would assume is another in-game structure, the Phoenix Tower. Moreover, the narration talks about flames and rebirth, which would indicate a Phoenix (which wouldn't be odd, seeing as we have other non-god characters, such as Cerberus, Fenrir, and Ratatoskr), but then we move to this Lion King-esque Pride Rock formation with a shadowy, feline figure, which many say could be the Manticore - a monster that reached the status of inside joke in the community; originally, a boss for Training Mode, the Manticore was deleted from the game and never heard from again (for the 2016 April Fools, the devs made a God Reveal video for playable Manticore, so perhaps it now becomes reality)
Potentially scheduled for May is a a fertility deity. With a Southern American pyramid in the background, it doesn't take a lot of guessing to bet on Ixchel - Mayan Goddess of Medicine, Midwifery, and Rain.
Moving down to the Underworld in (maybe) July, we see what looks like a river of souls, and with the narration talking about the lost being carried, it seems like another obvious one - Charon, the Greek psychopomp. The Ferryman of the Dead.
And finally, ending the year... in September... we have another death deity. We see chicken and bones, purple colours and skulls, and the architecture typical for New Orleans... this has to be Maman Brigitte or another Ghede loa. She was supposed to be the last goddess of 2022, but was unfortunately pushed back.
And that seems to be it. Let me know your ideas, and I'll soon meet you all... in Columbia ;)
Before the next challenger decides to show himself, Gods and Goddesses, Hi-Rez decided to show us the teasers for the new gods that shall enter the Battleground in 2022. You can see the video [here], then come and let me know what you think!
It seems like there's going to be six gods (like in 2021 and 2020), released roughly one per two months. We've got one confirmed right away: Shiva, the Destroyer shall begin his dance in February.
Next one is also pretty simple, we see Asian-style palaces in the clouds and the name drop of the Jade Emperor; the chief of Chinese pantheon and the whole bureaucracy of Heavens. We'll see him presumably in April.
Next one is both simple and not. In June, we'll see one of the Knights of the Round Table. Now, which one I don't know. I'm going to place my bet on either Lancelot (although he's technically not a part of the original legend) or Galahad, or even Mordred, since we already have Morgana.
Now, we enter the most difficult one: the mysterious archer of August. A volley of arrows, a golden arrow piercing the ground... Honestly, I've seen everything ranging from Robin Hood to the introduction of the Korean Pantheon. But the desert-like landscape and the gentle sound of some sorta stringed instrument makes me think of Egypt. This could be Sekhmet. Whilst not associated directly with archery, a phrase for bad luck in Egypt was "Seven Arrows of Sekhmet".
In October, he arrow then sinks in the water and comes up to an island. I've seen people saying this is Maui, the Polynesian hero, or Namaka, a sea goddess of Hawai'i (and Pele's sister). However, we see a bird flying up and disappearing in a puff of smoke as soon as it crosses the Sun... this could all mean Icarus, as he and his father did in fact escape an island on their home-made wings.
Finally, we see a feast for December. Table overlaid with food and drink and the mention of revelry. Here, I've seen two guesses. One was Demeter, which I can understand (or perhaps Hestia), but I am more partial to the other; the colours are predominantly black and purple, we see chicken, alcohol, a skull, and a lot of peppers. These are the signs of the Ghede loa. This might be Baron Samedi's wife, Maman Brigitte.
Let me know what you think, my dears! I'll see you very soon.
