Ares Built to Last [Updated 2/18/14]

I will not likely change any items in my builds since I'm no longer active in the game and will be unsure of how new items or exsiting items work in game. Sorry for any inconvenience.


"Do you have time to talk about our lord and carry Ares?" - Sanity Forge


Playing with any God doesn't have to be complicated. Don't die or chase too much. Push with numbers. If you're feeding play the towers. Use your communications skills call MIA etc. your team will appreciate all these things. It doesn't hurt to encourage team mates and keep a positive attitude.


What's important is a low death total if none at all and high assists totals to know that you're playing Ares the way he should be played. Your team will be depending on you to initiate teams fights or gank possibly. Ideally you want to grab at least 2 enemy Gods at a time. Late game grabbing 3 to 5 Gods where possible.


If these details I've provided are not enough there are other guides to help piece it together for you. There are some details towards the bottom of this build I hope you find them useful.

Notes:

If you were wondering where is Meditation I don't bother with it at all. You're better off using those 2 slots for Beads & Blink to make a retreat or escape. I've been using Blink to jump into fights and pop my ultimate and it works very well. Make sure your team is aware of what you intend to do before you Blink into the middle of 5 enemy Gods. :}

For newer players trying Ares or tanks in general I'd suggest picking up Mark of the Vanguard at the start of the game for an added buffer. If you're wondering when to sell Mark of the Vanguard I usually sell it when building my last piece or if I need that extra bit of gold to finalize another piece pending how the game is going. It resells for 550 gold.

Added Hand of the Gods which can be used instead of Beads for minion clearing capability. Some players prefer to use this item when playing a tank to get that little bit extra gold and experience which is not easily obtained by most tanks.

[6-29-13] Updated what boots to use with each build due to item trees. And added a 3rd build.

[7-17-13] Added a list of Gods with crowd control immunity to watch out for. More Gods will be added soon.

[8-12-13] Added Hand of the Gods as an additional option for an active item to all builds. Also added other items to Builds 1 & 2 for more variety. Added more Gods to watch out for. Build 3 has been removed since it is not effective.

[8-30-13] Added more Gods to watch out for. For the Zhong Kui update. And a "Tank Killer" section on the Soul Reaver.

[9-7-13] Added cool down rates for Gods to watch out for list. Highlighted key points to each God for quick reading. Added links to other guides for consideration that I find useful as long as they stay current.

[10-6-13] Added new Aura item Rod of Asclepius to build one. Pictures and icons are updated. Stats on Rod of Asclepius +75 Magical Power +200 Health +10% Movement AURA - Healing and health regeneration of allies within 70 feet incre***ed by 15%. All for 2660 gold at tier 3.

[10-11-13] Add new Aura item Pestilence to build one & two. This item is to be used in place of Sovereignty when playing magic heavy teams. Added description of core items for Ares detailed below in this summary.

[2-18-14] Updated Gods to watch out for pictures & finally added Chaac. Added contact information and my "2 cents" about Smite. I will not likely change any items in my builds since I'm no longer active in the game and will be unsure of how new items or exsiting items work in game.


Both of my builds are leaning towards physical protection as the default. Check for the additional items to build magical protection when needed.

CORE ITEMS

Mystical MarkVoid Stone

You would be hard pressed to not find these two items included in any Ares build. Whatever you do at the very least you need these two items in your build. Both are Aura items which supplements your passive.

Mystical Mark at tier 3 grants 60 physical protection / 300 health & it's Aura deals 40 Magical damage per second to enemies within 25 feet. This helps with farming and also may deal that final bit of damage you need to secure a kill or assist.

Void Stone at tier 3 grants 50 magical protection / 50 magical power & it's Aura reduces the Magical Protection of enemies within 15 feet by 25.

BUILD 1: AURA BUILD

This build will work nicely with lower & higher level games and is a solid build for Ares taking full advantage of his passive Blessed Presence each completed aura item that Ares' owns grants him 30 additional magical power. I personally don't use this build often and I've kept it here to offer some alternati ve to my other build. Enjoy it or maybe make your own build off this basic blue print.

This build will work well in Arena Assault & Conquest.

BUILD 2: AEGIS/BEADS COUNTER

This is the build I personally use and have found it to be very effective. Picking up Shoes of Focus for a 15% cooldown reduction is a nice start for Ares and his ultimate.

Your next item Breastplate of Valor is what really makes the difference with a cooldown reduction of 25% with a maximum of 555 mana and 75 physical protection. Using your ultimate more frequently makes Ares very dangerous.

I usually ahead of time let my lane partner know I'm going to use my ultimate to get the enemy Gods to use their Aegis/Beads. While their Aegis/Beads are still cooling down your ultimate will be ready to use again long before they can avoid NO ESCAPE the second time around. At this time you and your ally Gods can easily kill those trapped.

This build is geared towards Conquest & Arena.

All Builds: Look over the skill order I have set first before reading.

BLESSED PRESENCE

Key Bind: Passive

Each completed aura item that Ares' owns grants him 30 additional magical power.
Ability: Buff
Affects: Self

SHACKLES

Key Bind: 1

Chains extend from Ares' shield, doing damage to all enemies in its path. Hitting a god shackles them to Ares, cripples them, preventing movement abilities, dealing the same damage every second while slowing them and buffing Ares. While shackled, Ares can fire another chain for free within 2s.
Ability: Projectile
Affects: Enemy
Damage: Magical
Minion Damage: 25 / 45 / 65 / 85 / 105 (+15% of your magical power)
God Damage per Tick: 25 / 45 / 65 / 85 / 105 (+15% of your magical power)
Slow/Speed: 15% per unique Shackle
Duration: 4s
Max Shackles: 3
Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90
Cooldown: 15s

I emphasize leveling to it's maximum ASAP because it will enable you to chase down kills or possibly escape being killed. Once it has hit an enemy God it will slow them and boost your speed. This ability cripples meaning Gods with a dash or jump skill lose it for a short period of time. You can fire Shackles 3 times if you keep hitting your target God.

BOLSTER DEFENSES

Key Bind: 2

Ares strengthens the defenses of himself and all nearby allies, granting protections and reducing crowd control durations. For each shackled enemy, the protection buffs are increased.
Ability: Buff
Affects: Self/Allies
Radius: 35
Protections: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30
CC Reduction: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 %
Lifetime: 8 s
Shackle Bonus: 7
Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80
Cooldown: 15s

Should be leveled last in my opinion since it doesn't help you deal damage. It does lend great protections and CC reduction so keep an open mind about when to level this skill. It could help pending how the game is going.

SEARING FLESH

Key Bind: 3

Flames pour forth from Ares' shield, engulfing enemies in a cone in front of him damage every .5s for 4s. Ares is immune to knockback for the duration.
Ability: Cone
Affects: Enemy
Damage: Magical
Damage per Tick: 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 (+7% of your magical power) +% Max Health per Tick: 1 / 1 / 2 / 2 / 3 %
Cost: 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 / 75
Cooldown: 12s

After your SHACKLES have been used up and you have an enemy still under it's effects use SEARING FLESH to finish them off. Also this is the best way to clear minions and farm a little bit.

NO ESCAPE

Key Bind: 4

Ares throws chains out to all enemy gods in an area around him. All enemies hit by the chains are pulled to Ares after 2.5s, taking damage and are stunned plus additional time for each enemy god hit by the ability.
Ability: Area
Affects: Enemy Gods
Damage: Magical
Radius: 35
Damage: 200 / 275 / 350 / 425 / 500 (+40% of your magical power)
Stun: 1s + .3s per enemy god hit
Cost: 80 / 85 / 90 / 95 / 100
Cooldown: 90s

Check the skill section for an updated list. Should be leveled last. This has a very big AOE, this is why we play Ares ;}

Early Game

Ares is a very mana hungry God especially at the beginning. When you have to use mana I'd suggest saving it for SHACKLES for the possibility that you and your lane partner can trap and kill an enemy God. The only chance you will really get for this is pre level 5 combat. If you can catch someone off guard those SHACKLES can take a heavy toll early.

Manage the use of your pots both mana and health so you can be ready to pop NO ESCAPE when you get to level 5. Many Gods forego Beads or Aegis to start and with that is your first chance to trap and kill those in your lane.

Be aware of your space. Ares as we know has no real escape options like many other Gods. If you're low on health or mana just keep your distance. Try and keep an eye on your mini map as well. You don't want to feed and miss out on critical experience points or gold which is hard to come by for Ares. If you get behind it's going to be a long game.

Mid Game

By now both Gods your facing in your lane and most likely the other 3 opposing Gods will have Beads or Aegis ready to counter your ultimate NO ESCAPE. That's fantastic. Like mentioned above you need to pop your ultimate to get the enemy to use up their Beads/Aegis. While your ultimate is cooling down along with their Beads/Aegis this gives a chance for your team to capitalize. Coordinating your ultimate is important.

Also about this time the lane phase of the game is over. You need to be able to soak up damage and be a buffer for your teammates. You are also in charge to initiate team fights. Grabbing as many Gods as possible. Be careful though, you need to stay alive to keep earning experience and gold. Remember you want low or no death total and high assists totals.

Late Game

If you've done your job correctly you have successfully kept your enemy off guard and on the run with NO ESCAPE. They are using up what defensive measures they have to stay away from you and your team is enjoying the slaughter. Being fully built you are able to take a lot of damage and also return some of it. When able to you should be tanking the Fire Giant and Gold Fury.

If you're on the defensive it'll be hard to fight back without the aid of your team cleaning up the kills. You can hold towers only so long but it might be enough if you can buy some time. It's very difficult to come back if your Carry's are not picking up the slack. Good luck and enjoy!

The following list of Gods have ultimate's that counter Ares' NO ESCAPE because they have a crowd control immunity or some type of escape ability. Be mindful of these Gods and try to keep track of when their ultimate's are used and if they have Aegis/Beads.


ANHUR

[Ultimate] Summoning the fury of the desert, Anhur hunkers down and throws empowered spears that pass through everything, doing damage to all enemies in their path. He is immune to crowd control for the duration. Cooldown: 90s


APHRODITE

[Ultimate] Aphrodite pledges undying love to herself and her Soul Mate. While this is active, her and her Soul Mate are invulnerable to all damage for a short duration. All crowd control effects are also removed when activated. Cooldown: 90 / 85 / 80 / 75 / 70 s


ARTEMIS

[Ultimate] Artemis summons the great Calydonian Boar to wreak havoc on her enemies, doing damage to the nearest enemy god and stunning them and itself. The boar continues to charge other gods for its lifetime. Artemis is also immune to crowd control for 3s. Cooldown: 90s


FENRIR

[Ultimate] When Ragnarok arrives, Fenrir grows massive in size, becoming immune to crowd control while moving faster. Fenrir bites enemy gods, dealing physical damage and carrying them away. Biting a cc immune target deals the damage but ends his ultimate. At full runes, his protections double Cooldown: 90s


FREYA

[Ultimate] Freya uses her Cloak of Feathers to fly above the battlefield where she fires down blasts of magical damage up to 4 times while flying. Freya can't be hit when at full ascension and can right click to cancel it early. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90s


GUAN YU

[Ultimate] Guan Yu mounts his warhorse and charges for 4s. While mounted, he can steer and click to attack and is immune to crowd control. Enemies hit take damage and are slowed. Each hit increases damage from consecutive hits against that target by 20%. Enemies hit on the dismount are stunned. Right-click to dismount early. Cooldown: 90s


KALI

[Ultimate] Kali spins around feverishly attacking all enemies around her every .5s, clearing and ignoring all crowd control abilities on herself for the duration. Cooldown: 90 / 85 / 80 / 75 / 70 s


ODIN

[Ultimate] Odin summons a wall of spears, blocking all normal movement. Odin gains protections, physical power and immunity to all crowd control while inside the ring. Pressing the button again will bring down the ring. Cooldown: 75s



SOBEK

[Ultimate] Sobek submerges himself, where he regens mana, is immune to crowd control and he slows all enemies. When Sobek emerges, he damages all enemies in the radius. Cancelling the ability decreases the damage. Cooldown: 90s


VAMANA

[Ultimate] Vamana grows to an enormous giant. While Vamana is enraged, he is immune to crowd control, gains protections, physical power, massive regeneration and his basic attacks now damage all nearby enemies. You can right click to cancel his giant form early. Cooldown: 90s


YMIR

[Ultimate] Ymir begins to freeze the air around him, causing shards of ice to grow on his back and slowing enemies. After a 3s channel, Ymir erupts out of his frozen state, causing shards of ice to do damage to all enemies in his range. Applies Frostbite. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90 / 85 / 80 / 75 / 70 s


HADES

[Ultimate] Hades calls to all enemy souls nearby, pulling them closer to him over time, doing damage every .5s for 4s. If the enemy is Blighted, their protections are reduced. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90s


THOR

[Ultimate] After a short buildup, Thor leaps into the air. While in the air, Thor can target a great distance away to come crashing down in the area, dealing damage and stunning all enemies in the radius. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90s


APOLLO

[Ultimate] Apollo rides his chariot across the sky, choosing when to land, dealing damage every .2s for .8s and knocking back enemies when he lands. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 110 / 105 / 100 / 95 / 90 s


ATHENA

[Ultimate] Athena picks a single allied god anywhere in the world, and launches herself up into the air, landing next to that god 4.2 seconds later. During that 4.2 seconds, the allied god mitigates 25% of the damage it's taking. Enemies nearby when Athena lands take damage. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90s


BAKASURA

[Ultimate] Bakasura exposes his head, regurgitating all of the minions consumed by his Eat Minion ability at his ground target location that slows enemy players. Bakasura's basic attacks become cone attacks and he is immune to crowd control for the duration. Cooldown: 90s


CHANG`E

[Skill #2] Chang'e performs an evasive spin dance, unable to be hit during the action. For each tick of damage from an ability that was avoided, Chang'e restores mana to herself and her allies. Cooldown: 20/18/16/14/12s


ZHONG KUI

[Ultimate] When Zhong Kui activates this ability, demons pulse out from his bag at nearby players every second for 5s. They chase and accelerate over time, doing damage to enemies and healing to allies as they enter the body. Zhong Kui is immunte to crowd control for the duration. Cooldown: 90s


HE BO

[Ultimate] He Bo transforms into a wave and crashes forward, damaging all enemies in his path. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90s


HEL

[Skill #2] CLEANSE (Light Stance) - Hel buffs all allies at her ground target, removing all crowd control abilities instantly and protecting them from future ones for a short time. CC Immunity: .5 / .7 / .7 / 1.1 / 1.3 s Cooldown: 14 / 13 / 12 / 11 / 10 s



THANATOS

[Ultimate] Thanatos flaps his wings and goes airborne for 5s, unable to be hit. During this time, he move unimpeded with 100% additional speed and can click to pounce to his target location, dealing 90/125/160/195/230 (+80% of your physical power) damage. Enemies below a 24/28/32/36/40% health threshold are instantly killed. All others are stunned for 1s. Consumes 15% of Thanatos max hp when used. Cooldown: 90s


CHAAC

[Ultimate] Chaac charges his lighting ax and unleashes a blast, silencing and damaging all enemies around him. While in the air, Chaac is immune to damage and CC. If triggered within range of Chaac's Ax from Thunder Strike, Storm Call will super-charge, dealing additional damage and also knocking up enemies. Cooldown: 90s



ARES

[Ultimate] You should know this one! Ares throws chains out to all enemy gods in an area around him. All enemies hit by the chains are pulled to Ares after 2.5s, taking damage and are stunned plus additional time for each enemy god hit by the ability. Can escape being pulled. Cooldown: 90s

Since the introduction of this item I didn't think much of it but since more and more people have started to use it I decided it is something to be wary off.

Soul Reaver is powerful and hits hard. Giving the owner 100 magical power at maximum, it's passive is what makes it dangerous.

PASSIVE - When a god takes damage from your abilities, they take 15% of their maximum health in additional damage. If multiple gods are hit, the damage is applied to the one with the greatest maximum health. This can only occur once every 60 seconds.

Any mage using this item should be approached carefully. Definitely when in the hands of Anubis, Ao Kuang, Freya, Hebo, Poseidon & Ra.

The following guides I find useful and have a wealth of information. Some of the item builds I don't agree with and this is simply my opinion. For example items that have stacks for minion or Gods kills are difficult to boost. Also items that don't supplement Ares passive can be a detriment. To build the best Ares possible you should reference a couple sources. Good luck!

The Spartan guide to making Toast by HiFromBuddha

Sword, check! Body bags, check! by Odd Arcade

#aresswag #arenaswerve #mylevel #360noscopeultblayzeit by rzns <-lulz ;}

If you wish to contact me you can try sending me a PM on smitefire.com or try adding me via Steam http://steamcommunity.com/id/sleeman Steam will be the easiest way to find me. For those of you from another era still using mIRC you can find me at irc.gamesurge.net #vanquish


Now for my 2 cents about Smite. I haven't had the time to update as often as I like but to be honest I've also lost interest in the game steadily. I started playing during the closed beta of the game. I was an avid fan of Smite mainly because of its early Conquest map and the Assault game play. Which in my mind set it apart from other MOBAs at that time. The rapid changes to the Conquest map really took any fun out of it for me personally. The old style map was a pure lane versus lane game. With the changes now one sole assassin can dictate an entire game and jungle all game.

I'm merely a casual player but have played competitively in other games. I understand the new map has made the game more exciting to spectators with no shortage on ganks and things of that nature. In my mind the other MOBAs had always been assassin friendly and that's why I never bothered to play them. In the end I'd like to see a better balance returned to the Conquest map. I didn't play Smite for it to become similar to LOL or DOTA 2.

Aside from the map changes there are far too many people that rage in so called casual games also making the game unbearable. That's the end of my rant for now.. Thanks for reading.