God of Thunder (and Rock and Roll)

DISCLAIMER: This guide is NOT finished. It will probably never be finished and will constantly be updated. As of now, it only includes information for Arena matches as Arena is very straight forward for Zeus, but a great deal of the general gameplay applies to all modes. I will eventually add more focused builds and possibilities that are more efficient for other modes, but for now, again, this guide is written with Arena in mind first and foremost.

So thanks for having a read of my guide. Zeus immediately caught my eye when I first started playing Smite back in June and has consistently been a regular pick for me since then. After a brief hiatus, I returned to Smite to see the new Arena mode and immediately found Zeus to be pretty much a perfect fit for the map. He fits almost any team comp and is an exceptionally dangerous god to have to face - especially if his team is good about protecting him. The amount of raw AOE burst he can throw out is disgusting and woe be to you and your team if you let him get any momentum.

-Pros-
+ Extremely high AOE burst damage potential
+ Aegis Shield is an amazing utility ability
+ Respectable creep clearing ability
+ Spammy/Low cooldowns
+++ Samuel L. Jackson sums it up pretty well here

-Cons-
- VERY squishy if built for maximum damage. Aegis Shield helps somewhat, but...
- No reliable escape mechanism. Again, Aegis Shield helps mitigate this somewhat, but against any earnest attempt to focus you down, you are going to die unless you get them peeled off of you.
- Poor 1v1 performance against most non-mage gods and even some mages as well (He Bo and Agni especially). This is mitigated somewhat with use of a Polynomicon. More in the items section on that.

It's typically safe to pick Zeus in almost any given team make-up that isn't already heavy on casters. Most people seem to be averse to playing casters in Arena anyway so you'll often see a lot of bruisers, tanks, and melee assassins. This couldn't be any more of a perfect time to pick Zeus. Again, though, if you find your team already has two or more mages on it, picking Zeus is probably not going to be a safe bet unless you build a bit more tanky. In that case, however, you're almost always better served by just playing a dedicated tank-oriented god.

Overcharge

Zeus' passive applies a charge every time something is struck with one of his auto attack. Whenever Lightning Storm is on cooldown, this is likely going to be one of the main ways you'll be applying charges to enemies. I've seen more than a few builds include a Fatalis for this purpose alone, but it's almost a complete waste of gold - your auto attack and Chain Lightning will plenty suffice.

Chain Lightning

Depending on how you build, this is either initially your bread and butter spell or it's a way to apply a quick charge on someone. Remember that the bolt can bounce between the same targets multiple times, so shooting this off onto an enemy god that is adjacent to another can rack up both charges and a significant amount of damage real fast. The range that the bolt will bounce is extremely long; it seems to be almost as long as the casting range.

Oftentimes during laggy matches, as with all skill shots, you might find it hard to land the bolt. Chain Lightning in particular seems to travel quite slowly, but you always retain the option of hitting a nearby creep with the bolt and having it jump to a nearby god from there.

Any additional jumps will automatically hit if the initial skill shot lands. Remember that the bolt will jump to the closest unit struck last with no preference given to gods over creeps. A savvy player will know this and move close to a creep line. While you'll likely clear the creep line, you're also likely going to do very minimal damage to someone who is paying attention. The good thing is it has a fairly low cooldown, but still - use your best judgment on how to maximize the amount of effective bounces.

Aegis Shield

This is a very underappreciated ability, but one that is integral to your survival and mobility. With it, you become deceptively tanky and can escape some normally fatal situations. The immunity to slow alone is worth the cast, but the other bonuses just add icing to the cake.

The movement speed bonus is of particular note here as it will allow you to weave in and out of combat with significantly less risk. It allows you to move in to take an opportunistic shot and then back out in the case of an attempted reprisal. It won't save you from a stun, but it'll save you from nearly everything else. Remember that it removes slows on activation.

Lastly, don't forget the fact that it does add charges to targets that hit you with attacks. Close fights can sometimes be won by Detonate Charge if your attacker isn't paying attention to his health, but for the most part, this is the least useful effect of the shield as you often won't survive 1v1s if you stick around to fight them. A charge detonation, however, combined with a Gem of Isolation, CAN be an additional mechanism to get chasing opponents off of you so keep that in mind if you're running from a dogged pursuer.

Detonate Charge

This is where the majority of your burst comes from and where you'll likely be scoring almost all of your kills. The occasional Chain Lightning that bounces between two gods can do fairly heavy damage, but this is how you secure those kills.

As a general rule, you should only use this ability if you're going to score a kill with it or if you have confidence that it'll drop someone low enough to be finished off by a nearby teammate. It doesn't have a terribly long cooldown, but it's long enough to dissuade you from spamming it.

This rule, of course, can occasionally be broken once you get a Gem of Isolation as the procced slow may help save a dying teammate from an attacker. Even if you only land a single auto attack hit, one charge is enough to trigger the detonation and, thus, the slow. It can and will save lives as well as ensure the ending of a few. The same rule applies to fleeing enemies: if you can only tag them with an auto attack, but you're confident your team can kill them if they caught up, proccing the Gem's slow with Detonate is a worthy use of the ability.

Try not to steal kills with it. While you are likely entitled to a kill just as much as the next person if you manage to stack three charges onto somebody, nobody likes the jerk that tags a clearly dead enemy just to detonate and steal the kill. It's, firstly, not a good use of the cooldown and secondly, it's just rude.

Lightning Storm

This is what most people are afraid of when they're facing a Zeus and for good reason. On its own, it does some devastating damage if you can keep someone in its AOE for a significant amount of time. Comboing this with a Hades, Odin or Ares ult can potentially wipe out the entire enemy team. This is also the primary reason why you purchase a Gem of Isolation as every zap from the cloud will slow whatever is struck.

In the likely case you don't have any of the above champions to help keep enemies in position long enough to do significant damage with this spell, you will simply just have to wait for a team fight where the enemy team is actually attempting to focus someone down. Dropping the cloud over them will dissuade them real fast and will stack a few charges onto them as well. In PUGs, this will almost always completely throw the enemy team into disarray and allow your team (and, more than likely, you) to get some very easy kills. It may sound very basic, but it's still worth stating.

Unlike Ao Kuang's Squall, Lightning Storm will start striking whoever is in the AOE the moment you drop it and immediately apply the slow from Gem of Isolation if you have one. To compensate, however, the cast time is almost a full second long so it's fairly obvious when you're about to cast it.

Note that the builds above are only generic suggestions and are fairly standard mage builds in general. As with any god, you should always adapt your build according to how your game is going. That being said, I will confess that I don't deviate very much from the Squishy build save for the last item which is really a pure luxury slot to fill in any gaps you might have in your current match.

I'll break down all of the potential, applicable item choices and give my opinion as to their worth. As with anything, though, you are best using your own judgment. If you think you can find a use for an item I could not then, by all means, try. Guides are meant to guide, after all, not dictate!

Spear of the Magus

This is a fairly obvious first pick, I think. It's very cheap and gives you everything you need to establish yourself as a threat early while giving you a bit of a survivability boost. I really find it hard to recommend any other item as an opening except possibly a rushed Doom Orb if you're particularly confident.

Doom Orb

This can be a first item, but it's better served as a second or third item depending on how badly you feel you need the movement speed from boots. In Arena especially, it's extremely easy to stack this item up as both god kills and creep spawns are more rapid and plentiful than in Conquest. If you're playing correctly, you generally will not be in danger of losing your stacks, but playing 'correctly' oftentimes means playing 'cowardly.' If you prefer to play a high risk, close range game, then I would suggest skipping this item unless you're really steamrolling the other team and/or are confident in keeping your stacks.

Boots of the Magi

Standard mage boots. Should be your second or third item. I typically get them third in Arena as the map is fairly small and Aegis Shield gives you quite a bit of mobility as it is, making it less of a requirement early game. If you really want the movement speed early, you can compromise by taking the first level of the boots first and then getting your Doom Orb or whatever your second item is going to be, but I tend to prefer fully finishing an item before getting the next one. Your playstyle may vary.

Rod of Tahuti

Another standard mage item to give those orb stacks and your other Magical Power items increased value. You really should never skip this item, but it isn't an item I would recommend getting early. Its real value only comes when you have a sizable amount of MagPow already. I've seen successful Rod rushes, but they're not quite as consistent as getting the Rod later. If you're really hurting for damage, you'd be better off getting an early Girdle of Might as one of your ability items. It's cheaper and can act as an effective stopgap measure while you're farming for your Rod while also retaining its usefulness later in the game. More on that in another section, though!

Gem of Isolation

I know I take it fairly late in the build. Honestly, this and the Rod are interchangeable - especially in Arena where gold gain is very fast. Despite its multitude of uses for Zeus, I don't think it is a required early game purchase as most fights typically end decisively early game. It's only late game where people will have the longevity or speed that a slow can help mitigate. Besides the slow and cursory amount of MagPow, the extra health it gives you is also welcome. It's not huge, but it's better than nothing and allows you to incorporate this item fairly naturally into a tankier build.

Chronos' Pendant

This is my standard sixth item for most games. Having your ult up faster and the ability to pop charges more often is always extremely useful. It's the best all around final item that any mage in general can get with others being situational picks depending on the enemy team make up and their builds. If they're not building particularly tanky, though, you can't go wrong with the pendant.

Breastplate of Valor

This works as a tankier alternative to the pendant. This is generally only a necessary purchase if you're facing a particularly aggressive assassin or fed ranged carry on the other team.

Obsidian Shard

If the enemy team is building a lot of MagProt against you, this is one of the items you can opt to buy. I don't recommend buying this to replace your Spear of the Magus as there is a better potential replacement for that item, but instead, you should simply make this either your last item or buy it in place of the Gem of Isolation and then buy the gem last.

Void Stone

This is what you should consider replacing your Spear of the Magus with come end game. If you really feel you don't need the health, this is by far the better offensive item since it will help any other god on your team that uses magic damage while giving you some personal protection against magic yourself. Obviously, you should not buy this if someone on your team already has one. The auras don't stack anymore.

Warlock's Sash

This is the safer, tankier alternative to the Doom Orb. It ramps up slower and will not give you as much as an offensive punch, but it will give you survivability and encourage you to take bigger risks. If you prefer playing a close-ranged game and want to rely more on your auto attacks to apply charge than Chain Lightning, I highly recommend considering taking this in place of a Doom Orb. One mistake can cost you all of your stacks with the Orb and, with it, a significant chunk of your power.

Divine Ruin

This is an item that you should very strongly consider if you're faced with an enemy team that has a strong healer like Hel, Guan Yu or Cupid. It also will help kill the effectiveness of any character that relies on lifesteal, so if you see a fed Bakasura becoming a problem or anyone else that is building something like a Soul Eater, you can counter it with this. When you get it depends on how big of a problem the healer is and at what point of the game you're at. As with anything, use your best judgment, but always keep this item in the back of your mind during every match up against any healing god or any hard carry or bruiser that could build lifesteal.

Pythagorem's Piece

A rather good item, but not for Zeus. It's an item that's tailor made for the MagPow bruisers and tanks. That being said, the aura is pretty nice, but you won't get much use out of the magical lifesteal as you shouldn't be taking much damage to begin with. Since you strike in bursts, it won't help you much in 1v1 situations unless the god you're fighting has particularly low damage output.

Polynomicon

This is actually a very good item for Zeus, but situationally so. If you find yourself in a lot of 1v1 situations or are confident in playing a bit closer to the front, you can get a large amount of mileage out of this item. Bolt -> AA -> AA -> Detonate -> AA with a high amount of MagPow and this item can probably outright kill quite a few gods. This is a GREAT item for the Zeus player that's mindful of his positioning and can get the most leverage out of his auto attacks with the least amount of threat to himself. The amount of raw burst you can lay out with this item combined with your skills is quite ridiculous.

That said, if the enemy team is happy to jump on you the moment you get even remotely close to them and your team isn't terribly coordinated enough to help you, you'll likely die before you can get a full combo off. I've been ending my builds with this item more and more often now and I'm getting quite fond of using it. Regardless, the Pendant is still the 'safe' pick. Don't cast this one off, though. It's a great, great item.

Winged Wand

Why? You already have a built in mechanic to defeat slows that's far and away MUCH better than this item. I actually can't think of too many gods this actually would be good on.

Circlet of Focus

Nice proc, especially for Conquest, but not so much for Arena. The lifesteal portion has the same problems as Pythagorem's Piece - it's just limited in use. It gives a fair bit of MagPow and might be something to consider for sustain in Conquest, but in general, you can do better.

Book of Thoth

This is actually not a bad item. If you need damage and you're having trouble retaining Orb stacks and don't want to replace it with a stacking item, you can replace it with this instead. It's a good, standard item that someone who isn't doing well can try to use to recover with since it's cheap and it gives a hefty amount of MagPow. If you ARE doing well, though, you'll find the utility of other items or the raw power you get from Orb stacks much more useful.

Fatalis

I've seen this in more than one Zeus build and I understand the reasoning involved, but you can stack Charge on someone plenty fast as it is. Getting this means you are NOT getting an item with MagPow nor an item that can give you some much needed survivability. If you really do want to try getting this, I highly suggest getting it last otherwise you're just going to create a huge speed bump for your damage. You can stack charge faster, but if your Detonate doesn't hurt then what's the point?

I purposely did not put ability items in my build. They are PURELY at your own discretion and you'll almost always get a completely different pair with each match. Here's my take on them, though:

Aegis Amulet

This is always a good choice in most match ups. The extra passive protections are nice and that active is always frustrating. It's not as useful against a team with a lot of hard disables since you can't use the ability while stunned, but against that damned Loki that keeps popping on top of you, this item can buy you some much needed time for your team to come to your aid or for your Aegis Shield to pop and get you away.

Creeping Curse

Good item, but of limited use to Zeus. It's actually not a bad choice if you pursue a Polynomicon and find yourself doing a lot of chasing, but the speed from Aegis Shield is more than enough to chase for that last auto attack. Besides, you should be getting a Gem of Isolation anyway. If you DON'T get a Gem, this item's value increases slightly, but you tend not to want to be in range to actually use it anyway.

Hand of the Gods

This is of absolutely no use to Zeus. This is an ability for a jungler.

Heavenly Agility

Your Aegis Shield is a more spammable, lesser version of the active effect of this item... except for the fact that the movement speed buff is AOE. This is an item that SOMEBODY on your team should have so if you find that nobody is going to pick it up, it wouldn't hurt you to do so. There are better abilities that are more personally useful to you, but sometimes you have to take one for the team.

Meditation

This is always useful to any mage. It's a bit less useful overall in Arena due to the small size of the map, but you WILL end up in that situation where you'll be out of mana to Detonate to finish off an enemy and you'll wish you had this on you. If you get it, get it early to take as much advantage of that passive MP5 as possible.

Purification Beads

If you find yourself really getting destroyed by hard CC, this is a decent way to help mitigate Zeus' lack of a good escape mechanism. The cooldown on the active feels way too long, but it's the only thing that will save you from a stun ********. Only get this item as an absolute last resort - that is, when you're REALLY getting focused. Most problems with stuns can usually be solved by not being an easy target to stun in the first place. Watch your positioning!

Girdle of Might

This is a pretty decent item. If gives you a slight passive MagPow increase, but the active gives you and any teammates around you a pretty decent boost. This is especially nice to pop right before Detonate Charge or a Polynomicon proc to maximize damage. It can also be used as a way of filling in for damage before you finish your Rod, though I do suggest getting this item very early if you do get it.

Sprint

Unnecessary for Zeus. Detonate Charge doesn't care how fast you move. =) Leave the chasing to the people that can actually survive diving into the enemy team.

In a word, Zeus gameplay in Arena is what I would consider opportunistic. You generally don't want to be in front and especially not once you start racking up kills. You'll get focused down and that's no fun.

Until you get your ult, you are more or less worthless to your team. Like most mages, Zeus is very reliant on levels to be effective. If you see an early engagement out of the gates, support, but don't commit. Once you get your ult, you can start committing to fights with your team as you'll actually have some meaningful damage. Eventually, with a few points into Chain Lightning, you can assert more authority and establish yourself as more of a threat.

Stay at the edges of a fight and make sure there's always an allied champion between you and the opposing team. Poke with Chain Lightning as you can and Detonate Charge when you can pop someone. Playing Zeus is honestly VERY straight forward since he has no combos other than 'stack charges and detonate them.'

If you get jumped by a melee god, though, don't panic. While it's generally a waste to use Lightning Storm on a single god, it's sometimes worth casting it on top of yourself when somebody is on you. You are likely to score a kill if they're particularly dogged or, at the very least, you'll get them off of you... with three charges on them to pop.

Again, though, use your judgment. If you're just going to get popped nearly instantly anyway, don't waste your ult. If you don't have many orb stacks, it's probably worth just saving your cooldown and eating the death. In Arena, the respawn counter is MUCH shorter than your ult's cooldown.

That's really it. Zeus is a mage of the truest sort so play him accordingly.

Zeus is awesome. Play him. Seriously.

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As always, enjoy playing Smite and tell your friends to play it too!