THE Nu Wa

Hello, This guide is just of a regular folk that love smite, that plays regularly but has not made the jump to League, although sometimes play one or two league matches.

Note: Sorry if my English has errors, aint my first language.

This is my first guide, so feel free to comment and help.

AND REMEMBER GL and HF

The Focus of this Build is RAW DAMAGE, not penetration focus, or sustained; just being able to do the most damage with all your skills.

The Pros:

HIGH DAMAGE OUTPUT
EASY WAVE CLEAR (specially once you get to lv 5-7)
POWERFUL LATE GAME
EASY PUSHING

The Cons:

MANA HUNGRY (early game specially)
NO DEFENCE
UNCERTAIN ESCAPE

NU WA - GUARDIAN OF HEAVEN

There is one word that makes its core on this build: BE CAREFUL
She is the Guardian of Heaven, and here is the key.

The early game of Nu Wa is hard.

Many Gods can play 1V1 and win easily against her. Plus her wave clear is good but aint so effective the first levels. So even if she can push constantly that same push can put her on a bad spot and if you have no abilities to hide like Mysterious Fog or stunning abilities like the explosion of the Clay Soldiers you are done.

Is a cat and mouse play:
Moving yourself not just to avoid being hit by enemy abilities but to:

Force or trick enemies to use abilities in worse places in order to kill you
Defend themselves of you
Kill minions

Remember that you can kill minions easy but this requires you to launch your Shining Metal while being in the front of the minion line, the same with Mysterious Fog
This can work because even if you are a weak god at the start you can do damage in a short time or a few hits (1-3) to the minions or the enemy god or both (that is the best)

By the middle of the game (starting in LV 9 )you can be a serious threat: A god able of doing:

Wave clear with one ability

Shining Metal
Can initiate a 1V1 with a combo of:

Clay Soldiers- Shining Metal2-3
Mysterious Fog- Clay Soldiers- Shining Metal 1-2-3
Shining Metal- Mysterious Fog- Clay Soldiers- Shining Metal 3-1-2-3


Get the kill or force your enemy to retreat with Fire Shards

But be passive by let the minions destroy the tower, do not put yourself on a high risk.
Make your middle game the feeding station by waiting for the enemy gods to go overly aggressive.
By this time you know how the enemy plays, so if something changes be careful because a guardian rotation or a jungler gank may be coming.

Push, clear and retreat:

Shining Metal has a short cooldown (10 sec) so is your main attack and clear minion wave skill.

Always have one skill to counter:

Mysterious Fog
Clay Soldiers

Longer cooldwon so use all of them unless you are going to

get a kill without

"even if this get you killed"

Don't use all your skills in one moment, leave something to counter if the situation needs it.

The worst thing that can happen to Nu Wa is to being killed a lot on the early and middle game.
Is better no to get kills but to be feeding form minions than having kills equally to your enemy.
This is because Nu Wa Shines the most on late-middle game, and early-late game, so try not to feed your enemy in order to ensure to, if things don't go well for your team, be at least useful the rest of the match.

Once you get To LV 13 O LV 15 depending on how the match goes you can try 3 Strategies.

PUSHING EVERYHERE
KEEPING A LINE
FOCUSING TARGETS

PUSHING EVERYWHERE

This is usually when you are having a good match, the fight is in in a tie or you are winning.

If you:

Have destroyed a tower
Your minions can hold or push by themselves
The enemy god is not defending or on the lane

Go to another lane and help kill the god there or gain more lane in order to keep the enemy under their tower.

Nu Wa becomes like a jungler, not by killing the monster on your jungle (dont do that) but by ganking.
Move on your jungle for more security, remember you are a mage that its only defense is attack but against a good jungler you have little or no chance.

This is a high risk/high reward late game

You put yourself in a tough place between pushing in your lane and helping others.
Make easier being caught on fight or by the enemy jungler.
If this works the

enemy team will lost presence on the map leaving the Gold Fury or the Fire Giant for your team.

THE ENEMY hHAS NO COMBACK UNLESS A TEAMFIGHT GOES REALLY WRONG


KEEPING A LINE

This is the standard playstyle:
When the match is not going well but aint decided you keep the line.
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Wait for a reckless movement in order to archive a few kills.
Help the minions push and destroy a tower
If a fight near your lane is happening you go to assist.
Focus on communication

-Telling the team whats happening
-whats needed
-setting wards to completely control a jungle.

FOCUSING TARGETS

This style can be played on all situations
From a game that is going your way all along to a game that is almost lost but still have a chance.

As the name tells, you choose a target, a enemy god that con be killed easy or that has no escape in a specific moment.

Team fights are the main engagement:

- Choose carefully how to enter in a team fight: ganking with a skill combo, leaving the enemy team without minions or using your Making the enemy use items with your

Mysterious Fog
- Use Fire Shards to finish, making enemies using actives or use them in order to spot the missing enemy gods.

Staring with:

MeditationThis active can make your early game really easier, but later game is pretty much useless. If you don't have problems administrating your mana and not falling behind don't use it.

SprintStandard use, This item gives Nu Wa a decent Escape and after the middle game this can ease your work pushing or helping on other lanes.

Creeping CurseI rarely buy this active but its for a really aggressive game style. This can hold your enemy and make it an easy target, specially if your minions are on to him.

Hand of the GodsThis is mainly solo item(Not really good). But can help on the middle taking the exp camps or pushing even easier and making the enemy lose gold by letting their tower kill you minions.

For the FULL GAME

Heavenly AgilityGreat pushing/support/Escape active useful in many game situations.

Greater Aegis Mainly against ults, multiple enemy skill combos or surprise attacks of Thanatos, Loki, Nu wa, Vulcan or Poseidon...

GRIDLE OF SUPPORTMore damage of everyone!!!

Greater PurificationYour only Escape is movement, so make it easier.

Enfeebling CurseEnsure that you are the one making the most damage in the shorter time, you can change it for weakening curse if the enemy team has healers.

Shoes of the Magi - The 15 penetration on this item is a good start for a damage god, also Nu Wa needs mana, so its mor like making our skills something to be aware of more than the Shoes of Focus that give you the 15% cooldown reduction, leaving you with no mana earlier.

Chronos' Pendant - Having this item early make your mana need less a worry and the 25% cooldown reduction shortens your capability between being agresive while having a skill to counter something not planned.

Polynomicon - A good sustain item, that does not leave the attack focus, its passive gives you more chance in 1V1 and helps a little destroying towers and the phoenix.

Warlock's Sash - This item is a equally boost for Nu Wa, It is a small utility an damage sacrifice. You could buy another item that does more damage but with the stacks, this item makes Nu Wa a fearsome god in the late game: Good Damage Output, decent health, even less mana hungry.

Soul Reaver - The passive of this item is what that makes that even one skill of Nu Wa takes away half the health of a assassin, mage or adc enemy. Toss a little of patience and can even make a ganker being ganked looking for an "easy prey"

Rod of Tahuti - THE item of magical damage, this could be purchased earlier (about the Fourth item) but is a greed item. the passive is the lasting detail in this raw damage output.

This Builds are about damage, but if you feel in the need for some kind of defense these are some items that could work well but:
THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT SACRIFICING DAMAGE, Check reallye well the ENEMY AND TEAM BUILDS BEFORE DOING THIS!!!

PHYSICAL


Breastplate of Valor - The Cooldown passive, the 75 Physical Defense and the 550 mana make this the ideal item for Mages against Physical damage.

Celestial Legion Helm - This item gives you a decent Physical Defense and damage, but its passive gives you a door of critic safety an slight damage boost to deal a finishing blow.


MAGICAL


Void Stone - This items gives a decent magical defense and power plus its passive make your a short, middle range attacks with 15 extra penetration.

Spirit Robe - This Cloak helps with good 55 Physiacal defense plus the a little of: magical defense, health and cooldown reduction but its the passive that can make the difference in critical moments.


BOTH


Hide of the Urchin - This item is a good defensive item but you would sacrifice a slot with just defense over a decent amount of damage or a good passive ability, For a damage build is not really recommended.