Vulcan, Glass Cannon of the Gods

Hello and Good day!

My first Guide so figure I'd give this a shot.

Vulcan, the God of Fire and Smithing, is an interesting God to play. He has the ability to push the enemy team back with his abilities and has incredible High Area Damage, making him dangerous for grouped up enemies.

To play on these strengths, Vulcan is focused into hard, cannon like hits by sacrificing defensive capabilities. He doesn't have much in the way of defense to begin with, let alone anything to make him worthwhile as an upfront tank, so there is zero point in trying to make a Tank out of a God who clearly isn't built for Tanking.

This guide will allow you to build two different, yet VERY similar, builds that play to the strengths Vulcan offers. For the absolute God killing build, there is the God Glass Cannon that focuses building up stacks via Warlock's Sash and Book of Thoth early on. For the more mobile Pusher, we remove some of the oomph for late game to gain an advantage early with the Mobile Glass Cannon.

Both builds are similarly built and played the same, though two items change. But instead of dragging this on, why don't we just dig in!

Now, the Items I typically use are good for a wide range of games, from Arena to Jousting and even Conquest.

Now, beginning with Warlocks Sash.

Warlocks Sash: PASSIVE- you permanently gain +3 Health and +0.6 Magical Power per stack, and receive 5 Stacks for a God kill and 1 stack per Minion Kill. (max 100 Stacks)). Stats: +50 Magical Power, +300 Health and +400 Mana

What this means is that once you build up to the 100 Stack threshold, you'll have +300 Health and +60 Magical power on top of stats the Sash gives you. It is a rather large boost that you'll spend most of the game working up toward.

Next, the Book of Thoth.

Book of Thoth: PASSIVE- You Permanently gain +10 Mana per stack, and receive 5 Stacks for a God kill and 1 Stack for a Minion kill (max 75 Stacks. 3% of your Mana is converted to Magical Power. Stats: +125 Mana, +15 MP5, +100 Magical Power

Like the Warlock Sash, it is a stack builder you will be working on throughout the game. Once you hit that point of 75 stacks, the Book will be granting you +750 mana and 22.5 of that is being converted into Magical Power. Now, while that doesn't sound like a lot, factor in the Mana you have with Vulcan PLUS what you'll be building up via the Warlock Sash.

Now for the Spear of Desolation.

Spear of Desolation: PASSIVE- If you kill an enemy God all your cooldowns are reduced by 8 seconds. This cannot activate more than once every 30 seconds. Stats: +120 Magical Power, +20 Magical Penetration.

This item alone allows you to punch holes in the defenses of enemy Gods while giving your Magical power a MASSIVE boost in the process. this means even the tanker God's will have to weary of your abilities as they will be hitting harder.

Next, the all powerful Rod of Tahuti.

Rod of Tahuti: PASSIVE- Increase Magical Power by 25%. Stats: +125 Magical Power, +15MP5.

The Rod alone is going to be the biggest boost to your Magical Power, granting you an insane advantage if you've been building properly. Late game, you'll see the kind of power you'll be packing.

Up next, the Ethereal Staff.

Ethereal Staff: PASSIVE- 2.5% of your Maximum Health is converted to Magical Power. Stats: +30 Magical Power, +400 Health, +300 Mana.

This is part reason why you built those stacks before. With all the added Health from both the stacks and this item, plus leveling up Vulcan, you are ensuring you are gaining THE most amount of Magical power by converting from other sources.

Now, for the last item you have a choice between the Soul Reaver and Gem of Isolation.

Soul Reaver: 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. Stats: +100 Magical Power, +300 Mana.

Gem of Isolation: PASSIVE- Enemies hit by your damaging abilities will move 25% slower for 2 seconds. Stats: +70 Magical power, +250 Health, +250 Mana.

The reason behind these two is situation based. With the Soul Reaver, you are doing insane amounts of damage with your abilities despite the draw back of a minute cooldown on it, as the Gem of Isolation allows you to slow down the enemy for additional attacks, or opens up options for ganking. While the Soul Reaver will give you the biggest at first, the Gem of Isolation gives you other sources that can be converted into, making it mute in the long run.

Latest addition for the Mobile Glass Cannon are the Shoes of the Magi.

Shoes of the Magi: Stats: +45 Magical Power, +10 Magical Penetration, + 18% Movement Speed.

Now in the build I have dropped the Spear of Desolation for these for two reasons: Movement increase and Ease of Access Early Game. Now you will be sacrificing much of your oomph for late game. THAT being said, what you gain is an advantage early game with the boost these boots give you. Not only do you have increased movement but increased Magical Power and Penetration, making you a bit scarier at the start.

Now, time for MATH!!

Before we account for the built Stacks, this is what his Stats will look like in custom builder. Say you build with Warlock's Sash, Book of Thoth, Rod of Tahuti, Spear of Desolation, Ethereal Staff and Gem of Isolation.




OFFENSIVE:
Basic Attack Damage - 224 (10,0000)
Power-Magical Item - 784 (900)
Attack Speed - 1.1 (2.5)
Lifesteal-Magical - 0 (65)
Penetration-Magical - 20 (50)

DEFENSIVE:
Protection-Physical - 73 (325)
Protection-Magical - 30 (325)
Health - 2,750 (5,500)
HP5 - 17 (100)

UTILITY:
Movement - 360 (1,000)
Cooldown % - 0 (40)
Mana - 2,120 (4,000)
MP5 - 44 (100)




Now, here are those numbers again, but calculated with added stacks of the Warlock's Sash and Book of Thoth.

3,050 Health (convert 2.5% for Ethereal Staff = 76 Magical Power)
2,870 Mana (convert 3% for Book of Thoth = 86 Magical Power)




OFFENSIVE:
Basic Attack Damage - 224 (10,0000)
Power-Magical Item - 1,006(900)
Attack Speed - 1.1 (2.5)
Lifesteal-Magical - 0 (65)
Penetration-Magical - 20 (50)

DEFENSIVE:
Protection-Physical - 73 (325)
Protection-Magical - 30 (325)
Health - 2,974 (5,500) ((converted 2.5%))
HP5 - 17 (100)

UTILITY:
Movement - 360 (1,000)
Cooldown % - 0 (40)
Mana - 2,784 (4,000) ((converted 3%))
MP5 - 44 (100)



By late game, level 20 Vulcan, you should have over a 1,000 Magical power before you even include buffs and consumables. This makes you the scariest pusher as you will be able to scare the Gods off by simply sneezing on them.

I would go into detail about Relics or even consumables here as well but i'll make it brief here as they are all situation based:

~Relics~
Meditation: Good for recovering Heath and Mana that is group wide.
Sprint: Increases movement speed, allowing for quick closures for kills or running away. Another group buff.
Purification: CC break
Sanctuary: Makes you invulnerable to damage for 2 seconds. Best used agaisnt hard hitting ultimate abilities.

~Consumables~
Healing Potions and Mana Potions: Heal your health and mana respectively.
Potion of Magical Might: Increases Magical Power by 50 for 5 minutes, or until killed. Perfect to have if you aren't carrying any other potions.
Elixir of Power: 25% Physical/Magical Power increase for 5 minutes or until killed. A good late game choice if you've bought all your items already ((which, if we math for a moment, brings your magical power to over 1,250. That's...that's Overkill and I love it))

Now we come to vulcan's arsenal and the skills he brings to the Smite Battleground.

Heavy Shot:
PASSIVE: After using an Ability, Vulcan's next Basic attack within 3s will slow an enemy . This passive cannot be triggered more than once every 5s.

Slow: 20%
Slow Duration: 2s
Ability Type: Passive

Damage: 80/120/160/200/240 (+80% of your magical power)
Mark Lifetime: 4s
Ability Type: Projectile, Dash
Cooldown: 7/6.5/6/5.5/5 seconds
Cost: 40/45/50/55/60 mana

Damage: 45/70/95/120/145 (+35% of your magical power)
Ability Type: Pet
Cooldown: 15 seconds
Cost: 65/70/75/80/85 mana

Damage: 70/120/170/220/270 (+70% of your magical power)
Ability Type: Ground Target
Radius: 15
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Cost: 50/55/60/65/70 mana
Effective Range: 60

Damage: 400/520/640/760/880 (+130% of your magical power)
Ability Type: Ground
Radius: 30
Cooldown: 90 seconds
Cost: 80/90/100/110/120 mana
Effective Range: 120

When it comes to Vulcan, he isn't a particularly difficult God to play. He is, however, Hard to Master and understand what works best for him. This means coming into an understanding of how to combo his skills together.

Now, he has a different assortment of combos that work best and some that simply work when in a pinch. If you've learned the 3 mains skills early on:


Agasint Single Gods
Inferno Cannon > Magma Bomb > Backfire


The reason for this sequence is simple: You are setting them up for failure. Your Inferno Cannon acts as both a pawn to sacrifice and additional guns in your arsenal, giving you two spots for attacking. Try to place your Magma Bombs in their path so they are knocked back toward YOU, putting them in range of the Inferno Cannon. As soon as they are, Backfire not only Marks the target for priority, but now that God is getting hit by you and your Cannon and taking that additional damage due to the Mark. A well placed Basic attack will slow them at this point, making escape a bit harder for them. Against a God that is willing to take the fight to you and shove it down your throat, however, you'll want to try and make room for that. Using a Magma Bomb is nice here as it knocks them up and back if placed right, allowing you to Backfire and give you room to move. This is the best you can do if you are up against an Assassin that is competent as they will likely try and cut off your escape path by blocking it.


Against Multiple Gods
Inferno Cannon > Magma Bomb ((try for a cluster of enemies)) > Backfire


The sequence is the same here, but now with a twist. You want a clear cluster of enemy Gods to hit, forcing them all up and knocked back, ensuring that when you hit one of them with your Backfire, you aren't setting yourself up for a hit. Best case scenario is you knock two or more back and one forward into your Cannon's range as well as yours. This allows for a quick Backfire to apply that Mark on them, and a quick Basic Attack here will slow them down like before. In team fights this can easily make for quick kills, assuming your team knows how to function as a team.


Lane Pushing ((Against one or more Gods))
Magma Bomb ((make room)) > Inferno Cannon > Backfire


When pushing Lanes, whether you are on your own or with another, you want to apply pressure on the enemy team. To do this, Magma Bomb them and their minions to clear some space for you to set up your Inferno Cannon. If any of them try to go after you, a quick Backfire on them will not only Mark them but pull you back as well, forcing them to either come after you while facing fire from your Cannon, which will force their hand in either attacking your Cannon or risk it by going after you with the higher chance of being ganked themselves. When you have built up with your items by mid-game, minions aren't an issue for you but Gods are still forced to make that hesitant choice of risking to fight you or simply knock out your Cannon and backing off. This kind of pressure makes you ideal for Lane pushing more so then most as you can change lanes but never have to change tactics.


Team Fights
Magma Bomb > Backfire > Earthshaker


In Team fights, once you get your Ultimate unlocked, you have more options open here for areas of attack. While you are normally a Lane Pusher, in Team fights you take either the back row or mid ground as you aren't built for close encounters. Using Magma Bomb to knock up the enemy (more is better as that helps set up your Team for better access of attacks)) then quickly Backfire out, aiming to hit at least one God. You are welcome to set up an Inferno Cannon here as well as this ensures your team has constant pressure applied, especially if the God you hit is an Assassin: they likely won't want to risk getting killed by your Cannon for a God kill. However, it is best to use your Earthshaker when the enemy is either trying to escape, or when you are out of their line of sight. The reason being is that your Earthshaker marks the target zone: if they see you use your Ultimate, they WILL move to get out. This is why when you use it, use it when they least expect it, either when they are slowed, stunned, or rooted in place. The further you are from the impact zone of Earthshaker means increased damage output so you want to try and maximize your range as much as possible. Don't be disheartened if you don't hit anyone: you still have other means of applying pressure and that is simply going back to the Lane Pushing tactic until your Ultimate is ready for a second chance.


Jungling/Creeping ((Mana Camps, EXP Camps, Damage Camps)) and Minion Killing
Inferno Cannon > Magma Bomb > Backfire


Now, Vulcan isn't particularly built to jungle all that well, but given his options, he isn't bad either. Using your Inferno Cannon as a pawn for attacks, you now have your Magma Bomb open for knock backs and your Backfire to hit all the targets, as it only Marks Gods if a God is hit. Early game it isn't as good as you'd expect, but if you get a couple items the jungling becomes much, much easier. This means you can snag Mana buffs, Damage buffs and EXP boosts ((if applicable)) rather easily before rejoining your team. This also works rather well against minions as well, as most of the time they are attacking your oncoming minions, which allows you to use your Inferno Cannon without it getting blown to bits. Just do be careful though: you CAN Magma Bomb creeps and minions behind your Inferno Cannon, meaning it won't be attacking anything and just sit there as it is punished. Your Inferno Cannon takes additional damage from non-God sources so creeps and minions do extra damage on it, but it still provides a nice meat shield.

Because of ALL these factors, Vulcan is built to work either alone or with the Team and is able to EASILY integrate into Team Fights just as smoothly as he is coming out. He works well with many other Gods and provides the back up Support needed to push Gods against the wall for kills. And while I rave how much of a God Cannon he can be, Vulcan will always get twice as many assists as he will kills. Like the armaments he makes, Vulcan is hardly ever the one directly delivering the final blow but he sure as hell will have a hand in it if he isn't.

Remember this when playing Vulcan: He is a Pusher First and God Killer second. NEVER try to make an Assassin out of him as you will have a bad time. He sets up his enemies so he can tear them down: if he kills them then that is just icing on this delicious cake.

When playing Vulcan, he has many Pros:
~Pros~

High AoE Damage Potential
Perfect Hit and Run User
Lane Pusher
Knockbacks
Slows
Inferno Cannon makes for a perfect pawn and meat shield
Abilities have good range
Ultimate has ridiculous range and damage potential

Low Defense
Low Movement
Slow Attacker
Has no Movement Increase Abilities
Has no Escape Abilities
Terrible against competent Assassins

Vulcan, the God of Fire and Smithing, is a God built on fire, rage, and decisive action. He is built to be clever and cunning, using the tools of his trade to create the advantages he needs to succeed.

He is not a tank and should never be used as such. He is not an Assassin and he isn't a warrior that should be on the frontlines. He is a Mage, best used at a distance. His abilities allow him to lane perfectly and push the enemy back if they get too close. He is meant to utilize Hit and Run tactics, setting up his Inferno Cannon to bait enemies into firing range. Most of all, Vulcan is best used as a Cannon himself, building himself up like a volcano and unleashing his fury and rage in a quick, decisive motion.

This build Guide is MADE to make Vulcan just that. He may not be able to take hits that well but if you play him right, you shouldn't be needing to. Build him up so you can tear down your enemy. And, like his mother Juno, make your enemy regret underestimating you.

Good luck and I do hope this helps all you who play the Smith of the Gods!

If some of you are following the patch notes, you'll notice near the bottom that Vulcan is actually getting a buff this next update. Now, for those of you who DON'T follow these patch notes (shame on you)) I am placing the patch notes regarding him here:

Vulcan
" Earthshaker is seeing some love this patch in terms of better usability. More damage when used close, and less travel time (thus more accuracy) when used far. "
Earthshaker

Increased point blank damage from 50% → 60%.
Reduced the travel time at max range.

In short, Vulcan's Earthshaker Ultimate ability is going to become much scarier at point blank range, while at the furthest distance you can fire it impacts much quicker, meaning a smaller window for escape and increased accuracy across the map.
This generally won't influence the play style that much as using Earthshaker at point blank is hardly advised unless you REALLY need to use it, but it also means that when using your Ultimate for Gods trying to escape or low on health that are out of your range, you have an easier time hitting them than you did before.
Remember though: As of Patch 3.6, Vulcan's reduced travel time on Earthshaker ONLY takes effect at maximum range, so keep that in mind when using this Ultimate.

For this new Build I am trying, we are going to do basically the Mobile Glass Cannon build, but with a new twist on things: Focusing into your Inferno Cannon and Magma Bomb FIRST!

Now, in the Skill Sequence I have I have it set up to where you will focus into your Inferno Cannon and Magma Bomb first before filling out your Backfire ability. The reason being is that your Cannon will be able to help lead the lane while you can safely toss bombs out to keep both minions and Gods at bay. With one point in each Ability at the start of the match, this will enable your Inferno Cannon to lock on with successful Backfire hits on Gods, making them priority target and increasing damage on them.

This has been, so far, extremely useful in ensuring Gods are kept back or having to play a bit more cautiously as you'll be able to lead from the back with Magma bombs, either tossing them into Cannon fire or away from it, ensuring your minion waves push through. In Arena and Joust/Clash/Conquest, I've been able to do rather well with this set up.

I am also trying something new as well with this build: Starter items I.E Soul Stone. A rather powerful item to have to start the game off with as each Basic Attack that hits an enemy grants you increased +4 MP5, and stacks up. At 5 Soul Stacks, your next Ability will consume all Souls and empower that ability with +60 Magical Power. This is brutal early game and isn't something many Gods are prepared to handle readily, especially if they are marked by your Backfire.

Essentially this build is, in principle, no different in output as the previous builds as it will still be pushing your Magical Power off the given charts and into God like territory. HOWEVER, this build is centralized for early-mid game advantage via Inferno Cannon and Magma Bomb, allowing your team to push lanes or force them into unwinnable situations. Late game is where this build simply becomes the Mobile Glass Cannon Build, which will make you a more feared God to handle as your lesser abilities will take literal chunks of health off unsuspecting Gods health pool and almost guaranteeing a one shot with Earthshaker at maximum range.

As a recap:
-Early to Mid game advantage Build
-Focused for Crowd Clean Up (AoE for days) and Lane Pushing via Inferno Cannon and Magma Bomb
-Soul Stone makes for Brutal push backs if timed properly with abilities
-In essence no different then the previous builds, allowing proper build up for late game if need be

Hopefully this helps add some more spice and strategy to Vulcan builds for you all.