Achilles Solo Lane

Hello, I am BrutalBelly! I've been playing Smite for a few years now and am a Warrior enthusiast. I've been Masters in Duel and Conquest over this time as well. Even hitting GM in both, Duel Season 8 and Conquest current season. Over this time we've seen shifts to items and core builds. I saw a lot of the current builds being presented and wanted to show what I've been running in my games.

Passive - Gift of the Gods You switch between his defense and offensive passive by autoing in the fountain. Power and movement speed early game help out Achilles to gain early kill potential. Later in the game Achilles should switch to defense form.

Ability 1 - Shield of Achilles Give a little distance between you and the enemy when doing it, but still keep them in the stun range. Going too close can actually cause your ability to look like it will hit, but then miss. It also gives you a chance to adjust easier if they are a little bit further away. Use the stun to set up the execute. A lot of players just see execute range and try to go for it only to be leaped over or juked. Use this to poke enemies, Achilles won't be bursting someone down in one combo, you poke them out and break their sustain in order to leverage kills.

Ability 2 - Radiant Glory Always use this first, in your combo. This is your stim, this is what really helps Achilles get extra value out of Gladiators shield and Corrupted Bluestone / Sundering Axe.

Ability 3 - Combat Dodge Auto, the best way Achilles increases his damage is to auto while using his 3. Dodge, you can easily cause a player to miss by using Achilles dash (it is in the name). Use the first one to hit the opponent, the melee minions in lane will then start to swarm you and you can effectively use both your 1 and 3 to clear the minion wave.

Ultimate - Fatal Strike It resets, you can get multiple uses out of it. The only drawback is increased damage taken. Think before using. See what your team has up/abilities they are using before you activate it. Sometimes your team will secure the kill while you are still in the dash phase. Once this ability is leveled, only put a point into it when you have to. This is a flat execute, iour other abilities will thank you for leveling them up.

• The solo lane start: You go to blue buff, dragging to the xp camp where your mid laner will pull speed camp. When you get the best angle on all the camps, use your 1 to aid in clearing.
  
  
• Your mid laner will be assisting you in killing all these camps, try not to absorb too much damage that you are instantly killable in lane, but don't let your mid laner take that much damage as well (I usually pop my first health potion here). Don't forget to grab the blue buff, you don't want speed as you will run out of mana.
  
  
• In lane you have 3 main objectives: Clearing wave as safely as possible is always #1 priority. The next two are important, but not as important as getting wave. I put getting totem over cooldown camp because the mp5 given from totem globally has more impact than just getting a cooldown advantage/slight gold and xp lead.

Yellow circle is you; blue circle is your mid laner.

• This is realistically where you will be the most successful. Due to the nature of solo, you actually at this point should have a 1 ish level lead over everyone else on the map. If you can make it to the first beacon fight of 12 minutes, I would highly encourage you to do so. The solo laner rotating to this fight while the other stays in lane can lead to not only beacon, but also potentially kills and a gold fury.
  
  
• Around this time, most gods should have 2+ items completed. Your two items and higher base damage should help significantly chunk the opposition. Your combo should do around 1/3rd or more of a squishy targets hp at this time.
  
  
• With most hybrid items either being completely stripped of power or removed, warriors are left to rely on higher base dmg, and team play to get them through.
  
  
• Solo in my opinion for objective presence should be keeping the enemy at a decent distance to where they can't walk up freely and try to out secure. Don't chase too far/wander as this will more than likely get you killed.

• This is realistically where the damage classes take over. 4-5 item hunters, assassins and mages will start hitting you very hard, very quickly. This is where it becomes imperative to play with your team.
  
  
• Depending on how the game has been going at this point you have two options of playstyle, you can try to dive with your jungle to disrupt the back line. If you can take out their backline with your jungle or even just get one it makes the game harder for them.
  
  
• Your damage at this point is much smaller than what the enemy can output, you are mostly hoping your jungle takes care of his target/burns your target with you. 1v1s at this point typically go towards the carry if that is who is burning you, you still have decent fight into mages at this point.
  
  
• Without an ADC, taking objectives and structures becomes more troublesome. Without a Mage, securing objectives is much more difficult.
  
  
• The other playstyle is more of a support role towards your damage dealers, trying to set up stuns so they can get their combos off, forcing relics on carries, peeling for them if they get in trouble and the support can't get to them, etc.
  
  
• Objectives are the priority at this point. At least one Pyromancer should have been completed by now (save the bombs for birds if possible), another Gold Fury as well and right around 23ish minutes the Titans will be preparing to meet in lane. Titan surge is typically what forces the first fire giant fight, especially if it is on the other side of the map (duo lane).
  
  
• This Fire Giant is usually what helps wipe away most structures and helps expand a gold lead. If done right this can be game over, so be wary of that.

• Your goal right now is to play as a team, there is no more solo play. Getting picked can and will cost your team the game at this time.
  
  
• By now, most structures are gone around the map. The only thing left really is finding the game ending window. I have seen games end because players get caught at Gold Fury, so try to not let that be your team.
  
  
• Most games typically end by getting a pick around Fire Giant, getting enhanced Fire Giant (Fire Giant evolves after 30 minutes). Taking as many birds as possible, then killing Titan as fast as possible. Sometimes games can be ended with as little as 1 bird down, most of the time the safest option is to take 2/3 birds and pinch in with enhanced minions pushing.
  
• If you are losing at this point, your whole game plan is keeping them away from your Titan and trying to stall. Sometimes killing 1 when they have EFG is enough to stall a push for at least a minute plus (as long as you are all healthy).
  
  
• When they siege you have your fountain to run back and forth to if you need healing, they are typically only being healed from EFG passive and whatever HP5/life steal they have. Waiting out a siege and letting them come to you does give you a chance to come up with a plan. Another thing I like to do is if their mage is consistently clearing wave with their main damage you can communicate it to your team to exploit and try a fight off that.
  
  
• Remember though, if they do have EFG they are in a much better position to kill you, so be careful of any engagements you and your team takes.
  
  
• The game is usually won before 2nd titan surge, but there is that as well to look out for in back and forth games/games where the siege defense is really strong. Pushing with the titan, EFG, and some enhanced minion waves should be game over in 99% of scenarios.

As a solo laner you actually get the freedom to pick up the best mobility relic in the game. Teleport whether you upgrade it to Heroic Teleport or Persistent Teleport is up to you. This relic allows you to TP to any structure on your side or any ward placed by your team (When upgraded).

The first two wards you should prioritize are these. This mostly takes care of any jungles possible gank path to you. Be wary of gods that can jump over thick walls/globals like Thanatos or Thor. Be wary of gods who have invisibility that can activate it and get past your ward before it expires like Loki, Ao Kuang, The Morrigan.



As the game goes, where you ward may change depending on what your team already has vision on. The deeper wards help with zoning and collapsing on overstepping opponents while also allowing your team to prepare to secure the objective/get off it and fight (or run).



At the end game stage, just about every pathway should be warded, vision is what controls a lot of the game. Getting wards in the blind spots behind the gates can also help mages get a chunky opening shot that your jungle can collapse on.



Keep in mind, as a solo laner you can take a good chunk of damage and if you have Heroic Teleport / Persistent Teleport up + your team has wards out you can be right back within 10 seconds.