Ares aka Sir-Tanks-A-Lot - UPDATED 6/1/14

Okay so this is my first guide, but I feel it's time I give everyone some insight on my favorite god in Smite.

Ares is a dangerous and versatile god, that can be very deadly if used right. He can hands down make or break a game. I have carried a losing conquest team to victory to end with a 28/4/14 k/d/a ratio.

I have been playing Ares for a very long time now. Long before the whole "masteries" system, golden skins, before there was fog of war, before the new maps came out, and so on. Lets just say I had legendary Ares unlocked long before the legendary skin ever came out. So I'd like to think I know how to play him.

As of right now smite has Ares listed as an easy god, but besides his ultimate, he is a very difficult god to master in my opinion. But hopefully after you read this guide and get some practice you will find him is enjoyable as me.

BLESSED PRESENCE - Passive

This is a great passive ability for Ares, every time you gain an aura from an item you get 30 extra magical power. You may ask, "What does all this extra magical power do for me?" Well study his spells and you will understand how important it is to have these auras with Ares. Also take notice of all the auras you'll get with this build...

SHACKLES - 1st Ability

Ares bread and butter. This skill will determine if you're a good Ares, or a bad Ares. First of all you've gotta land that chain on typically a moving target, if you miss you just wasted 70-90 mana and you wait 15 seconds for the c/d. But if you land it, now you've got 2 more chances to land 2 more chains. Each chain will slow the enemy god 15%, so that's a 45% slow if you land all 3 on a single god. This skill is very deadly and can be used to chase down your enemy while they are slowed, or can be used as a "SHTF I need to get outta here now" technique, in that you can chain/slow an enemy pursuer to give yourself some room to escape. Plus the more magical power you have the more damage you do. Up to 180% of you magical power at it's highest tier. (Those auras start to come in handy).

BOLSTER DEFENSES - 2nd Ability

A self-explanatory spell. This ups the defenses of yourself and all team members and minions around you. Good for all situations. A nice buff to have when tower diving. It can also be increased if you have any chains attached to any enemies at the time of casting it. Also helps to reduce cc..

SEARING FLESH - 3rd Ability

This skill is a great finisher for Ares. Many times have I chained an enemy god 3 times and ran them down, their backside burning to a crisp. Plus this spell does damage based on the enemy maximum health every .5 seconds. So even tanks can be afraid of this spell. If you stack for magical power this will do quite a bit of damage, up to 56% of you magical power will be added. It also makes you immune to knockback, so if you've gotta run away, might as well turn the flames on.

NO ESCAPE - Ultimate

This is without a doubt, IMHO the very best ultimate in the game. This is a huge reason Ares can make or break a game. It is the one single ultimate that an entire team will buy Purification Beads for. Also many gods will waste their ultimate just to be immune and escape his pull. Just know that the enemies still take the damage of your attack even if they aren't pulled to you. When I see the entire team has beads, I know I've got their pucker-factor going. But lucky for you, if you come across a situation like that, just know that Breastplate of Valor has got your back..

Core Build:

Mark of the Vanguard

I start most conquest game with this. It's nice to have that extra defense and damage reduction. But some games I do skip it. I'll leave that up to you.

Mystical Mail

This is a MUST. It deals 40 damage per second, and gives you an aura to add to your passive, granting you more magical power. Its a nice touch when running down your enemies.

Void Stone

This is the second MUST. It lowers the enemies magical protection, so your chains, flames, and mystical mail all do more damage. And it gives you a 2nd aura to add to your passive.

Sovereignty

This is a nice item for any tank. It gives you and your allies a nice physical and magical protection barrier, and gives you a 3rd aura.

Options:

Breastplate of Valor

This is a situational item. Buy it when/if you need it. If the enemies are using Purification Beads or Aegis Amulet get it. If not, skip it. It doesn't do too much to help your stats, and it will take away one of your auras.

Pestilence

This is a great choice for an added aura. It gives you some magical protection and adds to your health. Also it reduces the healing and regen of nearby enemies, giving them even more of a reason to stay away from you.

Witchblade

This is a nice choice for an added aura, and helps to slow the enemies attack speed, and reduce their physical power.

Pythagorem's Piece

This is an okay choice for an aura. It will raise your magical power, making your flames do some more damage. It also gives you and your team a small amount of life steal.

I don't know what shoes to wear to the party!

Go with either Reinforced Greaves M or Shoes of Focus. Me personally, I go with the Grieves for Conquest and the Shoes for Arena. Conquest you don't need to worry about c/d anywhere near as much as Arena, and I prefer to be a little more tanky for those team battles in Conquest. Arena is all about c/d. Get Shoes stacked with a Breastplate of Valor and you'll be set.

Hand of the Gods is an obvious choice for any tank. Nice and easy way to clear lanes, and get some extra gold. I get it in conquest only. Don't bother with it in arena. I take Wrath of the Gods over Fist of the Gods 9 times out of 10, just for the quick clearing of fire giant and gold fury.

Pick up a few Healing Potion and Ward at the start of the game. You're the tank so potions is an obvious need early on. I usually get 2-3 at the start of a conquest. And being the support role you're typically tasked with buying the Ward for your lane, so be sure to pick up 2 of them at the start.

When I play as Ares, I ALWAYS buy Blink. It is a great way to initiate a team fight, and a nice way to catch several enemy gods with your ultimate. Also I usually go with Greater Blink over Combat Blink. Greater Blink has a MUCH faster c/d, and you should be using your blink to initiate contact, not break contact. I've played lots of games where a newer Ares player doesn't have blink, and just charges headlong into a fight without attacking or doing anything. Its more than obvious what your intent is, and of course the other team is going to spread out so you can only catch 1-2 gods in your ultimate. Make sure you let your teammates know that you're going to be using blink throughout the match. And blink doesn't need to be used just in conjunction with your ultimate. Its a great way to get next to an enemy god, catch them with 3 chains, and set their *** on fire. And I suppose it can be used as an escape alternative...

CHAIN-N-FLAME

Use this combo on enemy gods to inflict maximum damage. Try to land all 3 chains, each chain will slow the enemy 15%, for up to 45%. Then run them down, and turn on the flames.

Early Game

You need to be cautious. Ares is NOT the tankiest tank early on. He's no Ymir when it comes to shrugging off blows. Help your partner clear minions, use your flames to further help, and buff up your minions defenses when needed. DONT waste chains on minions. And if you're gonna try to chain an enemy god, make sure you've cleared most of their minions near you, or make sure your partner has got your back.

Mid Game

You should be spamming your ultimate if the enemy gods have Purification Beads. Pick up a Breastplate of Valor to reduce that c/d. You should be catching the enemies with beads around every other ultimate. Occasionally I will gank middle lane when I return to base to buy more items. Typically the enemy god at mid wont have beads, so it makes for an easy kill. Blink really comes in handy with ganks, and your teammates will love you for it. Also at this time you're beginning to become much more tanky, so you should be harassing the enemy gods with your chains more frequently. You may even manage a few kills if you chain-n-flame a few times. Still be aware of the damage those minions can do when you attack enemy gods near them

Late Game

You should be the reason the enemy gods dont sleep at night. With my build you'll be a walking death machine. You should be spamming your ultimate combined with blink to initiate team fights. At this time you will be VERY tanky, and able to shrug off most attacks with ease. Use this to your advantage and get CLOSE to enemy gods. When your ultimate is down you should be using your chains or blink to close the distance between you and your enemies. And when you get close, burn them up. Rinse and repeat. Be careful not to overextend yourself, and if you're going to initiate a team fight make sure your team is ready to move in behind you. Your ultimate does you no good if you manage to pull 3-5 enemy gods with nobody nearby to throw some more damage into the mix.

Heres a quick math lessson Mystical Mail + Void Stone + Shackles + Searing Flesh = OMFG ARES JUST KILLED ME AGAIN?!?!

Initiating Team Fights

First up your defenses with Bolster Defenses. Blink into combat. Pop that No Escape. Chain any gods you pull in with Shackles (remember to chain 3 times) and then set their ***es on fire with Searing Flesh and run them down. If your team is following your tactics, they should be popping their ultimates on top of yours, bringing an unheard of amount of damage down on your enemies.

blink

My Ultimate is down! Now what?

If you happen to stumble on a team fight with your ultimate down, focus on chaining the weaker gods (adcs and mages) first. You are the tank so you should be taking the brunt of the damage coming towards your team. Remember to pop Bolster Defenses when entering a fight to give your side some added protection. Try to draw the attention of nearby enemy minions by attacking enemy gods, so the minions attack you and not your squishy teammates.

Be a good team player

If a member of your team gets low on hp and needs to retreat, try to chain any enemy that may try to chase them down. Your chains will slow them, and prevent them from using any movement based spells, giving your ally enough time to get out of there.

Time to go!

Ares doesn't really have any quick means of escape. Its always a good idea to shoot chains on any enemy that is chasing you. Quickly turn around, shoot some chains (3 if you have time) and then turn and run. You'll slow the enemy enough to give you some breathing room. Also turn on your Searing Flesh when running away because it makes you immune to any knock-up attack. Yes you CAN use searing flesh when your chains are out, so do it. And obviously hit Bolster Defenses, but try to hit it AFTER you chain the enemies, because you'll get some more added protection. And lastly, if its really getting bad and the above tactics don't work for you, pop your ultimate. It will stun the enemy gods for 1 second plus .2 for each enemy hit. That'll give some time to get out of there.

Ares ultimate is best if stacked with other god's ultimates. Most of the other ultimates will work with his, but some are better than others. Here are some of my favorite gods to have around when the time for bringing the pain comes.

Poseidon is my personal favorite ally to have around for stacking ultimates. His ultimate, Release The Kraken!, if timed perfectly is almost always a guaranteed kill. But for safe measure still throw out your chain-n-flame for any straggler left behind.


Zeus is a great ally to have around to stack ultimates with. His Lightning Storm deals significant damage when used in conjunction with his Detonate Charge. If you manage to pull all 5 enemy gods into the middle of his ultimate, say hello to a deicide.


Hades is another nice ally to have around when it comes to throwing down the ultimates. Pillar of Agony deals significant damage and pulls all enemies caught in the area towards Hades. It's a nice combination with Ares, but expect the other team to have Purification Beads if you and Hades are on the same team.


Cupid is my personal favorite ADC to be paired with in a duo lane. He's got all the goods to compliment Ares. He's got some stun to help you get close and chain-n-flame, he's got some healing power to get you back in the fight, he's got an escape method when times get tough, and he's got Fields Of Love. His ultimate has a huge AOE that first slows enemies and at the end of it's casting stuns them and deals decent damage. Any gods that are left alive will fall victim to your chain-n-flame. Great match-up.


Another nice ADC to be paired with. His ultimate, although not an AOE, stacks up pretty nicely with Ares. Anhur has Desert Fury which is pretty much an Egyptian machine gun that he fires in a straight line in front of him. It works pretty well when he fires it directly at Ares, because you pull all the enemy gods right on top of you.

Pros:
+Very intimidating. Almost always forces enemy team to buy beads or aegis.
+His combos will deal significant damage if done correctly.
+Very tanky late game.
+Great team fight initiator.
+IMHO the very best ultimate in the game if used properly.

Cons:
-Not very tanky early on.
-His chains are useless if you miss. You will burn through mana fast if you miss.
-Has no real means of escape.
-Without c/d reduction, enemies will counter your ultimate if using beads/aegis.

I hope this guide helps some of you. It's still a work in progress and I'll add more to it later. Any tips/suggestions are appreciated. Please vote! Enjoy!