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Bellona, why are you invading my personal space?(Arena 8.7)

69 14 285,359
8.5
by silentshell updated August 11, 2021

Smite God: Bellona

Build Guide Discussion 136 More Guides
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Bellona Build

Standard Build

Build Item The Sledge The Sledge
Build Item Berserker's Shield Berserker's Shield
Build Item Serrated Edge Serrated Edge
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Frostbound Hammer Frostbound Hammer

6th Item choices

Build Item Qin's Sais Qin's Sais
Build Item The Executioner The Executioner
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item Brawler's Beat Stick Brawler's Beat Stick
Build Item Winged Blade Winged Blade
Build Item Witchblade Witchblade
Build Item Breastplate of Regrowth Breastplate of Regrowth
Build Item Oni Hunter's Garb Oni Hunter's Garb
Build Item Magi's Cloak Magi's Cloak
Build Item Hide of the Nemean Lion Hide of the Nemean Lion
Build Item Spectral Armor Spectral Armor
Build Item Spirit Robe Spirit Robe
Build Item Midgardian Mail Midgardian Mail

Anti-heal

Build Item Shifter's Shield Shifter's Shield
Build Item Berserker's Shield Berserker's Shield
Build Item Pestilence Pestilence
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Frostbound Hammer Frostbound Hammer

6th item choices

Build Item Void Shield Void Shield
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item The Sledge The Sledge
Build Item Serrated Edge Serrated Edge
Build Item Brawler's Beat Stick Brawler's Beat Stick
Build Item Magi's Cloak Magi's Cloak
Build Item Winged Blade Winged Blade
Build Item Witchblade Witchblade
Build Item Breastplate of Regrowth Breastplate of Regrowth
Build Item Oni Hunter's Garb Oni Hunter's Garb
Build Item The Executioner The Executioner
Build Item Hide of the Nemean Lion Hide of the Nemean Lion
Build Item Spectral Armor Spectral Armor
Build Item Midgardian Mail Midgardian Mail
Build Item Spirit Robe Spirit Robe

Sentinel's Embrace

Build Item Mystical Mail Mystical Mail
Build Item Stone Cutting Sword Stone Cutting Sword
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Hide of the Urchin Hide of the Urchin
Build Item Sentinel's Embrace Sentinel's Embrace

6th item choices

Build Item Oni Hunter's Garb Oni Hunter's Garb
Build Item Void Shield Void Shield
Build Item Magi's Cloak Magi's Cloak
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item Winged Blade Winged Blade
Build Item Witchblade Witchblade
Build Item Breastplate of Regrowth Breastplate of Regrowth
Build Item Frostbound Hammer Frostbound Hammer
Build Item The Executioner The Executioner
Build Item Spirit Robe Spirit Robe
Build Item Spectral Armor Spectral Armor
Build Item Hide of the Nemean Lion Hide of the Nemean Lion
Build Item Midgardian Mail Midgardian Mail

War Banner

Build Item Shifter's Shield Shifter's Shield
Build Item Berserker's Shield Berserker's Shield
Build Item The Sledge The Sledge
Build Item Talisman of Energy Talisman of Energy
Build Item War Banner War Banner

6th item choices

Build Item Frostbound Hammer Frostbound Hammer
Build Item Serrated Edge Serrated Edge
Build Item Winged Blade Winged Blade
Build Item Witchblade Witchblade
Build Item Breastplate of Regrowth Breastplate of Regrowth
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item Magi's Cloak Magi's Cloak
Build Item Void Shield Void Shield
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Hide of the Nemean Lion Hide of the Nemean Lion
Build Item Spectral Armor Spectral Armor
Build Item The Executioner The Executioner
Build Item Spirit Robe Spirit Robe

Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is silentshell.



I am pretty much strictly an arena player but will play joust on occasion. This is my first Smitefire guide and it is for any of you out there wanting to try out Bellona and/or needing help figuring out what direction you want to go with her. Before you get started, remember to check the tab at the top right corner of this guide to cycle through the different build concepts. Also be sure to check each build example for a notes tab because there is information for subbing out items if needed.




Standard Build

This has been my favored build so far to in what limited playtime I have had on smite since the 8.7 update.

The Sledge This item starts off the build with a nice chunk of power, a nice boost to health to start the match, the added situational protections and evven half of your potential CCR.

[berserker's shield]] This is a nice all purpose item that does well on Bellona supplying her with some physical protections, early power, attack speed and some early penetration.
The passive works well with her kit also.

Serrated Edge This item is a good one to pick up here because it has a lot of utility. The added movement, % penetration and power from it paired with Berserker's Shield can really allow her to be more aggressive early with the ability to do some significant damage quickly and increase her chances to escape successfully when needed. The lifesteal can be useful for her as well with her standard basic attacks and after shield bash or scourge is activated and she maintains those abilities in combat. The effects of the passive the extra bonuses to lifesteal and power are nice as well.

Shogun's Kusari is a nice item for Bellona because of the bonus to attack speed that she gets from it and it can potentially be a lot more helpful if your party composition lends itself more to relying on basic attacks. It is also your lone magical protection unless you choose to go for more magical protection with your 6th item.

Frostbound Hammer This is a nice way to cap off the build by adding to the power built to this point and giving Bellona additional sustain. The passive is also really useful since this build gives her some decent attack speed so she can really do some damage to enemies while they are slowed by her attacks.

6th Item Choices for the Standard Build


Offensive Options

Qin's Sais
With Berserker's Shield and Serrated Edge Bellona is at 30% penetration. This should be enough for you to do some good damage to anyone with heavy protections on the other team. Qin's is a really good item to get that can whittle down squishies pretty well with it's passive and when you have enough penetration can do the same thing to the tanky types as well. In a lot of cases 30% penetration should help you keep those enemy tanks more honest about trying to roam around on your side of the map or in the middle of your party.

The Executioner
If you are still having problems with the tanky types on the other team then executioner can give you the additional shred needed for you and your team to put the hurt on them.

Brawler's Beat Stick
For this particular build I run it as is whenever I play it but if healing does become a problem through the course of the match then I will get this as my last item(if I absolutely have to I will modify an item early for anti heal, but try to keep the rest of the build as is whenever possible)

Deffense/Sustain/Utility

Mantle of Discord
nice physical and magical protections, a bit of cooldown and the passive is very useful when you get locked down by the other party.

Oni Hunter's Garb
a bit of extra sustain, a nice chunk of magical protections, the rest of your CCR started by The Sledge and the passive is pretty useful with the extra damage mitigation. It is typically built earlier to help mitigate more damage through the course of a match but it can still be useful here.


Winged Blade
This item is very useful against slows, it gives you a nice chunk of health, a bit of ccr, extra movement and a bit more magical protections. It provides a lot of utility when you have an opportunity to round out the build with it.

Witchblade This item is useful when the other team is relying heavily on basic attacks. It also gives extra physical protections, a nice chunk of health, some extra movement speed and a bit of cooldown.

shield of regrowth
This can be really helpful in helping you with escaping. The nice boost to movement speed upon the passive activating builds upon the extra movement speed already provided by Serrated Edge and should allow you to escape cleanly in most situations. It also is another option for giving you needed sustain at the end of matches and a bit of cooldown.

Magi's Cloak
This is a nice little item to provide you extra sustain, a bit of magical and physical protection and with the passive, the ability to ignore 1 hard cc/root effect every 70 seconds, which can be extremely useful in some situations.

Alternate builds



So, under the standard build I have the alternate builds. These are Anti-heal, Sentinel's Embrace and War Banner builds. They are all set up with the same format of the standard build. You have your first 5 items standard and then you choose your 6th item from those provided to round out your build in whatever you need to in each match you use it for.

The anti-heal build is to counter healing teams.

The Sentinel's Embrace build is a more tanky take on using Bellona that can be fun as well.

the War Banner build focuses on offense as well but focuses on boosting the movement and attack speed of your whole team when in combat.

Make sure that you look through all of the 6th item choices for alternate build so you can pick the right items to round out those builds when you use them.

Skill Level Order

The skill order is a bit scattered because bludgeon provides good damage in the early game, so I level it up a bit more and then go back to a more standard leveling scheme. You can level up Scourge before Shield Bash if you like. Either way will work fine.

Tips


Scourge can be used to initiate combat and disarm an opponent. As you are fighting you can decide to Shield Bash if enemy tries to retreat or if you want to retreat so that you can slow them in either situation. If combat lasts long enough and your cooldown refreshes you can also reapply Scourge to disarm again whether attempting to escape or chase with Shield Bash

You can also initiate combat with Shield Bash to slow a fleeing opponent and secure a kill and be ready to hit any of their team that comes to assist with Scourge

when chasing opponents you can use Shield Bash and Bludgeon to close distance and/or secure kills.

when using Eagle's Rally try to place where the center target will land on multiple enemies. The more targets stunned, the less chance there is for counter attacks and more opportunities for your team to swoop in and get kills. You can also use Eagle's Rally to secure fleeing kills or stun to give yourself or other team members additional time to secure kills. Don't be afraid to use Eagle's Rally as an escape as well.

for escapes sometimes you will have to use Shield Bash Eagle's Rally and Bludgeon in succession to get away from bad situations. To further clarify, I am not saying that Bludgeon is an escape but in a pinch if your other abilities are not up it can give you a little bit of space when running/turning corners(it has actually saved me plenty of times by the narrowest of margins). Also, when escaping, make sure to never run in a straight line. Characters like Thor, Ra and so many others will be able to easily kill you when running if you do this

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1
Preachertrivia | August 11, 2021 7:14am
Boa
1
silentshell (5) | August 11, 2021 12:15pm
Boa

huh?
1
silentshell (5) | April 2, 2021 11:14pm
can't really take anything away from a single build concept on a single run through, but all i had time for tonight after sifting through my guide was 2 matches.
I am cautiously optimistic about how both could perform, be tweaked.

Sentinel's build
Sentinel's Embrace Ninja Tabi Shifter's Shield guantlet of thebes Frostbound Hammer Mantle of Discord

ended up losing the match but i was 12/4/15 22k damage 51k mitigated

banner build
War Banner Ninja Tabi should have went The Sledge at tbe 3 but since i built Ancile late figured i'd build a little more cdr/sustain into it with Blackthorn Hammer(i loved this item a lot before they brought the sledge in too...i am partial to blackthorn) 4th Talisman of Energy a late Shifter's Shield and then Ancile(i know there are better magical defense items out there but to go with the banner concept i wanted to build more power and be more of a bruiser)

not as well here but was too aggressive in a couple of spots and also even though we blitzed the other team, i got hung out to dry quite a bit late.
8/6/16 but only 20k damage, 31k mitigated.

i know, you can't really take anything from a single arena match, but as i get through my process I feel like i should find a sentinel's build more in line with what all of you are talking about and still be able to dish out 25-30k damage consistently like i have been.

With the banner builds I should be able to at least match that output(though some of the extra damage from the sentinel's has just been from being able to stay in the pocket so long in team fights as the match goes on and i think consistently getting some damage from Mystical Mail early has helped in that regard). If i can keep mitigations at least where they were that match, I don't think that would be too bad but would like to get them up to 40k at the least consistently with that build concept.
1
Big Damage (37) | April 2, 2021 2:56am
People on this site leave downvotes, it's what people do but it's best not to take it to heart as someone thinking there's something wrong with it. Like YouTube videos, they get lots of views and likes but some people still dislike them just for the sake of it and you just gotta pay no attention to the minority, however as you seem like you want some I'm going to give you feedback on it from head to toe.

First I'm going to make some points that are repeated in most of your builds that need changing, then out of your 3 pages, I'm going to start with the Balanced Aggression as I think they need the most improvement, then Sentinel's Embrace Builds as they are the next along that need improving and finally War Banner builds that I think overall are the strongest that need some tweaking.

I see in a lot of your builds you're opting to build Mantle of Discord 2nd/3rd/4th and really it should be 5th/6th just because of it's heavy price. You can get a lot more beneficial items with lower prices for a smoother power curve while items like mantle are generally to round out a build towards the end once you have important items online.

The Sledge is being recommended late into a build when really it's an early-mid game bridge item plus it's really overshadowed by Shifter's Shield, and even then if you're going for a hammer on Bellona it really should be Frostbound Hammer so that you can stick to people in each stance between hitting abilities and can force their escape to land an ult on their head.

In a lot of your builds you get Stone Cutting Sword towards the end when really if you're getting it at all it should be 2nd/3rd item. The low cost and flat protection reduction is more valuable the earlier you get it and mid-late game in the spot you're pretty much just getting 50 power with a meh passive when at that point you could get Void Shield and hit pretty hard or even Shifter's Shield would feel better.


Moving onto Balanced Aggression, generally Dominance 2nd item probably isn't the right call, maybe 2 or 3 people in the arena match will have defences but they wont have a good amount until their 3rd/4th/5th items. Even then, as a warrior you are kitted better for diving squishies like you would in Conquest. % Pen feels okay but it's a bit of a waste when to get the most kills in arena you want to go for the easy pickings like a mage or hunter.

Bulwark of Hope is a good item but I wouldn't list it as core personally when you have Talisman of Energy available. Yes Talisman stacks with War Flag/Banner but that doesn't mean it's the only build it can fit into it's probably the best magical defence item on Bellona right now. Here is my choice of builds for this page:

"Balanced"
Ninja Tabi > Shifter's Shield > Frostbound Hammer (or Sledge if you really want it) > Hide of the Urchin / Gauntlet of Thebes > Mantle of Discord > Serrated Edge / Situational or alternative.

"Heavy Physical"
Ninja Tabi > Mystical Mail > Frostbound Hammer > Talisman of Energy > Mantle of Discord > Void Shield.

Or

Ninja Tabi > Shifter's Shield > Stone Cutting Sword > Talisman of Energy > Mantle of Discord > Void Shield.

"Heavy Magical"
Ninja Tabi > Talisman of Energy > Frostbound Hammer > Shifter's Shield > Mantle of Discord > Serrated Edge / Situational or alternative.


Now onto the Sentinel's Embrace Builds, the same previous issues are seen however also Mystical Mail is being purchased without Frostbound Hammer. As seen in my builds above, they pretty much go together like Bread and Butter.

My main issue is the 3rd/4th items and the 5th/6th. I don't have the time to go through each and every one listed and explain why they don't belong there so for quickness here they are listed;

3rd/4th: Mystical Mail (fall off), caduceus shield (not efficient), Runic Shield (fall off), Void Shield (5th/6th), Gladiator's Shield (better options), Breastplate of Valor (fall off).

5th/6th: Ancile (better earlier), The Sledge (fall off), The Crusher (fall off), Heartseeker (better options), Stone Cutting Sword (fall off), Dominance (better options), Frostbound Hammer (fall off).

Items missing: Arondight, Ichaival, Pridwen, Spectral Armor, Tainted Steel, Toxic Blade, Winged Blade, Witchblade.

Beads is fine but aegis as well isn't really needed when you're building bruiser. Blink Rune is far more beneficial to someone like Bellona.

Here's my builds for Sentinel's:

"Balanced"

Sentinel's Embrace > Ninja Tabi > Shifter's Shield > Frostbound Hammer > The Sledge > Mantle of Discord

"Heavy Physical"
Sentinel's Embrace > Ninja Tabi > Mystical Mail > Frostbound Hammer > Talisman of Energy > Void Shield

Or

Sentinel's Embrace > Ninja Tabi > Shifter's Shield > Stone Cutting Sword > Talisman of Energy > Void Shield

"Heavy Magical"
Sentinel's Embrace > Ninja Tabi > Talisman of Energy > Frostbound Hammer > Shifter's Shield > Mantle of Discord


Finally the War Banner builds, aside from the previous information that can be applied here the only glaring issue is that Berserker's Shield isn't a great option anymore since it was nerfed in damage, attack speed and price. So with everything else in mind here are my recommended builds for this page.

"Balanced"
War Banner > Ninja Tabi > Mystical Mail > Frostbound Hammer > Talisman of Energy > Mantle of Discord

"Heavy Physical"
War Banner > Ninja Tabi > Mystical Mail > Frostbound Hammer > Talisman of Energy > Void Shield

Or

War Banner > Ninja Tabi > Shifter's Shield > Stone Cutting Sword > Talisman of Energy > Void Shield

"Heavy Magical"
War Banner > Ninja Tabi > Talisman of Energy > Frostbound Hammer > Shifter's Shield > Mantle of Discord

Edit: Skill leveling is a bit all over the place. Even though you mention it in your write up I would still stick to the priority of 4 > 2 > 3 > 1.

Aside from all this, the only other thing I would recommend is keeping the build pages in a neat order, whereas at the moment they start with heavy magical on 1 but with balanced on another. You get the idea. If you have any further questions just ask.
1
Branmuffin17 (394) | April 2, 2021 9:24am
FYI Shell is just looking for feedback; he's saying you can leave a downvote as long as you please provide a comment =) That said, you left a big comment, so I think he'll be pretty happy.
1
silentshell (5) | April 2, 2021 9:21pm
yes, i was. I understand where he is coming with all of it too, and I have typically put items like Stone Cutting Sword, The Sledge and Mantle of Discord in more traditional placements but especially with what seems to be a lot lower quality of team help since i have been working on finding my way with her in season 8, I have just been trying different things, even if they are not normal rotations on item orders and, especially what I have been doing with sentinel's has been working out pretty well for me. That being said, that doesn't mean I won't take any of the feed back damage, you or anyone else gives me but after getting blown up a lot in between inconsistent performances, i have started getting more good and solid performances and less that make me feel like i shouldn't even be bothering. lol.
1
silentshell (5) | April 1, 2021 5:16pm
Hey, it would be nice if you leave a thumb's down, if you would at least leave some feedback....k, thanks..bye...
1
Gulfwulf (81) | April 1, 2021 8:57pm
That would require thinking and stuff...

It's good to see you back, Shell. As for feedback, I'd have to look at your items again; Bell's still a good bruiser, though, so mixing defense, health, and damage is a good idea.

[Edit]: Without Frostbound Hammer, Mystical Mail seems like a bit of a waste. I'd probably swap it out for something like Sovereignty or Breastplate of Valor instead. Also, Gauntlet of Thebes isn't considered very good anymore, so I'd probably just drop that. You can go with Stone of Gaia if you need extra health instead.
1
silentshell (5) | April 2, 2021 9:27pm
Yeah, the thinking would be helpful. lol.

I didn't realize that mystical and frostbound were well, bound at the hip so to speak. I was just having more luck being tankier early and it seemed like the damage ticks/though small helped compensate for the lack of pen that i would normally get from something early.

After I get through this initial feed back that you and others give me a nd as i go through the massive amount of feedback that damage left me I will be changing/tweaking things.

That's the beauty of each season. We find things that work and even some of us that maybe aren't building as efficiently as others are still making things work and other players like most on this site I have dealt with help people with upgrading what they were already having success with.


Also, thanks for the feedback. I have been lurking and deciding on what to work on for awhile, but have definitely bneen getting time in since season 8 started. A pretty rough start to this one for me overall didn't really leave me feeling like i wanted to be very vocal around here. lol.
1
Big Damage (37) | April 2, 2021 1:15am
If you're getting rid of Mystical Mail then Shifter's Shield is the next best option. Obviously if you need counter items such as Witchblade that's fine instead.
Load more comments (1 more replies) →
1
Branmuffin17 (394) | April 2, 2021 12:26am
I think Gulf has a good point, as Bell doesn't have too many ways to keep enemies close (basically the leap/stun in her ult and the slow in her 1). I probably wouldn't do either Sov or BoV though...concept here is general aggression while still being tanky, with a bent toward basic attacks (usually), as per Shell's preference.

One thing to understand is that Gauntlet of Thebes hasn't changed, and this is Arena, so if you value the item, it's okay to get. Gulf, Thebes is less valued right now specifically in Conquest because of 1) the requirement to stack and how that interferes with effectiveness in rotating and aggressing early, and 2) the existence of Sentinel's Embrace providing very similar (but better) effect down the line. Thebes can still be considered here, especially if the use is as a main protection item, as it still is one of the highest eHP items in the game, allowing you to build more offensive items with the rest of the build.

I also wouldn't go Stone of Gaia because this is Arena...the HP5 effect is much more helpful when you don't back often in a larger conquest map. You can get similar health through other items.

Shell, I continue to have a problem with labeling certain items as 3rd/4th item choices, and others as 5th/6th. In some situations, for some classes especially, you might have a point with certain items, e.g. not getting Deathbringer in the 3rd/4th slot. But for a bruiser type build as you usually prefer, I wouldn't split by location in build. I would just do by function for the most part...full prot items, counter items, bruiser items, and offensive items...or something similar.

Your choices are also all over the place. I personally wouldn't bother with Caduceus Shield on Bell in almost any situation; her heal is only for herself and it's not that strong, and it requires her basic attacking enemies in one specific stance. I also still don't like Bulwark of Hope that much, and I do think you're maybe missing out by not having Winged Blade as an option to counter slows.

In your Embrace builds, all 3 of your build examples are strange to me. Mantle just seems built way too early in all of those builds (and in other builds as well)...it's typically a later-game item. If you really want a high dual prot item in a spot immediately following Tabi, I would probably choose between Thebes and Urchin, and then build with a more offensive direction from there.

I would try to build SCS earlier than you do, if you decide to go with it at all. It's going to be more effective early, as it's flat protection reduction, and will become less effective as enemies level and as they build physical prots. I see you're also pairing it sometimes with Dominance. IMO, The Executioner is often going to be a better basic attack option, esp paired with SCS since those are both protection reduction items. More AS will be helpful too.
Load more comments (1 more replies) →
1
boogiebass (46) | July 10, 2020 12:07pm
Does shield of regrowth work with her 3? Have you tested this?
1
silentshell (5) | July 10, 2020 12:28pm
boogiebass wrote:
Does shield of regrowth work with her 3? Have you tested this?

I am pretty sure it does but you are making me 2nd guess myself. lol. I have used it a lot in the past and i swear that i did notice a difference. i will have to relook at that again now. lol.

edit:

I was searching online and found this guy's duel from a couple years ago and he was messing around with it and going on about his movement speed from regrowth about the 14-16 minute mark i think. not sure where you are but nsfw for language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPYrNC21Q_w

His experience is what i was pretty sure was similar to what mine was when i started putting regrowth in some of my builds.
1
boogiebass (46) | July 10, 2020 12:02pm
There's a lot I disagree with but it's all been discussed before. If it works for you, then more power to you man.

Some clean up could probably be nice. I'd put items like qins sais and executioner in another build tab. I think your job as Bellona in arena should be to harass the enemy as thenphysical tank.
So items like qins and executioner that don't fulfil that role should be in another tab.

But again that's my 2 cents. You already have my upvote due to the effort and explanations you put in.
1
silentshell (5) | July 10, 2020 12:26pm
boogiebass wrote:
There's a lot I disagree with but it's all been discussed before. If it works for you, then more power to you man.

Some clean up could probably be nice. I'd put items like qins sais and executioner in another build tab. I think your job as Bellona in arena should be to harass the enemy as thenphysical tank.
So items like qins and executioner that don't fulfil that role should be in another tab.

But again that's my 2 cents. You already have my upvote due to the effort and explanations you put in.


I appreciate all the feedback and suggestions, and especially the upvote. Thanks for that. I do harrass as much as possible and i try to take kind of an assassin's mentality of catching other players off guard since she isn't really a good jump in and peel type(i will stand in front of runners to take damage when chased and/or hitting with scourge for the disarm, but she's not the best for saving other players)

Sometimes in arena it really sucks with here because she can be locked down pretty easy and when you start off committed to helping and the team doesn't work together it often gets painful pretty quick.

I will look at doing a 3rd tab for shred builds. I am going to be doing testing with berserker's, atalanta's, serrated edge and other items and see what i can figure out for myself. I was already setting up a potential 3rd tab based on the item/patch changes coming next week that i saved but left unpublished. I kind of feel like executioner won't be completely useless, but at least initially, i lean towards the new/modified items being picked up more often until it all gets sorted out. I will definitely be seeing how the changes in exe will be affecting different characters, bellona included, that i play with.
1
silentshell (5) | July 8, 2020 5:16pm
sooo..i figured this would be a good spot to look at a bit of theory craft for next week. As some of you know from when i first started playing with Bellona, i do tend to like more aggressive items on her, even if they aren't meta and i've been trying to at least have a certain level of defense in my builds.

I have really been chomping at the bit for 7.7 to hit because i had some thoughts on it. I am really looking forward to seeing how the addition of Serrated Edge and the change of Masamune to The Sledge and Berserker's Shield will impact the way i will build on Bellona. I like my updated build for this season thus far listed at the top of my blackthorn rush builds and will still use it a lot, probably depending on how it navigates the changes coming but I think I will find a few other directions that will go nicely for me.

I was looking at where to put Serrated Edge and until just now couldn't remember the stats. i'd initially thought that it might be a nice alternative to The Crusher at the 2 spot in aggressive builds but then saw that it has the 20% pen so I was figuring i probably wouldn't want it in any build earlier than 4th(not that i know i would put it in necessarily that early). So i was looking at build concepts like this(also taking in to account changes to Berserker's Shield) Also, for anyone not realizing it, for arena.


Ninja Tabi caduceus shield Berserker's Shield Bulwark of Hope The Sledge Serrated Edge
Key stats at full build PP 170, AS 1.79, LS 10%, Pen% 30, PProt 143, MProt143, Health 2900, move 28% Mana 1570, ccr 40%
I think this should be pretty workable. Good AS rate to proc heals and that would get further boosted from the berserker passive I feel like berserker and caduceus already worked pretty well together before the upcoming patch, so i feel like they will pair even better for her. I feel like the pen is at a decent overall level. The 2900 health, the added mana and the full ccr i think rounds it out well..at least in theory. I don't like not having cdr in it at all, but i feel like it could be pretty functional in arena. Thinking about it though with the passive on serrated edge having some cdr would be helpful for builds using it so that you come off of cooldown more quickly.

Ninja Tabi Blackthorn Hammer Genji's Guard Berserker's Shield caduceus shield Serrated Edge
Pretty similar to the top build. A bit less PP, a little more Mprots, almost the same health and mana, but 40mp5/10% oooldown that situationally gives you 20% cdr(plus genji passive) or 90mp5.


Ninja Tabi Blackthorn Hammer Genji's Guard Berserker's Shield Serrated Edge Stone Cutting Sword

Was looking at this as kind of a balanced but shredding build. not as much health/sustain synergy with caduceus not in here but even with 2600 health, the extra movement from the build, her passive and the synergy from berserker's with Scourge i feel like this could be a fun way to go as well.

Thoughts from anyone?
1
Branmuffin17 (394) | July 9, 2020 12:14pm
Hey Silent, I agree that the new items may be pretty interesting to play around with.

Let's see.

In where to put Serrated Edge, I don't think you need to get held up too much on the 20% pen. When you unload all 3 of your regular abilities, you're getting 80 power and 20% lifesteal, and added MS for a very reasonable 2,400 gold. I haven't crunched numbers, but I would think that would be very close to the damage The Crusher provides with the passive in effect, while giving you a lot of added utility.

I also don't feel Caduceus Shield belongs in any of your builds. The passive healing is only applied to ability-based healing, so only Scourge's pretty minor lifesteal. If you're at max rank, and you're under the passive's influence, you're increasing that heal from 45 to 56. ~10 health every 3rd hit isn't very much...AND if the enemy builds any anti-heal, it's gonna be even less worthwhile. The rest of the stats are solid, but just don't see how this fits well.

As you have Blackthorn Hammer] and [[Caduceus Shield in the 2nd spots in your build examples, I think a better alternative there would probably be The Sledge, if you're going for some initial tankiness. In your Arena setting, you'll immediately make use of the passive protections, and the base stats are all things I know you appreciate (being at least somewhat offensive with power while also getting early health). Blackthorn Hammer is also fine in that 2nd spot if you're going for a hybrid or ability-based build.

Your last 2 build examples seem to be too split, IMO. Meaning, it looks like you're aiming for a hybrid concept, but rather than getting actual hybrid items, you're getting pure ability-based (Blackthorn, Genji) and pure basic attack (e.g. Berserker's, Serrated, Stone Cutting). An example of a better fit for hybrid function would be replacing Genji with Shogun's.

IMO, depending on your preference, I think creating up to 3 base builds (ability, hybrid, basic attack) would be good. Define the base builds, and you can always sub in items depending on need or focus. It should be fairly easy to insert anti-heal, for example, if you need it.

Ability Build

Hybrid Build

Basic Attack Build

I'm not sure what I think of my own concepts, but that's what's coming out of my head. Keep in mind for any of these builds you can sub items to make yourself tankier as needed, or to counter enemies.
1
silentshell (5) | July 9, 2020 2:28pm
Branmuffin17 wrote:
Hey Silent, I agree that the new items may be pretty interesting to play around with.

Let's see.

In where to put Serrated Edge, I don't think you need to get held up too much on the 20% pen. When you unload all 3 of your regular abilities, you're getting 80 power and 20% lifesteal, and added MS for a very reasonable 2,400 gold. I haven't crunched numbers, but I would think that would be very close to the damage The Crusher provides with the passive in effect, while giving you a lot of added utility.

I also don't feel Caduceus Shield belongs in any of your builds. The passive healing is only applied to ability-based healing, so only Scourge's pretty minor lifesteal. If you're at max rank, and you're under the passive's influence, you're increasing that heal from 45 to 56. ~10 health every 3rd hit isn't very much...AND if the enemy builds any anti-heal, it's gonna be even less worthwhile. The rest of the stats are solid, but just don't see how this fits well.

As you have Blackthorn Hammer] and [[Caduceus Shield in the 2nd spots in your build examples, I think a better alternative there would probably be The Sledge, if you're going for some initial tankiness. In your Arena setting, you'll immediately make use of the passive protections, and the base stats are all things I know you appreciate (being at least somewhat offensive with power while also getting early health). Blackthorn Hammer is also fine in that 2nd spot if you're going for a hybrid or ability-based build.

Your last 2 build examples seem to be too split, IMO. Meaning, it looks like you're aiming for a hybrid concept, but rather than getting actual hybrid items, you're getting pure ability-based (Blackthorn, Genji) and pure basic attack (e.g. Berserker's, Serrated, Stone Cutting). An example of a better fit for hybrid function would be replacing Genji with Shogun's.

IMO, depending on your preference, I think creating up to 3 base builds (ability, hybrid, basic attack) would be good. Define the base builds, and you can always sub in items depending on need or focus. It should be fairly easy to insert anti-heal, for example, if you need it.

Ability Build

Hybrid Build

Basic Attack Build

I'm not sure what I think of my own concepts, but that's what's coming out of my head. Keep in mind for any of these builds you can sub items to make yourself tankier as needed, or to counter enemies.



So looking at your concepts overall,i as much as i see some people running full offense on wars in arena, i'm not there yet. lol. I mean i had that stretch when i first started with AA bellona that had some limited success, I am usually going to have at least 1 full defense and 1 utility/defense type of item. I seem to get blown up still when i try to go full offense. I understand your points about caduceus in general but for some reason it really seems to have more of an effect(although as i was looking at my go to current season build i am running with 3400 health so it might have more to do with that. lol.) I will give that another look and probably The Sledge, frostbound(haven't had as much success at the blackthorn spot though it works well for me end build--but wierdly enough i have an off meta artemis arena build that uses frostbound that has been working pretty well for me in limited testing) and after just going with hide/thebes instead. Based on your feedback, but not going full offense and going away from caduceus I am thinking some concepts like this.

Ninja Tabi Blackthorn Hammer Berserker's Shield Shogun's Kusari The Sledge Serrated Edge
with some cdr on the build(most of the time 20% situationally) to make some use of the serrated passive but still getting enhanced healing off of scourge from the passive aiding the AS of berserker's and potentially having both passives going at once while scourge is up helping sustain even more. If i don't have any AA on my team I could shift the kusari's from the 4 and make it an oni's at the 5 or 6 or if more physical comp enemy team could put scs at the 4. If i shifted from kusari to either of those items i could opt for Atalanta's Bow instead of serrated since lowering the cdr even more lessen the appeal of serrated.

Ninja Tabi The Sledge Berserker's Shield Bulwark of Hope or Hide of the Urchin Frostbound Hammer Atalanta's Bow
for this one if other team had healers would place berserker's 4th and put in a pestilence 3rd.

Ninja Tabi Frostbound Hammer Berserker's Shield Shogun's Kusari The Sledge Atalanta's Bow


my last two examples maybe as retooled maybe something like this

Ninja Tabi The Sledge Shogun's Kusari Berserker's Shield Atalanta's Bow Qin's Sais

Ninja Tabi Frostbound Hammer Berserker's Shield Hide of the Urchin( The Sledge here if not as much pure defense needed) Serrated Edge Qin's Sais (i figure some combination of those at the 5/6 and/or throwing Stone Cutting Sword in the mix maybe at the 5 spot)
1
Gulfwulf (81) | July 9, 2020 12:05pm
You generally want to get flat pen before %pen and/or protection reduction, so delaying Serrated Edge is a good idea. I would also get The Crusher fairly early (say after your hammer) so you get more benefit out of it.

I would look at adding some more physical protection items because minions, the siege minion, and jungle camps all do physical damage. A mid-late Void Shield will give you some physical protections as well as protection reduction, which will help with your damage output. There's also Breastplate of Valor if you can avoid overcapping CDR. Or you can be cheeky and get a Mystical Mail. Don't forget about Midgardian Mail if you're up against 2 or more AA gods like Artemis and Kali.
1
silentshell (5) | July 9, 2020 2:31pm
Gulfwulf wrote:
You generally want to get flat pen before %pen and/or protection reduction, so delaying Serrated Edge is a good idea. I would also get The Crusher fairly early (say after your hammer) so you get more benefit out of it.

I would look at adding some more physical protection items because minions, the siege minion, and jungle camps all do physical damage. A mid-late Void Shield will give you some physical protections as well as protection reduction, which will help with your damage output. There's also Breastplate of Valor if you can avoid overcapping CDR. Or you can be cheeky and get a Mystical Mail. Don't forget about Midgardian Mail if you're up against 2 or more AA gods like Artemis and Kali.


I use BoV sparingly just from how i priorize health early and i don't like to build BoV late when i do, because that typically my main offense. I do use void shield at times but for the sake of the new items and patch changes i am looking more to focus on ways to incorporate the new items in ways that will work for me. with Serrated Edge i do feel like i will have at least 20% cdr in builds with it because otherwise there really isn't as much benefit from it's passive. BoV may find it's way into some of those tests for me and then who knows? I do use Midgardian Mail on occasion but usually go in Frostbound Hammer direction.
1
Branmuffin17 (394) | July 9, 2020 12:21pm
20% flat pen is strong, and Serrated provides enough strong stats and utility (MS, lifesteal) for a reasonable price that I don't think you need to delay much if you don't want to.
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1
Kriega1 (143) | June 7, 2020 3:16pm
Genji's over Shogun's?
1
silentshell (5) | June 7, 2020 3:53pm
Kriega1 wrote:
Genji's over Shogun's?

I can always use the basically 20% minimum cdr by pairing genji's(paired with the passive) with blackthorn and with shoguns being more situational I haven't played enough matches where i felt like it would make a difference. I will put it in the notes like i did Contagion and Pestilence in the core portion of the blackthorn builds and i can add it as an option in the standard builds early(i somehow overlooked it in my haste to edit). and shogun's also doesn't give health, which i prioritize as much as possible.
1
CafPow | August 4, 2019 12:29pm
i always play bellona 4/6 items defensiv and 2 are hybrid (like shifters shield or something like that) But i will try out something new.
just one Question: why are you suggesting Bludgeon for escape? You don't really leap with it, and it doesn't slow enemys either. It's good if an enemy is fleeing since it's final slap has a decent Range but besides that, i don't see the Point. But maybe, i am missing something?
1
silentshell (5) | August 4, 2019 6:24pm
CafPow wrote:
i always play bellona 4/6 items defensiv and 2 are hybrid (like shifters shield or something like that) But i will try out something new.
just one Question: why are you suggesting Bludgeon for escape? You don't really leap with it, and it doesn't slow enemys either. It's good if an enemy is fleeing since it's final slap has a decent Range but besides that, i don't see the Point. But maybe, i am missing something?


if you notice i said "even Bludgeon" in that part i mention escaping. I don't list it at the first option. It is listed last and only because it can be useful in escaping as a last option if you still need a bit of extra space. By no means do i endorse just turning and bludgeoning but there are gods that can still get up on you pretty quick even if you use your ult and/or bash to escape depending on their kits/builds. There have been plenty of times that using bludgeon at the end of escape attempts made them successful and not just attempts. I'm not saying i use it all the time and you don't want to use it if you have been running straight for more than a couple of seconds. I try to see if i can use it after running around a pillar or wall or change direction and do it if they are still pretty close after using dash and/or the ult.


Edit: I do see where i brought it up at the end of my guide, but if you notice i only mentioned it as an option with the other three, as i mentioned above i don't consider it an escape option if you have not exhausted your bash and/or her ult. In a pinch if you are near a barrier it can from time to time get you out of fire if neither of the other two are ready. It isnt much and doesn't seem like much but when trying not to die when put in a bad situation I use everything that I can and it's probably saved me a lot of deaths.
1
CafPow | August 4, 2019 10:32pm
sure, one can try everything. And when you have a frostbound hammer one would maybe even slow the enemy a little bit with it. I totally agree. I was just interpreting your text that you implay Bludgeon has some sort of little jump or something.
1
Kriega1 (143) | August 4, 2019 1:34pm
Bludgeon is not an escape. But you can backpedal a melee character with it , e.g hit them with the initial bludgeon hit and then move back before the 2nd Hit connects if a melee character like Merc or Baka are running towards you. And then you can follow up with the 1 of course for the block stacks.
1
Tomliin | August 1, 2019 7:38pm
I'd give some of these a try. Haven't been on much late but looking to get back in it. Keep it up and good luck out there.
1
silentshell (5) | August 2, 2019 5:33am
Tomliin wrote:
I'd give some of these a try. Haven't been on much late but looking to get back in it. Keep it up and good luck out there.


Thanks man, take it easy. catch you around. I am about to go bury my head in the sand for smite currently since i should not have got on to play after my shift at work last night...stunk it up pretty bad. lol. I am trying to get where I don't get so rusty with some of the gods i run a lot because i spend so much time working on new or other gods. It's crazy trying to keep competent on gods when you get a bigger roster you are working with. It's like "man, i haven't played these gods in 3 weeks already."
1
silentshell (5) | July 4, 2019 1:53pm
I have started doing another round of tests in the middle of the testing I have been doing because, while I don't really use lifesteal consistently on Bellona, I figured I would throw something together and tweak it as necessary to see what kind of results I could have. I wanted something that would bring some extra utility to Bellona and that I would put in early.

For this purpose really only Devourer's Gauntlet and Soul Eater were the lifesteal items I considered. I felt like Soul Eater would give me the extra utility by providing more sustain in fights. Here is the basic build concept that I have been running with, but I have been tinkering with a few slots.

Reinforced Greaves
Gauntlet of Thebes wanted to have some health and defense active by the time I got Soul Eater out and stacking.
Soul Eater seems to work really well in this spot for what I am doing.
Spirit Robe or Mantle of Discord depending on the type of cc present in the match.
Masamune if I don't feel I need the extra situational defense I have Stone Cutting Sword for this slot
Magi's Cloak for the extra health and the hard cc counter.
I figure dependent on the match The Crusher Stone Cutting Sword Masamune Brawler's Beat Stick Winged Blade Witchblade Frostbound Hammer
are all solid options at the 5 and 6 spots if I don't go the full listed build all the time.

I have been thinking about the early counters with this build, but not sure how I would fit them in that first four slots. my core build concept has seemed really solid so far. it is a small sample size of 6 matches and while I do take into account how other posters have told me there are some issues with smiteguru's method of calculating stats there, it always has provided me a good baseline for seeing how I am doing in my more and less challenging matches. I ranged from 2.3 kda to 15 kda in those matches and I'm going to continue tweaking. This could become my preferred build or it just might be another solid option/playstyle to feature in my guide for anyone wanting to try it in arena.

edit:

I don't know why I wasn't thinking of it before, probably because I don't really ever use it much, but Jotunn's Wrath would work pretty well with this build concept by providing pen and also giving max cooldowns combined with Soul Eater with Spirit Robe or Mantle of Discord. I figure that would be a good option at the 5 or 6 spots. I also feel like when possible with this build The Crusher, in conjunction with Soul Eater, would work really well with soul's evolved passive to go along with it's own passive and the extra pen to add to what jotunn's would provide.


I know some will have an issue with this concept with no pen items early, but i feel like this build works well and especially since i am now really incorporating jotunn's as a regular item later I feel like overall this lifesteal build concept for her is going to be pretty solid. I just have to get more testing on it now.
1
Kriega1 (143) | July 4, 2019 2:06pm
Or you know... build Beserker’s Shield which heals you regardless of your damage output
1
silentshell (5) | July 4, 2019 2:20pm
Kriega1 wrote:
Or you know... build Beserker’s Shield which heals you regardless of your damage output



That is just basic attacks, and Soul Eater gives 10% lifesteal on basics plus the evolved gives the 15% off ability damage dealt. With the mana early it also helps with sustain. Not really concerned with the cooldown, but that is a bit helpful. I am not going for attack speed concepts in this build so the as from Berserker's Shield doesn't synergize with my concept either. Soul Eater also allows me to still pack a decent punch at the end too if I do have to stay defensive at the end of the build.
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1
Kriega1 (143) | July 1, 2019 9:28am
1
silentshell (5) | July 1, 2019 11:38am


Thanks for that. Those will be useful in Joust as well, since I don't play the other modes as of yet. Most of those items you have listed I at least have as options situationally, but I haven't played much joust with Bellona yet, mostly other characters.
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League of Legends Build Guide Author silentshell
Bellona, why are you invading my personal space?(Arena 8.7)
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