Perfect in Form and Function - Achilles S8 (Solo, Jungle, Support)

Greetings, my name is MrDuck, I have played Smite for 3 years, mostly as Support and Jungle with a little bit of Solo. This is my first ever SmiteFire guide, on one of my favourite characters in the game, Achilles, the Hero of the Trojan War.

Achilles is, in my opinion, one of, if not the most versatile god in the game. His passive allows him to adopt an aggressive or defensive playstyle at the drop of a hat, and his kit reflects this. I would say he primarily plays Solo and Jungle, but his Support viability is not out of the question.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Achilles is a Greek melee warrior. Whilst he is rarely completely broken, he is generally quite strong due to his incredible versatility. He offers incredible damage and tankiness depending on how you choose to play him, meaning he can be played in three roles - Support, Jungle and his main role, Solo.

Pros of Achilles:

Good damage output.
Very tanky.
Good sustain.
Decent mobility.
EXECUTE.

Only one CC.
Ultimate makes him squishier.
Shut down by hard CC and cripples.
Reliant on blink (in Jungle)

Passive - Gift of the Gods
This is a great passive. In the fountain you can switch between wearing armour, and not wearing armour. Wearing it grants health and protections, and not wearing it grants power and movement speed.

In Solo I typically begin with no armour, and then switch to armour around the mid-late game. However, I will wear armour into a bad matchup.

In the Jungle I typically begin with no armour and only switch until late game teamfighting begins, or I am dying a lot.

In Support I will have the armour on the whole time, but I have seen some people opt to go without it in the early game so it is more personal preference.

1 - Shield of Achilles
This ability consists of two cones in front of you. The small cone directly in front of you will stun and deal full damage, and the bigger outer cone will deal reduced damage.

In Solo I will put a point in this ability at level 1, and then max it second. I use it for engagement and peeling.

In the Jungle I will max this ability first for camp clear as you cannot reliably get the second proc on your 3.

In Support the order is the same as Solo, but I save this ability for peel only.

2 - Radiant Glory
This ability is a stim. It increases your physical power, your protections and your CCR (crowd control reduction) by a percentage. I max this third in all roles. I use it to either heal up when I am low on health or to temporarily become stronger going into an engagement.

3 - Combat Dodge
This ability comes in two parts. You can first make a short dash in any direction. After dashing you can throw your spear, very similar to Athena's passive. If you hit an enemy god with the spear you may dash again. You can hold the second charge of the dash for as long as you wish, but the spear can only be held for so long.

In Solo and Support I get this ability at level 2 and then max it first, because if one can reliably get the second proc then you can use it to clear wave by hitting both the enemy god and the wave.

In Jungle I max this second.

Ultimate - Fatal Strike
This ability is a CC-immune dash which deals damage to a target hit. If said target is below 30% health they are instantly executed unless they use a form of damage immunity. After executing, you may use this again up to five mores times, like a Scylla ultimate. However you take increased damage for each time you do this. This ability can be a bit wonky to hit so it takes some practice. Always max this last because the execute threshold does not change with level unlike Thanatos'. This can also be used as a getaway if things go badly.

Early Game
Achilles is not an early game god. In any role you want to play a bit more conservatively, but especially in Solo. In Support you might be able to pull off some aggression, depending on your matchup.

Mid Game
Achilles really starts to shine here. He excels in longer engagements and skirmish fights with an excellent mix of damage and defence. This is when you can be most confident.

Late Game
Due to his passive, Achilles does not fall off too much in the late game, as he can switch from being a major damage dealer to a more tanky frontline playstyle.

Weave in auto attacks between your abilities to maximize your damage.

You have a short window in between executing somebody with your ultimate in which you can use another ability before using the ultimate again. Combo this with his 1 to stun and make it easier to hit the ult.

You also have a short window after dashing with the 3 in which you can use other abilities before throwing the spear. Use this similarly.

Do not be afraid to burn your ult as a getaway it is more important that you stay alive.

Remember to use his passive - Switching passive depending on the situation can make a world of difference.

Thank you for reading my first ever SmiteFire guide. Any feedback would be appreciated, so please leave a comment.

I hope you learned something, and I thank you deeply for taking the time to read my guide. God bless you.
MrDuck