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Season 10 Arena Tank Ao Kuang Guide

6 2 16,932
7.5
by Epiccalnewb updated January 30, 2023

Smite God: Ao Kuang

Build Guide Discussion 0 More Guides
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Build Summary

Full Tank Start

Notes Start with protectors and cloak, and build prophetic as soon as possible so you can have full stacks maybe pre-10 mins. Pay close attention to the timer for getting prophetic stacks, and remember that you need 15 each of magical and physical for the mitigations.

Notes

Start with protectors and cloak, and build prophetic as soon as possible so you can have full stacks maybe pre-10 mins. Pay close attention to the timer for getting prophetic stacks, and remember that you need 15 each of magical and physical for the mitigations.

Build Item Protector's Mask Protector's Mask
Build Item Cloak Cloak
Build Item Prophetic Cloak Prophetic Cloak

Full Tank Late

Notes Then build archdruids, late game it'll be hitting for like 500, and early game the stats are great. Glad shield next, as it's probably the best item in the game rn, and then oni hunters for the added mitigations. At this point you should be level 15 and have enough defense stats for max lono's stats, so pick that up. Then it's up to you between abyssal for enough stats for the second prophetic stack, cyclopean to deal a surprising amount of damage on autos, or ethereal for damage as well. I personally like having the extra 7.5% mitigations since it makes you extremely difficult to kill.

If your enemy team is all phys or magical this build guide doesn't matter, just build 3-4 defense items of whatever damage type they are and ethereal and cyclopean and it should be ez.

Notes

Then build archdruids, late game it'll be hitting for like 500, and early game the stats are great. Glad shield next, as it's probably the best item in the game rn, and then oni hunters for the added mitigations. At this point you should be level 15 and have enough defense stats for max lono's stats, so pick that up. Then it's up to you between abyssal for enough stats for the second prophetic stack, cyclopean to deal a surprising amount of damage on autos, or ethereal for damage as well. I personally like having the extra 7.5% mitigations since it makes you extremely difficult to kill.

If your enemy team is all phys or magical this build guide doesn't matter, just build 3-4 defense items of whatever damage type they are and ethereal and cyclopean and it should be ez.

Build Item Lono's Mask Lono's Mask
Build Item Prophetic Cloak Prophetic Cloak
Build Item Archdruid's Fury Archdruid's Fury
Build Item Gladiator's Shield Gladiator's Shield
Build Item Oni Hunter's Garb Oni Hunter's Garb
Build Item Abyssal Stone Abyssal Stone
Build Item Cyclopean Ring Cyclopean Ring
Build Item Ethereal Staff Ethereal Staff

Ao Kuang's Skill Order Notes Prioritize 3, it's your main poke tool and it goes down to a 2-3 second cooldown at max cdr. Then do 2, it's your main ranged poke, and isn't bad amplifying aa's either. Then 1, as sometimes you might even get a kill with it. Upgrading the ult doesn't reduce cooldowns or increase the execute threshold so it doesn't matter: You mainly use it to execute tanks anyways.

Notes

Prioritize 3, it's your main poke tool and it goes down to a 2-3 second cooldown at max cdr. Then do 2, it's your main ranged poke, and isn't bad amplifying aa's either. Then 1, as sometimes you might even get a kill with it. Upgrading the ult doesn't reduce cooldowns or increase the execute threshold so it doesn't matter: You mainly use it to execute tanks anyways.

Water Illusion

1 X Y
Water Illusion
3 13 14 15 16

Dragon Call

2 A B
Dragon Call
2 9 10 11 12

Wild Storm

3 B A
Wild Storm
1 4 6 7 8

King of the Eastern Seas

4 Y X
King of the Eastern Seas
5 17 18 19 20
Water Illusion
3 13 14 15 16

Water Illusion

1 X
Ao Kuang Teleports forward into Stealth, leaving behind a watery form of himself. He remains in Stealth for 5s or until he attacks or takes damage.

Ao Kuang may activate this ability again to detonate the watery form, dealing damage to nearby enemies.

Ability Type: Circle, Teleport, Damage
Damage: 70 / 120 / 170 / 220 / 270 (+70% of your Magical Power)
Range: 30
Radius: 20
Cost: 70
Cooldown: 15s
Dragon Call
2 9 10 11 12

Dragon Call

2 A
Ao Kuang summons 6 dragons to his side. For every successful basic attack Ao Kuang makes, a dragon will dive to the target dealing additional damage. This ability ends after all dragons are used, or after 10s.

Ao Kuang may activate this ability again to send forward any remaining dragons in a ranged attack. The dragons damage and Slow the first enemy they hit.

Ability Type: Line, Buff, Damage
Attack Damage: 35 / 50 / 65 / 80 / 95 (+30% of your Magical Power) per hit
Ranged Damage: 20 / 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 (+13% of your Magical Power) per remaining dragon
Slow: 30%, for 1s + 0.25s per remaining dragon
Range: 55
Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80
Cooldown: 15 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 11s
Wild Storm
1 4 6 7 8

Wild Storm

3 B
Ao Kuang unleashes a storm of lightning from his sword, damaging all enemies in front of him. This will send a Dragon from Dragon's Call forth, dealing damage to hit targets.

Ability Type: Cone, Damage
Damage: 90 / 135 / 180 / 225 / 270 (+40% of your Magical Power)
Range: 30
Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70
Cooldown: 7s
King of the Eastern Seas
5 17 18 19 20

King of the Eastern Seas

4 Y
Ao Kuang grabs a single target, damaging and knocking them into the air. If the target is below a Health threshold, Ao Kuang will also reveal his true form, becoming an airborne Dragon and executing them restoring Health. After transforming Ao Kuang then picks a new location to land, dealing damage to enemies within 20 units.

Ability Type: Target, Knockup, Damage
Damage: 90 / 140 / 190 / 240 / 290 (+50% of your Magical Power)
Execute Threshold: 30%
Heal: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30% of maximum Health
Landing Damage: 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 / 300 (+50% of your Magical Power)
Landing Range: 200
Cost: 90 / 100 / 110 / 120 / 130
Cooldown: 100s

Ao Kuang Threats

Tap each threat level to view Ao Kuang’s threats

Max
2
Major
7
Even
3
Minor
1
Tiny
0

Ao Kuang Synergies

Tap each synergy level to view Ao Kuang’s synergies

Ideal
3
Strong
0
OK
0
Low
0
None
0

Extended Build

Hybrid with Axe

Notes Axe is a little busted rn, so here's a variant build based around it. Archdruid's isn't bad early for the stats, and Glad Shield/shoguns second and third items let you do damage and be tanky. for 4th/5th items, if you want to be tankier, go contagion into oni, and if you want to do more damage with autos build abyssal into cyclopean. Be sure to upgrade into sundering axe as soon as possible, pre 5th item if possible.

Notes

Axe is a little busted rn, so here's a variant build based around it. Archdruid's isn't bad early for the stats, and Glad Shield/shoguns second and third items let you do damage and be tanky. for 4th/5th items, if you want to be tankier, go contagion into oni, and if you want to do more damage with autos build abyssal into cyclopean. Be sure to upgrade into sundering axe as soon as possible, pre 5th item if possible.

Build Item Warrior's Axe Warrior's Axe
Build Item Druid Stone Druid Stone
Build Item Archdruid's Fury Archdruid's Fury
Build Item Gladiator's Shield Gladiator's Shield
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Contagion Contagion
Build Item Oni Hunter's Garb Oni Hunter's Garb
Build Item Abyssal Stone Abyssal Stone
Build Item Cyclopean Ring Cyclopean Ring
Build Item Sundering Axe Sundering Axe

Actives

Notes Blink is good for surprise executing people, and shell is good for helping your team stay alive. If they have tons of healing consider an ankh. Sprint is a good alternative to blink if you want to upgrade into the rooting one later. There is also a point to be made for the sunder tree due to how hard to kill tanks are right now.

Notes

Blink is good for surprise executing people, and shell is good for helping your team stay alive. If they have tons of healing consider an ankh. Sprint is a good alternative to blink if you want to upgrade into the rooting one later. There is also a point to be made for the sunder tree due to how hard to kill tanks are right now.

Build Item Blink Rune Blink Rune
Build Item Magic Shell Magic Shell
Build Item Cursed Ankh Cursed Ankh
Build Item Heavenly Wings Heavenly Wings
Build Item Corrupted Blink Rune Corrupted Blink Rune
Build Item Phantom Shell Phantom Shell
Build Item Blighted Ankh Blighted Ankh
Build Item Entangling Wings Entangling Wings
Build Item Sundering Spear Sundering Spear
Build Item Sundering Siphon Sundering Siphon

Season 10 Arena Tank Ao Kuang Guide

As everyone should be aware of at this point, season 10 (at least the beginning of it) is a tank meta, and hunters, mages, and damage assassins are having a rough time (mostly). There are a few characters that are really good in this kind of meta (mostly execute gods), and this will be my guide on what in my opinion is one of the better gods in the current state of the game.

Ao was a recipient of non-conquest buffs that decrease his damage taken by 5%, and also decrease his ultimate and non-ultimate cooldowns by 10% in modes that are not conquest (like arena). This, in addition to the fact that he has an execute, is hyper mobile and can escape for pretty much free with his 1, and has a pretty good poke on a sub 3 second cooldown, makes him a great choice of character at the moment.

Keep in mind this is an Arena guide: feel free to use it/try it out in slash, but I do not recommend attempting to use it in conquest, as I do not play that mode, and I don't think it's a great idea to try using it in joust either, as cc matters way too much there. That being said, here's the guide.

Disclaimer: this guide assumes you've already played the game a decent amount, and already understand how all abilities of all gods work, and understand the concepts involved in teamfights such as zoning.

Build Reasoning

The reasoning behind the build is to be able to zone out the backline long enough for your backline to get their frontline low enough for you to execute them. As everyone is tanky, kills are worth more since they're harder to get. The build is above.

Earlygame Playstyle

Early game, just pay attention to building prophetic stacks: treat it as a sort of minigame. Your 1 is a free escape in many situations, so you can feel free to overextend a little to get your stacks. It's probably better to just play it slow since you become more and more unkillable as the game goes on, so try not to int early. Feel free to pick up execute kills if and when their tanks overextend.

Midgame Playstyle

Once you've completed your minigame of collecting all the prophetic stacks, or once you have glad shield, whichever comes first, just start poking their tanks with 3 on cooldown. They won't want to stay too long since you have a percent health based execute, thus exposing their backline to more danger.

Lategame Playstyle

You can probably outbox most full damage characters once you have full lonos, so feel free to just poke everyone with your 3 and 2, and prioritize executing tanks.

At this point you're tanky enough to be extremely patient with the execute, so wait until you know their beads, cc cleanse abilities, and cc immune ults are down.

Just being in their tanks faces is enough for them to want to back away, so you have presence based peel you can use to save your backline if they're getting dived too much.

Conclusion

In conclusion, maybe this will help make games more playable into the most oppressive tank meta we've ever seen.

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