Smite Erlang Shen Build Guide: The Illustrious Sage, Erlang Shen S8 Guide

MFN

God Build Guides for Smite Play

MFN

Join or Log In

To Top

Join the leading SMITE community.
Create and share God Guides and Builds.

Account Login

Create an MFN Account

Social Login

Social Register

MOBAFire WildRiftFire CounterStats DOTAFire HeroesFire VaingloryFire RuneterraFire FarmFriends ForzaFire LostArkFire

Create Guides
- Create a New Guide
Guides & Builds
Gods & Database
Community
- Forums
- Blogs
- IRONMAN
- God Concepts
- Videos
- Streams
- Social Channels
  - Discord
  - Twitter
  - Facebook

Not Updated For Current Season

This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page

Vote Vote

by updated

Smite God: Erlang Shen

Tap Mouse over an item or ability icon for detailed info

Build Summary

Typical Start (Crusher)

Manikin Scepter

Mace

Healing Potion

Mana Potion

Erlang Shen's Skill Order Notes Read guide on leveling ult.

Notes

Read guide on leveling ult.

Spot Weakness

1 X

3 8 10 11 12

2 A

2 15 16 18 19

72 Transformations ES

3 B

1 4 6 7 9

9 Turns Blessing

4 Y

5 13 14 17 20

Erlang Shen Threats

Tap each threat level to view Erlang Shen’s threats

Max

Major

Even

Minor

Tiny

Extended Build

Typical Erlang Full Damage Build

Manikin Scepter

The Crusher

Qin's Sais

Serrated Edge

Berserker's Shield

Odysseus' Bow

Manikin Mace

Typical Mixed/Utility Build 1

Manikin Scepter

The Crusher

Qin's Sais

Winged Blade

Serrated Edge

Mantle of Discord

Manikin Mace

Typical Mixed/Utility Build 2 (Scared of CC ult)

Manikin Scepter

The Crusher

Magi's Cloak

Qin's Sais

Serrated Edge

Mantle of Discord

Manikin Mace

Typical Mixed/Utility Build 3 (Anti Heal assumed needed)

Manikin Scepter

Qin's Sais

Toxic Blade

Winged Blade

Serrated Edge

Mantle of Discord

Manikin Mace

Damage & Antiheal

Manikin Scepter

The Crusher

Qin's Sais

Winged Blade

Brawler's Beat Stick

Serrated Edge

Manikin Mace

Alternative Situational Items

Stone Cutting Sword

Berserker's Shield

Shogun's Kusari

Atalanta's Bow

The Executioner

Ichaival

Arondight

Spectral Armor

Manikin Hidden Blade

Slightly Off Meta Damage Build

Manikin Scepter

Stone Cutting Sword

The Executioner

Qin's Sais

Serrated Edge

Mantle of Discord

Manikin Mace

Official Discord

This guide is made by the mentor team from the SMITE Official Discord. Anyone can join and receive help from the mentors, participate in inhouses, look for people to play with, or just talk about the game with other people who enjoy SMITE.

Introduction

Many are the legendary tales of Erlang Shen. An omni-present jungler, who has almost always been good or meta consistently in the 5 years he's been out. His nerfs outnumber his buffs by a factor of about 4:1 and he's still one of the best junglers. He shows up commonly in the SPL, played commonly by the junglers of many teams including but not limited to Layers, Qvofred, Scream, CaptainTwig, etc.

In this guide I hope to shed some light on why he's such a useful and strong god to add to your god pool as a jungler. If you have any concerns or criticisms, leave them in the comments or come find me in the official Smite discord server. Thumbs up are also appreciated if you found this useful.

Pros / Cons

What does Erlang Shen bring to the table, and what is he lacking? Well,

Pros

Cons

Skills


Passive: Howling Celestial Dog It's important to note that this is based on your basic attack power and not your physical power. His dog can also crit if you have crit in your build. Skill 1: Spot Weakness This is a simple auto attack stim that you can use to auto attack cancel (as with the rest of his kit). The cooldown lowers when you auto anything while it is on cooldown. Skill 2: Pin It's important to realize this is a root, not a cripple, meaning many gods can still use movement abilities even if pinned. You also have to hit them roughly in the center of the ability to get the root. This works good in combination with his 3 in preventing someone from simply leaping or dashing away. Skill 3: 72 Transformations It's crucial to know when and what form to use of this ability as it is your only psuedo-movement ability as well as one of your engages in a fight. The mink gives attack speed, does more damage, but automatically ends on the first god you hit. The turtle does less damage, knocks up whoever it hits, is slower, and provides you with a shield of health. You can cancel these abilities earlier before they're supposed to end to maximize your damage/burst as well as weave in auto attack cancels. If you're worried about whoever you are fighting escaping with a movement ability such as a leap, you will usually get more out of knocking them up and immediately cancelling it, continuing to auto them while they are knocked up as they come back to the ground. If you need to close distance faster, especially after they've already jumped or dashed and you are not scared of losing a 1v1 or 2v1 to them, you can usually run at them in mink form. Also be aware that using this ability in either form cleanses you of any roots, but does not make you root immune, meaning you can be rooted in either turtle or mink form. This can be on quick or instant cast. Skill 4 (Ultimate): 9 Turns Blessing Erlang's ultimate is a taunt directed in a cone in front of him that lasts for 1.2s. This can taunt multiple gods as long as they were in the cone, and once he begins it, he gains damage mitigation for the next 4 seconds. After those 4 seconds are up, he is healed for a certain amount as well as a portion of his max health. This ability can be interrupted by an enemy if timed correctly, but it will not go on cooldown. It also does not grant Erlang any CC immunity, making him vulnerable to many other gods ultimates. This should primarily be used offensively, however it's important to note that although he is given mitigations, he is usually not built tankily enough to withstand serious damage. This should be on instant or at least quick cast.

In the jungle, you will level your 3 first/whenever possible, then your 1, then your 2. From level 1 - 5 though, you level your 3, then your 2, then your 1, then your 3 again, then a point in your ult. The reason you level your 2 at level 2 instead of your 1, is in certain situations, Erlang has one of the best kill potentials rotating into mid at level 2, if the situation aligns in your favor, you can often blink into mid, use your 2 and 3 to both kill and burn their beads, or at worst seriously injure them, giving you pressure in mid. This is not always a guarantee however, so keep that in mind.

In terms of leveling the ult it is up to personal preference, you put one point in at level 5, and you either level it whenever possible or start leveling it after your 3 and 1 are maxed. The reasoning for this is that leveling the ult only gives you more healing and mitigations, while leveling your other 2 abilities first can be all around more impactful offensively. You use the ult primarily for the taunt, so in a lot of situations you don't really need the extra healing or mitigations that come with leveling it.

Combos

Main Combo (with ult)

(usually you blink + ult, but you can manage this without blink sometimes), auto attack once, use for an auto attack cancel, then into turtle form and knock them up (or if they are low enough to kill with mink + few autos, then use mink form), as soon as you connect the knockup immediately cancel the ability and weave in a few autos before they hit the ground, then use for final damage and another AA cancel or for continuing the chase after they try to dash/leap/run away.

The main combo is similar without ult, turtle knockup, auto and press 1, auto again until they're out of range, then you pin to follow-up with more autos or if they used beads/got out then just disengage. You can also pin to close the distance/stop someone moving and then use mink/turtle and your 1 to auto them.

Items/Builds

Erlang benefits from a wide variety of items in the jungle, leading to him having many situational and counterplay options when building. His core items are usually pretty set in stone until one of them, or a previously used one, gets buffed/nerfed. Examples as of Season 8, patch 8.10./8.11. are, Crusher , Qin's Sais , and his preferred starter item, Manakins . Most good or popular builds on him currently use those items in some form or fashion, but they are liable to change or not be all used in off meta builds for him. He also benefits from many utility items such as Toxic Blade , Winged Blade , Magi's Cloak , Mantle of Discord , and others. His final build depends entirely on the team matchup and what he needs, so they're up to interpretation.

The Crusher

Since the removal of boots, Erlang lost a cheap and quick access to attack speed from Ninja Tabi, so Crusher fills that lost slot fairly well as he benefits from its decent early power, its attack speed, flat pen, and all 3 of his non ultimate abilities proc Crusher's Passive. You often sell it late though as he does not build enough power to make good use of Crusher passive into the late game as many other power assassins do, in favor of pen on more utility based builds, or in favor of utility on more damaged based builds.

Qin's Sais

Erlang's passive is in essence, a mini Qin's, so it makes sense that he would appreciate the usage of this item. He can very quickly start erasing a frontliner's HP bar with a simple pin/turtle combo with AA cancels. But when added with his passive, it makes it so he still does significant damage to more squishy targets like backliners. Qin's can do 3 - 5% hp per auto depending on how much health the target has, plus the extra 1% on his passive, as well as his auto damage, INCLUDING an extra 15% of his auto damage from his passive, it starts to come together as to why his damage adds up, especially when you consider his other abilities, crusher, and why he benefits from additional attack speed on many items. This larger amount of %hp damage is also why he can get away with less pen then other junglers on his utility oriented builds.

Relics

Blink

Blink is your primary engagement tool and is very useful in successfully getting your main combo off without relying on a flank. It is a solid distance closing relic, and in very few situations with good timing you can use it to get out of a potentially painful situation.

Beads

Beads are there for survivability or for continuing the chase/gank while someone tries to CC you so you can make sure you pickup the kill. If there is a Fenrir jungle, Da Ji jungle, or something akin, ALWAYS go beads first relic instead of blink. If there is something like an Ares support, it is up to you whether you still get blink first because it depends on your positioning whether you get punished for it or not.

Summary

Erlang is a flexible and intimidating jungler to play into, and is a very useful addition to anyone's god pool. Let me know if you have any questions down below. I hope you found this useful. Thanks.

The Illustrious Sage, Erlang Shen S8 Guide

Smite God: Erlang Shen

Build Summary

Typical Start (Crusher)