ZEUS - God of the Sky

Hi guys! This is my first build being posted. I have been working on the perfect build for some time for my long-time SMITE love: Zeus. I'm enamored with Greek myth as I'm sure many of you are. He is a wonderfully powerful mage that I have enjoyed playing since the game launched. Season 4 has seen certain items I have always relied on change for the better or for the worse, so I've done A LOT of tinkering to make this happen. Here is my favorite Zeus build for Season 4.

I like to start off with Shoes of the Magi. Early game power, early game penetration. Historically, I was a fan of Shoes of Focus as a must buy for every mage in the game, however, Zeus is more akin to needing penetration in key moments throughout a match so as to ensure his abilities do not go wanting for more 'oomph'.

Next is Book of the Dead. Season 4 has seen a huge increase in lifesteal-potential choices for mages and that is in-part due to the overwhelming greatness that is Book of the Dead. 100 power and 20% lifesteal, on top of 200 health speaks for itself. Plus, this adds to the sustainability of Zeus so he may stay out on the battlefield longer.

Book of Thoth is an extremely powerful item that gives immediate mana capabilities to Zeus so he may use for of his power combos to whittle away at his enemies. When fully stacked it is a devastating source of power for its wielder.

This one is often cited as the odd-ball out of position, as my fourth item is Rod of Tahuti. It's truly a rare sight to see a mage in S4 that doesn't at some point in a game build RoT. My thought process is to supplement Book of Thoth with a tasty power spike to help make up for the time it takes to build stacks, not to mention its passive only gains more power as the stacks are completed. MP5 is nice, too.

Now it's on to Bancroft's Talon. Another excellent fan favorite mage item that grants ANOTHER 20% lifesteal and ANOTHER 100 power. This is essentially meant to help prolong the team fights on Zeus' end so he can continually sustain himself with his now 40% lifesteal. Its passive is vital in clutch moments when Zeus gets low on HP, as well.

Finally comes Spear of Desolation. I stated earlier that there were items in previous seasons that hold a special place in heart for mages, namely, Chronos Pendant. It's a superb item that recently saw a buff given to it to make it more competitive, but it lacks one thing: penetration. SoD gives you 20 pen. on top of the Shoes of the Magi bringing you to a cool 30 penetration late game. This penetration spike as well as the CDR it brings gives Zeus so much more depth late game to seal the fate of your opponents.

Zeus is very combo driven, and with practice, he can be devastating on the battlefield. This build works wonders for me and I hope it does many of you!

Here we go! The bread and butter that makes Zeus tick. His abilities are superb when executed correctly and can wreak havoc on your opponents.

I start with Aegis Shield because of the early game wave clear. It is prudent to keep away from any risky diving or ballsy attacks early on with Zeus because he is just so squishy and can be destroyed if you don't pay close attention to the flow of battle. Aegis gives the user a lot of options: 1) you can hit with your basic attack to spread lightning charges to anyone in its radius, or, 2) you can use Chain Lightning to hit with a harder power shot at anyone in the radius.

Next comes Chain Lightning as it is Zeus' primary source of ranged power. This can be combo-ed in many ways. It can be used by itself, which is simple enough. It deals pretty good damage, too. Next, it can be used to strike minions to reach further away from Zeus to hit the enemy Gods. It's cheeky and petulant, but it is sooooo satisfying. Mixed with the Aegis Shield, its range is nearly doubled as the Shield acts as a conduit for it to travel.

Zeus' Detonation ability is key. IT. IS. KEY. Three charges you get before they stop stacking. They can be applied through basic attacks, the Aegis Shield, Chain Lightning, AND his ultimate. Detonation can be fired at absolutely any range as it literally detonates the charges on your opponents. Minions, Gods, camps, anything is susceptible to Zeus' Detonation. It's power cannot be over emphasized.

Here we reach his ultimate, Lightning Storm. Zeus' ultimate is an AOE attack that sends bolts of lightning towards the ground at every enemy in its radius. Again, three charges from this and BOOM! Detonation is imminent!

The combinations are varied and oh so wonderful when it comes to Zeus. I've spent literal years playing SMITE and he has remained my favorite God to play hands down. His kit is very synergistic and can allow for him to be played as a slow-burn mage, or as a powerful burst-mage. The ball is in your court, SMITEFIRE!