PBE: Smite is getting a charge system? COOL!

darkdill·Dec 3, 2014·8 votes·4,622 views

Source: http://www.surrenderat20.net/2014/12/122-pbe-update.html
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FtHkP0qyGck/VH5nAM8DTOI/AAAAAAAAexw/AWXGGFlDE7A/s1600/smitee.jpg

I take it the cooldown won't be 60 seconds if they take this path (probably incorrect tooltip), but it'll definitely make Smite more useful to invaders and for quick buff pick-ups before a gank attempt. Not to mention you aren't ALWAYS driven into the hard call of "Do I use up Challenging Smite on jungle monsters for buffs when a fight's probable or don't use it?"

Discuss?

27 Comments

Colgate GatorDec 3, 201410 votes

As long as it has a cooldown between charges (say, 10-20 seconds) it's cool.

Otherwise things will get a bit hairy.

ScalyManChardDec 3, 20144 votes

Sounds great, will make the first clear less painful and make it a bit easier to take something besides item 3713 Also will let you double up on buffs, which is cool. Wolves + raptor? Gromp + Krugs for a clearing frenzy? Whatever.

I'd like to see like a 5-10s cooldown between uses though, so you can't double-smite a buff, dragon or player. That'd seem a little cheesy and maybe too much incentive to save both charges.

darkdillDec 3, 20143 votes

Agreed. 10 second cooldown tops. Also prevents double-tapping.

ProfDrDeathDec 3, 20141 votes

Maybe even 20 seconds. Enough so you can't use it twice in a single Baron/Dragon Fight.

Also will let you double up on buffs, which is cool. Wolves + raptor? Gromp + Krugs for a clearing frenzy? Whatever.

More importantly, anything + Red Buff. Smiting Red is like having an extra potion at hand.

Kowe The EwokDec 3, 20144 votes

Yay from a jungler's perspective. Nooooooo from the perspective of somebody who loves Heimerdinger.

JunkοDec 3, 20142 votes

I'm gonna start taking smite against Heimer now, i truly hate him, and i am being a giant hyprocrite because i spammed him a lot when iwas bored on NA after his VU

Kowe The EwokDec 3, 20141 votes

He's so much fun to play. But I really think he needs some buffs. He is possibly the most easy to counterpick champion ingame. Any sort of mobility renders him useless and then we even have immobile ones who wreck him:

Azir (Outranges his turrets, can DPS them with invinisble units)
Nunu ( Heals for a vast amount ofhealth. 1HKO's tower at half od their CD, Heimer can't escape him)
Karthus ( 1HKO turrets, simply destroys heimer after hsi slow)
Syndra - 1HKO turrets (24s CD) with 4s CD Qs

Knight DevoutDec 3, 20143 votes

Rather than cooldown between charges, I'd focus on cooldown between targets. Sure, the first implies the second, but if they don't add at least the second, you will always need 2 charges to contest dragon, otherwise the enemy will double tap at as soon as it has less than 2xsmitevalue

KingsgraveDec 3, 20143 votes

I have a feeling that this is going to be terribly awful balance wise.

GundayMondayDec 3, 20142 votes

This is fantastic! Opens up at least 5 new jungle routes for the champs that can only do 3-4 camps before backing. I like the timer at 60s per charge. Makes item 3713 very OP with the summoner 11 reduction passive, but also makes the other options better since you don't have to choose between saving smite for a jungle buff versus a champion. Big fan of this!

MrBuffingtonDec 3, 20142 votes

Smite reduction passive is getting removed, unfortunately...

GundayMondayDec 3, 20141 votes

Yeah, saw that. I don't think it'll stick though. Especially with this change powering up the other jungle item paths.

What Is SmiteDec 4, 20141 votes

Well all jungle items will probably give bonus gold when smiting and killing a camp, +10 gold for machete and +20 gold for upgrade machete. That basically means that the skill tree ability from season 3 that gave gold when you smited a camp is back with effect to the new jungle items, but now we have 2 charges on smite and the jungle gives more upfront gold rather than smooth gains not to mention small camps have buffs to help clear the jungle faster.

Rock RockburghDec 4, 20141 votes

It's worth noting that the Machete bonus will just bring you up to what you'd currently get without it.

What Is SmiteDec 3, 20142 votes

With a smite charge system I would be actually OK with the timer nerf on Rangers but I still think they are going oveboard with the nerf to devourer just because WW abuses the crap out of it with the new jungle.

darkdillDec 3, 20141 votes

He's not just abusing it in jungle; he's abusing it in lane too. Smite as Topwick, rush Challenging Smite with Devourer, Smite the enemy, ult the enemy, target dies. Even if you QSS it, the damage will still kill you.

And as Riot would put it, item purchases don't count as "good counterplay". QSS countering suppression is not good gameplay in Riot's eyes.

KingsgraveDec 4, 20142 votes

He's not just abusing it in jungle; he's abusing it in lane too. Smite as Topwick, rush Challenging Smite with Devourer, Smite the enemy, ult the enemy, target dies. Even if you QSS it, the damage will still kill you.

And as Riot would put it, item purchases don't count as "good counterplay". QSS countering suppression is not good gameplay in Riot's eyes.

But qss never stopped his ult damage anyway

shppyDec 3, 20141 votes

Well, the point of the change would mostly be to:

A) Make recalling/exiting the jungle for prolonged periods a little less wasteful

B) Not have to space the clearing of certain camps (or smite uses in general) 60 seconds apart in order to get the benefits... kinda sucks smiting the golems but then not having it smite available for the 20% health on Red.

I'd welcome the change, but it really doesn't do anything to change the level of bullsh*t in this season's jungle (forcing people to take smite AND soak gold into items just so that they can farm a 'lane' with pitiful gold and xp right now... at least previous seasons gave better gold and more efficient/gold generating jungle items).

JunkοDec 3, 20141 votes

Cool now Dragon is even easier to take down with 2k instead true damage! More if we have a multi smite team! (Late game level 18 only, but a lot of games lately have dragged out really long for me)

Maybe reduce the cd to 10-20 sec instead of full refresh? But it will def help some junglers that need multiple buffs to clear.

KynamiDec 3, 20141 votes

I have a feeling this is pushing into the realm of smite support actually being viable for a small number of champions... And for a couple edge cases downright abusive.

darkdillDec 3, 20141 votes

If you take Smite as a support, where's your Exhaust or Flash? You gotta give up one of those.

Plus the jungle item enchantments aren't that friendly to supports. None grant mana or mana regen.

What Is SmiteDec 4, 20141 votes

Chilling smite = exhaust minus damage reduction or you can take Challenging smite for a nerfed exhaust effect minus slow, Either way you need to kill 3 large creeps in the jungle to use those smites against a champion

FantasySniperDec 4, 20141 votes

Not like I don't like the change, but it just became 100% easier to take objectives.

DreamLeviathanDec 4, 20141 votes

The current cooldown between casts that they're planning on trying is 15 seconds, according to Reinboom in a GD thread.

http://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/GD/32AEk4ac-is-that-pbe-smite-buff-smart?comment=0008

Not necessarily final, but probably a safe indication that they don't plan on allowing the rapid double-smite that some people seem worried about.

SummonerSquidDec 4, 20141 votes

The biggest problem I have with the jungle on live is that certain junglers are forced into smiting camps they don't want he buff for just so they can clear it. I think this alleviates that problem.

For example: when I start on Blue side towards the bottom half I want to smite Krugs to get the AA buff, but am required to smite Red Buff to stay alive while clearing. Smiting Krugs means losing a lot of HP and jungle time, whereas smiting Red means losing the clear time upfront because you're delaying your level 2 ability.