Why I'm smitten with the announcement of Smite 2

Smite 2 is coming and it feels like a dream. I’m still processing this surprise announcement from just a couple of weeks ago. As someone who’s played Smite for the past few years, it’s almost surreal to see the developers behind it attempting to create a successor to this fantastic MOBA.

Smite 2’s arrival might come with a few issues—like the fact that skins from the first game will not be ported to the sequel—a lot of the new updates and visual pizzazz are exciting. Going from Unreal Engine 3 to the modern Unreal Engine 5 has meant a lot of improvements all-around—some of which have the potential to transform this property into something that feels completely new.

One of my greatest struggles playing Smite over the years has been the performance. In comparison to some of its more polished competitors, Smite always felt like it was falling behind in the technical and visual department. Movement was never perfectly smooth, and combat just didn’t have the spark it once did. The entire game just felt like it was stuck in time a decade ago—which is when it launched.

With Smite 2, all of those problems are gone. Or at least I hope they are. The power and stability of Unreal Engine 5 should provide all the potential in the world to improve on everything that felt like it wasn’t quite as good as it should be in the original. The announcement trailer posted at the top of this article has plenty of examples of how this sequel should improve things. Everything looks exceptional and extremely modern. The environment sings with life and the characters carry so much more detail now. Even the skill effects, damage counters, gameplay interface, and elimination announcements look polished and crisp in a way that the original Smite never achieved.

Technical and visual updates aren’t the only thing blowing away fans like myself. The launch of Smite 2 will see around fifty gods and goddesses playable in the game—some revamped classic characters, some totally new. Some hardcore players may be a bit disappointed at the decrease in options from Smite’s 130 characters, but this seems like a good start to help new players and longtime fans alike get into the sequel and learn how everything works. It also gives the developers at Titan Forge Games plenty of room to make balance changes and carefully assess each new immortal warrior as they’re added to the game.

Of course there is a downside to this shiny new game. As I mentioned earlier, players will not be able to transfer the various cosmetic skins they’ve unlocked in the original Smite to the sequel. The developers have stated that it would take too long for them to create upgraded versions of all sixteen hundred skins in the first game—especially since a lot of the playable characters from that game also won’t be available when Smite 2 launches.

While I haven’t collected any skins or spent money on Smite, I can understand the frustration the community faces. It doesn’t feel good to know that the digital swag they’ve spent serious time and money on will no longer be as valuable—although they will still be available to use in the original Smite, which publisher Hi-Rez says it intends to keep up and running even after Smite 2 launches. On the plus side, the developers will reward Smite 2 players with Legacy Gems in exchange for the skins they’ve unlocked in the first game. It’s not a perfect system, but it should reward players who opened up their wallets over the years.

Beyond the inconvenience with skins, Smite 2 seems to be hitting all the right notes for me. I can’t wait to try out the new game and see how it feels. I’m excited about all the new technical and visual updates, and hopeful that they will revolutionize how this game plays. Hopefully Smite 2 reinvigorates the community and brings back veteran players who’ve moved on from the original game, as well as pulling in new players. Smite deserves more respect and attention, and this follow-up may be the best chance for it to finally earn that.

Smite 2’s launch date hasn’t been revealed, but the developers expect to open up alpha access to the game this spring. You can preregister for that alpha on the official site. I’ll definitely be signing up and hoping to get my hands on it as soon as possible.