Assassins in MOBAs often feel more oppressive than they actually are. SMITE is no exception to this, and fans of squishier Gods likely have one or two assassins they simply despise. It's not a fun gameplay experience to get instagibbed and be left on a grey screen, wondering what even happened. Burst mages can do the same thing, but there's something particularly annoying about when an assassin does it.
However, assassins have an important place in the metagame. Their high mobility and damage make them effective champions in the jungle, and some can even flex into solo lanes with relative ease. Assassins also have a fair number of counters, making many high-risk and high-reward selections. For those ready to take a gamble, here are the best of the best.
Updated July 2nd, 2021 by Rhenn Taguiam: Assassins in multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) hold the distinction of being player killers - a role they share with their RPG class equivalent. Thanks to Assassins, a MOBA team has the equivalent of an evolving nuclear arsenal that can almost always wipe out the opposing team's rank. At their core, Assassins boast both remarkable single-target damage with godly mobility options. And as a setback, Assassins aren't ideal in disadvantaged teamplay situations and tend to be extremely squishy. In Smite, such is the case for the speedy Assassin. However, as a game where Gods fight Gods, it's Assassins that almost always have the best potential to kill divinity as swift as possible - or as painfully frustrating as they wish.
15 Da Ji
Da Ji has that innate allure that can drag opponents towards her, and the Nine-Tailed Fox has enough claws to kill them before they even notice. As an Assassin, Da Ji boasts enough mobility to keep up with opponents - and enough mercilessness to eliminate them slowly. With her kit, Da Ji boasts ridiculous single-target burst damage on top of powerful crowd control potential. In terms of defenses, Da Ji enjoys defenses against knock-ups and slows, and has enough sustainability to clear the Jungle quickly.
Essentially, Da Ji’s rotation emphasizes a combination of speed and lightning-fast attacks. Her Torture Blades (Passive) innately boosts Da Ji’s basic attacks to do stacking Bleed damage. Meanwhile, her One Thousand Cuts (S2) become her main minion clear whereas her Horrible Burns (S1) gives her incredible burst potential. Additionally, Trickster Spirit (S3) doubles not just as a mobility skill but adds insane damage numbers in the late game. Lastly, Paolao (Ultimate) can help Da Ji and her allies juggle team fights with its CC and stun capabilities.
14 Ne Zha
Ne Zha might look like a child, but the Third Lotus Prince is not a God to trifle with. As an Assassin, Ne Zha specializes in bouncing around the battlefield and devastating the enemy lines with debilitating attacks. If played from a support perspective, Ne Zha’s kit provides a lot of opportunities to steal kills at any point in the game. However, Ne Zha does need to rely on his other team members to defend him while he makes the killing shot.
Moreover, Ne Zha’s overall rotation makes him a killing machine. His Universe Ring Toss (S1) not only buffs his speed, but also debuffs the defenses of opponents it hits. This pairs greatly with Righteous Spirit (Passive), which enhances his movement speed the more he attacks. Interestingly, this Passive determines the power level of Flaming Spear (S2), which is an overall buff that can help Ne Zha recover from harsh injuries. Additionally, his Armillary Sash (S3) can stun enemy gods. Lastly, his Wind Fire Wheels (Ultimate) not only disables CCs against him but also unleashes a devastating attack combo.
13 Susano
When it rains, Susano brandishes his sword with a tempestuous mercilessness. As God of the Summer Storm, Susano boasts high mobility and crowd control potential. Being an Assassin, Susano’s kit is specially-made to take advantage of breaking his auto-attack chains to amp up his overall damage output. In fact, Susano boasts a lot of flexible combo strings that players can use depending on the situation.
Essentially, Susano increases his overall attack power depending on the chain of attacks he uses. His Gathering Storm (Passive) can deal bonus damage the more he hits enemy gods. This works well with his main damaging attacks. His Storm Kata (S1) gives Susano a sequence of three AOE slashes with different ranges. Meanwhile, his Wind Siphon (S2) pulls enemies and damages them in a burst. For mobility, his Jet Stream (S3) unleashes a mildly damaging whirlwind he can teleport to. Lastly, Typhoon (Ultimate) pulls enemies towards the attack before knocking them into the air.
12 Camazotz
Camazotz lives by the adage that no blood is ever enough - and the Mayan God of Bats has enough firepower to get as much as he needs as an Assassin. In line with his theme, Camazotz has a kit that centers around lifesteal and dealing burst damage to enemies. This makes Camazotz an excellent Jungler, and an effective team player when needed. Thanks to his kit, Camazotz boasts incredible lifesteal, a handy leap ability, and reliable bursts.
Essentially, Camazotz has an Essence Drinker (Passive) that not only boosts his lifesteal but also heals him whenever he stands near a God’s corpse. He can boost this lifesteal further with Vampire Bats (S2) that also slow enemies, and Devour (S3) which can steal HP from a distance. Meanwhile, his Screech (S1) can beef him up with relevant buffs. And lastly, Bat Out Of Hell (Ultimate) is a multi-hit leap that scales damage the more Gods that Camazotz can hit.
11 Kali
Who better to fit the role of a godslayer than Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Destruction herself? As an Assassin, Kali specializes in single-target damage with powerful sustain that ensures she stays long enough to continue fighting. Her kit majorly builds up her defenses as she tears her way through enemy forces. In fact, Kali’s skills often give her bonuses the longer she stays in a fight, making her an ideal character for players who love engaging their foes.
Essentially, Kali’s Marked for Death (Passive) already incentivizes her engagements. This Passive provides Kali bonus defenses against a Marked God, with additional benefits if she kills or assists in killing said God. This Mark passes onto nearby Gods if the Marked foe already dies.
This leaves room for Kali’s more damaging abilities. Nimble Strike (S1) is a leaping attack that gives her lifesteal, perfect for in-fight sustains. Her Lash (S2) is also a multi-hit lifesteal attack that converges towards a point. Likewise, her Incense (S3) is a burst bomb that stuns opponents and boosts her attack power. Lastly, Destruction (Ultimate) endows Kali with a deadly aura that makes her immune to most slowing effects except Stun, as well as never letting her get past 1HP and die for the duration.
10 Ravana
In a past life, Ravana was a warrior that struggled to compete against the beefier tanks. Most players just ignored Hi-Rez and built Ravana as a full DPS, which is where he is now. Ravana, like many of the best assassins in the game, is focused more on sustained melee damage as opposed to outright bursting an opponent.
Ravana's abilities and passive enable a playstyle of running an enemy down and sticking to them. With a root, a slow, and CC immunity, Ravana can be challenging to peel off of a squishy ally. Additionally, his ultimate gives him a great gap closer that also gives him some surprising bulk. He's harder to kill than expected, and can easily wreck a team if not properly respected.
9 Hun Batz
Hun Batz, the Howler Monkey God, is an assassin that utilizes both basic attacks and abilities in equal measure. His passive encourages the Hun Batz player to weave attacks between spellcasts, allowing him to maximize his damage. Of course, this is something all players should consider doing. He has a fair bit of mobility as well, packing both a blink and a leap.
Hun Batz is probably most well-known for his ultimate, Fear No Evil. This ability drops a totem, dealing a fair bit of damage over time in a wide area. More importantly, this ultimate fears targets for until they leave the damage radius. A properly placed Hun Batz ultimate is effective against single targets and entire teams. This utility gives him a great edge over other assassin options.
8 Arachne
Arachne, the Weaver, is a fast and furious spiderwoman. In motion, she looks like a lawnmover as she ravages teams, tearing squishy Gods apart limb from limb. Her passive makes her progressively more dangerous to low-health targets, and the lockdown of her Cocoon allows her to make them that way.
Arachne's mobility is her greatest asset. With the right combination of items, Arachne can even skip buying boots and still run enemies over without any problems. She packs slows, annoying little spiders that block shots, and even brings solid healing on her Venomous Bite. She's a popular jungler, and one that requires coordination to really pin down.
7 Ratatoskr
Ratatoskr, the Sly Messenger, is a God that's annoying to fight beyond just his kit. There's just something about this rat that inflicts mental damage onto opponents through the computer screen. Is it because of his absurd mobility through free boots and multiple low CD dashes? Or is it his ultimate that allows him to escape from every bad situation with impunity? It's a little bit of everything.
Ratatoskr, like other assassins, thrives through mobility and basic attacks. He's designed to carve a path through unsuspecting teams, taking advantage of his skills to get good flanks to maximize damage. On top of this, he also has CC on his kit, making him just that much more useful in all situations. He's not the best assassin, but he might be the most annoying.
6 Bakasura
Bakasura, The Great Devourer, is a lawnmower similar to Arachne, only with even more of his power loaded into basic attacks. The only damaging ability he actually has is his leap; everything else either buffs Bakasura or debuffs his opponents. Bakasura, like Arachne, is entirely reliant on auto-attacks for damage, for better or for worse.
Bakasura's additional safety comes in CC immunity and zone control from his ultimate. He's able to keep himself safe from hard CC while still dealing crazy damage, and the slow on his ultimate is enough to cripple anyone who would dare fight back. On top of all of that, he also packs innate sustain that keeps him healthy during fights and makes his jungle clears safe.
5 Pele
Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes, is an assassin that actually utilizes their abilities to deal massive damage. It's not rare to see Pele build items that enable her abilities over her auto-attacks, even though Pele uses both effectively. This gives her a different role in team compositions, but her goal of melting squishy targets is all the same.
Mastering Pele comes in knowing when to burn fuel using Magma Rush. This ability gives Pele damage in an area around her, along with enhancing her other abilities and making her move incredibly fast. Her ultimate also gives her a great gap closer, allowing her to execute targets that only feel like they were safe. She's heavily reliant on landing skills, but the solution to that problem is to just play better.
4 Thor
Another warrior-turned-assassin, Thor finds himself as one of the most ability-reliant of the best in his class. Thor's abilities, aside from his Tectonic Rift, all deal incredible damage to enemies. It's not rare to see Thor crash land on a God and quickly erase them from the game using his sizable burst damage.
Thor has a number of tools that other assassins don't have. The Thunder God may not be as hyper-mobile, but he still brings a blink that lets him escape (or wander into) danger. He also provides two different stuns on his Tectonic Rift and ultimate. He even creates a wall, controlling the terrain of a fight in a way that few other assassins can. While Thor, ironically, isn't super flashy, he is quite effective in the right hands.
3 Nemesis
Nemesis, the Goddess of Vengeance, looks to tip the scales in her favor with every fight. This blind assassin is absurdly mobile, bringing multiple dashes and slows to just cripple her opponents further. She can dish out a lot of damage with both abilities and basic attacks, although most players will prefer to enhance her attacks over all else.
Nemesis's gimmick is more in impeding her enemies as opposed to enhancing her own power. Her passive lets her reduce her target's power, and her shield makes an opponent damage themselves as they try to get rid of her. Most importantly, her ultimate can be used to strike fear in even the tankiest targets. Nemesis's quest for vengeance cannot be stopped by even the toughest of walls.
2 Tsukuyomi
The most recently released God on the list, Tsukuyomi, has a kit that can generously be called "overloaded." Like other recent God releases, he's a tad absurd. The God of the Moon brings everything but the kitchen sink when he rolls into battle. It may take a few games of seeing him to really understand exactly what in the heck is going on as he destroys your whole team.
Tsukuyomi's strength comes from weaving his attacks and spells together, along with utilizing the unique capabilities of both of his blades. His Kusarigama gives him all of the CC he'll ever need, but just in case it isn't enough he also has a slow and zone control. His ultimate is both flashy and allows him to wipe an entire team if given the chance. It's understandable why the community finds him so powerful.
1 Set
Set, the Usurper, is far stronger than his rival in Horus. He has the strengths of both a spellcaster like Pele and a lawnmower like Bakasura, making him the best of both assassin worlds. Some players would even consider Set to be in a tier of his own above every other assassin in the game.
Although Set lacks hard CC that other assassins provide, his ability to slow enemies while speeding himself up is all he'll need. Through using his Spawns of Set, he's able to control fights by commanding them to attack at a range. He can also use these clones to blink around a fight, repositioning to be in an ideal spot to go wild with his ultimate, Kingslayer. He's the true ruler of the SMITE assassins.