Smite 2: Athena Build Guides - Closed Alpha 6

Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, stands as a powerful guardian in Smite 2, bringing her strategic prowess and defensive capabilities to the battlefield. Known for her intelligence and leadership, Athena excels in protecting her allies and disrupting enemies with her precise control abilities. She’s a frontline support tank, able to initiate fights and shield her team from harm, making her indispensable in team play.

1. Abilities Overview:

• Preemptive Strike: Athena charges forward with her spear, dealing damage and marking enemies for further attacks. It’s a great tool for initiation and gap-closing, allowing her to dive into battles and engage enemies.

• Confound: Athena taunts enemies within range, forcing them to attack her. This ability can disrupt the enemy's positioning and protect her teammates, giving her the upper hand in controlling the battlefield.

• Shield Wall: She summons a defensive wall that deals damage twice, providing both offensive and defensive utility. This ability is excellent for zoning enemies or blocking their path, forcing them to engage on Athena’s terms.

• Defender of Olympus (Ultimate): Athena selects an ally anywhere on the map and channels a teleport to their location. Upon arrival, she deals AoE damage to enemies around her ally. This allows her to assist teammates globally, turning the tide of a fight no matter where she is on the map.

2. Playstyle Tips:

• Engage with Preemptive Strike: Use this ability to initiate fights, combining it with Confound to taunt and disable key enemies.
• Positioning is Key: Athena thrives when she's in the heart of the battle, taunting enemies and using Shield Wall for both protection and damage.
• Global Presence: Always be aware of the map and your allies' positions. With Defender of Olympus, you can turn around a fight or save a teammate from a deadly situation.

Athena is the embodiment of tactical combat, protecting her team while ensuring her enemies are left vulnerable to swift counterattacks.

Playing Athena in Smite 2 offers a versatile and strategic experience, especially for players who enjoy taking a leadership role in protecting and guiding their team. Here are the key reasons to choose Athena:

1. Excellent Team Protection Athena excels at protecting her allies with crowd control, zoning, and global support. Her Confound ability taunts enemies, forcing them to attack her and leaving her teammates safe. This makes her an exceptional protector, capable of peeling for carries and shutting down enemy assassins or divers.

2. Global Presence Athena’s Defender of Olympus ultimate gives her a global presence, allowing her to quickly teleport to any ally, providing clutch saves or joining fights across the map. This global support can turn the tide in critical moments, making her a game-changer in any team composition.

3. Strong Initiation and Crowd Control With Preemptive Strike and Confound, Athena can initiate fights and set up kills for her team. Her taunt forces enemies into compromising positions, making it easier for her allies to follow up with damage or secure objectives. Her Shield Wall adds extra damage while zoning enemies.

4. High Durability As a tank, Athena is built to withstand damage while being on the front lines. She can absorb damage for her team, initiate fights, and stay alive long enough to make a significant impact. Her natural resilience and crowd control make her one of the best frontline guardians in the game.

5. Tactical Map Control Athena’s ability to assist from anywhere on the map through her ultimate allows for unmatched map control. Whether it’s ganking, defending objectives, or assisting in a team fight, Athena can be a presence in multiple locations within the same game, which provides both flexibility and pressure on the enemy team.

6. Playmaking Potential Athena offers incredible playmaking potential. With her taunt and ultimate, she can create situations that trap enemies, isolate key targets, or save teammates in dire situations. Skilled Athena players can manipulate teamfights and objectives to their advantage, making her a rewarding pick for players who enjoy tactical, high-impact gameplay.

Athena is ideal for players who want to lead their team with a mix of defense and offense, offering both protection and aggressive initiations. If you enjoy setting the pace of the game and being a crucial part of every major play, Athena is the perfect choice.

1. Athena’s Strengths:

• Exceptional Crowd Control Athena’s Confound ability is one of the strongest taunts in the game, forcing multiple enemies to attack her, which can disrupt key abilities and positioning. It’s a fantastic tool for shutting down enemy damage dealers and controlling the pace of fights.

• Global Presence With her Defender of Olympus ultimate, Athena can instantly join any fight or save an ally from anywhere on the map. This global mobility gives her unmatched map control and makes her a constant threat to enemies, as she can assist teammates at any time.

• Tankiness and Durability As a Guardian, Athena naturally has high defense and health, making her tough to take down. Her durability allows her to absorb damage for her team while still staying alive long enough to make key plays.

• Strong Initiator Athena is great at starting fights with Preemptive Strike, quickly closing the gap on enemies and setting up for her Confound taunt. This allows her team to follow up with damage or initiate a full team engagement.

• Zone Control Her Shield Wall ability not only deals damage but also acts as a zoning tool, forcing enemies to either retreat or take damage. It can block off areas, making it harder for opponents to maneuver in tight situations.

2. Athena’s Weaknesses:

• Reliant on Team Coordination Athena is at her best when playing with a coordinated team that can capitalize on her crowd control and global ultimate. Without proper follow-up from her allies, her abilities can feel less impactful, especially when taunting enemies but not getting any follow-up damage.

• Skillshot-Dependent Her Preemptive Strike and Shield Wall require accurate aiming, and missing these can leave Athena in a vulnerable position. Misusing her Confound can also leave her exposed without enough defense or damage to finish a fight on her own.

• Low Personal Damage Athena relies heavily on her team for damage, as her own damage output is relatively low compared to other Guardians. She is built more for utility and control, which means in solo situations, she may struggle to take down enemies.

• Predictable Ultimate While Defender of Olympus is powerful, the channel time gives enemies a chance to anticipate where Athena will arrive and prepare for her teleport. Skilled opponents can use this window to reposition or disengage before she lands.

• Limited Mobility Post-Initiation Once Athena dives into a fight, she has limited mobility to escape if things go wrong. If her Preemptive Strike is on cooldown, she can be caught out of position, making her vulnerable to being focused down.

Athena’s strengths make her a solid pick for players who enjoy supporting their team with crowd control and global utility. However, she requires careful positioning and strong team coordination to overcome her limitations in personal damage and escape options.

#Jungle:

• Preemptive Strike (ABILITY 1): 2-7-11-14-15
• Confound (ABILITY 2): 3-12-16-18-19
• Shield Wall (ABILITY 3): 1-4-6-8-10
• Defender Of Olympus (ABILITY 4): 5-9-13-17-20

#Support:

• Preemptive Strike (ABILITY 1): 1-4-6-8-10
• Confound (ABILITY 2): 2-7-11-14-15
• Shield Wall (ABILITY 3): 3-12-16-18-19
• Defender Of Olympus (ABILITY 4): 5-9-13-17-20

• 1 + 2 + 3 (4: according to the situation)
• 4 + 2 + 1 + 3

Hyper farm early with [Doom Orb] mobility. Focus more on hitting your 2 over your 3 when ganking early, as securing the taunt is better than hitting the first hit of the 3 and then the opponent escaping. To get the full 3, 2 combo, wait for your target's mobility option first, and be aware of blink cooldowns.

Late game you have to be very careful to bypass crowd control. It's best to wait for an opportunity on the outskirts to blink/dash in past the support than to engage like a regular athena. Your full combo easily one shots any squishy, so playing this way can secure the worst-case 1 for 1 trade on a high priority target.While waiting for this opportunity, you can use your 3 constantly to give yourself ranged autos for poke, especially under phoenix or around boss objectives. You can do this with your 1 as well if you have blink up and are willing to risk counter-engages. Not worth using the 2 just to get poke autos, as it's pretty crucial to stopping counter-aggression like Fenrir 3, Bacchus 3, or squishies walking up close to cast abilities within your range.

In the mid-game, Athena ult allows her to bypass ward coverage when ganking, so letting your teammates bait the enemy in closer to your towers is much easier than any other jungler until Thor is added.

In conclusion, Athena is a highly versatile and impactful Guardian in Smite 2, ideal for players who thrive on strategic play and team coordination. Her blend of crowd control, global map presence, and tankiness make her an indispensable asset in team fights, while her ability to protect allies and initiate engages defines her as a frontline leader. However, Athena’s effectiveness relies heavily on team synergy and precise execution, as her damage output is limited, and mistimed abilities can leave her vulnerable.

If you enjoy playing a pivotal role in your team’s success through smart positioning and tactical decision-making, Athena is an excellent choice for both defensive and aggressive playstyles.