Ishtar: A Closer Look

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By: TitanAjax | 2022/8/16

WHO IS ISHTAR?

Goddess of Love and War
Babylonian Hunter – Physical Damage

"Give me the Bull of Heaven,

so he can kill Gilgamesh in his dwelling.

If you do not give me the Bull of Heaven,

I will knock down the Gates of the Netherworld,

I will smash the door posts, and leave the doors flat down,

and will let the dead go up to eat the living!"

– Words Spoken by Ishtar, The Epic of Gilgamesh, 2100 BC

Ishtar is the Queen of Heaven in Babylonian mythology. She carries on the legacy from a goddess of the even earlier Sumerian mythology, Inanna. These two were likely two different unrelated deities but as the civilization changed through the eras of the Akkadians, the Assyrians, and the Babylonians, the name Ishtar became the most prominent moniker for the goddess that oversees the same realms that Inanna once did. Ishtar is intensely passionate which can inspire rage that devastates her enemies or foster affection that can be the most powerful of blessings for her worshippers.

A powerful symbol of femininity, as well as strength and prowess in combat, Ishtar is no ordinary goddess of love. She has no associations with marriage or childbearing and is instead best known for her conflicts with other gods. Ishtar has dethroned her own sister, Erishkigal, queen of the Underworld. She conquered An, the Sky God, who transformed into a giant scorpion in a futile attempt to defeat her. She bested Enki, the god of wisdom, and stole his most powerful secrets. She has leveled mountains in anger against those who challenge her authority.

And she is best known for her conflicts with Gilgamesh, who she sought as a partner. The rejection led her to unleash the Bull of Heaven upon his people, slaying hundreds. The prized Bull of Heaven mortally wounds Gilgamesh’s closest ally, Enkidu, but is ultimately slain by Gilgamesh, creating a mutual hatred between Gilgamesh and Ishtar that would last for all eternity.

OUR VISION

In the SMITE Universe, Ishtar is the goddess of themes we have commonly explored. Love and War both have many representatives across the pantheons, but Ishtar needed to stand out from them.

She is often pictured as heavily armed with weapons and holding a bow. SMITE’s war gods tend to be bulky and in your face, but Ishtar will be a hunter. She is more agile and elegant than your usual war god.

Lions are a symbol of power and royalty in her culture. Ishtar was often portrayed riding one or standing with one. These animals are associated with storms and divinity, and thus Ishtar also became associated with them. The sound of her weapons clashing in heaven would create a thunderous roar.

CORE THEMES

Theme – Conquest – Ishtar is more than the act of war, she seeks to stomp out and take over entire continents, and even other gods themselves
Visuals - Terrifying Radiance – Beautiful, but strong. Ishtar’s presence on the battleground is awe-inspiring for both its aesthetic allure as well as the grave danger associated with her.
Personality - Power-Hungry – No god is safe. Ishtar will find them and if they are not powerful enough to remain in control of their domain, she will gladly seize it from them.
Perspective - Feared – Her reputation for challenging other gods is known far and wide, the other gods will be wise to avoid her, or risk everything.

ARTISTIC PROCESS

Ishtar’s visuals would draw on her region and history quite heavily, paired with strong fantasy elements. We experimented with a variety of outfits ranging from intimidating metal armor to exquisite cloth.

We ended up landing on something in the middle. A variety of materials that included cloth, leather, and metal created a pleasant aesthetic as well as was the best fit for the hunter class. Ishtar’s signature horned crown was present across all types, as well as a strong athletic frame befitting a goddess of love and war.

We then set out to refine the details. Her armor as well as her cloth is adorned with detailed patterns inspired by ancient Babylonian art and architecture. She wears the emblem of the lion on her belt and swords on her back. The metalwork is detailed and embedded with jewels, as only a royal goddess could possess.

Ishtar is agile and moves freely, and her clothing needed to reflect that. Her abilities have an acrobatic feel, and she even has some unique new animation treatments applied to her strafes and backpedals to make her gameplay as smooth as possible.

GAMEPLAY

Ishtar, as a hunter, is expected to play the Carry role in the Duo Lane.

Her stim ability includes an important decision for players, as it has 3 options for how her buffed basic attacks can function. This ability, designed to reflect the tactics of war, creates a lot of variation in her gameplay. Be it personal preference or situational awareness, there will always be an optimal mode for each activation.

Her kit also rewards close combat and aggression. She can gap close effectively and follow it up with attacks and abilities that reward her for being closer to her opposition than in the traditional hunter boxing matches.

UNIQUE GAMEPLAY FEATURES

A basic attack stim with 3 options for different ways to buff herself
4 different basic attacks within the kit. Her default basic attack plus three more types of basic attacks contained within her stim ability
A new type of targeting on a ranged attack
- The ability to start an attack at Ishtar and move out from her, or choose to start at a range and have it move back toward her
A short dash with a unique combo finish if it hits an enemy god
An Ultimate that sends out projectiles but then also returns them back to Ishtar regardless of location distance.

The time has come. The next Babylonian god is here and she won’t be backing down from any fights. Players with the skill and courage to match Ishtar’s play style will certainly be rewarded!

To inspire your upcoming conquests…

She stirs confusion and chaos against those who are disobedient to her, speeding carnage and inciting the devastating flood, clothed in terrifying radiance. It is her game to speed conflict and battle, untiring, strapping on her sandals.

– Ancient Sumerian War Hymn

Source: https://www.smitegame.com/news/ishtar-a-closer-look/

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