Season 9 | 9.1 Update Notes

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By: TitanDandy | 2022/1/5

Source (9.1 Main Patch): https://www.smitegame.com/news/season-9-9-1-update-notes/
Main Patch scheduled to go live: January 25

UPDATE RELEASE SCHEDULE

JANUARY 25

Hellfire Syndicate Battle Pass
Season Pass 2022
The Dharmic Era Event
The Dharmic Era Conquest Map
Slash Map & Game Mode
Season 9 Ranked Rewards

Since these notes are extremely extensive, only the official notes for this patch will be linked. I'll give a summary below of topics covered, along with links to the various videos associated with this patch.

Summary of Topics and New Features:

NEW SKINS
NEW GOD: Shiva has been presented as the first god to be released in Season 9!
NEW DLC: Season Pass 2022 ($39.99 USD), includes 1,000 gems, a limited Danza skin & loading screen, "Most Wanted" title, and unlocks all gods released in season 9 + base recolor skins, a limited recolor skin, voice packs, wave & clap emotes.
DHARMIC ERA EVENT: Every 2 weeks, an event bundle will be released (900 gems to start, 1,200 gems once the next bundle is released), each bundle contains a couple of skins and other items.
QUALITY OF LIFE (AUDIO CUES): New map audio cues have been added for various map events on various SMITE game modes.
VISUAL UPDATE: Apollo default look (+ recolor & mastery) gets a remodel!
NEW GAME MODE: Slash is released, taking elements from Siege and Clash to create an entirely new 5v5 mode. Map is themed with Egyptian and Mayan influences.
CONQUEST VISUAL UPDATE: Art style is changing to reflect the new god Shiva's influence (Order side) and Tiamat's abandonment (Chaos side). Lighting is a bold daylight.
CONQUEST NEW FEATURES: New objective Obelisk, new Jungle buff Indra's Scepter, new NPC Naga (in place of lesser scorpions), Draugr removed.
ARENA ADJUSTMENTS: Gold & XP spooling increased to allow Arena players to experience the new late-game features.
JOUST ADJUSTMENTS: Season 3 Joust map (currently used) will be the main joust map for the forseeable future, due to its popularity. Gold & XP spooling increased, similarly to Arena, to allow for earlier experience of the new late-game features.
ITEMS (RELIC REWORKS & UPGRADES): "The cornerstone feature for Season 9 is a huge overhaul to the Relic System! Many relics are being changed or balanced, some are removed, but most importantly, they are all getting two new unique Tier 3 Upgraded versions that provide some powerful effects. Relics are a huge aspect of skill in SMITE, as timing of their usage and which ones you pick up can have big effects on every match. We are adding even more depth to this system to provide players with a unique set of abilities that compliment their gods and teamwork.

With this set of Relic changes we are interested in doing a few specific goals. The first one is introducing more diversity in Relic choices. These new options and balance changes will provide new options to each and every class, creating more unique combinations. Now it might very well end up with every DPS class still sporting Beads and Aegis, but that brings us to the second goal… At Least there will be TWO types of Beads and Aegis now, AND each will have new effects on them even if people stick with their old faithful Relics. This also provides more uses for late-game gold, which can help games from stalling out and provide some unique advantages to teams when they need it most."

Base relics are still made available at the normal levels (first relic at 1, second relic at 12). Relics will now have a Tier 2 form (300 gold), and 2 different Tier 3 forms (800 gold).
ITEMS (GLYPHS): "The other big new feature for Season 9 is Glyph Items! These are essentially Tier 4 items, but with some unique rules to them. These additional upgrades on top of some of the most iconic Tier 3 items do not provide any extra stats, but instead provide a new passive effect that stacks with the current items stats and other passive effects. These are priced at a relatively low cost of 600 gold to give flexibility to players about when they get them. Stats are often super important in the early game so opting into a Glyph early could be a pretty heavy tradeoff, but these provide some powerful effects that could certainly help swing a game."

Glyph items have the same stats as the base item, but with one additional passive added. It costs 600 additional gold beyond the cost of the Tier 3 item. The 5 glyph items include Heartward Amulet, Breastplate of Valor, Deathbringer, Jotunn's Wrath, and Rod of Tahuti.
ITEMS (CRIT ADJUSTMENTS): "It is finally time for some major changes to crit. As much as it has been discussed, we chose not to rework Crit into something entirely different. Critical Strikes are a concept in many genres and types of games, and the random chance for big DPS is just fun on a primal level. However, we did agree it could use some balance and feels tuning. We have adjusted the mathematical systems behind Crit to no longer be truly random, and instead it will now have the following effects. This is a nerf in many ways, so Crit items will be adjusted with that in mind in the items section further down below."

Crit damage multiplier has been reduced from 2x damage to 1.75x. The algorithm has changed from full random to pseudo-RNG for more consistent chance over multiple hits.
ITEM & GOD BALANCE: Various items and gods have been adjusted. Refer to the official notes for full details.

VIDEOS