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Bane of (Fire)Giants - Fafnir 9.2 Masters Guide All Modes

45 4 54,270
9.4
by Bunshlops updated February 24, 2022

Smite God: Fafnir

Build Guide Discussion 1 More Guides
Tap Mouse over an item or ability icon for detailed info

Build Summary

Aggressive Start

Notes War flag, glowing emerald, hand of the gods and the rest into healing potions. Remember to attack the opposing gods when you have at least 3 war flag stacks. See relics section to weigh whether Cloak of Meditation or Heavenly Wings is more suitable.

Notes

War flag, glowing emerald, hand of the gods and the rest into healing potions. Remember to attack the opposing gods when you have at least 3 war flag stacks. See relics section to weigh whether Cloak of Meditation or Heavenly Wings is more suitable.

Build Item War Flag War Flag
Build Item Glowing Emerald Glowing Emerald
Build Item Healing Potion Healing Potion
Build Item Hand of the Gods Hand of the Gods
Build Item Cloak of Meditation Cloak of Meditation

general tank

Notes Finish Gauntlet first back. A basic build that will work in most situations. Details below.

Notes

Finish Gauntlet first back. A basic build that will work in most situations. Details below.

Build Item War Banner War Banner
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Sovereignty Sovereignty
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Relic Dagger Relic Dagger
Build Item Pythagorem's Piece Pythagorem's Piece

Fafnir's Skill Order Notes Take ult anytime you can, start Hammer for clear. get Jump 2nd for level 2 fighting. I skip Coerce at level 3 because the 40 extra damage on your hammer along with longer stun and less cooldown is just more value compared to a tiny attack speed boost, tiny damage bonus, and light heal that level 1 coerce offers.

Notes

Take ult anytime you can, start Hammer for clear. get Jump 2nd for level 2 fighting. I skip Coerce at level 3 because the 40 extra damage on your hammer along with longer stun and less cooldown is just more value compared to a tiny attack speed boost, tiny damage bonus, and light heal that level 1 coerce offers.

Cursed Strength

1 X Y
Cursed Strength
1 3 6 7 10

Coerce

2 A B
Coerce
4 8 11 12 14

Underhanded Tactics

3 B A
Underhanded Tactics
2 15 17 18 19

Draconic Corruption

4 Y X
Draconic Corruption
5 9 13 16 20
Cursed Strength
1 3 6 7 10

Cursed Strength

1 X
Fafnir hurls his hammer forward, dealing damage to enemies in its path. If Fafnir hits a god the hammer stops short and Stuns them. The Stunned god also radiates out a cursed pulse, Slowing them and nearby enemies by 20% for 3s.

In dragon form, this ability deals increased damage that ticks 3 times over 3s. Also, the cursed pulse shreds Protections in addition to Slowing.

Ability Type: Line, Crowd Control, Damage
Damage: 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 / 260 (+50% of your Magical Power)
Stun: 1 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4s
Dragon Damage per Tick: 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 (+25% of your Magical Power)
Dragon Protection Debuff: 20%
Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80
Cooldown: 15 / 14.5 / 14 / 13.5 / 13s
Coerce
4 8 11 12 14

Coerce

2 A
Fafnir coerces his allies into fighting harder, boosting Attack Speed for 5s and healing himself. While Coerce is active Fafnir deals bonus Magic Damage whenever the affected ally damages an enemy.

In dragon form, this ability has a larger area of effect and can buff multiple allies.

Ability Type: Target, Buff, Damage
Attack Speed Buff: 20 / 22.5 / 25 / 27.5 / 30%
Bonus Damage: 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20% of the target's power
Self Heal: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120
Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70
Cooldown: 16 / 15.5 / 15 / 14.5 / 14s
Underhanded Tactics
2 15 17 18 19

Underhanded Tactics

3 B
Fafnir leaps to a target location and executes a despicable strike, dealing damage and disarming enemies in front of him for 2s.

In dragon form, Fafnir can leap much further. Also, this ability deals increased damage that ticks three times over the course of 3s and Fafnir Stuns the enemy god closest to him for 2s in addition to Disarming.

Ability Type: Cone, Leap, Damage
Damage: 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+60% of your Magical Power)
Dragon Damage Per Tick: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 (+30% of your Magical Power)
Cost: 60
Cooldown: 15s
Draconic Corruption
5 9 13 16 20

Draconic Corruption

4 Y
Fafnir transforms into a terrifying dragon and is untargetable during the process. When he emerges in dragon form, he regains 200 Mana and nearby enemies become poisoned, taking damage three times over 3s. He remains in this form for a duration or until the ability is activated again.

As a dragon, his abilities have additional effects and his basic attack changes to a Dragon Breath that deals damage 3 times per second. Dragon Breath procs item hit effects for 25% damage and healing.

Ability Type: Circle, Buff, Damage
Damage Per Tick: 80 / 100 / 120 / 140 / 160 (+40% of your Magical Power)
Duration: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60s
Dragon Breath Damage: 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 (+10% of your Magical Power)
Radius: 30
Cost: 70
Cooldown: 90s

Extended Build

Cheerleader

Notes Aim to finish Gauntlet of Thebes the first time you back. Pythag and Spear will boost your teams damage to even greater heights, be aware that you will be substantially less tanky than a typical support. More details below.

Notes

Aim to finish Gauntlet of Thebes the first time you back. Pythag and Spear will boost your teams damage to even greater heights, be aware that you will be substantially less tanky than a typical support. More details below.

Build Item War Banner War Banner
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Pythagorem's Piece Pythagorem's Piece
Build Item Spear of the Magus Spear of the Magus
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Spirit Robe Spirit Robe

Antiphysical Example

Notes As of 9.2 Jade Emperor's Crown should be used as a late game item, rather than early game.

Notes

As of 9.2 Jade Emperor's Crown should be used as a late game item, rather than early game.

Build Item War Banner War Banner
Build Item Sovereignty Sovereignty
Build Item Witchblade Witchblade
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Jade Emperor's Crown Jade Emperor's Crown
Build Item Breastplate of Vigilance Breastplate of Vigilance

Antimagical Example

Build Item War Banner War Banner
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Amulet of the Stronghold Amulet of the Stronghold
Build Item Void Stone Void Stone
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari

Usual relics

Notes Detailed explanation of relic choice below.

Notes

Detailed explanation of relic choice below.

Build Item Entangling Wings Entangling Wings
Build Item Belt of Insatiable Hunger Belt of Insatiable Hunger

Situational Relics

Notes Detailed explanation of relic choice below.

Notes

Detailed explanation of relic choice below.

Build Item Blighted Ankh Blighted Ankh
Build Item Fortifying Shell Fortifying Shell
Build Item Phantom Shell Phantom Shell
Build Item Bracer of Brilliance Bracer of Brilliance
Build Item Emblem of Increasing Peril Emblem of Increasing Peril
Build Item Sundering Blast Sundering Blast

Ranked Start

Build Item Sentinel's Gift Sentinel's Gift
Build Item Glowing Emerald Glowing Emerald
Build Item Healing Potion Healing Potion
Build Item Hand of the Gods Hand of the Gods
Build Item Cloak of Meditation Cloak of Meditation

Ranked Final build

Notes Generic final build that many guardians currently use. Swap the order of Sovereignty and Heartward Amulet if facing an abundance of magical gods.

Notes

Generic final build that many guardians currently use. Swap the order of Sovereignty and Heartward Amulet if facing an abundance of magical gods.

Build Item Sentinel's Embrace Sentinel's Embrace
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Sovereignty Sovereignty
Build Item Amulet of the Stronghold Amulet of the Stronghold
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item Pridwen Pridwen
Build Item Cloak of Ascetic Cloak of Ascetic
Build Item Entangling Wings Entangling Wings

Introduction

"Your skull could make an excellent chalice."




Hello and welcome to my season 9 Fafnir guide. Since his release Fafnir has been one of the few gods who've really grabbed me. He's versatile, unique, and a blast to play. Currently I'm sitting at over 7000 worshippers with him, and wont be slowing down anytime soon. Unfortunately, Fafnir is certainly not the most beginner friendly god, resulting in him being quite unpopular. Which is a shame because in the right hands this dwarf can be very deadly. Whether you're experienced or brand new, my goal with this guide is to give out as much helpful information regarding Fafnir's itemization, skills, and overall gameplay as I possibly can. In case you'd like to view stats, my gamertag is x WuBB.


This is my first guide on Smitefire, all feedback is appreciated.

Why Fafnir?

In a world of Gebs and Khepris, why bother with little ol' Fafnir?
In simple terms Guardians fall into two categories, those who engage and those who peel.
For example, an Ares should actively look to start a fight, while a Khepri may be more focused on making sure your team is safe and not getting run down by Warriors and Assassins. Some Guardians are strong at both, such as Geb. This is where Fafnir comes in, not only is he capable of protecting his team and engaging fights, theres a third trait that is almost entirely unique to Fafnir(in terms of Guardians), buffing his team and debuffing your foes. The buff in question is of course, Coerce. By leaning our build into Aura items such as War Banner and Shogun's Kusari we can turn ourselves into walking beacons of empowerment, drastically increasing the damage output of nearby allies, a playstyle which few gods can offer to the extent that this dwarf does. Fafnir is considered by most to be on the upper end of difficulty when it comes to Guardians, this just makes the path of mastery even more satisfying.

"Wow, Fafnir truly is the Dark Souls of SMITE!"

-AlterarionBlue, world renowned washed up GRANDMASTER Terra player

Pros / Cons

Pros:
  • Many sources of crowd control from stuns to slows to a disarm.
  • Incredible objective clear thanks to Coerce
  • Medium range jump, long range jump, a CC-immune and untargetable ultimate make Fafnir very safe
  • Shocking amount of damage during dragonic corruption
  • Pairs well with most Hunters
  • 20% Protection shred in Dragon form
  • Playable into most matchups
Cons:
  • Very poor early-game clear
  • Reliant on hitting Cursed Strength
  • Improper use of ultimate may result in a waste
  • Cripples can be a major pain, preventing the use of Underhanded Tactics
  • Poor jungle clear
  • Harder to play than the average support god
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Basic Stats

General
Health: 495 (+90)
Mana: 200 (+40)
Speed: 365 (+0)
Range: 12 (+0)
Attack/Sec: 0.9 (+1.2%)
Regen
HP5: 7 (+0.54)
MP5: 4.5 (+0.45)
Protection
Magical: 30 (+0.9)
Physical: 21 (+3.4)
Basic Attack
Damage: 37 (+ 1.55)+20% of Magical Power
Progression: None
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Skills

Passive - Endless Greed

Endless Greed is a simple but handy passive that lets you generate a little extra gold and gain a little extra protections while carrying gold with you. Most useful in the early game when 25 protections is a big deal. Overall you don't need to worry about this, just let it work passively.
1 - Cursed Strength
Cursed Strength is Fafnir's most important ability, what will make or break your success as this god is your ability to land the throw. Unfortunately this is also why many pick up Fafnir, miss multiple hammers, and then put him back down, which brings a tear to my eye. The simple truth is that often times landing this will be the difference between securing a kill or letting a teammate die... Its a lot of pressure, but practice makes perfect.
TIPS
  • Don't be afraid to readjust your aim after you cast the ability, theres a brief delay before the hammer is actually launched
  • Sometimes holding your hammer can generate more pressure than risking a miss, many gods will fear you knowing they could be stunned any second.
  • average players tend to dodge/juke in the same pattern throughout the entire game. If you notice a Ra constantly strafing left/right or a Kali attempting to get behind you try taking this into consideration while aiming this is something you get better at naturally over time
  • Be aware this ability is both a stun and slow, meaning Winged Blade will be triggered
  • This ability can go through walls
DRAGON FORM- This ability now applies a heavy damage-over-time effect, ticking 3 times. Additionally the slowing pulse that originates on the target you hit now reduces physical and magical defense by 20%, further increasing your goal of boosting your teams damage.

2 - Coerce
Coerce is the reason Fafnir is so popular with pro players. Slap this bad boy on a hunter or other attack speed user and watch them go to town. Also applies a small heal to Fafnir, this is much less important.
TIPS
  • Coerce allows Fafnir's team to absolutely shred objectives such as Gold fury,Fire giant, even towers and the Titan.
  • Coerce works best with gods whos kits emphasize basic attacks, such as Rama because their high attack-speed facilitates many instances of Coerce's damage, as well as boosting the god's themselves abilities such as Astral Quiver.
  • Unless you need the heal, avoid using this ability until the moment combat begins to maximize value
  • Even when placed on physical gods coerce still applies magical damage, as it originates from you. This also means coerce can apply item effects such as Spear of the Magus, Soul Gem and Gem of Isolation, essentially giving your teammate a free frostbound slow
  • Get familiar with saying the "Group up!" VGS command before activating coerce in dragon form in hopes of hitting as many targets as possible
DRAGON FORM - Instead of a single target, coerce can now be applied in a medium circle. Still prioritize giving the buff to hunters, but giving it to your other teammates and even yourself is good as well.
3 - Underhanded Tactics
Underhanded Tactics is a medium ranged jump that ends with a small cone which deals damage and disarms anyone hit. Typically you use this ability to get in and follow-up with a hammer or get out if need be.
TIPS
  • It's a leap, meaning you're untargetable during the ability cast
  • Disarms stop the target from using basic attacks -- most effective against hunters, assassins and attack speed-based warriors
  • In an ideal situation when fighting allow the entire duration of Underhanded Tactics to nearly expire before applying your hammer's stun. overlapping crowd-control is something many players make the mistake of doing
DRAGON FORM-This abilities range and cone size is greatly increased, applies a damage-over-time effect, and now stuns for 2 seconds. Note only one god will be stunned, any others will be damaged and disarmed. An incredibly strong ability being excellent for both attacking and escaping. Aim in-front of the enemy god.
dragonic corruption 4 - Draconic Corruption
Dragonic Corruption is Fafnir's ultimate. On use you'll become untargetable and after a delay poison a large area around you, dealing damage. After the transformation is complete Fafnir restores 200 mana, and all of his abilities are empowered(as we previously covered). In addition Fafnir's basic attacks become a ranged breath attack.
There are four primary situations in which you would want to activate your ultimate
TIPS
  • First, after landing your Cursed Strength immediately use the ultimate while standing near the enemy god, this will almost certainly hit the poison effect unless the target has a movement ability
  • Second, Fafnir is untargetable and CC-immune while transforming AND CC-immune while de-transforming. This can be used to evade high damage or dangerous crowd control abilities like No Escape or Earthshaker
  • Fafnirs transformation process takes several seconds, which is plenty of time for an Assassin to get in on your team and cause problems. In addition the enemy may try to burst you as soon as you finish transforming. In both cases, transforming before a late-game teamfight is completely acceptable. If they take the fight you're powered up and ready, if they try to wait out your ult go for an objective
  • Speaking of objectives, transforming on top of one and then giving all nearby teammates coerce is a great way to ensure you melt the objective and are prepared to fight anyone trying to stop you
  • If you win a fight and your team is no longer in danger, cancelling dragonic corruption early can be a good idea to ensure you will have the ability again next fight.
  • Keep an eye on the timer located in your buff bar, the duration at level 1 is short and de-transforming at the wrong time may get you killed.
After activation, Make an active effort to squeeze every drop of value out of your time as you can.

Builds/Items Explained

Build Overviews


Item Breakdowns

Mage Fafnir (Video included)

I know what you're thinking. That sounds terrible.. So I spent a few days playing Mage Fafnir to make this montage to show you what I'm talking about.


Explanation

Relic Choice

Starting Relic


After choosing between the two, I almost always go Belt of Frenzy. Popping this in combination with Coerce will allow your team to delete objectives in a matter of seconds.

Situational Relics

Not Recommended

Mode specific advice

CONQUEST


ARENA


SLASH


JOUST


Assault

Combos

Combos

Synergy/Counter picks

Counters


Synergies

Conclusion

Fafnir genuinely is one of the most flexible and unique gods in the game. I hope that his learning curve doesn't turn you off, and that you found this guide useful in some way. If you struggle don't give up, keep trying! With that I'd like to thank you for reading and say goodbye.

Credits

Thanks to Zilby for his prompts and "Guide to Guides".

Changelog

Patch 9.2 Summary - Little has changed for Fafnir other than Jade Emperor's Crown becoming a late game item and Stone of Binding getting a small buff to protections.

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2
Tra_uts | July 4, 2022 1:38pm
Hello! I'm a support main and I came across your Fafnir guide last week. I was intrigued by someone putting in that much time on what I always thought was a terrible God. In this past week I've built every build you've showcased (even the meme full damage one) and I got him to Rank X! He's quickly become my new main and I enjoy him so much. THANK YOU for the time you put into Fafnir and I hope you update it when it come time. Thanks again!!
-Tra_uts
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