Odin, The Ringfather (Noob-Friendly All-Around Guide)

Hey guys! This is going to be my second guide, and it is going to be on Odin the Allfather, my favorite smite character/god. As of now (1/1/2015) it is not going to be bb-coded because I do not know how to do that but I will eventually update it. I will try to leave enough space so that your eye may be intact when you are done reading! :-)

Note; I tried to simplify it enough for new players to understand, sorry if it was too wordy for a more experienced player who came for rough info/tips.

Odin the Allfather is the most important god in Norse mythology such as Zeus for greeks.
In Smite, he is a physical god classified as a "Warrior", which means he is supposed to take a lot less damage than your average character while also doing only slightly less damage while also providing your team with beneficial abilities (buffing your team or keeping the enemy at bay with slows/stuns etc.)

On September 10, 2014 he was reworked, breaking the heart of many Odin players such as myself but also changing his kit a bit, nerfing his defenses while also giving him some utility and burst damage encouraging a more versatile and aggressive style of gameplay.

He is perhaps the most well-known for his ultimate; Ring of Spears which puts down a circle of spears around him forming a fighting ring that enemies may not move into, or out of, unless they posess the active item Combat Blink, or the have some sort of teleport/leaping/flying ability. Enemies in the ring also can't be healed which makes it an effective counter against gods like Sylvanus, Aphrodite or Hel.
Odin's hard counters are Chang'e and Awilix.

Odin is mostly used in alternative gamemodes as he is rather weak compared to your top-tier gods (Hercules, Geb, Bacchus, Athena) even though he may be very effective in any role except Middle Laner(Motly Mages) and ADC(Attack Damage Carry-Hunter/Assassin).


He is mostly seen as a tank/support in the duo lane(left if you are on blue team or right if you're red) protecting his lane partner, mostly a hunter.

He may also be used in the solo lane, opposite side from your duo lane. In the solo lane, you're going to start out with your jungler(usually assassin) on your side and then he will at one point leave you to farm and get fed for middle-game(around level 12 where you will start to rotate(help out other lanes).

Some people also use him as a Jungler. What this briefly means is that you will be starting out in the solo lane with your solo laner (taking your buff and then helping your solo laner with the blue buff first). At level 3-ish you will part from your solo laner and start killing jungle camps and ganking(backstabbing) lanes that need help or when you have a good oppurtinity to. I'm sorry but I did not include this role in my guide as I am a HORRIBLE jungler and I did not want to misinform you or give you bad tips, dear readers.

In pretty much all gamemodes your primary job is to initiate the fight, double checking that all of your teammates are above around 75% health/mana and are grouped up behind you, calling the attack with VGS commands and waiting for a response before attacking. This is important, you need to coordinate an attack or you might end up running in with only 1-2 or no people following you, effectively getting you killed. You will be quite durable, your job is to include as many enemies in your ring as possible, try to include players that do not have jumps or teleports, a good example is Agni or Artemis. If you are taking too much damage you may jump out of your ring with your 1st ability or using Combat Blink!

Do not choose Odin for joust if your team already has a guardian or a warrior.
Always communicate with your team in the lobby when you are in a conquest game.
Do not choose Odin for siege if your team already has a guardian or a warrior.

You want to choose Odin when you are looking for a durable melee character that can compliment your teammates' high area damage ultimates, most likely someone like Agni, Zeus or Poseidon.

Odin is also really good when you know your teammates (playing with friends) and you know your team is going to be very aggressive. Don't play passively (you shouldn't be too reckless either, choose the right time to attack, coordinate with your team) or you will just be bullied out of your lane, back to your base, because you don't have very good sustain(self healing/regeneration).

The first build is your tank/support build, focusing on defense while still having enough damage to call yourself an Odin. The last 2 items may be exchanged for Bulwark of Hope and Hide of the Nemean Lion if you feel like you are dying too quickly.



The second build is a brawler or bruiser build, it is your hybrid build that will let you dish out pretty good damage while also staying competetive with guardians defense-wise. I do not recommend it, but if you feel like you aren't durable enough you can exchange your Rage for a Bulwark of Hope(magical) or a Hide of the Nemean Lion(physical) defense/health item.


The third build isn't well tested, it is only meant as a guidance to doing well in Assault in case you would get Odin, who isn't the best warrior for assault. It is focused around providing regeneration (since you can't go to base in assault) and defenses for you to survive in your ring of spears long enough for your teammates to finish the job.

Reinforced Greaves / Midas' Boots / Warrior Tabi

Your Reinforced Greaves and your Warrior Tabies are your basic choices. I recommend Reinforced Greaves if you are going for your basic tanky build. If you are new to Odin or just aren't that comfortable you can go for Midas' boots for the extra gold in case you might fall behind or are forced to play passive. Warrior Tabies are used in bruiser builds or situationally used in your tank build if you feel like your ADC/Team is gonna have the advantage over the enemy team or if you are just an experienced warrior/support player and you see it beneficial.

Hide of the Urchin

This is your bread and butter. I will tell you a little secret, there are almost no bruiser/tank builds that don't include this item as it is just really great giving you protections of both type. Make sure you get it early on, second or third item so you may stack it up as the game progresses.

Shifter's Shield

This is another great example of a physical bruiser item. It gives you really good physical power so you can stay competetive as well as minor protections now putting you to a good 80-90 protections of both types with your stacked urchin and boots(if reinforced). The 20% increase on power/defenses is just the cherry on the top. A very tasty, ripe cherry, in fact. :-)

Frostbound Hammer

I really like this item on Odin and Bakasura namely, it gives you some health which is really needed to be honest because your build doesn't include a lot of health, only power and protections. It also gives you 25 physical power which is quite nice, in my opinion. The main reason, however, that you're getting this item is that it's going to compliment your ultimate really well allowing you to use your 3 to slow them and then quickly start attacking them to put them into a slow chain of doom. This is also useful outside of your ultimate to secure low health targets or slow enemies down for your teammates to kill or escape.

Void Shield

An avarage physical bruiser item giving you some physical power and protection while also reducing the protection of enemies benefitting not only you, but your physical teammates (a.k.a. hunters, assassins and fellow warriors).


Runic Shield/Ancile/Shield of Regrowth

All of these items are used to give you a good balance between magical protection and physical power. Which one you buy depends on the role you're fulfilling.
Shield of Regrowth for assault so you can regenerate with stone of gaia faster.
Runic Shield is your typical item because it reduces magic damage taken even further.
Ancile is used if you are going up against a mage in solo lane, you will buy this for your second item and drop Jotunn's Wrath out of your build. Hide of the Urchin becomes the third item.


Rage

This item allows you to crit often, doubling your basic attack's(VERY IMPORTANT, YOUR ABILITES CAN'T CRIT, ONLY BASIC ATTACKS!) damage. I usually like to finish my builds with this item because that's when you reach around 200 damage/attack effectively doubling it to 400. I usually don't buy this item in my defensive builds because your basic attacks won't do enough damage to compliment crits. I am still testing it in tank builds, I might share more about this topic, as it seems like a good item for Odin to use in conjuction with Frostbound Hammer and his 3.

The rest of the items are pretty straight-forward, they're taken for their stats/bonuses such as Bulwark of Hope or Jotunn's Wrath.

Passive; The Allfather

When an enemy dies in your ring (you don't have to kill it yourself, if any enemy dies in it, it will count) you will recieve 5 permanent physical power (it will never go away, it gets added to your stats. This stacks up to 10 times, ending you up with 50 physical power end-game, if you've been a good boy, stacking it up. This is also a reason why Odin can do the damage that he can, even with a defense-centered build.

Lunge

This ability is a jump, doing quite high damage, the highest damaging jump in the game I believe. This is used to initiate a fight using it after pressing your second ability, exploding your shield on the enemy you jump on, dealing a huge amount of burst damage, even with a defensive build. You may also use it to jump out of your own ring, which is why you might want to initiate a fight with your Blink active instead. You will level this ability second after your Raven Shout.

Raven Shout

This ability is a shield that can be used both offensively and defensively. You will level this ability first, as it is your bread and butter. You will most likely be using it to initiate, before pressing your jump. Alternatively, it can be used as an absorbtion shield around you to defend you, that can be used when boxing(toe to toe fight with another melee character) or when running away.

Gungnir's Might

You spin around in a circle doing damage twice, low damage both times. This ability is mostly used to slow your enemies and you want to level this ability last (yes, even after your ultimate).
Little FYI for returning Odin players; on September 10, 2014, this ability has been nerfed and no longer provides passive effects neither does it do high damage. Its only used to slow enemies. ;(

Ultimate; Ring of Spears

This is Odin's most famous move, be vary, most likely enemies will try to bait it out(making you use it too early or at the wrong time). They will also try to jump out of it (by an ability, not spacebar). Not-so-experienced enemies might panic inside the ring giving you the upper hand. If you are stuck with an assassin and your team is shooting him you might want to avoid boxing him as you are a tank, not an assassin.

There are thorough guides on what a support must do. You wan't to start out with a Hand of the Gods (rank 1), rank 2 boots and 2 wards. The alternative start (if you're new to Odin and want to play it rather passive at first, is Watcher's Gift, HoG rank 1, boots rank 1, 2 wards and 2 mixed potions.

I recommend helping waveclear with your autoattacks to conserve mana(make sure you don't take last hits) or if your ADC is absent you can clear with 2+1 combo.

You want to start the game at your long lane's blue buff solo-ing it with your Hand of the Gods, make sure you don't pick the blue buff up unless your hunter lane partner does not want it.

If you happen to teleport home make sure that your hunter parner is safe and warn them before you leave (VSTB is the command for "I am returning to base").

Make sure you pick up rank 3 hand of the gods (Hand, not Fist!!!) as you get to around level 13-14. This will be used to execute a low-health Gold Fury or Fire Giant, when their health bar turns yellow, it means you are ready to execute.

Once you are around level 14, don't be afraid to tank the tower for your fellows if they want to dive it or run through it (you will be quite durable-your shield can absorb tower shots as well).

MAKE SURE YOU WARD THE INTERSECTION OF YOUR BLUE BUFF AND THE MIDDLE JUNGLE ROUTE, DO THIS ON THE ENEMY'S BLUE BUFF TOO. KEEP IT WARDED AT ALL TIMES!!!

Your typical started build is rank 2 boots, Hand of the Gods rank1, 2 health potions and 2 wards.

You start out at the speed buff (orange) if you are on the Chaos(red) team or the middle-harpies on the right-side if you are on the Order(blue) team. After killing the given camp, make sure you don't take any buffs, except for blue, which will come right afterwards, before entering the lane.

As Odin, make sure you don't over extend, kill the minions and get back, that is the job of a solo laner.

If you have to go home but your enemy solo laner doesn't let you, call for your jungler to defend your lane temporarily, however, be patient, junglers have chores too! If you see the enemy laner overextending, coming into your tower, you can call for a gank if your jungler or middle laner isn't busy, but again, be patient, they're doing you a favor, not their duty.

At around level 13-14, sometimes 15-16 you will have killed the enemy's first tower and you are ready to rotate (help other lanes)! You can do this earlier if the enemy returns to base just make sure nothing happens to your tower or your exp farm (enemy minions)!

Your job here, is to initiate fights, like I have written in the "Who is Odin" chapter. You start with level 2 boots, 2 wards and 2 mana potions.

You will exit your base and go right (doesn't matter which team) and help your team get the blue and the red buff. Make sure you don't pick either of these up. Always start killing the camps with your 2+1 combo, do not worry, we brought 2 mana potions, you want to kill the camps as soon as possible, to arrive in lane quicker.

In lane you will wait for the lane to reset (both teams go back to their towers) and then you will ward the left intersection, right in front of the stone and then repeat the same for the right side, let your team know you are going to ward by typing the "VSQQ" command.

You will do almost the same as your Tank Conquest lane, you start with rank 2 boots, 2 health potions and 2 mana potions. You will want to team up with a mage, but don't force it, let people play what they wanna. You will go to the blue buff with your partner and let them have it. You will either go to the speed/damage camp if your partner is willing or you will go to lane. Both options are fine, Odin doesn't really need damage/speed buffs.

You should try to leave your partner the last hits but it is not as important here, as it was in conquest, you can clear the wave for yourself if you want, except if your partner is insisting on having the last hits.

Pros;

-Really strong teamfight ultimate
-Good early game
-Decent mid game
-Compliments aggressive playstyle
-Durable

Cons;

-Bad boxing(toe-to-toe) potential
-Bad late game
-Low CC outside of ultimate

Thank you for reading, hopefully I could teach you something new and the unfinished guide didn't cause you eye-cancer. Let me know if I could improve something or if my build is not good. Also please let me know how I can display the picture/link items or gods in the text, I could not figure it out! Thanks!