SMITE’s Newest God, Ne Zha The Third Lotus Prince!

A new day, a new god to play in SMITE. I’ve been playing for a little while now with a couple of friends and having a blast. And thanks to purchasing the Ultimate God Pack back when it went on sale for super cheap, I have access to every playable god; past present, and future. So to pay it forward, I thought I’d give the lowdown for each god as they come out. My experiences, my build and play preferences, and where I think that god works best.

Ne Zha, The Third Lotus Prince

Well, I’ve been playing this little… bugger for a bout a week or so now, and what do I have to say? Well for once, he is one tough little bastard. He’s got harass, chase potential, crowd control, and some serious damage to back it all up. First, let’s take a look at his abilities.

• Passive: Child of the Lotus. When Ne Zha dies, he becomes a lotus blossom with a large Area of Effect. This AoE grants 30 to both forms of protection in game, as well as healing them for 10% of his health every second for 6 seconds.
• 1: Universe Ring Toss. Ne Zha throws his Universe ring, where it bounces up to 9 times at max rank, dealing damage. Also, every hit increases Ne Zha’s movement speed, slows an enemy’s movement speed, and applies a stacking debuff that reduces an enemies physical protection.
• 2: Flaming Spear. Ne Zha Ignites his spear, giving himself a massive boost to attack speed and critical chance.
• 3: Armillary Sash. Ne Zha tosses his sash out. If he hits a god, that target is stunned, and Ne Zha pulls himself in, dealing damage in an AoE around the target.
• 4. Wind Fire Wheels. Ne Zha dashes at an opponent. If he connects, the player deals damage (which can crit if the player can make timed clicks) and then smashes the poor sap into the ground, dealing further damage in an AoE.

Basically, Ne Zha’s skillset makes him an excellent ganker. He has decent reach, and with his amazing chase potential, a good player can make sure no one escapes. And in lane he can be just as scary. Poking you down with his ring toss, then jumping you with his sash and ult before you can even figure out what just happened!

Itemization

My build on Ne Zha so far has been pure damage, along with chase. Anything that makes me hit harder, move faster, or slow the enemy down is key. Life steal is important too, allowing you to run into groups of enemies, dish out some pain, and escape. Here’s an itemized list of my usual build, accompanied with a screenshot.

• Warrior Tabi- Obvious choice for an assassin.
• Frostbound Hammer- A little health goes a long way, and the slow on-hit is glorious
• Deathbringer- Raw Damage
• Executioner- More damage, with some armor reduction to go with it.
• Fatalis- A little extra speed to help you keep up, and has great synergy with Frosbount Hammer
• Devours Gloves- All the life steal and damage you could ever ask for
• Purification Beads and Creeping Curse- Avoid CC that will leave you dead, and a good AoE slow to help you or your team escape or catch up.

My Personal Ne Zha build.

So where should I play Ne Zha?

Well, he can go pretty much anywhere. But if you want to get the most out of him, I’d take him into middle lane, or run him through the jungle. Middle lane is my favorite, as the harass from his 1 will leave my opponent low on health and options. Not to mention the ease of rushing to other lanes, and easy access to jungle buffs.

The Long and Short of it

Ne Zha is amazing. He hits hard, runs fast, and can mess the tankiest of opponents up. He has a strong skillset that will carry him from early game to late game, and is extremely versatile when it comes to lane placement. I honestly expect a nerf sometime soon, given his ridiculous damage output. But he is squishy as heck too, so maybe it won’t be so bad. If you don’t have him, give him a shot in either the practice mode, or renting him out. He’s my current favorite pick right next to Anubis and Bacchus.