Objectives are key to winning games in Smite. Being able to secure and keep control of the main objectives on the map will give your team the best chance to win the game. Maintaining control over them can be a task itself. With the game ever-changing and different situations appearing throughout a match, you need to constantly be aware of what is happening around these objectives. This is why we spoke to Dignitas’ jungler Anders "Qvofred" Korsbo on what you need to do to gain and keep control over these objectives during a game.

Do Your Job

Each role has a specific job when taking objectives and when you should look towards them. Each role in Smite can provide something on the objectives from the damage dealers to the tanks, but what responsibilities does each role have when looking or doing an objective?

Qvofred mentions, “Trixtank calls whether we commit or bait with the objective, Variety and I usually flank or zone while Hurriwind and Ataraxia put damage to the objective and are ready to turn on the enemies.”

The main shot caller or the support is the one who decides if and when the team looks for the objective and what to do on the objectives. This mostly is because they are the ones that need to tank and make sure they can absorb the damage from either the Gold Fury or Fire Giant. If they are looking for a bait, they want to try and be as healthy as possible before the fight. The support's biggest job when taking objectives is to make sure they can tank these objectives effectively. If they take too much poke when they want to bait, it can be detrimental for their team. If they take too little, the bait won’t work as the enemy team will be expecting the ambush. So it is up to the support to communicate what needs to happen.

From the support calling what to do with the objective, it then comes down to solo laner and jungler to collapse on the enemy team. Depending whether it is a full commit on an objective or a bait will determine how hard the solo laner and jungler look to aggress on the enemy team. If they know that their team is following up, there is a high chance that they will commit a lot harder to the fight. Otherwise, it’s more of a job of zoning the enemy team away and maintaining the control on the objective.

Knowing your positioning is an important way of securing objectives

With the area around the objective under control and the leashing of the objective sorted, you still need damage to make sure you actually kill the objective. This is the job of the ADC and mid laner. Your carries knowing that whether they are looking to burn the objective or looking to take on the enemy team is important. If the call is to burn the objective, they will dump as much damage as possible onto it to make sure that it is secured. This is very important, because if they don’t know what the call is they could end up either with nothing to help their team out in the ensuing fight or leave a bigger window for the enemy team to swoop in and steal the objective.





Get Control!

It’s all well and good that we talk about what you need to do when taking an objective but it means nothing if you cannot take control of it in the first place. There are a few factors you need to be aware of while looking towards these objectives: warding and map control.

Qvofred advises, “Map control is super important for objectives. There more you know the more you do, so basically if you know which way the enemy will be going to contest, you can plan ahead for that given situation.”

Gaining map control can make securing or baiting objectives very easy. If you’re able to pull the enemy around the map and have them follow your rotations, it can open plenty of windows to gain control around the objective and set up for when the enemy team come to contest the objective. This map control can also open small windows where you can sneak objectives, so being able to push advantages or pull a team around the map to open up these windows are key. If the enemy team is expecting the jungler to be in solo after a particular rotation, they will look to help solo out and keep them in the game by countering this. This can allow your team to sneak a Gold Fury while your solo laner is dealing with most of the enemy team. This is just one small example of how you can use the map to your advantage. Another is pushing lanes in for the enemy team to deal with while you can secure Fire Giant or force the rest of their team into a bad fight on the objective.

Putting pressure on the other side of the map can open up a great chance to take an objective

Another way to gain control on objectives is via wards. We all know that wards can win games and this is doubly true when it comes to objectives. Having the correct vision on objectives allows your team to know exactly when to engage on the enemy team or burn the objective.

Qvofred mentions, “Usually defensive and offensive wards (are the best warding spots) so you can tell if the enemies are committing or not. Obviously, if you can get a sneaky ward on the objective too is really solid.”

Utilising defensive and offensive wards can allow a team to maintain as much area control around an objective as they wish. Making sure you cover every possible entrance point that the enemy team could use to collapse onto you will make it easier for you to secure objectives or set up ambushes, depending on what you’re looking to do around the objective. Having wards in key rotation spots isn’t the only area you need to look at when finding the right warding spots. You need to make sure you have wards on the objectives, so even when you aren’t around you know what is happening on and around the objective. Sentry Wards are great for this but, as both teams will be buying them, you need to look for other advantages. Try to get a ward on the objective that won’t be covered by a Sentry, so even if the enemy team takes out your Sentry Ward, you still have coverage on the objective.

These are a few spots around FG that you need to prioritize to gain vision control

STOP THIEF!

We’ve spoken a lot about what to do to gain control of objectives and when you’re from winning positions, but it’s different when you’re on the back foot. Just because the enemy team has vision control or is on the objective doesn’t always mean you should give it up. There is nothing more satisfying in Smite then swooping in at the last second to yoink an objective from under the noses of the enemy team. Dignitas have been doing it frequently in the SPL, so it only seems fitting that we get one of their players to explain the art of stealing an objective. So how can you effectively and efficiently steal an objective from the enemy team?

Qvofred says, “It comes down to playing the map in such a way that you are able to get into the objective from different angles and force their hand to commit on objective.”

You’ll need to get the whole team to commit on the enemy team and cause chaos within the team to get the best possible results when stealing an objective. Having your support, jungler, and solo laner collapsing on the enemy team from multiple angles will fluster them and cause them to make mistakes, as it will force them to pay more attention to your team's damage instead of the objective. If you can get the jump on them at the right time, it can easily open up a window for your team to take the objective mid-skirmish and continue the fight with the enemy team. With the frontline collapsing, it will allow your backline to come into the area and contest or dump all their damage onto the enemy team.

Not every situation will be the same, so the same tactic won't work for every attempt at stealing and knowing who to prioritize when attempting a steal is even more important. If you have better secure on the objective when coming for the steal, causing chaos to allow the secure to come in and guarantee the objective could be better option compared to just bullying the enemy team off the objective. These are all variables that can change from game to game and are something you’ll need to consider when attempting steals. In these situations, you’ll need to respond to what the enemy team is doing to give your team the best chance to prevent them from securing and making sure your team comes out on top.

Being able to collapse from multiple angles will allow you to steal an objective

Sometimes, however, you will need to accept defeat and just have to give up the objective and look for the next fight. I’s never what any player wants to do, but you know, ultimately, it gives you and your team a better chance to come back into the game.

Qvofred advises, “If you are in a position where if you don’t have vision, key actives, and not in position to contest, usually it’s time to give it up.”

When you can’t get vision on the objective and important actives are down, it’s already looking very difficult to contest an objective as your team is already vulnerable to getting collapsed on. If your backline doesn’t have their actives, it is a key time to look at giving it up as if they get picked, then your damage is already gone and the teamfight or attempted steal has already gotten harder for your team. This is one example of when to give it up over forcing the enemy teams hand. Another is when only one member is there to contest. Sometimes throwing out an ability can take the objective from the enemy team and you feel smug for the next few moments before they turn and hunt you down. In that moment, it is better to just give it up and look either around the map to get something back or look towards the next teamfight.

Sometimes it is better in the long run to give up an objective then to risk falling even further behind

Forcing the Situation

Fighting around an objective can be as important as taking the objective. Being able to force teams away from the objective or forcing them into fights that they don’t want to take can make taking objectives a lot easier for your team. This can just be from poking the team away or fully committing onto them to fight them away from it.

Qvofred mentions, “When we are playing on the backfoot mostly, it comes down to reactive plays and whether you can give stuff up to still be in the game. We try to always be in position to contest objectives either to make a threat and buy time or try and steal/fight.”

It’s all about positioning. Being in the area to put pressure on the enemy team and force them to make a mistake. Just lurking round an objective can put a lot of pressure on the enemy team as they will start wondering where the rest of your team is, do they have enough damage to contest, etc. This can lead to you either fighting or poking them off the objective. Both have benefits as if they are on the objective being able to poke them away while they are taking damage from the objective can force a reset and open up a window for your team. It can also be a sign for your team to press forward and force them away or even take the fight, with the focus being on area control. If you are able to force them into areas they don’t want to be in, it can create a tough situation for their team and leave players isolated and ready to be picked.

Being able to bait teams into bad fights around objectives can be an easy way to secure it

Opening up holes in their positioning can lead to bad fights for the enemy team, as they will be spread around the objective area and won’t be able to effectively fight as a team.

Qvofred says, “Try to make them dance around the pit. Have the enemies pull and reset the objective while you get different angles of engagement, so you have threat on their damage characters.”

When you’re looking for the right moment to create a bad fight for the enemy team, it is all about being able to collapse and engage from different angles and getting the jump on them. It doesn’t always have to be funneled down the middle. Just being able to create chaos throughout a team can open up these windows. The best way to create problems is to get to the backline, which is why Qvofred advised getting different angles, as if you can get a pick on the backline it can open up the enemy team and leave them exposed and surrounded.

Poking the enemy team can open up the chance to fight effectively to gain control over the objective

Secure It!

Just having control over the objective doesn’t mean you’ll be able to take it 100% of the time. There will be points where the enemy will be able to sneak a secure as they have better damage on an ability. This means you need to good secure for when it’s needed.

Qvofred says, "Usually mages with big ults are the scariest, but also some of the hardest characters to be in a position to steal if being zoned.”

Mid laners, it is down to you to secure when needed. A lot of mid laners have big damage or big ults that can be the perfect tools to secure an objective either via steal or when you have control. It does mean that the rest of the team needs to keep them alive during objective dances and throughout fights around it. If your team is getting zoned away from the objective, it can create problems for mages with good secure as they won’t be able to get in range to secure, leading to it getting taken for free by the enemy team. This can be frustrating, but the team needs to make sure they can safely get you into an area where you can secure the objective safely.

Qvofred adds, “Poseidon, He Bo, Scylla, Vulcan, basically a mage with big ult usually is the best steal.”

Mages like Poseidon and He Bo have high damage ults that can be great secures but involve them having to get relatively close to the objective to be able to secure it. This does lead to the problem Qvofred mentioned earlier of being zoned away from an area where they can steal or secure the objective. This is something that Scylla and Vulcan (moreso Vulcan) don’t struggle with too much, as they have a greater range on their abilities to contest the objective which can lead to a greater chance of a steal. The one problem with this is if you don’t have any vision or intel on the objective, you can just be firing in the dark and have no idea if you’re able to steal it as you’re zoned away with little chance of knowing if your damage will be enough.

A good secure doesn't mean the objective is yours, but does increase your chances

Final Tips

Being able to control objectives is all about knowing what to do in the situation that is given to you. It's more then just hoping for a decide and then heading to the objective with the remnants of your team. It is a mixture of map and vision control, being able to be in a position to contest or collapse on the enemy team, being able to know when to zone and when to bait them into bad positions. The objective dance is a major part of Smite and something we’ve all been a part of, which is why we covered what you need to do to effectively control the area around and how to put pressure onto the enemy team in these situations. One factor we haven’t covered yet is how different the FG dance is compared to the Enhanced FG, which why we asked Qvofred how much different these encounters are to standard FG.

Qvofred mentions, “Enhanced FG has massive impact on the game, while Gold Fury and Pyromancer for the most part have less impact, so usually you want to try and contest most enhanced FGs.”

Enhanced FG gives plenty more to the team that takes it then standard FG, which makes it a vital objective to fight over. With it being stronger as well, it can lead to more tense altercations around the Fire Giant pit. You’ll need to be able to pick the correct window for when to go for it. The points we have mentioned already will help you with this, but it will be a harder task due it having more health and hitting harder than the standard FG. This does give the enemy team a better chance of coming in and stealing it from you or straight up forcing you off it when you don’t want to, which means you’ll need to take more care in and around this objective.

We also asked Qvofred when you should look to secure GF over FG and if the differing Furies affect this.

Qvofred responded, “Fire Giant should be the most valued objective, while Primal and Oni Fury do have some really strong benefits. If you are in a position where you can get either of the two Furies before Fire Giant, it should help a great bit, by either helping your Fire Giant control or having lanes pushed up for your team.”

Overall FG is a better objective to outright get, but either Primal or Oni allow you to get better control over FG, either from map control or having greater damage on the objective making it easier to secure. This makes these objectives important to take, but you need to make sure you don’t open your team up to losing FG. If you can take it and prevent the enemy team from sneaking FG while you’re busy on the Fury, it will give you a bigger advantage as they will walk away empty handed and behind in farm.

Sometimes getting the right Fury can be more influential for your team

Hopefully this will help you with gaining control over objectives and being able to use the map to your advantage when looking towards objectives.

Don’t forget to follow Qvofred on Twitter and Twitch to keep up to date with everything Smite and Dignitas.