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Ao Kuang returns to SMITE and is bringing with him A MIGHTY SWORD!

by: Nathan - posted: 11/17/2014 4:56:00 PM
More On: SMITE

Ao Kuang used to be part of SMITE for quite a while, but his kit was moved to Kukulkan while the team at Hi Rez gave him a full reworking. Well, Ao Kuang has returned and is more badass than ever. A new patch for SMITE hits this week and with it brings the return of Ao Kuang with a brand new model and kit.

Ao is interesting this time around as he seems to be somewhat of a combination of Freya and Loki. Freya was interesting as she was pretty much the only Magical Assassin in the game which made her a great jungler, often a position reserved for Physical Assassins.

Freya is classified as a mage but uses a melee sword for her basic attacks. Ao Kuang however can join that Magical Assassin class as he also uses a sword for his basic attacks and seems like he is great for the jungle role. 

Here is a rundown of his new abilities 

  • King’s Sword - Passive
    Ao Kuang's sword can hold up to 3 Energy Charges, and regenerates charges while out of combat. Each time Ao Kuang casts an ability, an energy charge will be consumed if available, increasing the damage of the ability by 5%. If Ao Kuang is out of mana, he will use Energy Charges to cast abilities instead.
  • Water Illusion
    Ao Kuang teleports forward into stealth, leaving behind a watery form of himself. He remains in stealth for 5s or until he attacks or takes damage. Ao Kuang may activate this ability again to detonate the watery form, dealing 90/140/190/240/290 +70% of his Magical Power as damage to nearby enemies. Cost: 70.
  • Dragon Call
  • Ao Kuang summons 6 dragons to his side. For every successful basic attack Ao Kuang makes, a dragon will dive to the target dealing 40/60/80/100/120 +30% of his Magical Power as damage. This ability ends after all dragons are used, or after 10s. Ao Kuang may activate this ability again to send forward any remaining dragons in a ranged attack, dealing 50% damage per dragon and Slowing 30% for 1s the first enemy hit. The slow duration increases +.25s for each remaining dragon that was sent forward. Cost: 60/65/70/75/80. 
  • Wild Storm
    Ao Kuang unleashes a storm of lightning from his sword, damaging all enemies in front of him for 90/140/190/240/290 + 50% of his Magical Power. This hit is considered a basic attack, and will activate item effects and send forth dragons from Dragon Call.
  • King of the Eastern Seas
    Ao Kuang selects a single target in melee range and grabs them, dealing 90/140/190/240/290 +50% of his Magical Power as damage and knocking them up into the air. If the target is under a health threshold of 23/26/29/32/35%, Ao Kuang will instead reveal his true form, becoming a Dragon and executing them. After transforming Ao Kuang remains in the air, and may then pick a new location to land, dealing 100/150/200/250/300 +50% of his Magical Power as damage to enemies within range 20, and fully recharging King’s Sword. 

Also introduced in the patch are two new skins for Tyr, however they are special skins which can only be acquired via special promotions

The first patch is the Sock Puppetyr patch, which is a reward for the friend referal system. If you refer three friends and they all reach level 15, then you will automatically receive the skin. The second Tyr skin is the Convention 2015 skin which can only be acquired at special events like PAX and probably the SMITE NA and World Championships. These skins are extremely rare and are often never offered once the conventions are over. 

The next Odyssey item has been revealed as well and is the incredibly adorable "Little Red Riding Hood" Scylla skin with Grandmother dogs to go along with it. 

Finally, the new free god rotation is He Bo, Sylvanus, Artemis, Osiris and Kali

All of the new skins, Ao Kuang and the brand new Aphrodite loading card can be seen below and be sure to also check out the god reveal video for Ao Kuang where they run down all of his abilities. 

The SMITE NA Championships are also this weekend in Atlanta Georgia where we will find out what two teams will be heading to the SMITE World Championships in January for a chance at over $1,000,000. You can check out all that action live on their official Twitch Channel.

For the full list of patch notes, be sure to check out SMITE's official Reddit Page.