Overview
Hey guys, Devon here again with a new guide, this time for Smite actually. I’ve been playing for a while and, after the recent Steam release, was convinced to make a guide to help new players out. This’ll be for a decently easy (not totally easy though!) god to play, one who I always really liked due to his fast-paced kit and lots of roles he can fulfill, although for this guide I’ll just be focusing on his potential as an assassin or bruiser. It’s much easier to play than some of his other roles, and can be more fun to a newer player. Although, keep in mind, this guide is assuming you’ve already read some basic beginner guides first. If you haven’t, I would recommend the Great Beginner Guide Collection, Beginner’s Guide to Conquest, as well as DukeSloth’s In-Depth Jungle Video Guide.
Intro, Stats, and Abilities
Fenrir is a mobile assassin that has strong earlygame burst damage and gank potential while transitioning lategame into a powerful basic attacker that can quickly cut down key targets while proving hard to take down through having strong natural lifesteal. He can be played full-on assassin, taking advantage of his strong scaling to push his damage to obscene levels, or as a bruiser, because his base damage is still strong enough that he doesn’t need to build too many damage items to have a strong damage output. Whether an assassin or a bruiser, Fenrir excels at chasing down his targets.
- Health: 533 + 78 per level
- Mana: 235 + 35 per level
- Movespeed: 370
- Attackspeed: 1 attack per second + 1.7% attackspeed per level
- Damage: 41 + 2.3 per level + 100% of physical power
- Physical Protection: 17 + 3 per level
- Magic Protection: 31 + 0.9 per level
Fenrir has very high attack damage per level, attacks once per second which is the fastest in the game, and has good attackspeed per level as well. Additionally, as an Assassin, he does physical damage, so he gets 100% scaling from physical power, which between that, his high attack damage gain, and his high attackspeed, means he can scale very well on basic attacks. His defense stats are in an interesting spot. His natural health and physical protection, while not the strongest, are also still far from the weakest, so he can definitely take an extra hit or two early on.
Unbound Runes (P)
Fenrir gains efficiency as he attacks. Every hit from a Basic Attack activates 1 Rune, up to a max. of 5. Each of Fenrir’s abilities gain an additional benefit when used at maximum Runes and the Runes are consumed. Enemy gods that Fenrir kills will fully activate all of his Runes.
Not much to note here. Make sure to have your runes stacked before going into a gank! The full runes on killing is useful, but not worth taking kills for.
Unchained (1)
Fenrir leaps forward, dealing damage to all enemies when he lands. At full Runes, the leap Stuns the enemies hit. If the leap hits a god, the Cooldown is halved.
- Damage: 95/155/215/275/335 + 80% of physical power
- Stun: 1 second
- Cooldown: 15 seconds
- Mana Cost: 65/70/75/80/85
Now we’re talking! This is a core part of Fenrir’s mobility, allowing him to leap a great distance to initiate a gank. As you can see, it does very high damage, and with the stun from full runes, can easily set an enemy up for inevitable death. And better yet, since it halves its cooldown when you hit an enemy god, it allows you to be more mobile and manueverable. Also, keep in mind, it will only stun if you have full runes, so don’t initiate with Unchained unless your runes are stacked.
Seething Howl (2)
Fenrir rears back and howls, inspiring himself with a Physical Power and Lifesteal Buff. At full Runes, the Buff is increased by 50%.
- Physical Power: 10/25/40/55/70
- Physical Lifesteal: 15/20/25/30/35%
- Buff Duration: 6 seconds
- Cooldown: 13 seconds
- Mana Cost: 60/65/70/75/80
This is where Fenrir’s lategame comes in. This is one of the most potent steroids in the game, as it provides a crazy 105 physical power when used with runes, and because this isn’t even an item slot, you don’t have to worry about losing penetration to power. Plus, it gives you a huge amount of lifesteal for your attacks! AWOOOOOO!
Brutalize (3)
Fenrir pounces to his ground target location. If there was an enemy in the radius, he strikes them 4 times, dealing damage with each strike while being immune to knockups. At full Runes, each strike deals 75% damage to nearby enemies.
- Damage: 45/75/105/135/165 + 50% of physical power
- Cooldown: 14 seconds
- Mana Cost: 70/75/80/85/90
Ouch! This does very high damage early and midgame (it does 660 base damage and 200% scaling total!) while also being able to stick to targets through dashes, making it inescapable for gods without leaps. It can be good for clearing camps early on, since with full runes it deals 75% damage to nearby enemies. Also, keep in mind it’s a ground target, and counts as a leap! So you can cast it to the ground to aid an escape, and since it’s a leap, it’s usable over walls too!
Ragnarok (4)
Upon Ragnarok, Fenrir grows massive in size, becoming immune to CC while moving faster. Fenrir bites enemy gods, dealing Physical damage and carrying them away. Biting a CC immune target deals the damage but ends his Ultimate. At full Runes, his Protections double.
- Damage: 200/275/350/420/500 + 120% of physical power
- Carry Duration: 2 seconds
- Movespeed Bonus: 50%
- Cooldown: 90 seconds
- Mana Cost: 100
Nice! While the base damage on this ability isn’t great, the scaling is pretty good and the grab is very powerful for ganks and isolating key targets in fights. Also, the CC immunity and movespeed Fenrir receives in Ragnarok can also be useful for stalking up to your target. Sadly, the full runes effect for Ragnarok, while good in theory, is outshined by a full-runes Unchained or Seething Howl, and you won’t get to make much use of it.
Pros
- High damage output throughout the game.
- Highly mobile.
- Strong ganker.
- Tankier than most assassins.
- Really[hydra-media.cursecdn.com] good[hydra-media.cursecdn.com] skin[hydra-media.cursecdn.com] selection![hydra-media.cursecdn.com]
Cons
- Squishier than most warriors.
- Melee.
- Has to pseudo-disable himself for his ultimate.
- Has some mana issues early on.
- Not good at playing from behind.
Ability & Item Build
Your prioritization should be 3>1>2>4, while also getting Ragnarok at level 5 to have the CC available. So your skillbuild will look like this.
- Hold your skillpoint
Continue until maxed
Continue until maxed
Brutalize is taken first because it is Fenrir’s strongest clear at level 1 (deals 180 damage to the target and 135 to nearby enemies with the runes buff), however if you are attacked at level 1, then you will want to get Unchained instead in case you need to escape. Brutalize is maxed first because its damage scales very well per level and makes up your earlygame burst, then Unchained is maxed second for more burst potential, the CD reset makes it somewhat safe to use as an initiation. Seething Howl should not be taken early on, as it will not provide much benefit, and the burst from Unchained and Brutalize is much stronger, however it is still very strong lategame, so you should max it over Ragnarok. You should only get the one point for Ragnarok early on because the CC is strong, but max it last because its damage per level is pretty mediocre.
Starting Items
As a jungler, you have one whole starter build. There is another possible starter build, but it’s really risky and hard to use. Please just stick with this one while you’re learning.
Bumba’s Mask is a standard on almost every single jungler, as the passive allows you to sustain while fighting camps, and increases your gold income significantly as long as you make sure to share camp gold with someone else, as you receive full gold benefit as if you were alone. It also aids in clearing the camps, since it grants bonus damage to your attacks and abilities, and helps Fenrir’s mana issues.
Starting with Boots increases your movespeed a decent amount, helping you rotate around the map faster, an essential capability for a jungler, and builds nicely into your first core item and first big powerspike.
Two of each potion is purchased to help keep your health and mana up if either drops too low.
WARRIOR TABI (1550g)
Strong. Fast. Unbreakable. Sexy. What do all those words describe? Warrior Tabi. This pair of spiked boots may not look like much, but it is the single greatest part of your arsenal, providing a huge 18% movespeed bonus, almost like a permanent Speed Buff, and 40 physical power, some of the highest you can get out of a single item, which goes fantastically with Fenrir’s high scaling on his abilities, for just 1550 gold, plus you were already 1/4 of the way there just because you started with Boots. This should always be the first item you purchase whenever you play Fenrir jungle, because it is extremely good on its own merits, not to mention being better than almost every other boots choice you could make (there IS an argument for Talaria Boots, but I still think Warrior Tabi is safer).
Sadly, Warrior Tabi in all its perfection will not carry you through the game on its own, you will still have to purchase more items as the game goes on. Let’s start with your second item, of which there are a few options.
Fenrir as an assassin builds for one main job: Maneuver around a fight and burst people down as quickly as he can.
Second Core Item
As an assassin, you will want your opener to be something that amplifies Fenrir’s ganking and high damage potential.
Jotunn’s Wrath (2440g)
This item, aptly named for the Giants which Fenrir aligns with at Ragnarok, is a very potent earlygame item. Providing 40 power, 11 penetration, and 25% cooldown reduction, it pushes Fenrir’s earlygame ability damage to the limit, allowing him to play extremely aggressively and try to conquer the game as quickly as possible. Keep in mind, this item does not scale particularly well for Fenrir, as it is entirely for his ability damage, which does not scale well to begin with, so you must either win fast, or have a plan B if you don’t.
Ichaival (1700g)
Pronounced “eek-vile” (don’t ask me), this is also an earlygame item like Jotunn’s Wrath, but with a much different focus. It provides very high attackspeed (30%) and 10 penetration, as well as making your basic attacks steal physical power (10 per attack up to a maximum of 30 power), so instead of pushing Fenrir’s ability damage, it pushes Fenrir’s high natural attack damage, making him very hard to fight mano a mano, while also still scaling better into the midgame. However, it is not the best item lategame, so it is typically sold when one has run out of slots and needs a stronger item.
Devourer’s Gauntlet (2050g)
Devourer’s Gauntlet, more commonly known as Devo Glove, is, much unlike the others, a lategame-focused item. Instead of buying an item to push your earlygame power to the limits, Devo Glove is instead purchased to scale better into lategame while also providing a decent powerspike early on. It relies on a stacking passive, which requires you to kill minions or gods to increase its power, starting at 25 physical power and 10% lifesteal with no stacks, it provides 55 power and 25% lifesteal at max stacks. It is a very potent item at max stacks, but because it starts off without them, your earlygame potential comes entirely from your base damage and Warrior Tabi.
The Executioner (2250g)
Though not quite a choice I agree with, Executioner can be bought here and work decently well. It’s a more greedy version of Ichaival, it won’t come online as fast, won’t be as strong earlygame, but will scale very well into lategame. It provides 30 physical power, 20% attackspeed, and each basic attack against an enemy will reduce their physical protection by 6 and an additional 8%, up to a max of 18 + 24%. It reducing protection by so much allows you to drastically ramp up your DPS on a target.
Item Build (cont.d)
Third Core Item
The Executioner
If you didn’t buy it before, now’s the time. Combined with your previous item, your DPS will be very strong now. However, if you bought it already…
Asi (1780g)
An aggressive lifesteal item, Asi provides 20% attackspeed, 15 penetration, and 15% lifesteal, as well as its passive which increases your lifesteal by 25% if you drop below 35% health. It has very strong DPS stats for its price, and deceptively strong lifesteal, and is a fantastic followup to an Executioner second build.
Soul Eater (2000g)
Unlike Asi, Soul Eater is a more defensive lifesteal item, as it provides 300 health, 20% lifesteal, 15% attackspeed, and an aura which provides 15 physical power and 10 physical protection to yourself and nearby allies. Its DPS is not as strong as Asi (1 pen is worth 10 power!) but since it provides a lot of health, it can make the difference between life and death, while still being a decent choice for lifesteal and DPS, and the physical protection is also a nice touch. If you used an Executioner second build, and are somewhat behind or facing a lot of high damage, Soul Eater can help save your life.
By this point, your build will look like one of these
Fourth Item
If your second item was a Jotunn’s Wrath or Ichaival, and thus your third an Executioner, then in this slot purchase either
Asi
or
Soul Eater
based on the game, or otherwise…
Rage (2755g)
An aptly named item (for your enemies), Rage is a very potent item. Although its power is a measly 30 for its price, where it really shines is in crit output. Starting at 30%, and having a passive which increases the chance by 10% for each basic attack that does not crit, up to a max of 50%, when crit chance stacks additively in Smite, means that this item will drastically ramp up the amount of times you crit. However, keep in mind, the stacks will reset whenever you do get a crit.
Hastened Fatalis (2140g)
A more situational choice, this item provides 30% attackspeed, a great amount, and 10% movespeed, as well as its passive which makes it so whenever you land a basic attack, instead of slowing yourself for 50%, you retain your current speed for 1 second, infinitely refreshing itself each application. This item allows you to chase very well, but unless your enemies are mobile and/or your allies don’t have a lot of lockdown, this item can be somewhat unnecessary, as Fenrir already chases well.
Fifth Item
Ideally this slot will either significantly boost your crit power, or if you don’t have it already, starts it here.
If you had to get any other choice for the last slot, now is the time to buy
Rage
but if you should have it already, instead buy…
Deathbringer (3150g)
Its name doesn’t lie. It provides 50 physical power, a very high amount, 20% crit chance, and most importantly, its passive which increases your crit multiplier by 40%, so from 200% to 240%, a huge amount. Say you hit someone for 300 damage normally, pretty common occurence, your crit damage will go from 600 to 720. And because you’re going to be critting a lot thanks to your Rage, your DPS is going to be insane now.
By now, your build will look like one of these
Sixth Item
Time to say goodbye to Bumba’s Mask! Sell it so this slot will be either
Deathbringer
if you don’t have it yet, or a situational item if you do.
If you don’t need anything specific and just want to crank up damage output to the max
Malice (2900g)
Malice is a very powerful close to a crit-based build, as it offers the same power and crit chance as Deathbringer, bringing your power just from crit items to 130 and your base crit chance to 70%, not counting any rage stacks. Although its passive is not particularly powerful (75% of your physical power in damage over a duration), it can also help decently in dealing high damage.
If you went Devo and still need more lifesteal
Asi
or
Soul Eater
If you need more chase
Hastened Fatalis
Still Have An Ichaival/Jotunn’s Wrath?
Sell it for one of the above items.
Item Build (further cont.d)
Bruiser Fenrir is a bit different. Rather than be built solely to burst down key targets, Fenrir instead builds a mix of damage and tank that allows him to sustain through and survive a fight in the frontline, and zone enemies away from the rest of their team.
Second Core Item
Although you won’t be taking on a role meant to do very high damage, you will still want your opener to be something that provides an early powerspike.
Jotunn’s Wrath
Fenrir as a bruiser has a greater focus on his abilities, so Jotunn’s Wrath makes for a very strong opening choice, as well as a strong item throughout the game.
Ichaival
Ichaival can also make for a good opener, as a cheap DPS option that also drains power from your opponent, it can aid you in early fights against weaker targets.
Frostbound Hammer (2300g)
One of the more potent bruiser items at any stage of the game, Frostbound Hammer provides an astounding 400 health, decent 25 power, and its iconic passive, which makes your basic attacks slow the target’s movespeed by 30% and their attackspeed by 15%. However, keep in mind, attackspeed slows from items do not stack at all, so if an ally has a Witchblade or Midgardian Mail, that won’t stack with your Frostbound’s attackspeed slow.
Third Core Item
Now that you’ve got your opener item, you’ll want something that increases your survivability while also increasing your damage output in some way.
Mystical Mail (2850g)
If you had a strong early start and are against 2+ physical gods, this is the best item you could buy. It provides very strong defensive stats against them, and the damage aura, while it may seem small, adds up VERY fast, plus gives Fenrir a way to damage people while in Ragnarok form. This item doesn’t scale into lategame too well, so if you’re gonna get it, get it early!
Frostbound Hammer
If you hadn’t bought it already and didn’t have a good enough start for Mystical Mail, this item never hurts to have.
Soul Eater
If you find yourself in a lot of duels with other attack-heavy gods, and you’re not super ahead, this item can do nicely.
Mail of Renewal (2415g)
Strong item, but only suited for your third slot if you opened up with a Jotunn’s Wrath. This item maxes out your CDR which can be extremely strong on Fenrir, as well as providing a good 300 hp and good 40 physical protection, and its passive which heals 20% of your max hp over 5 seconds whenever you kill or assist in killing a god or jungle boss.
Stone of Gaia (2250g)
Purchase if against a magic-heavy team. With its 70 magic protection, highest in the game, this item will basically make you immune to magic damage, as well as boosting your sustain a good bit.
Fourth Item
Now that you have a strong start for damage and a good bit of defense, we can start looking into either more damage, more defense, or somewhere in between, depending on our needs.
The Executioner
Never a bad item! It’s a very efficient damage item no matter what you are, and still helps your allies as well. If not now, buy it ASAP.
Midgardian Mail (2250g)
Midgardian Mail is an extremely strong defense item against attack-based physical gods, providing a fantastic 350 hp and 60 physical protection, as well as the passive effect which gives a 30% chance to slow the movespeed and attackspeed of anyone who attacks you by 30%. Keep in mind though, the Frostbound Hammer attackspeed slow will not stack with Midgardian’s, so instead of 45% attackslow you only have the 30%.
Mail of Renewal
If Jotunn-less, it’s worth the consideration now. Although it’s not as strong defensively as Midgardian, its strength comes in its CDR and passive, both allowing you to play far more aggressively than before. If you want to try and push your advantage, get Mail of Renewal.
Runic Shield (2250g)
Strong counterpurchase if you’re against a Freya or Chronos who’s giving you trouble. Decent stats, but the main sell is the aura, which reduces enemies’ magic power by 50 and attackspeed by 20%.
Fifth & Sixth Item
Pick from these based on your current items, your allies’ items, and your enemies
The Executioner
Rage
Mail of Renewal
Runeforged Hammer
(350 hp, 55 physical protection, converts 15% of your physical protection into power)
Midgardian Mail
Stone of Gaia
(100 hp, 70 magic protection, 25 hp5, 10 mp5, heal 2% of your max hp every 5 seconds)
Pestilence
(300 hp, 65 magic protection, reduces the healing and regen of nearby enemies by 20%)
Frostbound Hammer
Soul Eater
Still Have An Ichaival?
Sell it for one of the above Damage items.
Actives
Greater Purification (Beads) (900g)
One of the most powerful actives in the game, this will, upon use, cleanse any CC effects currently on you, breaking you out of stuns, cripple roots, mesmerizes, etc., although it cannot cleanse knockups (any knockback effect that lifts you in the air). It will also provide CC immunity for a few seconds after activation, protecting you from further CCs as well as knockups. You will have to buy Beads in 9 out of 10 games. Also, when you do buy Beads, generally you will want to leave it at tier 1 early on and upgrade it later, unless the enemy has a god like Ares or Xing Tian who will guarantee your death if you don’t have purification available.
Greater Blink (900g)
Also one of the most powerful actives in the game, this will allow you to instantly teleport in front of you up to 20ft away, and can be used through walls. This item is extremely potent on junglers as it significantly ramps up their ganking potential, however it’s rather weak as its tier 1 version has a 150 second cooldown and its tier 2 a 110 second cooldown, so you will generally want to buy it in one shot if you are getting it. However, there are some games where you will want something else…
Aegis Pendant (900g)
One of the more situational choices, Aegis Pendant will make you temporarily completely immune to damage, however while it is active you cannot attack or cast abilities. Also, while you can move with Aegis Pendant, you are also still susceptible to CCs, so be careful for that. You will typically want Aegis against teams or even gods, like Poseidon, Scylla, or He Bo, that can instantly burst you very quickly. They all have a short window before their huge burst ultimates go off and damage you, so wait for it (Poseidon starts to lift in the air, Scylla’s dogtentacles rear back, He Bo starts to lean forward, etc.) and then activate Aegis.
Playstyle, Gameplay, & Tips
Assuming you’ve watched DukeSloth’s jungle video guide, I shouldn’t have to explain to you the general jungler stuff to do here. If you haven’t watched it yet, go watch it now. It explains the jungler’s general earlygame better than I could.
Done? Fantastic. Here’s your Fenrir-specific stuff:
When clearing the starting camps use a Brutalize with full runes, it’s pretty good.
Fenrir is a very strong aggro jungler, due to his high ability damage, mobility, and CC from his ultimate. Ganks are typically initiated with a full-runes-buff Unchained to get Fenrir into position and stun the target, and then followed up by Ragnarok, or if it is unavailable, instantly into Brutalize.
If Ragnarok applies, then carry the enemy as close to your allies as the duration will let you, and if you get there with time to spare, stand still. Seriously. I see too many Fenrirs who constantly turn around or keep moving around, even though it messes with the chew-toy’s hitbox and makes them impossible to hit.
After Ragnarok ends, immediately follow up with a Brutalize, and if they’re still not dead, leap at them with Unchained again. If they’re still not dead, then either basic attack them till they are, or if they’re too far away and made it to their tower, then cut your losses.
One thing to keep in mind is, minions hurt. A lot. Be careful with your initiations pre-5, you don’t want to be caught drawing aggro from an entire minion waves, because they will nearly or certainly kill you.
Always remember to make sure you share as many camps as possible, usually with the mid. If your midlaner isn’t coming on his own, then ask him nicely to. If he still doesn’t, then you’ll just have to cut your losses and take the extra XP.
This is the part where teamfights start happening, and your attack DPS should be scaling up pretty well. Keep in mind, you’re still pretty squishy, you may be tankier than most assassins but you’re still squisher than most warriors, so don’t get carried away with chasing. In fights, try to maneuver around the side of the fight till you can close in on a frail target, and kill them as fast as possible, then flee and wait for another opening. Make sure your team is backing you up and making space for your pickoffs though, you don’t wanna go in on a target and then find out your team ♥♥♥♥♥footed away. When the enemy’s numbers start to dwindle or if a target gets really out of position, use Ragnarok to bring them into your team, as it will spell certain doom for them.
From here on out, Unchained is not even remotely going to keep up with your attack DPS, so unless you are chasing a target that will have no backup, hold onto it so that while chasing someone you still have an easy way to escape on a whim, as you are unfortunately quite prone to getting killed quickly yourself. Use Brutalize to get near a target so you can crit them to death. Your Howl at full runes will greatly increase your damage output and lifesteal potential as well, so you should be able to easily outfight most gods in a duel.
Be very careful of when you use Ragnarok, as it could very easily get you killed worse than the person you were going for. Save it for stragglers from a fight.
Teamfights are gonna start around this time. Since you’ll be decently tanky, you’ll be able to run around attacking targets in fights without having to worry about too much. Ideally you’ll want to zone squishy high-damage gods away from the rest of their team, either to get them picked off or to keep their damage out of the fight. Make sure to set up kills with Ragnarok! You can use it pretty safely with your tankiness.
You can chase relatively deep without much danger, and can deal pretty good damage to targets, but you’re not invincible, so don’t get carried away.
Not really different from midgame, your damage is not quite as strong as it was, but is still pretty good, and you’re also harder to kill, so try to protect your backline while also harassing their backline (as much as you can). If you can zone someone off of a fight or get a high priority pickoff potential from Ragnarok, that’s fantastic, but make sure your backline doesn’t get picked off in the process.
Observer Ward (50g)
Always buy these when backing if you can afford them. They are super important and crucial to victory, and every role needs to buy them, but especially you, since you’re gonna be rotating everywhere! The information the vision provides you is super important for knowing when and where to gank. They’re not even expensive, either! Keep in mind though that you can only have two wards out at once, Observer or Sentry. There’s a lot of guides to warding effectively, make sure to look them up.
- When using a runes-buffed Unchained, if you are level 5+ you can fit in two basic attacks during the stun duration before casting Brutalize or Ragnarok, which can help your kill potential significantly.
- Seething Howl has an extremely short, almost non-existant cast time, so you should wait till you get a first basic attack off on the target before activating it. It does have a 46% uptime naturally, but you don’t want to waste it.
- From level 5 onwards, if you instantly attack after Brutalize ends, you will usually get at least one basic attack on the target.
- Like many spells in the game, Brutalize can be cancelled by right clicking. Use this if Brutalize will put you in a bad spot, as it does stick you to the enemy and make you unable to attack.
- The same only applies to Ragnarok if it is absolutely certain you will die if you don’t cancel. It gives you a huge movespeed boost and CC immunity for a reason.
Close & Credits
Thanks for reading! Sorry that it’s a bit wordy, I just have a lot of information to share for the basic and semi-advanced level of Fenrir. I hope it’s helpful for you! Have fun dominating the field from the jungle!
- HiRez – All the ability and item icons
- Malvodion – The ability videos
- DukeSloth – The jungle video guide
- Really good friend – Inspiring me to make this
- Okami – Being a legendary Fenrir player