Since July, Xbox One gamers have been able to download and play Smite, the third-person MOBA from HiRez Studios, but it was technically still in open beta. Now HiRez has pulled the beta tag from Smite, but the game is still available for free.
Smite takes the basic gameplay concepts of MOBAs like Dota 2 or League of Legends but swaps out the bird’s-eye view for a third-person perspective more commonly used in action games. Controlling more like a shooter than a traditional MOBA, Smite seemed like a perfect candidate for being played with the Xbox One’s gamepad, and it seems gamers agreed: the beta was downloaded by over a million players, according to GameSpot.
While the game is now out of beta, there is no new patch to go along with it. We do know that a patch is on the way, however, since the Xbox One version of Smite tends to get patches roughly a month behind the PC version, which is already two patches ahead. The next patch should bring Khepri, a new playable character.
Smite may be free to play, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to buy. The Founder’s Pack sells for $30 and grants access to every playable character in the game, along with skins for those characters and gems, which can be used to unlock other items in the game. The pack has been available since the beta began, but will vanish at the end of the month to be replaced by the Ultimate Gods pack which offers the characters but not the other bonuses.
Another thing vanishing at the end of the month is the ability to transfer your PC account to the Xbox One. At this point most players should have a good idea as to which is their platform of choice, but those who don’t will need to hurry up and decide.
If you’re a PlayStation 4 owner waiting for Smite to come to your console of choice, that likely won’t happen. Fortunately, HiRez has another game in the works by the name of Paladins, which is coming to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC next year.
