I've emailed for a beta key, but I'm pretty impatient, so I'm debating on purchasing the founders pack for $29. So as the title says, I really don't know what I'm getting in to? All info is appreciated.

Occasionally-might-play-a-MOBA-match-with-friends guy here. MOBAs tend to be pretty hit or miss. So unless you either a)are absolutely sure you will enjoy it or b)have friends playing it, I would advise against outright putting money out for a MOBA you haven't played yet.

I would suggest trying out Heroes of the Storm, it's a very new player friendly MOBA that is very fun (especially with friends) and has that high quality Blizzard finish.

Smite isn't a good game, at all. If you want to play a 'moba' just play Dota 2. If you want to play a casual, almost mobile game feeling game, I can give you a HoTS key, but I still don't think anyone should play that game cause it's not good either.

Don't pay money for mobas

I assume the founders pack on XB1 is the same on PC so, I'd say if you like the game it's totally worth it as it gives you access to every current and future character. I would still say wait for a beta key first to try it out just in case you don't like it after all. As for that actual game, I think it's fun. It's not my favorite moba, not by a long shot, but it's still good. If you've never played a typical isometric moba or strategy game, I feel like Smite is a sightly better entry point as it will, for lack of a better way to put it, immediately make more sense when you first jump in because it more or less controls like most games with a 3rd-person view. Don't try to treat it like "most games" though. At all. Mobas are a strange thing. While Smite seemingly plays more like an action game compared to it's competition, it still requires a large amount of strategy and planning. Not nearly as much as Dota, but enough that you're gonna wanna constantly think about what you do before you do it.

That said, I feel there are some downsides that need to be pointed out. The first and biggest being moba communities suck. There's no way good way to put it. People get angry, fight with each, leave games, troll, etc. The Smite community will try and tell you the Smite community is better than other moba communities. Know that the Smite community is lying to you.

Don't get me wrong, there are certainly tons of awesome, friendly people playing the game, but there are plenty of assholes to ruin your day. Granted, this is my experience with the PC community. On Xbox, it might be different, but I doubt it.

Second, I feel like a lot of the more advanced concepts are almost impossible to grasp unless you're either good at dissecting every aspect of a game or you look up a guide. To be fair, you could probably say this about a lot of games, but I feel it's worth pointing out because of the way HiRez markets this game. A lot of the shit people hate about other mobas is very much present here. Buying items, choosing what skills to level, etc etc. Again, you can call it an action game, but it is first and foremost a moba-ass-moba and should be treated as such.

Hasn't smite been fully released for like over a year now? There really shouldn't be a beat process anymore.

That being said, if you like it the pack with all the heroes for 30 is a pretty good deal.

Smite is out, you don't need a key. But you should just play League or Dota instead since Smite sucks.

@canteu: @cheappoison:Guys, he's talking about the Xbox One version

@mrhadouken: Sent you a SMITE code via PM. I played HoN and Dota 2 a lot and I actually really like Smite. It's simplified to the point where it's still enjoyable and less intense/stressful than Dota 2, so I can just pick it up whenever and have some with it, without getting angry at either my team or myself for doing horribly or making stupid decisions. It's just fun. Without text chat on the X1 there's also a lot less flaming and spamming going on. Also yeah, the Founder's Pack is actually a great deal because you get all current and future gods for free, if you like the game consider getting it.

I presume he's talking about on console, where there is a beta going on. But yeah, go try it for free on the PC (it'll probably run on most things) and see what you think. It's a neat game, I actually think it's quite a fun entry-level MOBA but if you really want to get into one League or Dota 2 are better options (I've heard good things about HotS too but can't speak to that myself). Out of those two, Dota 2 is "more free" because you always have access to every character without spending any money, but League is a little simpler/more forgiving to learn.

That said, perhaps you don't have PC access or want to play on console? In that case you don't have a ton of options, so I'd give Smite a try. Don't pay for it ahead of time though, it's not really worth that especially as those games really benefit hugely from playing with a group. If you have access to a PC I'd say try Dota 2 and if you find it too much of a wall give League a shot. Alternatively if you have friends who play one in particular then favour that over all others because having someone to both teach you the mechanics and also actually play with will be super beneficial to your overall enjoyment.

EDIT: Okay, @iron1c solved that issue. So yeah, try it and see what you think. The founders pack is a good deal, but only go in on it once you know you want to play a decent amount of the game (and, again, ideally have at least a couple of friends who want to play with you). I think in terms of a console MOBA, Smite's mechanics are actually the right way to go for controller.

I know a lot of people are suggesting you just do LoL or DOTA but it really depends on whether you like that kind of perspective/control scheme. I dislike traditional MOBAs for that very reason so Smite has ended up being the only MOBA my friends and I put regular time into. In regards to the god pack, I'd say wait and do what others have suggested and try it on PC for free if you can. If you're fine with more mouse-driven PC equivalents then there's no harm in trying out the competition, but I personally found Smite to be the friendliest introduction to general MOBA concepts. Then again, my friends and I mainly do the four player siege mode instead of the traditional conquest, so if you do that instead you may have a different experience.

@iron1c: Didn't know. Thought the console versions were out quiet a while! Must have been the beta.

@cheappoison: Beta launched last week, Alpha was running like 3 months before that and it's X1 only ;)

Rule as a beginner:

1. Have fun. Experiment. Don't play to win. Screw trolls
2. Research roles. Pick your favourite. Play it.
3. Positioning and map awareness is more important than technique.
4. Play study play study play study play x100
5. Disregard everything I said. You're a pro. Not a beginner.

@christoffer: @iron1c: Thank you again for the key, smite has appeals more to just because its not as intimidating as DOTA and I have an affinity for mythology.

Thanks for the 5 steps, I think I'll go ahead and jump to step five.

@mrhadouken: That's the "Never played a MMOBA before..." spirit I like to hear.

So I've been playing around in the practice arena and joust, I'm really loving this game. As soon as I got it out of my head that you can't play this like a hack and slash, things stated to click.