Smite Tier List 2026 (June Update, Best Gods Ranked)

The Smite tier list has shifted dramatically since the original game launched back in 2014, and in 2026 the battleground of the gods spans two separate titles. Hi-Rez Studios now maintains both Smite 1, currently running on Patch 12.1 in Season 12, and Smite 2, which has progressed through Open Beta 36 since entering early access. Players returning after a long break often feel overwhelmed by how much the meta has changed, with new gods, reworked items, and an entirely new Aspect system in the sequel.

Putting together an accurate Smite tier list means looking at more than just feel. We pull ranked Conquest data, win rates, pick rates, and ban rates from sources like ProSmiteBuilds, Smite2.live, and SmiteBrain, then weigh that against what professional players and high-level content creators such as Weak3n and Snaddy are running in their matches. The result is a ranking that reflects how gods actually perform in real games, not just on paper. Throughout this guide we cover both Smite 1 on Patch 12.1 and Smite 2 on OB36, so you can find the picks that matter regardless of which title you queue for.

Whether you main Solo lane, jungle, Mid, ADC, or Support, the Smite tier list below breaks down every class and game mode so you can draft smarter. We also explain how the Aspect system works in Smite 2, compare the two games side by side, and answer the questions players ask most often on Reddit and the SmiteSource forums. If you have not played in a while, this is the fastest way to get back up to speed on the current meta.

Before we get into the rankings, you may also want to check our Marvel Strike Force Tier List (2026) or our Bloons TD 6 Tier List (2026) for more ranked character guides.

How We Rank Gods for This Smite Tier List

A god is not placed in a tier based on personal preference alone. Each ranking on this Smite tier list starts with raw match data pulled from ranked Conquest at Diamond and above, then we adjust for pick rate, ban rate, and how consistently a god performs across different team compositions. Gods that win games but only when piloted by one-tricks drop a tier, while gods that are easy to execute and still post strong numbers move up.

We also factor in competitive play, watching what gets drafted in the Smite Pro League and what high MMR streamers lean on during their climb. Reddit threads on r/Smite and community tier lists on SmiteSource add social proof, which helps catch sleepers that the raw data might undervalue. When a patch drops and shifts the meta, we revisit these rankings so the list never gets stale.

The tier labels work like most MOBA rankings. S tier gods are the strongest picks in the current meta and are almost always worth a ban or first pick. A tier holds reliable, powerful options that can carry games. B tier is for solid gods that need the right draft or comp to shine. C tier gods are situational picks that work in niche scenarios, and D tier is reserved for gods that struggle to keep up with the rest of the roster.

Smite Tier List for Patch 12.1 (2026)

This Smite tier list reflects Patch 12.1, the current live build of Smite 1. Hi-Rez has shipped multiple seasons of balance changes since the early 2023 patches, and the rankings look nothing like they did back then. Hades, for example, is no longer a bottom tier pick, and several newer gods like Surtr, Maui, Martichoras, Ix Chel, Ishtar, Charon, Maman Brigitte, and Nut have reshaped the meta from the ground up.

Read the tier breakdowns below alongside the role specific sections further down the page. A god might sit in S tier overall but still be a poor choice for your specific lane, so always cross-reference before you lock in your pick.

Smite S Tier List (2026)

S tier is where you find the defining gods of the Patch 12.1 meta. These picks offer best-in-class wave clear, crowd control, burst damage, or utility, and they consistently show the highest win rates in ranked Conquest. If one of these gods is open in the draft phase, you should strongly consider locking them in.

• Surtr
• Yu Huang
• Maui
• Yemoja
• Martichoras
• Ishtar
• Ix Chel
• Charon
• Nut
• Maman Brigitte
• Tsukuyomi
• Heimdallr

Surtr remains a dominant Solo lane flex thanks to his massive teamfight ultimate and the way his fire zones control objectives. Yu Huang continues to post absurd win rates in Mid, where his area denial and late game scaling make him a nightmare for enemy squishies. Maui and Yemoja anchor the Support position with unmatched crowd control and setup potential.

Smite A Tier List (2026)

A tier gods are strong, reliable, and only a small step below S tier. Most of them would be top picks in any other patch, but the current meta favors a few options slightly more. These gods perform well across skill levels and are excellent choices for climbing the ranked ladder.

• Hera
• Agni
• Bacchus
• Cernunnos
• Charybdis
• King Arthur
• Susano
• Kukulkan
• Athena
• Set
• Thor
• Hachiman
• Hades
• Atlas
• Tyr

Note that Hades has climbed out of the bottom of the roster entirely. Between reworks and itemization shifts, he now functions as a strong Solo lane bruiser with solid burst and sustain. He is no longer the auto-avoid pick he was back in Patch 10.1.

Smite B Tier List (2026)

B tier is the average. These gods are perfectly capable of winning games, especially in the right hands or with the right team composition. They lack the raw dominance of S and A tier picks, but a skilled player can make any of them work in ranked.

• Bellona
• Odin
• Raijin
• Ah Puch
• Merlin
• Cu Chulainn
• Hercules
• Geb
• Kumbhakarna
• Baron Samedi
• Rama
• Apollo
• Pele
• Fenrir
• Bakasura
• Hou Yi
• Janus
• Jing Wei
• Ratatoskr

Smite C Tier List (2026)

C tier gods are situational. They can be effective when paired with the right team or against the right matchup, but they generally require more effort to succeed than higher tier picks. Draft them with a plan in mind.

• Zeus
• Discordia
• Chiron
• Sol
• Chronos
• Aphrodite
• Horus
• Cupid
• Neith
• Ravana
• Xbalanque
• Vamana
• Ares
• Medusa
• Anhur

Smite D Tier List (2026)

D tier gods are the weakest in the current meta. They can still win games in casual modes or in the hands of dedicated one-trick players, but in ranked Conquest they are usually a liability. Consider picking something else if you are playing to climb.

• Artemis
• Sun Wukong
• Chaac
• Nox
• Sobek
• Camazotz
• Nu Wa
• Guan Yu
• Kali
• Thanatos
• Jormungandr
• Xing Tian
• Persephone
• Skadi

If you want to dig deeper into other ranked character guides, also check our Blooms TD 6 Tier List (2026) for a similar breakdown of a different game.

Role Specific Smite Tier Lists for Patch 12.1

Overall tier placement only tells part of the story. A god that dominates the Solo lane might be a weak jungle pick, and the best Support in the game could be a terrible ADC. Below we break down the Smite tier list by role so you can find the right pick for your position.

Solo Lane Tier List

Solo lane rewards sustain, wave clear, and the ability to scale into a frontline bruiser for teamfights. The strongest picks right now can win their lane, rotate for free, and still be relevant in the late game.

• S tier: Surtr, King Arthur, Tyr, Hades
• A tier: Bellona, Cu Chulainn, Hercules, Odin, Vamana
• B tier: Chaac, Sun Wukong, Amaterasu, Achilles, Guan Yu

Jungle Tier List

Jungle gods need early gank pressure, fast clear, and the mobility to punish overextended lanes. The current meta heavily favors ability based assassins that can snowball the map.

• S tier: Tsukuyomi, Susano, Martichoras, Set, Thor
• A tier: Ratatoskr, Fenrir, Pele, Bastet, Nemesis
• B tier: Bakasura, Kali, Hun Batz, Da Ji, Awilix

Mid Lane Tier List

Mid lane is all about wave clear, burst damage, and rotation potential. Mages dominate here, and the top tier picks can delete a squishy before they have time to react.

• S tier: Yu Huang, Ix Chel, Nut, Kukulkan
• A tier: Hera, Agni, Merlin, Ah Puch, Raijin
• B tier: Zeus, Discordia, Janus, Scylla, Thoth

ADC Tier List

The ADC role, also called Carry or Hunter, is your ranged physical damage dealer. They scale hard into the late game and need solid positioning to stay alive while outputting sustained damage.

• S tier: Ishtar, Heimdallr, Martichoras, Cernunnos
• A tier: Hachiman, Charybdis, Rama, Hou Yi, Jing Wei
• B tier: Apollo, Xbalanque, Chiron, Medusa, Anhur

Support Tier List

Support gods set up kills, peel for the ADC, and provide crowd control during teamfights. The best Supports in the Patch 12.1 meta offer game-changing ultimates and reliable peel.

• S tier: Maui, Yemoja, Charon, Maman Brigitte
• A tier: Athena, Atlas, Geb, Bacchus, Kumbhakarna
• B tier: Ares, Ganesha, Sylvanus, Khepri, Terra

Best Smite Gods for Conquest in 2026

Conquest is the flagship mode in Smite 1 and the format we use as the baseline for the rankings on this page. Five players per team, three lanes, a jungle, and the Gold Fury and Fire Giant objectives all factor into which gods rise to the top. Here are the picks worth learning for ranked Conquest in Season 12.

1. Surtr

The Norse fire giant has been a meta defining Solo laner for several patches now. Surtr brings incredible sustain through his passive, his flame waves shred the minion wave, and his ultimate can single handedly win a teamfight by forcing enemies out of position. He scales well and stays tanky enough to frontline for his team.

If you want a god that can carry from the Solo lane without needing ganks, Surtr is the safest blind pick in the current Conquest meta.

2. Yu Huang

Yu Huang sits at the top of the Mid lane tier list thanks to ridiculous area damage and a late game power spike that borders on unfair. His ability to control objective fights with his ultimate makes him a priority ban in high ranked play.

The trade-off is positioning. Yu Huang is immobile, so a coordinated jungle gank can punish him. In the right hands, however, he clears waves fast and outscales almost every other Mage in the game.

Best Smite Gods for Joust in 2026

Joust is the three versus three competitive mode with a single lane and a tighter jungle. Crowd control, burst damage, and pick potential matter more here than raw scaling, because fights happen fast and there is less room to recover from a bad engagement.

• S tier: Set, Tsukuyomi, Yemoja, Atlas, Bacchus
• A tier: Ravana, Ao Kuang, Baron Samedi, Sun Wukong, Ganesha
• B tier: Chronos, Ne Zha, Ah Muzen Cab, Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi

Spelling fixes from earlier versions of this article: Tsukuyomi was previously misspelled as Tsuuyomi, and Chang’e was incorrectly rendered as Chang’E. Both are corrected in this update.

Best Smite Gods for Arena in 2026

Arena is the most popular casual mode in Smite, and it has its own meta that rewards constant teamfighting, AoE damage, and minion clear. Duel mode has been reworked and deprioritized by Hi-Rez, so we have shifted focus to Arena, which still gets heavy play in 2026.

• S tier: Kukulkan, Zeus, Ah Puch, Poseidon, Ares
• A tier: Hades, Agni, Susano, Yemoja, Geb
• B tier: Anubis, Mercury, Bellona, Hou Yi, Bacchus

In Arena, gods with strong poke and AoE crowd control dominate. Mages that can clear waves from range and chunk enemy health bars are especially strong here.

Best Assassins in Smite (2026)

Assassins are physical damage gods built for mobility and burst. They thrive in the jungle, where they can gank lanes, secure objectives, and delete squishy targets before the enemy team has time to react. Earlier versions of this guide incorrectly listed assassin items like Soul Eater and Heartseeker instead of actual assassin gods. That section has been rewritten to rank the gods themselves.

• S tier: Tsukuyomi, Susano, Martichoras, Set
• A tier: Thor, Ratatoskr, Fenrir, Pele, Bastet
• B tier: Bakasura, Kali, Hun Batz, Da Ji, Awilix, Nemesis

Tsukuyomi continues to dominate thanks to reliable burst and a strong escape tool. Martichoras is a newer addition that has quickly become a top jungle pick, with poison stacks that melt targets in extended fights.

Best Warriors in Smite (2026)

Warriors are the bruiser class, mixing damage with enough survivability to hold the Solo lane and frontline for the team. The previous version of this section listed warrior items such as Gauntlet of Thebes and Caduceus Shield. Those are items, not gods. Below you will find the actual warrior gods ranked for the current patch.

• S tier: Surtr, King Arthur, Tyr
• A tier: Bellona, Cu Chulainn, Hercules, Odin, Vamana
• B tier: Chaac, Sun Wukong, Amaterasu, Achilles, Guan Yu, Erlang Shen

Best Hunters in Smite (2026)

Hunters are ranged physical damage dealers that scale into hyper carry status in the late game. The previous version of this section incorrectly listed hunter items like Devourer’s Gauntlet and Qin’s Sais. We have replaced it with the actual hunter gods ranked by performance in the current meta.

• S tier: Ishtar, Heimdallr, Martichoras, Cernunnos
• A tier: Hachiman, Charybdis, Rama, Hou Yi, Jing Wei
• B tier: Apollo, Xbalanque, Chiron, Medusa, Anhur, Ah Muzen Cab

Best Mages in Smite (2026)

Mages use magical power to deal burst and area damage. They dominate the Mid lane and frequently flex into Solo or even Support. The earlier version of this guide listed mage items like Bancroft’s Claw and Polynomicon instead of mage gods. That was wrong, and we have rewritten the section with the actual gods ranked below.

• S tier: Yu Huang, Ix Chel, Nut, Kukulkan
• A tier: Hera, Agni, Merlin, Ah Puch, Raijin, Ao Kuang
• B tier: Zeus, Discordia, Janus, Scylla, Thoth, Baron Samedi

Best Guardians in Smite (2026)

Guardians are the protectors and playmakers of Smite, loaded with crowd control and team utility. The earlier version of this guide listed guardian items like Gauntlet of Thebes and Spirit Robe instead of actual guardian gods. We have corrected that with the real guardian gods ranked by how well they perform in Patch 12.1.

• S tier: Maui, Yemoja, Charon, Maman Brigitte
• A tier: Athena, Atlas, Geb, Bacchus, Kumbhakarna
• B tier: Ares, Ganesha, Sylvanus, Khepri, Terra, Cerberus

If you enjoy ranked character breakdowns, you may also want to read our guide on whether Ark: Survival Evolved is cross-platform or our breakdown of COD Black Ops 4 cross-platform support.

Smite 2 Tier List (Open Beta 36)

Smite 2 entered open beta and has progressed to OB36 as of 2026. The sequel runs on Unreal Engine 5, brings overhauled item systems, and introduces the new Aspect system that lets you customize how each god plays. The Smite 2 tier list below reflects the OB36 meta and the gods currently available in the sequel, which is a smaller roster than Smite 1 but growing with each patch.

Smite 2 S Tier Gods (OB36)

• Bellona
• Loki
• Athena
• Ymir
• Jing Wei

Smite 2 A Tier Gods (OB36)

• Thor
• Anubis
• Hou Yi
• Odin
• Yemoja

Smite 2 tier list rankings are based on data from Smite2.live and SmiteBrain, both of which pull live match stats from ranked queues. Because the Smite 2 roster is smaller and the game is still in beta, expect these rankings to shift more frequently than the Smite 1 list. Always check the patch notes before you commit to a main.

Smite 2 Aspect System Explained

Aspects are a new mechanic unique to Smite 2 that fundamentally change how a god plays. Each god has access to multiple Aspects, and selecting one modifies their abilities, stats, or playstyle. Some Aspects turn a burst Mage into a sustained damage dealer, while others shift a bruiser into more of a tank or assassin.

This is why the Smite 2 tier list is more complex than the Smite 1 version. The same god can be S tier with one Aspect and B tier with another. Reddit users on r/Smite frequently ask which Aspect to run for each god, and the answer changes almost every patch as Hi-Rez tunes the system.

Generally, Aspects that add crowd control or wave clear tend to rank higher in competitive play, while pure damage Aspects are stronger in casual modes. If you are new to Smite 2, start with the default Aspect for each god until you understand their base kit, then experiment with alternates once you have a feel for the matchup.

Smite 1 vs Smite 2: Which Should You Play?

One of the most common questions from returning players is whether to stick with Smite 1 or jump into Smite 2. The answer depends on what you want out of the game. Smite 1 still has the larger roster, the more established competitive scene, and a stable meta built over a decade of patches. It is the safer pick if you want a polished experience with every god available.

Smite 2 is where Hi-Rez is focusing development. It has the Aspect system, an overhauled item shop, Unreal Engine 5 visuals, and active balancing as it moves through open beta. The roster is smaller and the meta shifts faster, which some players love and others find exhausting. If you want to be on the cutting edge and grow with the sequel, Smite 2 is the better choice.

There is no wrong answer here. Many players maintain accounts in both games. Use the Smite tier list above for Smite 1 and the Smite 2 section for the sequel, and you will be covered either way.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Words

This Smite tier list is built to keep you ahead of the meta in 2026, whether you are climbing ranked Conquest in Smite 1 Patch 12.1 or learning the new Aspect system in Smite 2 Open Beta 36. Pick from the S and A tier gods when you want every advantage, but remember that the best god is usually the one you know how to play. A B tier god you have mastered will outperform an S tier god you have never touched.

We update these rankings as Hi-Rez ships new patches, so bookmark this page and check back whenever the meta shifts. Good luck on the battlefield of the gods, and we will see you in the Smite tier list updates for the next patch.