SMITE's newest goddess struts her stuff unto the field of battle. If you thought SMITE lacked sex appeal then Aphrodite will probably change your mind in all of her under-clothed glory. Luckily for her she isn't the one taking the hits.

Aphrodite has a wide range of uses in team fights and in the early laning phase. Her abilities are all about providing protection and buffs to her "soulmate."

Abilities

Passive: Loving Embrace- Gaining Aphrodites favor returns a percentage of all of Aphrodite's mana gained to her "soulmate,"

Kiss: Blows a kiss to a god in front of Aphrodite. If the kiss hits an allied god they become the goddess's soulmate and gives both gods a speed boost. If the kiss hits an enemy god they are stunned and Aphrodite's soulmate becomes jealous, going into a rage that increases their attack damage by a percentage.

Back Off!: Like the diva she is Aphrodite commands all enemies to get away, causing a knock back and dealing moderate magic damage. If Aphrodite has a soulmate this attack affects them instead of Aphrodite.

Love Birds: Aphrodite calls forth a flock of doves to heal her and her soulmate while dealing magic damage over time to enemies that are caught in their path. Doves are dangerous, dangerous beasties.

Undying Love: Aphrodite removes all crowd control from her and her soulmate while granting them immunity. This ability can turn the tide of fights or save you from an otherwise inescapable situation if used correctly.

Attention Smite fans! Does your team think it has what it takes to compete against some of the top Smite players around? How about for a chance to win a pretty hefty cash prize pool? Well it's time to gear up and show us what you're made of because your opportunity has just arrived. Coming to Pax East (March 22-24) the team at HI-REZ Studios that brought you Smite, will be hosting a $10,000 prize pool tournament.

As one of the more notable gods of Greek mythology, it was only a matter of time before Poseidon was added to the SMITE roster. Joining his brothers Zeus and Hades (as well as fellow gods Arachne, Ares, and Artemis), the God of the Oceans is the 6th god to be announced for SMITE's Greek Pantheon.

The latest addition to Hi-Rez's pantheon in Smite is Vulcan, Smith of the Gods. Born with a face that not even his own mother could love -- that explains the Yosemite Sam beard -- Vulcan was cast out from his place of heritage and now distracts himself from his sadness in by making the most powerful weapons imaginable.

Vulcan creates cannons and thumpers on the battlefield to lay waste to the opposition. Will he be your new favorite choice?

SMITE, along with the rest of humanity, is still standing on this December 21st, and Hi-Rez Studios has rolled out a new set of changes to the beta. Among them is this guy, the Maya god Xbalanque, but also included is Christmas holiday skins, a new Joust queue for 1v1, Conquest map changes, a better item store, and UI improvements. 

Done with your relatives? Might as well log in!

Julian "Mirai" Williams

It was really inevitable - the god of war (the god, not the game) from the greek pantheon has joined SMITE's closed beta. Utilizing a lot of crowd control chains, a flame-spitting shield, and an area rally for his teammates, Ares nicely distances himself from other MOBA champions who share his look. He's more about area control than brawling, which is awesome.

Julian "Mirai" Williams

Like a comic book team up, Hi-Rez Studios and SMITE have joined forces with the band MANOWAR to create an all-awesome gods and metal and combat duo.

Hi-Rez and MANOWAR both spoke positively about the teamup. Todd Harris, COO, said MANOWAR "shared our vision for SMITE and decided to start with The Sons of Odin track with more music to come, including original compositions by Joey DeMaio and MANOWAR." 

Joey DeMaio, founder, bassist, composer, and producer, added, "We are very excited about this collaboration. Metal fans and gamers have a lot in common and SMITE in particular totally connects with our music. We are looking forward to uniting SMITE gamers and Manowarriors all over the world." 

I gotta admit, the fantasy-mythological metal soundtrack fits SMITE perfectly. I can't wait to see it in action. 

Julian "Mirai" Williams

SMITE's gotten into a bit of a dispute with Rajan Zed, the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, based on his view of how the gods are treated. According to Eurasia Review, "controlling and manipulating goddess Kali and the other Hindu deities with a joystick/button/keyboard/mouse is denigration." His complaints are extremely general after that, talking of being against "refashioning Hinduism concepts and symbols for mercantile greed," and he requests their removal entirely. SMITE's creators Hi-Rez have issued a statement that, in short, tells them they will not. 

While you might disagree about the use of other religion's gods in a game, I don't think a COO of a video game company should tell the President of Universal Society of Hinduism a fact about religion followed with, "Ponder that for a minute."

Iiiiiit's BFF Report time with your host, Mike B. aka fony! This week, in ZAM's BFF Report #112, Mike B. has fired up Hi-Rez Studios' latest third-person MOBA: SMITE! Right now, SMITE is looking mighty fun, and Mike B. categorizes it as something of a mix-up between an MMORPG and a MOBA, so if that sounds like something you would like, well... go check out that BFF Report!

You can watch the latest BFF Report right here!

SMITE, the upcoming 3rd person MOBA from Hi-Rez Studios, is now entering closed beta. So for those of you who were lucky enough to get an invite, you should be able to play! Interestingly, in a move similar to the beta launch of Tribes: Ascend, all of your work you put in throughout the test windows - including account advancement and unlocks - will remain throughout the beta and into the official release. Time to get an early start, everyone! (Feel free to sign up if you haven't already, of course.)