SMITE: King of Uruk Gilgamesh charges onto the battlegrounds

The King of Uruk, Gilgamesh, will be joining the SMITE battlegrounds in an epic clash against Tiamat on April 20.

A playable character from the Babylonian pantheon, Gilgamesh has several abilities and a useful passive for players to try out.

Gilgamesh’s abilities

Gilgamesh’s first ability is Sun-Forged Scimitar. When SMITE players activate this, Gilgamesh ignites his sword to damage and slow surrounding enemies. The King of Uruk’s basic attacks deal 3.5% of his maximum health to enemies as well. When he hits an enemy with a basic attack while Sun-Forged Scimitar is active, the effect’s duration lasts longer.

His next ability is Drop Kick. When used against opponents, players in the area take damage.  Gilgamesh launches the one that comes closest to him through them. Bonus damage will occur if the launched enemy hits a minion. Enemy SMITE players who get hit will be immobilized with a stun.

As for Hero’s Advance, Gilgamesh leaps up and crashes down. Enemies around the area of impact take damage. He creates a beacon that lasts for a few seconds as well. Teammates who approach it experience an increase in movement speed. Once teammates enter the beacon, they also get a Lifesteal bonus.

Winds of Shamash is the King of Uruk’s ultimate. When SMITE players activate it, the King of Uruk will call upon Shamash to create a ring of wind. Enemies trapped inside it are slowed and take damage. If an enemy is damaged by Gilgamesh while attempting to escape the ultimate, they will be pushed back into it.

With the Epic of Gilgamesh as his passive, Gilgamesh gains a quest at both level five and 10. The first quest requires the player to visit a specific map location. Meanwhile, players can complete the second quest by defeating half of the enemy team in a single confrontation. After completing a quest, the King of Uruk will be rewarded with a Tier 1 item. If his inventory is full, then he will receive 500 gold.

The creation of Gilgamesh

The King of Uruk’s arrival to the SMITE battlegrounds follows the actions of Tiamat.

According to the developers, Gilgamesh knows about the history of Tiamat’s battles and remembers that she once warred with his own gods. While other characters are grateful for Tiamat’s past actions, some are concerned about her rule over others. Therefore, deities must pick a side.

As for the King of Uruk’s design,  devs put a lot of thought into his armor and weapon. The developers noted that they were important to his kit and his visuals.

Designers creatively applied the artifacts that the King of Uruk collected as themes from the epic. They also used these to reference other Babylonian gods.

The same amount of care was given to his armor as well. This includes his crown, shoulder armor and cloak.

“If you look closely, you’ll see references to specific animals in his armor like the lion and the bull,” a blog post noted. “Both are references to specific parts of his epic. These animals he conquered or tamed as part of his journey are now a part of him in SMITE.”