Game is dying. No one cares. Not enough people playing know how to play anymore. The updates have completely ruined any bit of balance there was (and there wasn't much) the gods that are good are the ones that can abuse OP items and that's how the meta changes. Every item is just a stat stick so the only way to get good is learning what gods are abusing the best items and learning character placement. The matchmaking is basically nonexistent even in ranked and the Devs themselves admitted it was broken and it was a big reason they are moving to UE5 for Smite 2. I've played this game for a really long time and it's sad to see it in the state that it's currently in and for the first time I've uninstalled it. Loved it but if it's not dead yet then it's dying and tbh it needs to. The amount of toxic/afkers in this game is insane for an entire week there has been one person in every single game at the very least that is either talking smack/going afk/leaving the game/trolling and running in to die intentionally/ or straight up doesn't know how to play and this community doesn't deserve a good game to play. Uninstalled today and won't come back until MAYBE Smite 2s release.

After 10 years, 4500+ hours, I've played through every season the game has released, and played through almost every patch cycle. I can say for a very long time I have loved this game and have dedicated hours/days of my time to truly understand the game on every level or at least I've tried, but it truly makes me sad to see the game in the state that it's in today.

The balance of the game "feels" like it's been tossed aside due to the introduction of Smite 2 (which I am still hype for). However... Introducing items or builds in general that make snowballing even quicker and easier to do with certain gods that require way less skill and knowledge to perform. It just truly feels so fundamentally bad in every factor of the game. I understand this happens patch to patch but after 10 years. I feel lessons should have been learned... an it's inexcusable to let things get this out of hand. However, it's also sad to see changes being implemented that were requested years an years ago now just being added because "it's okay to do it now because Smite 2 is coming". I feels like the dev team has hit the F-it button and said "lets add every change that's ever been requested and let balance & skill go out the window". You have at least a year before Smite 2 is completely polished and finished... Why are you destroying what we still have to play?? I just don't get it.

The player base (from what I've seen) lately has shown more toxic behavior than I've seen in years. No remorse for a solitary miss-play, increasing levels of intentional feeding, not playing at all, leaving the match and have even seen players sabotage their own teams farm just to solidify a loss. I know the community likes to say "go next" but going next doesn't matter when the same damn thing happens next game. The last outlier (which I will say is more uncommon but does still happen pretty regularly) is when people get so mad they go to the level of threats, racial obscenities, etc.

Now, I know MOBA's have a unique community base which always leans towards the side of toxicity, but this level of toxicity has to be addressed rather than just a 7-day ban which is a slap on the wrist (what it feels like to me). I feel being hard banned is the only solution if ways don't change, because what most players will do is just create a new account an just repeat the cycle only. Which now it's the new players that have to deal with these types of players, and it ruins the experience for potential new players. It changes nothing for the health of the game again if outliers like this are able to continue their ways.

I want things to change for this game and for it's benefactors in the future because going forward how am I suppose to recommend something with the problems above to Smites future player base. You can't keep avoiding the biggest issues with the game. Einstein said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". I've given this game 10 years and expected a different result... do better please.

As someone who has easily 10k hours on MOBA's but the least on smite its tough watching the player base of a game like this that is so beloved by the few fans that are still around. Now I know that the dev work has been going into smite 2 for years but for years its felt like smite is the low effort work of people that don't really care then you listen to devs talk about how they have put in 8 years of hard work and not once did you ever think to look at other MOBA's and see whats working and why? I mean I feel they did that a lot more then they ever have with smite 2 but just the fact that since smite 2 started it seemed like they just half asses any work they put into this game is just depressing to watch. No one is asking you to make jaw dropping changes with smite 2 on the horizon but they have known it was coming for awhile listen to the community and send smite off the right way don't starve and malnourished it with half ass updates and changes.