With the launch of patch 8.4 in Smite, Gilgamesh joins the arena as the latest god. He’s a warrior, a Physical-type melee attacker that is a fearsome fighter. You’re going to likely see this god battling it out in the solo lane in conquest matches, and you might see another player or two attempting to try him out in the jungle. He could work there, but it will take some more practice for this god to effectively rotate and gank. To master Gilgamesh, you need need to know about his abilities, and how they work.
Passive – Epic of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh Embarks! At level 5 and 10 Gilgamesh gains a quest. The first quest is to visit a specific location on the map. The second quest is to defeat half of the enemy team (rounded up) in a single fight. Each time Gilgamesh completes a quest he is awarded a Tier 1 item or 500 gold if he has a full inventory.
Gilgamesh’s passive involves players completing quests to advance it. You have to wait to hit level 5 before it activates, and when you reach level 10, the second part of the passive activates. Once those two quests are finished, Gilgamesh’s passive doesn’t do anything else for him. While these are great to give you a bonus at the start of the game, they don’t really do much else for the rest of it.
When you reach level 5, you will have to visit a specific portion of the map, somewhere in the enemy jungle, where you have to go to a waypoint. Once you complete that, you will receive a tier 1 item of your choosing. When you reach level 10, the quest requires you to defeat three enemies during a single fight, to receive another tier 1 item. If your inventory is full, you receive 500 gold instead.
Ability 1 – Sun-forged Scimitar
- Ability : Stim
- Radius : 20
- Gilgamesh ignites his sword with the ferocity of the Sun for 4s. Enemies around the ignition take damage and are slowed for 2.5s. Gilgamesh’s Basic Attack deals bonus damage equal to 3.5% of his Maximum Health to enemies hit. When Gilgamesh successfully hits an enemy with his Basic Attack the duration of this effect is extended for 0.8s, up to a maximum of 12s.
- Damage : 65/100/135/170/205 (+60% of your Physical Power)
- Slow : 15/17.5/20/22.5/25%
- Cost : 60
- Cooldown : 14/13/12/11/10s
Gilgamesh’s first ability is called Sun-forged Scimitar. When you activate the ability, there is a small explosion around Gilgamesh. Any enemy hit by this effect receives damage, and they are slowed for 2.5 seconds. This ability augment’s Gilgamesh’s basic attack, increasing the amount of damage your attacks do by 3.5% of Gilgamesh’s maximum health. Every time you land a basic attack against an enemy, this ability’s effect gains an additional 0.8 seconds to the overall time. This ability can last up to 12 seconds, but cannot receive more time beyond this.
If you plan to take Gilgamesh down the route of a basic attack warrior, similar to Osiris or Bellona, you want to focus on leveling up this ability first to serve as your primary attack when clearing lane, or while in the jungle.
Ability 2 – Drop Kick
- Ability : Line
- Range : 25
- Gilgamesh drop kicks an area in front of him. Enemies in the area are damaged while the closest enemy is launched through these enemies. The launched enemy takes bonus damage when hitting a minion or takes burst damage and is stunned if hitting a God or a Wall. If the launched enemy hits the Winds of Shamash they are thrown toward the center of the ring. Minions hit by the launched enemy take bonus damage. Gods hit by the launched enemy take burst damage and are stunned.
- Kick Damage : 70/100/130/160/190 (+50% of your Physical Power)
- Bonus Damage : 25/40/55/70/85 (+25% of your Physical Power)
- Burst Damage : 70/115/160/205/250 (+65% of your Physical Power)
- Stun Duration : 1.1/1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5s
- Cost : 60/65/70/75/80
- Cooldown : 14s
Gilgamesh’s second ability is called Drop Kick. Gilgamesh leaps into the air and kicks any enemy gods in front of him, knocking the closest enemy through enemy minions and gods. When the launched enemy hits a wall, they are stunned for a few seconds, and they take additional damage. Enemy minions that are hit by a launched god take bonus damage, and any enemy god hit by a launched opponent will receive burst damage, and they are also stunned.
The Drop Kick ability serves as Gilgamesh’s primary way of clearing a lane, alongside his first ability, and will be a good way to push enemy gods away from him in a lane. You can use this to bully enemies in the jungle or even knock away an assassin attempting to gank you in the solo lane.
Ability 3 – Hero’s Advance
- Ability : Leap
- Range : 50
- Gilgamesh leaps into the air, crashing down at a target location. Enemies around the impact take damage. Gilgamesh infuses the ground with energy, causing a beacon to appear for 5s. Allies who run towards the beacon will gain Movement Speed, halving once they enter the beacon. Allies who enter the beacon will gain bonus Lifesteal, boosted by 15% of Gilgamesh’s highest Protection.
- Damage : 80/120/160/200/240 (+65% of your Physical Power)
- Movement Speed : 25/27.5/30/32.5/35%
- Lifesteal : 10%
- Cost : 70
- Cooldown : 15s
Gilgamesh’s third ability is called Hero’s Advance. It’s an area of effect attack where Gilgamesh jumps through the air and lands up to 50 meters away. When Gilgamesh lands, a distinct aura covers the battlefield, buffing all allies with movement speed when they rush towards the beacon, and that buff is cut in half once inside the beacon. Any ally in the aura gain 15% lifesteal, based on Gilgamesh’s highest protection stat.
This ability is definitely a big team fighting one and will probably be the final ability you level up, alongside the Winds of Shamash, Gilgamesh’s ultimate. It’s a good way to initiate a teamfight, boosting all of your allies who rush to your aid. It’s important to note that while this ability does damage enemies, it does not harm them or slow them down in any way.
Ultimate – Winds of Shamash
- Ability : Ground Target
- Range : 35
- Gilgamesh calls upon Shamash to create a ring of wind at a target location for 6s. Enemies inside this ring when it starts take damage and are slowed for 2s. Enemies inside the ring take wind damage every .5s. Enemies who try to escape the ring are heavily slowed. If Gilgamesh damages an enemy trying to flee they are thrown back towards the center of the ring. The wind turns into thread over 6s; damaging, Rooting, and Crippling enemies who are still inside the ring.
- Initial Damage : 90/150/210/270/330 (+50% of your Physical Power)
- Initial Slow : 20/22.5/25/27.5/30%
- Wind Damage : 12/16/20/24/28 (+5% of your Physical Power)
- Wind Wall Slow : 50/55/60/65/70%
- Binding Damage : 150/225/300/375/450 (+60% of your Physical Power)
- Cost : 80/85/90/95/100
- Cooldown : 90s
Gilgamesh’s ultimate is called Winds of Shamash. It’s an area of effect that summons a massive ring of wind. All enemy targets inside of the whirlwind take damage, and they are slowed for 2 seconds. Any enemy still inside the whirlwind when it finishes launching takes damage every 0.5 seconds, and they are heavily slowed if they attempt to escape beyond the center of the ring. After 6 seconds, the winds become a thread, and every enemy inside the ring is rooted and crippled. When you use Drop Kick against an enemy while inside Winds of Shamash, the enemy launched into the ring is knocked back to the center of the attack.
For a final ability, this is a great way to use alongside Hero’s Advance, preventing enemies from escaping the ring and heavily damaging them. You might want to lead with this one first, and if an enemy uses their dash or beads to escape, you can rush after them using Hero’s Advance, giving your allies an additional boost to keep the fight going.
