The role of the jungler in Smite differs in some ways from similar roles in other games, but also has a few things in common. Due to the nature of the game, junglers can feel isolated from their teams, so good self-sufficient kits are what you want to look for in a jungling god. On top of that, good clear speeds for jungle camps, self-reliant healing, and high burst damage for buff carrier monsters — all represent important considerations before you even step into the green.
Your goal is to set up ambushes, take monster buffs, and clear the pathways from enemies, acting as both the reconnaissance for your team and a threat to the enemies. For all of those reasons, gods from the Assassin class have proven to usually be the best junglers in Smite, though some Hunter and Mage gods are fairly viable as well. However, Assassins still reign supreme on the top of the meta, and below, we will list our top five picks for the best jungler gods in Smite.
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The best jungler gods in Smite
5. Ratatoskr
Class: Assassin
Pantheon: Norse
This little squirrel embodies everything that a jungler god needs to have. He has great mobility (Dart, Flurry), AoE damage (Flurry, Acorn Blast), slowing debuffs (Dart, Acorn Blast), and his ultimate (Through the Cosmos) lets him quite literally go anywhere on the map very quickly. He even has his own upgradeable unique item (Acorn of Swiftness > Acorn of Yggdrasil), that is great for early-game jungling. With all that said, his power level is not quite up to par with some of the higher-placed gods on our list, but he can easily outjungle most others.
4. Fenrir
Class: Assassin
Pantheon: Norse
Fenrir is all about brutal assault and stacking damage upon damage. He has decent mobility with Unchained, but his main strength lies in extremely fast clear speeds and ambush potential. To that effect, he can use Seething Howl for both CC and sustain, and both Unchained and Brutalize serve different important roles in jungling. Lastly, when you’re ready to ambush, pop Ragnarok to become a god-monster and take an unsuspecting victim to their demise.
3. Bakasura
Class: Assassin
Pantheon: Hindu
Relying more on control and self-healing, Bakasura is a methodical jungle menace. His kit lends itself very well to clearing the jungle of both monsters and enemy gods, as he doesn’t need to rely on more than his basic kit to duel almost anyone. Take Down gives him good mobility and debuff tools, while Eat Minion provides healing to allow Butcher Blades and Insatiable Hunger to ramp up and deal with any opponent. And to facilitate lane ambushes, look no further than Regurgitate for an especially nasty surprise for the enemy team.
2. Bastet
Class: Assassin
Pantheon: Egyptian
Most of the other gods we’ve mentioned so far hyper-specialize in certain aspects of jungling. Meanwhile, Bastet can cover practically everything all around, and she’s extremely efficient at it. You need reconnaissance — just send out cats to explore with Ensnaring Claw. You need mobility — use Pounce to move around. Need damage and AoE — use Pounce again, followed by Razor Whip. She can do everything, and then even lifesteal her opponents for sustainability through her Nightstalker passive. Last but not least, she is a serious CC threat with both Ensnaring Claw, as well as her extremely powerful ultimate Huntress of Bast, which allows her to not only stun enemy gods but then also carry them away to an unfavorable position, followed by a slowing quicksand.
1. Tsukuyomi
Class: Assassin
Pantheon: Japanese
No meta list for Smite is complete without mentioning Tsukuyomi, who is by far and away one of the most powerful gods in the game. He’s a jungling hyper carry, and if he can snowball through the early game, the match is all but won. He has a good mix of both melee and ranged abilities to dish out damage (Shingetsu & Mangetsu, Dark Moon Shuriken, Kusarigama), but one of his main strengths is his ability to chase down enemies (Kusarigama, Silver Moon Caltrops). There is no escaping this guy. Encapsulating everything previously mentioned, his ultimate (Piercing Moonlight) lets him not only shoot enemies from range but also marks them and lets Tsukuyomi dash forward at breakneck speed to catch up to them to finish the job. To top it all off, if he kills an enemy god with it, he gains both of his ranged attacks, making the snowball all but relentless.
