SMITE 'Year 10' keynote reveals Magic the Gathering collab, a new playable God, a new map and more

As the SMITE World Championship final phase has started, Hi-Rez held an incredible Year 10 Keynote with dozens of major announcements for 2023.

Magic: The Gathering and SMITE unite for the game’s largest and most thrilling Crossover in history! The main mode in SMITE, Conquest, gets an entirely new map with fresh art and layout, new monsters, structures, objectives, and more. The legendary Fire Giant jungle boss, Surtr, breaks free to become a playable God, while a monstrous Battle Pass and an exceptional Year 10 Pass have also been revealed.

All those new features, and more, will be out on January 24. For all fans of fast-paced action combat, the first update in Year 10 will be SMITE’s biggest update in history!

All of Hi-Rez is extremely proud to welcome the world of Magic: The Gathering, created by Wizards of the Coast, into the battleground of the Gods on January 24. A classic, genre-defining collectable card game, Magic: The Gathering can rely on countless fans among SMITE players.

In this all-new Crossover, iconic characters Chandra Nalaar, Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, Karn, and Atraxa are all manifesting in SMITE as skins for legendary deities. As spell slingers, artefact hunters, and necromancers, the characters from Magic: The Gathering will feel at home among the warring Gods of SMITE. On the Battleground of the Gods, they can endlessly tap into their power without fear of mana death.

More Planeswalkers and creatures will be able to travel into this plane, with another five joining with the second game update of 2023. In total there will be 10 playable skins from Magic: The Gathering, making this Crossover the biggest ever for SMITE. The event will also include free quests for all players and a multitude of cosmetics such as the Power Nine loading frame and a themed level-up skin.

On January 24 after 10 years of divine action, SMITE’s iconic jungle boss since open beta, the Fire Giant Surtr, will be breaking free from his shackles and becoming the new playable God.

As a Warrior from the Nordic pantheon, Surtr will soon be taking his revenge on those who have spent more than a decade cutting him down. And Gods should know one thing: with each defeat the wrath of Surtr has been growing ever stronger…

Playing as this chaotic strength of nature, you will be able to spawn fiery imps and hurl them at your enemies, strike through foes with a blazing blade in rings of fire, and even become an extinction event by transforming into a flaming meteor that will crash down from the skies. Ragnarok awaits you…

Surtr’s ascent to divinity has brought Ragnarok-level destruction on the Conquest map, SMITE’s most strategic mode. This marks the beginning of the Season of Monsters, first of the four Seasons comprising Year 10. Each Season will introduce sweeping changes.

The Season of Monsters’ new designs affects the entire Conquest battleground: jungle, lane structure and fortified bases on both sides. The new jungle is home to rogue Cyclops, new buffs, and treasure chests. At its centre, Gods can confront the Fire Giant’s successor! New ‘Tower Bastions’ structures now strengthen lane towers – destroying them will give you the edge.

Gameplay-wise, God classes have stronger identities through class-specific bonus stats – one for each. No fewer than forty-five items have been created or entirely revamped and the new Shard Relics now provide early-game active abilities that emphasize player skills in decisive ways.

For this Season of Monsters, the Battle Pass: Boss Monsters will feature four terrible foes calling for epic teamfights. Those new skins for Kukulkan, Cernunnos, Guan Yu, and Arachne are inspired by the iconic final boss encounters in your favorite RPGs.

Also revealed today, the SMITE Year 10 Pass out on January 24 will be brimming with content. For each single God release throughout 2023, the Year 10 Pass will unlock Unlimited Edition ‘Ascended’ skins, Tier 1 skins, emotes, and voice packs. In addition, upon purchase players instantly get a new top-quality skin, Calamity Cat Sol, plus 1000 Gems.