Just hours after it was announced to the public at the Smite World Championships, I had the opportu﷽nity to try an early pre-alpha build of Smite 2. The highly-anticipated sequel is shaping up to be, as promised, everything that Smite is and more.

I played two Conquest matches with other members of the press, diving straight into the three-lane format used at the highest levels of competitive play. Like me, most of the other players were seasoned gamers who were relatively new to Smit🦹e, while more experienced players took on a coaching role. Walking behind the row of their team’s players, they oversaw the flow of the game and offered advice ranging from laconic “looks like they’re going to push mid” to a frantic “Ult ult ult use your ult!”

The demo featured ten playable gods chosen from Smite’s classic roster, showcasing their graphical makeovers and, in some cases, their revamped abilities. I chose Bellona for both matches, as she’s the only character available I am familiar with. Her stance-shifting tan🍸k role hasn’t changed much from the original, so I was able to slide into familiar territory.

Apart from some placeholder graphics indicative of the game’s early state, Smite 2 is much prettier than the o⛦riginal. From redesigned, detailed outfits to suitably epic environments, it was easy to get immersed in the Battleground of the Gods. I took care to note the extra detail that went into attacks like Anhur’s Obelisk and Anubis’ field of grasping, spectral hands, which the devs are rightly proud of.

Fighting other players in Smite 2 definitely feels like battling the gods themselves, which is what developer Titan Forge Games was going for. Each match had an Ymir on both teams, gleefully playing with the jotun’s newly-propulsive Ice Wall. Every few minutes, there was a cry of ꧅despair as another unfortunate player was ambushed and slain by a stealthed Loki.

I didn’t quite feel that sense of godly power myself, but that might have just come from my choice of character. Bellona’s strength comes from her arsenal of weapons, swapping betwe꧂en a sword, a hammer, and a scourge to change up her stats and attack pattern to fit the situation. Being a master of weapons feels pretty mortal when other players are summoning hurricanes and evoking the spirits of the dead!

I played my first match on a mouse and keyboard and the second on a PS5 cont🌟roller. While the shift was disorienting at first, it was easy to see why Smite is so popular on consoles and should remain so. Once I had the buttons mapped in my head, the game felt just as intuitive. I would have liked to have had more vibration feedback from the contro🐟ller - a nice little jolt when my hammer connects - but that will hopefully be a setting in the final version. The camera controls on controller also seemed a bit oversensitive; again, something I expect won’t be an issue at launch.

While it remains to be seen just how much of an overall improvement Smite 2 will be over it🌞s predecessor, this early build shows that Titan Forge Games has made a promising start. For my part, I’ll enjoy my status as the #1 ranked player in the world for Assists in Smite 2, at least until the fans with VIP access get their shot and dethrone me.