Crowd Control (also called CC) is a term used in SMITE to refer to negative status effects that influence, limit or prevent the actions of the affected gods and units. Crowd control can be extremely powerful, controlling the possible outcomes of an encounter, as it forces opponents to use a smaller set of abilities/actions. Used properly, crowd control often renders an opponent nearly useless, allowing attack without fear of retaliation. In teamfights, crowd control often makes combat safer, easier, or more viable.
There are two main types of crowd-control effects: "Soft" and "Hard" Crowd Control, depending on whether or not the effect prevents the target from taking some kind of action.
Diminishing Returns (DR) is a mechanic that serves to counterbalance Hard CC. For more information, see: Diminishing Returns
List of Crowd Control effects[]
Here is a list with every type of crowd control effect, along with some relevant information. This list is sorted by the category of CC that each effect falls under.
Soft Crowd Control[]
This type of Crowd Control makes it more difficult to do a specific action, including Basic Attacks, non-movement Abilities, and Movement Inputs. Soft CCs neither apply nor are affected by stacks of DR.
Blind[]
Blind is a soft crowd control. A player who's god is under this effect will have their visibility obfuscated for the duration.
Cripple[]
Cripple is a soft crowd control. A crippled god is unable to use movement abilities like leaps (if a god is crippled while leaping, they'll be stunned), dashes, or teleports.
Deafen[]
Deafen is a soft crowd control. A player who's god is under this effect will be unable to hear voice clips and sound effects for the duration.
Intoxication[]
Intoxication is a soft crowd control. An intoxicated unit will move erratically for the duration. Additionally, players who's god is intoxicated will have their vision distorted.
Slow[]
Slow is a soft crowd control. A slowed unit has its total movement speed reduced, but is still able to walk and take any other kind of action. Slows from multiple sources stack but have reduced efficiency when above 40%. The formula for calculating this is:
Effective Slow = (Base Slow x 100) / (Base Slow + 60)
For example, a unit affected by a 50% base slow would actually suffer a 45.45% movement speed reduction. Effective slow is applied to a unit's current movement speed, not their base movement speed.
Time Dilation[]
Time dilation is a soft crowd control. A time dilated unit will have slower movement and animations for the duration. Additionally, ranged basic attack projectiles fired by the affected unit move slower, and deployables take longer to spawn.
Tremble[]
Tremble is a soft crowd control. A trembling unit will move erratically toward the source for the duration.
Vortex[]
Vortex is a soft crowd control. A unit under this effect is pulled towards the center of the effect, but not prevented from walking out. If the unit walks away from the center, their movement speed will be slowed, and the opposite is also true. Vortex may be paired with other crowd control effects such as cripple or slow that can limit a unit's escape.
Hard Crowd Control[]
This type of Crowd Control makes it impossible to do at least one of the following actions: Basic Attacks, non-movement Abilities, and Movement Inputs. Hard CCs apply 1 stack of DR and their durations are affected by the number of DR stacks the victim has.
Disarm[]
Disarm is a hard crowd control. A disarmed unit is unable to use their basic attacks.
Disorient[]
Disorient is a hard crowd control. A disoriented unit is unable to take any action and is turned to a random direction.
Fear[]
Fear is a hard crowd control. A feared unit loses control and is forced to slowly run away.
Madness[]
Madness is a hard crowd control. A god under this effect is forced to attack their allies or harmlessly follow the caster.
Mesmerize[]
Mesmerize is a hard crowd control. A mesmerized unit is unable to take any action. However, the effect will be cancelled prematurely if the unit takes any damage (excluding damage from minions).
Root[]
Root is a hard crowd control. A rooted unit cannot walk but can use movement abilities. They will remain rooted wherever they go.
Silence[]
Silence is a hard crowd control. A silenced unit is unable to cast abilities nor use relics and consumables.
Slippery Surface[]
Slippery Surface is a hard crowd control. A unit standing on a slippery surface is slowed and loses control of their movement while sliding across. If the victim hits a wall or obstacle it will cause them to bounce away from it.
Stun[]
Stun is a hard crowd control. A stunned unit is unable to move nor use their abilities and items.
Taunt[]
Taunt is a hard crowd control. A taunted unit is slowed and is forced to attack and chase the caster.
True Hard Crowd Control[]
This subtype of Hard crowd control is not affected by the effects of Diminishing Returns and applies two stacks of DR.
Banish[]
Banish is a hard crowd control. A banished unit is temporarily removed from the game and can neither be targeted by allies nor enemies and is unable to take any action or move. They do, however, continue to take damage from damage-over-time effects.
Grab[]
Grab is a hard crowd control. A grabbed unit is unable to take any action and will be relocated by the caster.
Knockback[]
Knockback is a hard crowd control. A knocked back unit is knocked away from the source and is unable to perform any actions while in motion.
Knockup[]
Knockup is a hard crowd control. A knocked up unit is knocked into the air, preserving their current direction, and is unable to take any action until they land.
Polymorph[]
Polymorph is a hard crowd control. A unit under this effect is transformed into an animal for the duration. While transformed, the unit is slowed and unable to use their abilities or basic attacks.
Pull[]
Pull is a hard crowd control. A unit under this effect is pulled towards the CC's source.
Ramp-Up Crowd Control[]
This type of Crowd Control causes an affected target to be afflicted by one of the previously listed crowd control effects that increases in intensity over its duration. For example, Chronos' Stop Time ability will lower the target's attack and movement speed until they are stunned. The effect will be considered the same type of Crowd Control as the one applied at the end for gameplay purposes and for crowd control cleansing effects (meaning that while slow preventing effects won't affect a ramp-up stun, hard CC immunity will).
Crowd Control Items[]
Certain items can apply various crowd control effects to hostile or friendly units.
- This consumable item will slow enemies that come within it's radius for a short duration.
- Divine Barrier and its upgrades
- This relic and its upgrades will slow enemies for a duration who pass through the field.
Horrific Emblem and its upgrades
- This relic and its upgrades will slow enemy gods within a radius for a duration.
- This relic will root enemies around its owner for a duration.
- This starter item will slow enemies hit if the owner has not dealt or taken damage for a duration.
- This glyph item will allow its owner's next basic attack to silence the target for a duration.
- If the owner of this item takes magical damage from an enemy ability, this item will unleash a shockwave that silences all targets within a radius.
- This passive item will cause its owner's basic attacks to unleash a shockwave that slows all target's movement speed within a radius.
- This passive item will cause its owner's damaging abilities to apply a slow for a short duration.
- If the owner of this item reaches a certain percentage of their maximum health or less, this item will unleash a shockwave that stuns all targets within a radius.
- Enemies that successfully land basic attacks on the owner have their Movement Speed reduced for a short duration. This effect can stack up to 3 times and can stack with other item slow effects.
- Pridwen and its glyphs
- This passive item and its glyphs will slow all targets for a duration within a radius.
Crowd Control Reduction[]
There are several means of reducing the efficacy of crowd control effects, or even nullifying them entirely. Some god abilities provide a temporary immunity to some or all of them, and there are items that can do this as well. For more information on Crowd Control Reduction (or CCR), see the Statistics page.
A list of all items that provide Crowd Control Reduction can be found here: List of Crowd Control Reduction items.
Diminishing Returns[]
Diminishing Returns (or DR) is a mechanic that makes hard crowd control less effective when used on a recently affected target.
Any Hard CC will apply a stack of DR to the victim, while True Hard CC applies 2 stacks. Abilities that have two or more Hard CC effects attached to them will apply an equal amount of DR stacks. Each stack grants the target 20% Crowd Control Reduction for 15 seconds, and can be stacked up to 4 times (for a total of 80% CCR).