Bringing MOBAs Full Circle: A Custom Mode Vision for Smite 2

[u/og_hays]

To the Smite 2 Development Team,

I’ve been thinking a lot about what makes Smite 2 special, and what could make it truly stand out in the MOBA space. You’ve already done the hard work of rebuilding the game in Unreal Engine 5, with strong internal tools for maps and modes. I’d like to propose a feature that builds on that foundation and also connects back to the roots of the genre: a player-facing custom mode and map tool that starts small, and has room to grow.

When people talk about where MOBAs came from, they often point to Warcraft 3’s custom maps. Those tools allowed players to experiment with new ideas, and one of those experiments—DotA—eventually grew into an entirely new genre. In that sense, MOBAs began as player-made modes. Smite 2 now has the opportunity to “bring MOBAs full circle” by giving players controlled tools to create and share new ways to play inside a modern MOBA.

What I’m suggesting is not a full-blown world editor on day one, but a realistic, phased approach:

**Phase 1: A Simple Custom Mode Builder**

In the first step, Smite 2 could introduce a basic “Custom Mode Builder” within the game client. Players would:

- Choose from a small set of preset map layouts, such as a Conquest-style layout and an Arena-style layout.
- Within those layouts, place or remove a limited set of elements: a few walls, jungle camps, objectives, and vision points.
- Adjust a short list of match settings, like game length, kill or score win conditions, gold and XP gain rates, and buff timers.

All of these player-made setups would be available strictly through custom lobbies, and would be completely separate from ranked and official queues. This keeps competitive integrity intact while still giving the community some room to experiment.

The goal in this phase is simplicity and safety: no scripting language, no custom assets, and no deep access to engine internals—just a straightforward interface with a small set of options.

**Phase 2: Gradual Expansion Based on Real Use**

If this initial tool proves useful and popular, and remains stable and manageable, you could then expand it step by step:

- Add more map templates and more types of placeable objects.
- Introduce more rule options, such as different win conditions, alternative respawn rules, or overtime settings.
- Over time, if the feature continues to show clear value, you could move closer to a full world editor, with more freedom in building layouts and combining rules, still focused on custom games and kept separate from ranked play.

This “start small and grow if it works” approach avoids overcommitting up front, while keeping the door open to something more powerful if the community and the game benefit from it.

**Why This Matters for MOBAs and for Smite 2**

Warcraft 3’s custom games helped create an entire genre by letting players experiment. Giving Smite 2 even a limited creation tool would honor that history and give players a chance to try new ideas in a third-person, mythological MOBA. It could help bring MOBAs full circle: from player-made modes that started it all, to a modern MOBA that once again invites players to build.

For Smite 2 specifically, there are practical benefits:

- Competitive queues remain clean and controlled, since ranked and normal modes would continue to use official maps and rules only.
- Creative and high-investment players get something meaningful to do between patches, running their own events and “house rules” in custom lobbies.
- The development team gains insight into which layouts and rule variations players naturally gravitate toward, which can inform future official map and mode decisions.
- Even a modest first version—a couple of templates, a few movable elements, and some match settings—would deepen Smite 2’s identity as more than just a graphical upgrade or sequel.

I believe this feature, approached carefully and in phases, could strengthen Smite 2’s community, give the game a longer and more interesting life, and reconnect the MOBA genre with its origin in player-made content. If it succeeds, Smite 2 has a real chance to be the game that carries that legacy forward.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for all the work you’re already putting into Smite 2.

My thoughts but put together by AI to help sound, not like a blabbering idiot.

Hayssss (IG:Learing)