Overview

Fafnir is a flexible and powerful Guardian that brings a surprising amount of utility to SMITE. In some respects he plays a little like Ullr as they both share the ability to have two action-bars. While Ullr can switch between his freely (axe or bow) Fafnir's is unlocked when he utilises his Ultimate ability. This makes him particularly formidable not just because he can use his skills and then Ultimate - to then get a full new set of skills - but also because his Ultimate brings further damage and utility.

As far as his utility is concerned, he's a highly versatile Guardian with a kit that comes with a stun, a leap and an attack speed boost for his allies. His Ultimate also improves each of these skills to give them greater, or slightly adjusted effects. When used correctly, his skills combined make Fafnir are valuable ally. 

Updated: 25 July 2016

Lore

There is no creature, living nor dead, more greedy, more vile than a dwarf. In the frozen reaches of Asgaard, beneath her mighty stone peaks, do they dwell, ever hammering to forge more gold jewelry, to carve more gleaming gems, to breathe curses into their finery.

Among these wretched kin is Fafnir, son of Hreidmar, with a swollen smithing arm and a ravenous hunger for violence, both of which are eclipsed by his avarice.

Once Spring, Odin, Loki, and Honir visited Hreidmar's realm, bearing an otter pelt they'd skinned on their journey. Horrified, Hreidmar entombed the Aesir, for the otter was, in truth, his third son. Freedom would not be theirs until Loki returned with the hide filled with gold. Refusing to be outdone, the Trickster God, stuffed the pelt to bursting with the cursed treasure of Andvarri. Hreidmar, unaware of the maligned hoard, greedily exchanged the Aesir for the wealth. That night, curling his powerful arm, Fafnir strangled his father and vanished into the frosted night with the cursed gold.

And so it was that madness took him. Paranoid his last brother would steal the treasure, Fafnir guarded it jealously while the curse whispered in his ear. Slowly, surely, twisted he became, scaled and nightmarish. His breath turned to poison, his maw, fanged, his demeanor, fouler. A dragon, he became. The very symbol of greed.

For centuries Fafnir kept no company, but the War of the Gods grows ever closer, and the clink of coin runs rampant; a bulging sack on the belt of every warrior. He craves every piece, and spares no thought to shed blood for the glittering gold.

Abilities

Endless Greed (Passive) - Perhaps one of the more niche Passive abilities, Endless Greed provides Fafnir with 4 bonus gold from all minions, structures, kills and assists. It doesn't sound a lot but over the course of a match and with minion waves increasing as a match progresses, it can soon add up. In addition to this bonus, Fafnir also receives additional Protection based on the amount of gold he's carrying. Capped at 1000 gold, he'll gain 30 additional protection.

Tip - If possible, it's always best that you try to carry 1000 gold. It's easier said than done early game (especially when you want your items) but it's often worthwhile just to gain additional mitigation. 

Cursed Strength (1st Ability) - As a single target skill with a linear path, Cursed Strength is Fafnir's primary crowd control. Capable of travelling until it hits a God, it will stun for 1 second before an AOE slows those around its point of impact. Used on a high value target, or against a Guardian attempting to protect his team, it's particularly effective. The slow amount can reach 40% and while it doesn't last long (3 seconds) it's often long enough for your team to capitalize on. In Dragon form, it deals high damage over time (for 3 seconds) while also shredding protections. If possible, it's often super effective to save Cursed Strength as your last skill before using your Ultimate. You can then double-bomb with two of them against the same target for maximum damage. 

Coerce (2nd Ability) - Coerce provides a self heal to Fanfir in addition, he increases the attack speed of one ally by 50% (when upgraded). Used on himself, an ADC or Assassin, it provides a huge potential boost for damage output but also allows Fanfir to proc his "on hit" ability items. Best of all, Fafnir also gains additional Magic Power whenever the affected ally damages an enemy. Unsurprisingly and based on the skill, it's best to pair with someone at all times to maximize Fanfir and his empathic potential. Without a partner, Coerce can be used on yourself, but it's much better to hand it out: lane with someone as soon as possible and keep them Coerced. 

Tip - In Dragon form Coerce functions the same, but affects multple Heroes: save it for your team fights when you can boost as many of your team as possible rather than just a single God. 

Underhanded Tactics (3rd Ability) - In human form Fafnir leaps forwards, dealing damage to those in front of him. It's a reasonable engage and great for escaping should you need it. Its Dragon version however is significantly better: not only does it allow you to leap much further but it also causes DOT damage every second for 3 seconds whilst stunning the closest enemy for 2 seconds. Best of all, it also disarms. This can be exceptional for protecting a team-mate who's being focused, or for holding a high priority target in place. I've found it particularly effective to leap onto the backline when in Dragonform to effectively block players in. 

Dragonic Corruption (Ultimate) - I'd argue Dragonic Corruption is one of the strongest Ultimate abilities in the game, simply because it provides Fafnir with untargettable during the transformation, but because it provides a second bank of cooldowns. It affords Fafnir the opportunity to be aggresive, or defensive to the point where he can - at times - be somewhat wreckless. Although you have to always be observant of your health (obviously) having the opportunity to dive in with Underhand Tactics, follow up with Cursed Strength and then use your Ultimate - only to repeat the process - can be devastating. Just be sure to learn what the Dragon variants do. 

Skill Order

Item Purchase Order

Tactics

Early Game

Fafnir deals very little damage early game and it's no surprise that you're there to bully and support your laning partner. The main thing you should be concentrating on is acquiring gold as quickly as possible by utilising your Passive and the item, Watcher's Gift. This should provide you with around 11 gold per minion - a considerable amount. If you're paired with an ADC, try to always keep Coerce on them so that you can bully a lane quicker than your opponents. If possible, try to also conserve your mana for when you may need to leap in and stun. 

Mid Game

Mid game for Fafnir is all about trying to secure kills, but also maximizing your gold intake. You should still - if possible - keep hold of your Watcher's Gift, but also try to ensure that if you need to roam, you do so with an ADC. At this point your damage will be coming on line, but you're also in a much better position to survive and dive where possible. If you can, securing some kills with your partner will really push you and your team to late. 

Late Game

During late game Fafnir is capable of dealing very high damage to squishy Heroes and can comfortably solo many 1 on 1. If you can ensure you're participating in every team fight, you can help your team enormously thanks to your AOE attack speed increase. Be sure to use it in Dragon form on as many allies as possible. 

Matchups

These God Threat Levels (1 being lowest threat and 10 being highest threat) are to help you determine which enemy Gods can give you a headache. For the Gods listed here, take extra care as they're particularly dangerous for Fafnir. 

Tips

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Fafnir play. We'll continue to add to the list as required and if you have any tips you'd like to share, let us know in the comments below and we'll place them here. 

1. Remember that you're a Guardian first and foremost. Your job is to look after others through using your utility and nuisance.

2. Your cooldowns reset when you use your Ultimate ability - make use of this to snowball against the enemy team during a team fight. 

3. If possible, try to save Underhand Tactics rather than using it to engage. If you can run into a fight, do so. You may need it to escape. 

4. Cursed Strength offers a valuable stun but it's the slow that can be particularly devastating in a team fight. Try to always hit a target for maximum impact against the most targets.

5. It's often worth pairing with an ADC on your team that's the most fed. The extra attack speed you can gift them can be incredibly valuable. 

6. Dragonic Corruption makes you untargettable during transformation. Use this to buy yourself time, should you need it, for your team to arrive or to - briefly - think about your next move. 

7. If you're alone, you can use Coerce on yourself. Your damage will never be incredible, but the attack speed and damage bonus always helps. 

8. Your Passive is strongest late game when you don't neccesarily need to spend all your Gold.