Hou Yi

Hou Yi Guide

Hou Yi is one of the top hunters in SMITE with a versatile kit and huge outplay potential. For laning, focus on clearing fast with Ricochet at level 1. Bounce it through melee minions into the enemy duo for poke damage. At level 2, get your 3 for an escape or chase. Look to pressure and be aggressive, your passive gives extra power at low health so you can bait people into losing fights.

Hou Yi works best in the ADC role. His kit provides everything a hunter needs. However, he can also jungle or solo in certain comps. For ADC, high pressure supports like Ares, Bacchus or Sobek pair well with Hou Yi’s aggressive style. In jungle, gank for solo laners with crowd control like Tyr or Chaac. For solo, pair with a jungler providing good ganks like Thor, Susano or Awilix. Hou Yi can bully most solos, but be wary of ganks without mobility.

For abilities, master Ricochet. Bounce for max damage and hit both opposing duo laners. In teamfights, bounce through frontliners into squishy backline targets. Your 2 provides a knock up and stun, use it to peel for allies or set up kills. Place your 3 at chokepoints, objectives or under enemies for damage and a slow. Your ult provides area denial, damage, and a stun – use it to zone paths, secure objectives like GF or FG, or trap enemies against a wall.

Your role is high burst damage and controlling teamfights. Work with your support and jungler to get an early lead, then rotate together for ganks. In teamfights, stay on the outskirts poking until you see an opportunity to dive or trap enemies out of position with your ult. You can also peel for allies using your 2, 3 and ult if needed. Communicate with your team, especially when you hit a bounce or land your ult stun. Call for them to engage so you can maximize damage.

Hou Yi has a lot of build diversity. Start with Hunter’s, Dev gloves, or Trans, then pen and crit. Must-have items are The Crusher for pen, Poison star/Wind demon for crit chance/movement speed. For relics, purification and blink work well. Blink allows you to get in position for a perfect ult or chase with your 2 and 3.

A few tips:

Your 1 can bounce up to 3 times. Practice angles to hit multiple targets.

Your 2 knocks up, so use it to set up your 3 or ult.

Your 3 damages and slows enemies in the area. Use it for wave clear, zoning or chasing.

Your ult blocks paths and provides area denial. Place it to split enemy teams or secure objectives.

Beads or aegis allow you to be aggressive by avoiding crowd control. Blink gives chase and ult positioning.

Start Hunter’s Blessing and tier 1 Devourer’s Gauntlet. Finish Dev’s, ninja tabi then pen like crusher.

Your core build is Dev’s, crusher, asi, exe, Poison Star, Wind demon.

With time, you’ll hit insane Ricochet bounces and master the art of the chase down. Follow these tips and Hou Yi will be your ticket to climbing ranked and wrecking duo lane opponents with ease! Overall, focus on positioning, bouncing your 1 and landing a perfect ult. Build efficiently, play aggressively, and you’ll dominate the duo lane battlefield.

Hou Yi was one of the original hunters in SMITE, but remains at the top of the meta with skill and outplay potentialthat allows talented players to do work at the highest levels of ranked and competitive play. Take the time to practice Hou Yi by making plays with Ricochet, dominating with smart marksmen positioning and timing ultimate ability just right in critical moments. Do that, and there won’t be an opponent or objective on the map that can stand up to your bow.