Smite saw a significant update in the most recent League of Legends patch 11.10, and it was accompanied by a game-breaking bug.
Back at May 1st, Lead Gameplay Designer Mark “Scruffy” Yetter discussed about the Dev thoughts on the Jungle Accessibility in League of Legends Dev blog.
In the note, Riot is aiming to change the mechanism in Smite Dmg to Monsters: 390 – 1000 (based on levels) >> 500 – 1000 after Smite quest completion. Then finally in patch 11.10 updates, Riot made the final result for Smite:
- SMITE DAMAGE TO MONSTERS: 390-1000 (based on levels) ⇒ 450-900 after Smite quest completion
- NEW: UNSEALED SPELLBOOK SWAP SMITE DAMAGE: Smite damage now increases after swapping summoner spells twice
- NEW: SCUTTLE ON BACK: Smite and any crowd control now breaks Rift Scuttle’s shield before applying damage
Yet immediately, Smite receive a game-breaking bug related to the Unsealed Spellbook rune. In the recent patch Riot changed Smite to deal flat damage, dealing 450-900 after Smite quest completion. The fastest time to finish this search is normally about nine minutes, but this recent bug allows it to be completed even sooner.
A recent YouTube video from Vandiril demonstrated how, with the Unsealed Spellbook keystone, players would gain access to the 900 Dmg Smite in just 6 minutes. Just the first 6 minutes in a game are needed to unlock the first summoner spell swap with Unsealed Spellbook then player have access to the 900 Dmg. The damage increase can also be obtained by switching summoner spells twice with Unsealed Spellbook. Yet the Smite quest is completed after just one summoner spell swap, so this adjustment isn’t exactly working as expected.
This is obviously a game-breaking bug that will most likely be hotfixed soon, but before then, players who exploit it will have a significant advantage. Not only will this speed up clearing the jungle, but a Smite with 900 Dmg will allow you to capture every objective possible without the enemy taking it. Securing Dragon in the early game will be ensured and will help you gain an early-game advantage to your team.
The bug has been present for several days, but Riot is planning to fix the Unsealed Spellbook bug in the next updates.