Smite: Best Build for Charon & All Abilities

August 08, 2024

How to Build Charon in Smite

Charon is a Guardian and will do Magical-based damage. However, unlike many of the other Guardians in Smite, Charon will have a ranged basic attack, allowing him to put pressure on the enemy team from a good distance away. Although he will be utilizing a ranged basic attack, Charon is more of a front-liner and prefers to be close to enemies to slow them down, so his allies can finish them off with their hard-hitting attacks.

A majority of the time, Charon will be helping out his teammates, and that means his best role is to be the Support role in Smite. Some players might be able to have him do well in the Solo role; I believe playing Charon as a Support is the best way to approach him in the game, and it’s how I will be building him for this guide.

The Best Relic for Charon in Smite

You will have two relics to pick from when playing Charon in Smite. As a Guardian, I almost always recommend picking between Cloak of Meditation and Magic Shell for the first relic. Meditation is a better item if you want a slow heal, but some may prefer the protective shield of Magic Shell. Both are good options, but I typically lean toward Meditation, especially for late-game healing.

As for the second relic, it all depends on what type of enemy team you’re fighting against. If you fight against a Smite team that has too much healing, Cursed Ankh is always good. If they’re constantly getting away, Heavenly Wings or Horrific Emblem are superb to chase them down. Alternatively, if you want to aid your team in bursting them down, Belt of Frenzy is a good way to beef up your damage dealers quickly. None of these choices are a bit, and I typically go with Belt of Frenzy of Horrific Emblem when I play a Guardian to provide the most support.

Consider every option and how to consider the enemy team in Smite best. I stand by the best relics being Meditation Cloak, Belt of Frenzy, or Horrific Emblem.

The Best Starter Item for Charon in Smite

Next, we have Charon’s starting item. As a Guardian, he needs to help support his lane partner as much as possible in the early game of Smite, and he’ll want to benefit from them doing well as much as possible. The top three choices for Charon as a Guardian will be Benevolence, War Flag, or Sentinel’s Gift. Because Charon is more aggressive, Benevolence or War Flag feel like the better options, giving him more of a chance to boost his allies.

I typically lean to use ing War Flag as I’m a fan of the attack speed benefits it provides teammates, especially after using an ability during a fight. Charon will be using his abilities throughout the Smite match. You can never go wrong with War Flag, but consider switching to Benevolence if you want to lean into more aggressive basic attacks.

All Charon’s Abilities & Ability Level Order in Smite

Charon’s in abilities in Smite make him an aggressive Guardian, surging him forward straight into a fight. His first ability damages and slows any enemies hit by it. His second creates a rift, damaging and marking enemies, reducing the enemy’s attack speed. Charon’s third ability is a charge that roots any enemies he hits. Finally, his ultimate is a massive wave that cascades throughout the map, heavily damaging any enemy hit by it.

When picking out Charon’s abilities, it’s important to make sure you select the correct ones in the best order. Here’s what level you should be picking Charon’s abilities during your Smite game.

Ability 1: Spectral Surge – 1/3/6/7/10
Ability 2: Damnation – 4/8/11/12/14
Ability 3: Swift Voyage – 2/15/16/18/19
Ultimate: Summon Styx – 5/9/13/17/20

Here’s a thorough breakdown of how each of Charon’s abilities works in Smite.

Passive: Ferryman of Souls

If Charon is in assist range while any friendly lane minion or jungle monster dies, their essence persists for Charon to collect for 8s, granting him one gold and a Soul stack each. When Charon returns to base, he loses all Soul stacks and gains a permanent 2 Max Health per stack.
Collection Range: 20
Max Stacks: 20
Max Health: 350

Ability 1: Spectral Surge

Charon plucks a soul out of the Styx, firing it as a line projectile that damages and Slows all enemies while stopping on the first god hit. If the soul hits an enemy god, it then explodes in a damaging and Silencing area around the target. All enemy gods hit by the explosion leave behind a damaging, Slowing trail of the Styx for the next 3s.
Range/Radius: 60/15
Soul Damage: 90/120/150/180/210 + 55% of your Magical Power
Trail Damage: 12/14/16/18/20 + 5% of your Magical Power
Soul Slow: 10/12.5/15/17.5/20%
Trail Slow: 15%
Silence Duration: 1s
Cooldown: 15s
Cost: 60/65/70/75/80

Ability 2: Damnation

Charon plucks a soul out of the Styx, firing it as a line projectile that damages and Slows all enemies while stopping on the first god hit. If the soul hits an enemy god, it then explodes in a damaging and Silencing area around the target. All enemy gods hit by the explosion leave behind a damaging, Slowing trail of the Styx for the next 3s.
Range/Radius: 60/15
Soul Damage: 90/120/150/180/210 + 55% of your Magical Power
Trail Damage: 12/14/16/18/20 + 5% of your Magical Power
Soul Slow: 10/12.5/15/17.5/20%
Trail Slow: 15%
Silence Duration: 1s
Cooldown: 15s
Cost: 60/65/70/75/80

Ability 3: Swift Voyage

Charon forcibly rows at a break-neck pace, charging forward with increased Movement Speed and reduced turn radius for 2.5s. Charon is Slow, and Knockback is immune while charging. Charon deals damage to and Roots enemies he collides with, as well as those directly to his sides in the wake of his boat.
Damage: 80/130/180/230/280 + 40% of your Magical Power
Direct Root: 1s
Wake Root: 0.5s
Movement Speed: 100%
Cooldown: 15s
Cost: 60/65/70/75/80

Ultimate: Summon Styx

Charon gains Crowd Control immunity and summons a massive tidal wave that he sends forth across the entire battlefield. Enemy gods hit by the wave are Feared, while allied gods gain Protections for 3s. Additionally, if an allied god is within 60 units directly behind the wave, they gain Movement Speed.
Range: Global
Damage: 230/300/370/440/510 + 50% of your Magical Power
Fear: 0.8/0.9/1/1.1/1.2s
Protections: 20/25/30/35/40
Movement Speed: 40%
Cooldown: 110s
Cost: 100

The Best Items & Builds for Charon in Smite

For Charon, defensive items will be the primary focus for nearly any Smite build where you use him. However, flexibility will also be critical. Charon is an aggressive Guardian, which means utilizing a damaging item here and there is a good idea, but you don’t want to lean too far into damage where your team doesn’t have a reliable tank. Here’s a standard build that you should expect to have for Charon, and makes for a good starting point when playing this character.

War Banner
Prophetic Cloak
Stone of Binding
Reverent Pridwen
Talisman of Energy
Breastplate of Valor

You may want to swap out some choices depending on the enemy team you’re facing in Smite and the allies you’re playing with. Here are some damaging options if you want to add one or two damage-based items to your build.

Gem of Isolation
Staff of Myrddin
Spear of Magus

Next, preparing for any healing that an enemy team might be trying to utilize during your Smite match is important. Teams that can do a lot of healing are always the ones you want to watch out for. There are several items you can swap out for your build to attempt to lower the healing capabilities of the enemy team.

Contagion
Pestilience
Divine Ruin

Finally, there are a handful of useful utility items that you might want to add to Charon’s build to bolster your team while playing Smite. These are some of my favorites that can help turn the tide and assist your allies during any engagement.

Shogun’s Kusari
Manticore’s Spikes
Winged Blade

Hopefully, this build guide helps you play as Charon during your Smite matches. Experimentation is critical for any Smite build, and remaining flexible is a good idea to gain the upper hand against the enemy team in any match.

About the author

Zack Palm

Zack Palm is the Senior Writer of Gamepur and has spent over five years covering video games, and earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Oregon State University. He spends his free time biking, running tabletop campaigns, and listening to heavy metal. His primary game beats are Pokémon Go, Destiny 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and any newly released title, and he finds it difficult to pull away from any Star Wars game.