[h2]Tickets will go on sale on September 13, 2024! [/h2] That’s right, SMITE fans, esports is back. Earlier this year, you saw our announcement about the first live LAN of SMITE 2 at the HyperX Arena Las Vegas on January 17-19, 2025, and now we’re here to give you the details. This $300k prize pool tournament is split between six stages, totaling twelve weeks of competition for both North America and EMEA, and kicks off with Stage One on September 14, 2024. Here’s a quick rundown of each stage: [img]https://webcdn.hirezstudios.com/smite-esports/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ROAD_MAP-768x432.jpg[/img] [h1]STAGE 1 – OPEN BRACKET QUALIFIERS[/h1] [img]https://webcdn.hirezstudios.com/smite-esports/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/STAGE_1-768x432.jpg[/img] This open bracket stage will last two weeks, starting September 14 and ending September 22. Teams who compete will earn points based on their final placements, with the top sixteen point earners moving to Stage 2A. Teams that don’t make it to Stage 2A will still have a chance to compete during Stage 2B! [h1]STAGE 2A – SWISS[/h1] [img]https://webcdn.hirezstudios.com/smite-esports/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/STAGE_2A-768x432.jpg[/img] In Stage 2A, the top sixteen teams from Stage 1 will compete in a five-week-long Swiss competition, starting September 28, and ending October 27. Matchups will be determined randomly based on a team’s set score, with everyone starting 0-0 in week one. Teams will only be matched up with others that have a set score matching theirs, (so, 1-0s matched with 1-0s, 2-0s with 2-0s, 0-1s with 0-1s, etc.) until a team is able to amass three set wins. The top eight teams from this stage will move immediately to Stage 4, while the other eight will move forward to Stage 3. Teams will qualify in waves, with two teams qualifying in Week 3 and three teams qualifying in Weeks 4 and 5. The bottom eight teams will join teams from Stage 2B in Stage 3 – the Last Chance Qualifier. In addition, there will be a $5,000 prize pool for the top teams during the Swiss Stage based on their final placement. [h1]STAGE 2B – OPEN BRACKET[/h1] [img]https://webcdn.hirezstudios.com/smite-esports/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/STAGE_2B-768x432.jpg[/img] Stage 2B is an open bracket, similar to Stage 1. Teams that sign up will compete in single-elimination tournaments for five weeks during the same timeframe as Stage 2A, amassing points based on their final placements each week. The top eight teams from this stage will join the bottom eight teams from the Swiss Stage in Stage 3. [h1]STAGE 3 – LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER[/h1] [img]https://webcdn.hirezstudios.com/smite-esports/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/STAGE_3-768x432.jpg[/img] Sixteen teams will be split into four GSL groups starting November 2 and ending November 10. Teams will be seeded based on their final Swiss ranking and their open bracket points and face off against each other across 5 matches in each group. In the end, the top two teams from each group will advance to the next stage – Playoffs. [h1]STAGE 4 – PLAYOFFS[/h1] [img]https://webcdn.hirezstudios.com/smite-esports/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/STAGE_4-768x432.jpg[/img] The eight teams from GSL groups will join the top eight teams from Swiss in a two-week-long, sixteen-team double-elimination tournament. Starting November 16 and ending November 24, these teams will be seeded based on a group draw where the top-seeded teams from Swiss will choose their opponents in Round 1. The top teams from each region move forward to the studio LAN in Stage 5. [h1]STAGE 5 – KNOCKOUTS[/h1] The top teams from playoffs will come to our studio in Alpharetta, Georgia, to compete for a chance to go to Vegas. From December 12-15, these teams will play in two groups, four teams each, for both qualification and seeding, with two teams getting eliminated and the other six qualifying for the live LAN event in the HyperX Arena Las Vegas. [h1]STAGE 6 – HYPERX ARENA LAS VEGAS[/h1] Based on their seeding from Stage 5, six teams will come to the HyperX Arena Las Vegas to compete in a double elimination, $300k prize pool tournament. From January 17 to 19, 2025, these teams will play in front of a live audience to become the first LAN winners of SMITE 2. [img]https://i.imgur.com/2ctqwt3.png[/img] It’s a lot to take in and make sure to check out our posts detailing each stage to find out more information on the tournament as a whole. Make sure you stay tuned to our socials (@SmitePro) for more details about tickets and signups. Interested in competing? Make sure to join the SMITE 2 Esports discord to stay up to date on all the most recent information: discord.gg/SmiteEsports Also, make sure you tune in on Saturdays and Sundays while the tournament is going on to catch the games live, or, if you can’t make it, check out SmiteVod on YouTube to watch at your own convenience!