Analyzing competitive plays with Zeus, by Peppo_o'Paccio

Introduction

Welcome to the first "competitive" guide in this website about Zeus, one of the most overrated yet misused pub Heroes. Zeus is an intelligence Hero that works in mid lane only: he can easily get quick lats-hits thanks to Arc Lightning, scare the enemies who dare picking runes before him with his Lightning Bolt and initiate effectively with Thundergod's Wrath. Static Field ensures that his abilities will be deadly even in mid to late game.

He is currently not picked in competitive games if not by accident (it really happened) or as a very occasional mid lane Hero: even if he can deal a huge amount of nuke damage, he doesn't have any built-in escape mechanism and has some minor mana problems early on. Plus, he needs to get in range before casting abilities (instead of using a Blink or Time Walk-like ability, which also work as escape mechanism) and he aleady starts with a pretty bad movement speed, which is not good for a Hero with such a big ganking potential.


I you want to know something more about this Hero, I suggest to read this guide written by Merlini, a famous DotA player that plays Zeus like no-one else does.

Pros and Cons

Pros Not squishy Has a global ultimate Fairly item independent Very big nuke potential Able to scale into late-game Can control pretty well a mid lane Can ministun with Lightning Bolt Can secure kills with Thundergod's Wrath

Cons No hard stuns Low mobility Mana-hungry if misused Horrible attack animation Not flexible (can be played in mid lane only)

When to pick him

Zeus is a very situational Hero: he does his best when your team is heavily teamfight oriented and you can get the mid lane; in any other cases, there are plenty of Heroes that can do a better job.

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Summarizing, pick Zeus if:

• Your team needs a mid laner;
• Your team is teamfight oriented;
• The enemy team has many squishy Heroes;
• You need lane and rune control against a mid Hero with carry potential ( Templar Assassin, Queen of Pain, Storm Spirit...).

Also, don't pick Zeus if:

• Your team needs a support in mid lane;
• Your team is pushing/turtling oriented;
• You end up without mana too often;
• You can't get the mid lane for any reason;
• You like Aghanim's Scepter and Refresher Orb so much that you would build them on Riki.

Abilities

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This is Zeus's main skill for the early game: it's a pretty spammable nuke that works both as a last-hitting instrument and a pushing skill. In the early game, you will find it easier to get last-hits using Arc Lightning instead of your autoattack as this Hero has a terrible attack animation: always use this for both getting gold and harassing the other mid laner in a single hit. If a rune is going to spawn soon, push the lane with it! It's a spammable nuke with a low mana cost (provided you have a Bottle) and can hit 5 units (which means an entire creep wave) with a single hit. If you do so the enemy Hero will be busy defending their tower from your incoming creeps, so you can safely take the rune before them. After reaching level 12, you can either max it out or get stats instead: most of the time people prefer the second way, as Zeus needs both extra heath and mana regen. Plus, by upgrading it the cooldown time remains the same: there's not so much difference. Always use this after Lightning Bolt for two reasons: first, it provides true sight for a brief amout of time so you won't lose your opponent in the fog; second, it ministuns so that you will always have time to chain Arc Lightning.

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Why is Zeus a feared ganker and a good lane controller? This skill is the answer: always max it out at level 7 but don't take it before level 3, as it's useless until you put a second point in it anyway (which is at level 4). This could be considered Zeus's bread-and-butter skill. As I said before, as soon as you reach level 6-7 the enemies will fear you for your ganking potential: combine it with your other abilities to deal a lot of damage while switching lanes. If you have many charges in your bottle, try to land a few hits with Lightning Bolt on the enemy mid laner: if you can keep them low on health you can dominate the mid. If someone tries to take a rune before you, always be ready to discourage them with a Lightning Bolt: even if you're level 3, the enemies might still be scared of your nuke and refuse to contest the rune. Always use this before Arc Lightning for two reasons: first, this provides true sight for a brief amout of time so you won't lose your opponent in the fog; second, it ministuns so that you will always have time to chain Arc Lightning.

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Without this skill, Zeus would be a useless Hero after reaching the 30 minute mark: don't underestimate this and don't mistakenly max out Arc Lightning before Static Field. Theoretically, maxing out this skill instead of Arc Lightning gives you more benefits: first, you don't waste extra mana; also, it makes your Lightning Bolt (and especially your Thundergod's Wrath) scarier when teamfighting. Since teamfights start when you are about level 10-15, this is way more effective. You need to be in a 1000 units range for it to be effective, that's a bit less than the range of a Blink Dagger: this is the reason why you will need a Force Staff most of the time and you can't always stay back and use your ultimate to killsteal.

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Thundergod's Wrath is a global nuke which also detects invisible Heroes: too many pub players misuse this and activate it to steal kills in teamfights or kill an enemy in an easy-to-reach spot. Don't do it, you'll just waste your already little mana pool and a 120 seconds cooldown. When teamfights starts, activate Thundergod's Wrath as soon as your team can get a good initiation: be sure to be in the range of Static Field first. Why shouldn't you use it to "get" (which means "steal") kills? Mainly because you obviously steal them to your carry and make him gain less gold, which means less items and leads to a worse late game for your team. You can use this skill to "prepare" an initiation, too: if you are sure that your enemies are all grouped up in a precise spot, activate your ultimate and make sure your Clockwerk/ Earthshaker/ Magnus can take advantage of the extra vision.

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Items Explanation: Tournament Build (Fast Force Staff)

Nowadays, competitive games are focused on teamfights more than anything else: the enemies will take advantage of bad positioning and cooldown/mana cost of your skills to win clashes, so you have to get a mobility item. As you don't have neither high movement speed (like Gyrocopter) or a slow (like Lifestealer) you need to get a Blink Dagger or a Force Staff; but as you don't have an ultimate that makes the most out of a good initiation (like Magnus) and you're an INT Hero the Staff is highly preferable.

Use this build if you're familiar with the Hero and good positioning can make you win teamfights: even beginners can use it as long as they can handle a mid lane. Obviously, always go for this build if you somehow have to pick Zeus in competitive games.

Starting items

Bottle Rush

This is the most common starting set for any mid Hero: it grants you cheap stats, components for your Magic Wand and some health regeneration at the price of ~250 gold. As said before, the Tango gives you more than enough survivability until you can get a Bottle and the Iron Branches are the most cost-efficient items: get them and make sure you turn them into a Wand later. Sometimes, you might want to add a Clarity potion or take it instead of a Branch: I don't think it's really needed, but if you can't last hit even with your Arc Lightning buy it.

Early game items

As always, get your Bottle before the game reaches two minutes and buy Boots of Speed straight after it: remember that even in the early game the item build is flexible, sometimes you might want to buy a Magic Stick (against Heroes like Batrider that spam continuously) or even a Bracer for more survivability before or after Boots. The Magic Wand is crucial for this build: aside from giving more stats and overall survivability early on, you benefit a lot from the burst heal as your early HP and mana pool are pretty small. Never forget about this item, especially in this teamfight-oriented meta. Finally, as soon as you get your Arcane Boots you can start killing people and using your ultimate: you will need the mana pool increase and the active ability will affect your teammates, too.

Core items

Now, focus on your Force Staff: it gives you more survivability, a useful active that can be used on teammates or enemies and an intelligence increase which amplifies both your mana pool (and mana regen) and your autoattack damage. Even though this item doesn't actually make you more durable, an escape/initiation mechanism is a justified choice: you benefit a lot from the mana, and the HP regen adds little survivability in some way. As said before, remember to use the Force Staff on teammates or enemies, too! Make your teammate run away from Clockwerk's Power Cogs or break Nature's Prophet's Sprout. Otherwise, you can push enemies onto cliffs or between your friends.

Core extensions

This item is normally bought by carries or hard supports, but you can benefit from it too: the aura increases your movement speed, so that you won't be as slow as always. The stats it gives are huge, plus it's made from very cheap components: the easy buildup and cost-efficiency of this item make it a great mid-game pickup that you can carry until the end of the match, even when you don't have charges on it anymore. Last but not least, remember to use the Endurance when you start a teamfight: be sure you are in a good positioning so that everyone gets the buff. You can use it to escape or destroy towers, too: the attack and movement speed increase is very flexible and adaptable.

The Rod of Atos is probably the cheapest survivability item for INT Heroes, aside from the Point Booster: if your team is winning, this will probably grant your victory. The intelligence and HP increase are always welcome, plus the Cripple ability makes chasing fleeing Heroes much easier.

This is another good addition to Zeus's arsenal, since it improves your survivability and makes you able to "scale" into late game with nukes.You won't get many benefits from it unless you're playing with other nukers in your team, so it's very close to the "situational" items. The radius of the Discord is huge, and the range is even bigger! Use this at your advantage and make the most out of your positioning. Remember that the debuff lasts for 25 seconds, so don't be afraid to throw it if you're close enough to your enemies: it might make them think twice before fighting. If it isn't enough, throw your Thundergod's Wrath or let your team's initiator come in.

The BKB is close to the "situational items" list, but it can actually be a valid extension if you're getting so many kills that you can carry your team: if the enemy has some stuns and disables that don't go through magic immunity and more HP isn't enough, then consider a Black King Bar to ensure your mid game dominance and your scaling to late game.

A rather common pickup for pubs, consider this item only if you have enough survivability and mana to control a teamfight even without using Thundergod's Wrath and without dying too often: it will make Zeus very reliant on his ultimate and the enemies know it, so be ready to fight even when it is on cooldown. Always start from the Point Booster when guying this item, as survivability is better than more autoattack damage, armor or plain strength on such a Hero and your mana pool still gets higher. If you need some survivability but don't want to spend 4200 gold, either take a Point Booster or an Ogre Axe that you can turn into a BKB if needed.

Late Game Items

Probably the best choice of boots for Zeus, the BoT grant you more movement speed (which you really need) and a useful active ability that makes you more active in teamfights and split pushing. Don't underestimate their usefulness and get them when most of the towers are down: if you have enough mana and survivability to fight, always aim for mobility. Of course if your team needs a disable go for a Scythe of Vyse, but still this item makes you useful and is a solid choice for the rest of the game.

A Scythe of Vyse is hands down the most common late-game item for any INT Hero, from carries to mid game gankers to hard supports: the Hex ability is so good it can turn the tides of a fight, while its components (specifically the Ultimate Orb and the Void Stone) give you more benefits than an Eul's Scepter of Divinty most of the time. Always use this on the enemy carry right after initiating, so that he won't be able to pop his Black King Bar and your team has 3.5 seconds of easy fight. "Lategame, having a guinsoo will work wonders for your team - great stats, imba range, and mana regen, and of course hex is a priceless ability." - Merlini.

Another good late-game item that boosts your intelligence by a lot, Shiva's lets you deal more nuke damage (that gets amplified by Static Field) and enlarges your mana pool by a lot: it doesn't give mana regen as a Scythe of Vyse does, but the armor points can be very handy if you already have a good amount of HP. As you build survivability items, there is a moment when armor gives you more durability than plain HP: that's why typical Pudge or Doom Bringer players that buy a Heart of Tarrasque but not a Cuirass or a Shiva's get easily destroyed if focused by a farmed carry, but Heroes like Anti-Mage are difficult to kill even if they have just 2000HP. Keep this in mind if you want a better late game. The aura can be useful if the enemy has many autoattackers: a 25 attack speed slow doesn't seem much, but it really counts especially against multiple targets.

Basically, if you are carrying your team and the enemies can't deal with your teamfight capabilities this is the best item: mana and HP regen, tankiness and more mana. What else would you need? A faster way to return into the fight if you die? This item comes with a passive ability that does so, too. Don't think about buying this item if you are having a poor or teamfight-heavy late game: in this case a Scythe of Vyse is a lot more helpful and gives you enough stats and mana to keep you useful even after 50 minutes.

Generally speaking this item should be between the "situationals" list, but it's not there for a simple reason: if you have enough mana and you bought something like a Rod of Atos or an Aghanim's Scepter, it gives you so much presence in teamfights that you will always either win or survive. With both a Blink Dagger and a Force Staff you don't have to worry about positioning anymore, as you can freely jump between enemies. Remember, though, that a good Blink-initiation by you can make things a lot easier, especially if you manage to kill a support with a Lightning Bolt + Thundergod's Wrath combo and some autoattacks.

Personally, I hate this item on Zeus and on any Hero whose ultimate doesn't come with a mass stun or disable (like Black Hole or Reverse Polarity): the price is fairly high, the components are not so useful and you will rarely have enough mana for a full nuking combo. On the other hand, it's made from cheap components and the Perseverance can suffice your mana and survivability needs until you can finish the Orb: if you're able to pull off a 2x Lightning Bolt + Thundergod's Wrath combo and even kill fleeing enemies, then this item will be worth its price. A really bad thing about this item is that it makes you completely reliant on your ultimate: even though this is true, the positive side is that as your ultimate is global you will rarely regret to have bought a Refresher Orb.

Items Explanation: Merlini's Build

After reading this, you may ask: "Who is Merlini?". Merlini is a former DotA player known as the best Zeus player: even though his item build is a bit obsolete for the current meta, I managed to "improve" it (I hope). I'll also write into this chapter the substitutions I made.

This build is suited for any kind of people, from beginners to competitive players: I think, though, that the Force Staff build is more viable nowadays if you fight against slowers ( Lifestealer) or chasers (again Lifestealer).

Starting items

Bottle Rush

This is the most common starting set for any mid Hero: it grants you cheap stats, components for your Magic Wand and some health regeneration at the price of ~250 gold. As said before, the Tango gives you more than enough survivability until you can get a Bottle and the Iron Branches are the most cost-efficient items: get them and make sure you turn them into a Wand later. Sometimes, you might want to add a Clarity potion or take it instead of a Branch: I don't think it's really needed, but if you can't last hit even with your Arc Lightning buy it.

Alternative choice

These items are way more expensive, but they can make your early game easier if you're laning against someone with big attack damage like Templar Assassin and you don't want all your creeps to get denied. Two Clarity potions are good enough to keep your mana high between your costant Arc Lightning spam (provided you don't get hit) and are never wasted on such a Hero; the Tango lets you take a couple more hits before you need to stay back. The Mantle of Intelligence is the most cost-efficient item if you need intelligence (don't you say?): get two of them to enlarge your mana pool, increase your mana regeneration and turn them into Null Talismans. A pair of Iron Branches will make your overall intelligence increase by +8 and even give you a bit of survivability and two items to turn into a Wand. Always fill your empty inventory slots with them, unless you have to rush a Bottle.

Early game items

In this part of the game you have to keep your mana high without items that give you intelligence or mana regen (except for the Bottle): always rush your Bottle and try to pick up runes whenever possible. Bottle crowing is extremely important on Zeus as he's fairly mana dependent early on. An early pair of Boots of Speed will suffice your need of movement speed, while the Magic Wand will remove some of those Branches from your inventory while making you able to get burst mana and health. Also, don't underestimate the stats it gives. In the original guide there was a Bracer instead of the Magic Wand. Finally, get a pair of Phase Boots so that you become very mobile and can start getting creep kills with autoattacks: I still recommend to use Arc Lightning though, unless you really want to keep the enemy creep wave close to your tower (as the Lightning slowly pushes the lane).

Core items

Let's talk about the Null Talismans now: they only give a bit of intelligence and overall surivability, right? Not at all: combining them with your Phase Boots your autoattack damage will increase esponentially. Your mana regen will be greatly improved too: normally, with just Arcane Boots you will often find yourself low on mana even after using the active ability of the boots; with two Nulls it will never happen, unless you need to spam for a lot of time or you need to use Thundergod's Wrath. Trust me, as soon as you try this you won't even be able think about a match without two Null Talismans: they are so cost-efficient that give you mana, attack damage and survivability for all your mid game. As said before, in the original guide there was a Bracer instead of the Magic Wand.

Core extensions

As soon as you get your core items, you should work on expanding your mana pool; you also need survivability though. That's why even a naked Point Booster can be a very beneficial extension for Zeus: buy this, get a bunch of other items, then turn it into an Aghanim's Scepter. "Since a lot of battles are 2v2 3v3 or whatever from full health to death, mass hp is the most important factor for survival. Point Booster provides great hp/mana for its cost." - Merlini. In the original guide the Point Booster was even a core item, but the following patches added items (like Rod of Atos) that can be a good substitution to that.

Even though this item doesn't actually make you more durable, an escape/initiation mechanism can be a lot better than plain HP: you benefit a lot from the mana, and the HP regen adds little survivability in some way. Remember to use the Force Staff on teammates or enemies, too! Make your teammate run away from Clockwerk's Power Cogs or break Nature's Prophet's Sprout. Otherwise, you can push enemies onto cliffs or between your friends.

The Rod of Atos is probably the best substitute to the Point Booster, but it costs a lot more: if your team is winning, this will probably grant your victory. The intelligence and HP increase are always welcome, plus the Cripple ability makes chasing fleeing Heroes much easier. Always start from the Vitality Booster buying it from the secret shop, then get your Staffs with the courier.

Late Game Items

The BKB is close to the "situational items" list, but it can actually be a valid late-game item if you're getting so many kills that you can carry your team: if the enemy has some stuns and disables that don't go through magic immunity and more HP isn't enough, then consider a Black King Bar to ensure your mid game dominance and your scaling to late game.

A rather common pickup for pubs, consider this item only if you have enough survivability and mana to control a teamfight even without using Thundergod's Wrath and without dying too often: it will make Zeus very reliant on his ultimate and the enemies know it, so be ready to fight even when it is on cooldown. Always start from the Point Booster when guying this item, as survivability is better than more autoattack damage, armor or plain strength on such a Hero and your mana pool still gets higher. If you need some survivability but don't want to spend 4200 gold, either take a Point Booster or an Ogre Axe that you can turn into a BKB if needed.

Personally, I hate this item on Zeus and on any Hero whose ultimate doesn't come with a mass stun or disable (like Black Hole or Reverse Polarity): the price is fairly high, the components are not so useful and you will rarely have enough mana for a full nuking combo. On the other hand, it's made from cheap components and the Perseverance can suffice your mana and survivability needs until you can finish the Orb: if you're able to pull off a 2x Lightning Bolt + Thundergod's Wrath combo and even kill fleeing enemies, then this item will be worth its price. A really bad thing about this item is that it makes you completely reliant on your ultimate: even though this is true, the positive side is that as your ultimate is global you will rarely regret to have bought a Refresher Orb.

Probably the best choice of boots for Zeus, the BoT grant you more movement speed (which you really need) and a useful active ability that makes you more active in teamfights and split pushing. Don't underestimate their usefulness and get them when most of the towers are down: if you have enough mana and survivability to fight, always aim for mobility. Of course if your team needs a disable go for a Scythe of Vyse, but still this item makes you useful and is a solid choice for the rest of the game.

A Scythe of Vyse is hands down the most common late-game item for any INT Hero, from carries to mid game gankers to hard supports: the Hex ability is so good it can turn the tides of a fight, while its components (specifically the Ultimate Orb and the Void Stone) give you more benefits than an Eul's Scepter of Divinty most of the time. Always use this on the enemy carry right after initiating, so that he won't be able to pop his Black King Bar and your team has 3.5 seconds of easy fight. "Lategame, having a guinsoo will work wonders for your team - great stats, imba range, and mana regen, and of course hex is a priceless ability." - Merlini.

Another good late-game item that boosts your intelligence by a lot, Shiva's lets you deal more nuke damage (that gets amplified by Static Field) and enlarges your mana pool by a lot: it doesn't give mana regen as a Scythe of Vyse does, but the armor points can be very handy if you already have a good amount of HP. As you build survivability items, there is a moment when armor gives you more durability than plain HP: that's why typical Pudge or Doom Bringer players that buy a Heart of Tarrasque but not a Cuirass or a Shiva's get easily destroyed if focused by a farmed carry, but Heroes like Anti-Mage are difficult to kill even if they have just 2000HP. Keep this in mind if you want a better late game. The aura can be useful if the enemy has many autoattackers: a 25 attack speed slow doesn't seem much, but it really counts especially against multiple targets.

Basically, if you are carrying your team and the enemies can't deal with your teamfight capabilities this is the best item: mana and HP regen, tankiness and more mana. What else would you need? A faster way to return into the fight if you die? This item comes with a passive ability that does so, too. Don't think about buying this item if you are having a poor or teamfight-heavy late game: in this case a Scythe of Vyse is a lot more helpful and gives you enough stats and mana to keep you useful even after 50 minutes.

Friends and Foes

As Zeus is always ran in mid lane, we will talk about teamfight friends only.
Given the right initiation, this Hero can literally single-handedly win a teamfight: his damage coming from the costant Lightning Bolt spam plus the ultimate are excellent at reducing the HP of disabled Heroes. Consider picking Zeus if your team is teamfight-oriented and includes two or more of the following Heroes (the second line is for global gankers or ultimates):



Each one of them can start a fight and already deal a big amount of damage or a long stun/disable: activate your Thundergod's Wrath in the meanwhile and watch the enemies losing health.




Also, pair your nukes with something that aplifies magical damage to get a huge advantage:

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This Hero is easily countered by magic resistance and turtling, that's why he's not a competitive pick: if the enemy team has a Zeus tell your support to buy a Pipe of Insight as soon as possible. But there are other items and skills that offer magic resistance:





Also, Heroes that reduce your already low mobility are painful to deal with, especially in mid lane:

Closing Words

This Zeus guide is actually the only one suited for competitive play or high-skill matchmaking: while the Aghanim's Scepter + Refresher Orb might seem the best build for pubs, it would make you completely useless for ~30 minutes if playing against a good team.

I hope you enjoed my guide and realized that there isn't a "best way" to play a Hero, but it all depends on the situation.

Update History

1-17-2014: Made some improvements for the overall guide.
3-1-2013: Written the first part of the guide.

To do

• Insert a "Skill Builds" chapter.
• Insert a "Items Explanation: Aghanim + Refresher" chapter.
• Insert a "Playing Style" chapter.
• Insert a "Videos of Competitive Matches" chapter.
• Insert a "Useful Terms and Links" chapter.