With the recent implementation of the Arcane Ring Zeus has become a very powerful hero as well as one of my favorite heroes to play. Although he is very simple in terms of playstyle and build I felt like writing a concise guide that outlines how the Lord of Olympia should be properly played.
Skill and statistical mechanics that are important to the gameplay of this hero will be covered within the guide.
Skill Build:
- Arc Lightning
- Lightning Bolt
- Lightning Bolt
- Stats
- Lightning Bolt
- Thundergod's Wrath
- Lightning Bolt
- Static Field
- Static Field
- Static Field
- Thundergod's Wrath
- Static Field
Thundergod's Wrath should of course be taken again at level 16. When you take Arc Lightning over Stats is a negligible strategic issue. I don't notice a real difference when I max out Arc in comparison to when I don't, since by the point that one would max it its damage comes more from Static than its actual spell damage.
Going Bolt/Stats with no point in Arc should only be done by people who can outfarm enemies with Zeus' shitty normal attack, and by "people" I mean "Merlini".
Going Bolt/Stats with no point in Arc should only be done by people who can outfarm enemies with Zeus' shitty normal attack, and by "people" I mean "Merlini".
Item Build
Arcane Ring is necessary to a Zeus player for the mana restoration properties. Great for ganking! Dagger is bought for ganking and to keep you alive when the enemy team converges upon you.
Reasoning for stuff: okay, lack of HP items here. If you feel the need then tack on a Point Booster, but let me explain why I don't get lots of HP shiz on a hero with no range and horrible stats. In ganks Zeus will be doing nothing but casting spells. This puts him about 800 range away from everyone and as such he won't be hit by too much stuff that's just getting mindlessly thrown around. Zeus dies when like 3 heroes lock onto him and pound him into the ground, which from experience I can say HP items won't help with. Blink does, however!
Items afterward should be geared toward support, such as Eul's Sceptre, Necrobook, Mekansm or Diffusal Blade. Agh's is okay but costs a lot. Get it after a cheap support item that you can obtain quickly. Refresher is overkill, though.
Strategy:
Level 1-3Zeus functions well in any lane you place him in due to the simplicity of his spells. Optimally a solo, dual or tri-lane at the bottom or top lane is what you should be aiming for. Strong lane partners for Zeus basically consist of any high-tier caster hero. Vengeful Spirit, Lina, Sand King, Leshrac etc.
At Level 1 your hero is outfitted with Arc Lightning. Zeus uses Arc Lightning to score last hits and deal minor damage to the hero or heroes in his lane. Arc is a GREAT last hitting spell, and is what allows Zeus to solo against extremely powerful enemy lanes. It has a very long range and does a lot more damage than a physical attack, so you should be able to consistently nab creep kills whenever you cast it. If you cast it too late (basically just as when the creep dies) you will miss the creep kill AND lose mana. Don't let this happen; cast when the creep's HP hits about 70 rather than the typical 30ish. Arc hits 5 times, so as long as there isn't a build-up of creeps it should also hit one enemy hero.
Note that although Zeus' physical attack blows, it still is more than capable of being used for last hits. Don't just use Arc to farm, and deny just as you always would. It also deals notable damage to heroes early in the game, so if a poorly-coordinated battle happens then be sure to use your regular attack.
Bolt is a very easy skill to use. Once you're level 3 it starts becoming worth casting (or at level 2 if chained with lots of other stuff), and in a tri-lane you should be using it in conjunction with allied spells and Arc Lightning. Bolt does a huge amount of damage in comparison to most single target nukes and costs very little mana. As such, you can hammer a hero with it a good three times or so before your mana pool is depleted, and this number obviously increases later on. Nab lots of kills early if you're laned 1v1 or with a good ally/allies; otherwise just farm with Arc if 1v2 or 1v3.
Level 4-7
Zeus' power increases hugely as Bolt levels. At level 5 it becomes very dangerous, to the point that you can start gaining sizeable control over your lane in 1v1 situations and be largely more effective in 2v2/3v3 lane settings. Level 6 adds Wrath to your arsenal, but until you get your Arcane Ring it's rather hard to gain enough mana to cast it.
If you get your Arcane Ring by around level 7 then that is a very, very good thing. If not then that's fine too, but a level 7 Arcane Ring means you will absolutely overpower the lane you're in. Bolt, cast Ring, Bolt again, Bolt again, Ring, Bolt, etc. 350 damage and a 7 second cooldown can't be taken by any single hero. Regardless if you have your Arcane Ring or not, level 4 Bolt is still going to start giving you a lot of kills. If the lane adjacent to you is having some trouble (this is assuming you're not solo, if you're solo then stay put!) then travel over and lend an Arc or two and a Bolt to a buddy.
Bolt can be used to gain last hits on caster creeps, as it kills them in one hit for a large portion of the game. You should only do this once you have your Arcane Ring.
Wrath really isn't that complex of a spell. Most of the time you will simply use it right after Bolt and Arc to kill off a hero in a gank. Tell your allies that if an enemy hero squeaks away with low HP to scream ULT or something like that and, ah, cast it when you see ULT on the screen
Note on Arcane Ring: we are buying this item primarily to support Zeus' mana, but remember that it works on your allies too. Don't be stupid and cast it on just yourself when you have two buddies right outside the AoE. Still, realize that you should be casting it repeatedly for the purpose of your OWN mana pool for the sake of Bolt spam.
Level 8-14
Zeus' role for much of the game is to walk around and use Bolt and Arc in ganks. Bolt is the significant spell; Arc is just there so it looks like you're being productive in-between Bolts and this stays true until you've got Static Field maxed. Bolt hurts A TON early in the game. Exploit the 350 damage/7 second cooldown as much as you can by roaming the map and ganking. Chain together Bolt, Arc and Wrath with an allied spell to blow a hero into nothing, then move again to another lane and throw out a Bolt or two in another gank.
In big ganks stay far away and throw out Bolts and Arcs (Bolt is the important one though!) as the battle progresses. If the enemy team decides to focus you then you are probably dead unless your Dagger is ready to go, so be watchful. Zeus' skills require very little brainpower to use, so concentrate on watching your surroundings and avoid getting ganked into the dirt. Use Wrath either at the end of the battle or before you die. Don't die without using Wrath!
Level 14+
Later in the game Bolt becomes less and less important and Arc actually functions as a nice way of damaging heroes due to Static Field. Still, nothing changes for Zeus as the game progresses. Just keep pounding with repeated Arcs and Bolts, and use Wrath as a finisher or as a last hurrah before death. Also, if you've been getting lots of kills then you should have outfitted yourself with a support item or two. Items like Eul's are not bought to amplify your own hero, but rather to support your team in large battles as your own hero's spells become weaker. Simply cast them as is necessary in fights.
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