Hero Discussion of the Day: Zeus (February 10, 2012)
Zeus was last discussed on November 2.
Zeus is a formidable and dangerous Intelligence Hero. Based on the God of Lightning and Thunder of Greek Mythology of the same name, Zeus uses the power of electricity to overwhelm his enemies, electrocuting them to dust. Although his overall Attributes are one of the weakest and lowest and his stats are considered below average, he is a mighty Ganker and is capable of unleashing the highest possible damage to an enemy with his strong spells, either spamming or casting it multiple times or heavily damage them with a nuke. Zeus is one of the few spell-casters who is still effective and powerful even in late game thanks to his high damage output. Zeus is recommended for beginners and intermediate players.
Lore:
Lord of Heaven, father of gods, Zeus treats all the Heroes as if they are his rambunctious, rebellious children. After being caught unnumbered times in the midst of trysts with countless mortal women, his divine wife finally gave him an ultimatum: 'If you love mortals so much, go and become one. If you can prove yourself faithful, then return to me as my immortal husband. Otherwise, go and die among your creatures.' Zeus found her logic (and her magic) irrefutable, and agreed to her plan. He has been on his best behavior ever since, being somewhat fonder of immortality than he is of mortals. But to prove himself worthy of his eternal spouse, he must continue to pursue victory on the field of battle.
"You can't run from heaven!"
| Strength | Agility | Intelligence |
|---|---|---|
| 19 + 1.8 | 11 + 1.2 | 20 + 2.7 |
| Damage | Armor | Movespeed |
| 41-49 | 1.54 | 295 |
| Attack Range | Base Attack Time | Missile Speed |
| 350 | 1.7 | 1100 |
| Soundset | Icon | Fan Art |
Arc Lightning
Hurls a bolt of lightning that leaps through nearby enemy units.
| Level | Mana Cost | Cooldown | Casting range | Area of Effect | Duration | Allowed Targets | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 65 | 2 | 700 | 500* | N/A | Enemy units | Arcs 5 times, deals 85 damage |
| 2 | 70 | 2 | 700 | 500* | N/A | Enemy units | Arcs 7 times, deals 100 damage |
| 3 | 75 | 2 | 700 | 500* | N/A | Enemy units | Arcs 9 times, deals 115 damage |
| 4 | 80 | 2 | 700 | 500* | N/A | Enemy units | Arcs 15 times, deals 145 damage |
- Damage type: magical
- The damage of Arc Lightning is not reduced with each bounce.
- (*) Area of Effect means the distance the Arc Lightning can bounce.
Lightning Bolt
Summons a bolt of lightning to strike an enemy unit, causing damage and a ministun. Lightning Bolt also provides truesight around the target in a radius of 900.
| Level | Mana Cost | Cooldown | Casting range | Area of Effect | Duration | Allowed Targets | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 6 | 700 | N/A | N/A | Enemy units | 100 Damage |
| 2 | 95 | 6 | 700 | N/A | N/A | Enemy units | 175 Damage |
| 3 | 115 | 6 | 700 | N/A | N/A | Enemy units | 275 Damage |
| 4 | 135 | 6 | 700 | N/A | N/A | Enemy units | 350 Damage |
- Damage type: magical
- Gives true sight within 900 range.
- Reveals the surrounding area (1000 range during both day and night) for 3 seconds.
- Posseses a mini-stun, which allows Zeus to interrupt channeling spells and items with this ability.
Static Field
Zeus shocks all nearby enemy units whenever he casts a spell, causing damage proportional to their current health.
| Level | Mana Cost | Cooldown | Casting range | Area of Effect | Duration | Allowed Targets | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1000 | N/A | Enemy units | Shocks for 5% of current hit points |
| 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1000 | N/A | Enemy units | Shocks for 7% of current hit points |
| 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1000 | N/A | Enemy units | Shocks for 9% of current hit points |
| 4 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 1000 | N/A | Enemy units | Shocks for 11% of current hit points |
- Damage type: magical
- The damage from Static Field is dealt before the damage from the used spell.
- Damages invisible units.
Thundergod's Wrath
Strikes all enemy heroes with a bolt of lightning, no matter where they may be. Thundergod's Wrath also provides truesight around each hero struck in a radius of 900. If an enemy hero is invisible, it takes no damage, but the True Sight is still created at that hero's location.
SCEPTER UPGRADABLE: Increases damage.
| Level | Mana Cost | Cooldown | Casting range | Area of Effect | Duration | Allowed Targets | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 225 | 120 | N/A | Global | N/A | Enemy heroes | Deals 210 (400*) damage |
| 2 | 325 | 120 | N/A | Global | N/A | Enemy heroes | Deals 335 (500*) damage |
| 3 | 450 | 120 | N/A | Global | N/A | Enemy heroes | Deals 460 (600*) damage |
- Damage type: magical
- Reveals the surrounding area (1000 range during both day and night) for 3 seconds.
- Gives True Sight 900 range around each affected target for 3 seconds.
- If a target is invisible it will get revealed (both vision and true sight) but not damaged.
- Can be improved by Aghanim's Scepter (* shows the improved values).
You may be interested in the famous Merlini's guide to Zeus. It's outdated but the gameplay tips are still valid.
zuisoko's guide to Zeus is current if you're interested in that.
Also be sure to check out DotaCinema's video overview of the Lord of Olympus in action.
As always, check out yesterday's discussion of Storm Spirit or the (almost) complete HDotD archives.
Posted Feb 10, 2012, 5:02 PM UTC