Io/Guide

Support
Io excels at healing and buffing allies with Tether and Overcharge. Therefore, Io should acquire healing items like or  to come online quickly. Throughout the game, look out for lone targets to initiate with Relocate ganks, using Spirits to help bring them down. In the mid and late game, Io should spend most of its time staying with a carry to enhance their capabilities or save them from death. In the late game, with talent that orders Io to attack tethered ally's target, Io can build items like to deal massive damage against enemy heroes and buildings.

General

 * Io works best with a partner with whom you share communication.
 * Io is extremely weak and cannot do much alone. Its utility comes entirely from boosting teammates.
 * Usually, Io should sacrifice its life to save another teammate.
 * Enemies will often target Io first to negate its healing and buffs. So, Io should stay behind teammates to be protected. Later on, Io can also buy defensive items like to survive.
 * As a general rule, Io works best with a carry who has mobility and health and/or mana regeneration issues; see the Counter page for some suggested Io buddies.
 * Tether heals allies for more than the healing done to Io itself. Thus, Io should buy items like or  in the laning phase and  or  later on to take advantage of Tether healing.
 * Alternatively, teaming up with allied heroes who have healing abilities to amplify their effects with Tether.
 * In the early game, tell your lane partners to use healing items and abilities on Io to gain more with Tether.
 * With infinite duration of Tether, Io may delay buying boots until much further when building.
 * Io does not have to turn to attack, to move, or to use items and abilities.


 * Use Tether to buff any ally with Overcharge or to use Relocate with them.
 * Use Tether on allied heroes to get to their side with great speed, as it latches from a considerable distance.
 * Approaching a confrontation from behind will allow for easier use of Tether's slow. Hence, Io can buy positional items to use this tactic.
 * However, Io should let teammates apply the slow and mind its own position as getting caught out means a quick death for Io.
 * Use Tether on an ally or friendly lane creep far away to escape dangerous situations.
 * Tether to an ally, then use healing items on Io to gain more benefit for that ally, capable of regenerating both health and mana.
 * The tethered ally will not gain anything if Io is at full health. Using Overcharge or taking damage—from creeps for example—to lower your HP before using any healing items to pass along the boosted regeneration.
 * Though Tether lasts forever, it still has a cooldown, so Io cannot keep breaking and forming Tether in a short period of time.
 * Tether sets Io's movement speed equal to the target's. Therefore, if the target is slowed, Io is also slowed. But, if the slow is applied on Io, it will not have any effect as Tether preserves its movement speed equal to the target's.


 * During the early game, use Spirits to harass and keep enemies away from the creep waves.
 * Spirits take practice and focus to control, but should not come before performing Io's other duties.
 * Spirits will hit invisible enemies to detect them.
 * Use Spirits to stack and farm multiple jungle camps at a time, boosting gold income of Io's team.
 * At higher levels, Spirits has longer duration than cooldown. When recast, Spirits instantly detonate, providing the full nuke damage, while supplying Io with new Spirits for further damage.
 * You can use it in combination with Relocate to surprise and kill an enemy. Simply pull your Spirits close to yourself, and as the ability goes off cooldown with some Spirits duration left, Relocate on top of an enemy and recast Spirits as you arrive. The enemy will take the brunt of all five Spirits' damage, and will have little chance of escape if you have an ally with you.
 * Use Spirits to quickly farm lane and neutral creeps once you understand its duration and cooldown interaction.


 * Overcharge increases attack speed to help Io's carries output damage in fights.
 * The damage reduction of Overcharge can considerably increase the survivability of tethered partner.
 * Put early point in Overcharge for a way to lower your health and mana as Tether will not heal allies when Io is at full health or mana.


 * Use Relocate anywhere on the map with a tethered ally to gank enemies.
 * Use Relocate to save an ally from certain death, arguably the most important thing Io can do for the team.
 * Doing so will usually result in Io's death when Relocate returns it to the original location.
 * Remember to break the Tether before this happens, or the ally will be brought back with Io.
 * You can use Relocate from a safe spot, then bring back an injured ally upon returning. Though, the second discrepancy between Relocations does not always make this tactic viable.
 * Use Relocate to reach a distant ward spot; enemies should have a hard time figure out where you plant wards as you hopefully have not crossed their vision.

Items
Starting items:
 * provides health regeneration to Io and a lane partner, thanks to Tether.
 * keeps Io and ally up in health during the early game.
 * sustains Io and ally with mana to use abilities.

Early game:
 * , available at the Secret Shop, restores both ally's health and mana with Tether.
 * heals Io while Tether passes that healing to an allied target.
 * instantly restores mana and health to both Io and a tethered ally.

Mid game:
 * gives attributes and a bit more amount of heal compared to Magic Stick.
 * , upgraded from, increases regeneration and healing for Io to keep allies healthy, while providing bonus health and movement speed to boost Io's survivability.
 * restore a large amount of mana to Io and allies with Tether.
 * heals Io's tethered partner for much more than the standard . It also provides an armor and health regeneration aura to boost survivability.
 * provides extra health regeneration for Tethered allies, and has an attack speed aura that stacks with Overcharge. It also lets Io Dominate a creep, potentially allowing him to forgo boots as his movespeed rises to 457 when Tethered to the creep.

Late game:
 * , built from Mekansm and Arcane Boots to save an item slot, restore huge amount of health and mana to Io and its team, especially with Tether. Io also enjoys the boosted health regeneration and armor as its HP decreases due to Overcharge.
 * allows Io or allied target to escape from enemies with invisibility and magic resistance.
 * shields Io from physical attacks, so it stays alive longer to help allies.

Situational items:
 * grants strength and health regeneration. More importantly, Io can pass the created mana to the tethered ally so both parties can use their respective abilities. Consider items like Tranquil Boots or Helm of the Dominator that boost health regeneration to sustain the health cost of Soul Ring.
 * heals Io and tethered allies more if they do not need the mana from Arcance Boots.
 * gives cost efficient attribute bonuses and further boosts Io's and its partner's attack and movement speed.
 * grants aura of health regeneration and magic resistance, a great item to absorb magical damage.
 * has useful aura with many perks, including bonus damage and lifesteal which help allied heroes who rely on physical attacks to deal damage.
 * serves as a disable to stop channeling spells or prevent escape. The bonus movement speed allows Io to keep up Tether close to an ally without breaking it.
 * provides useful ability to position different heroes, including Io.
 * gives some strength, evasion, and the ability to disarm a troublesome enemy hero.
 * makes Io an ultimate healer, thanks to its generous bonuses of strength and health regeneration.
 * provides a valuable disable, some useful attribute bonuses, as well as mana regeneration which can pass on to tethered ally.
 * adds damage and applies armor reduction on enemies; works better in the late game after taking talent that lets Io attack tethered ally's target.

Io/Руководство