Io/Guide

General

 * Io is best played with a partner with whom you share communication.
 * Io is extremely weak and can't do much alone. His utility comes entirely from boosting teammates.
 * Io is expected to sacrifice its life to save another teammate.
 * As a general rule, Io works best with a Carry who has mobility and health and/or mana regen issues; see the Counter page for some suggested Io Buddies.


 * Tether is required to buff any ally with Overcharge or to use Relocate.
 * Tether can be used 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. Positional items are also useful for this.
 * Use Tether on an ally or lane creep to escape dangerous situations.
 * When ganking, remember to slow the target target by passing over them with Tether's link.
 * Tether to an ally, then use a healing item to double the benefit for that ally.
 * The Tethered ally will not gain anything if Io is at full health. Using Overcharge to lower your health before using any healing items will assure you are able to pass along the boosted regeneration.
 * However, for mana, it does not matter if Io is full or not. Mana will always be transfered, regardless of Io's mana status.
 * When ganking or escaping, always remember that Tether duration is the same as its cooldown, so it can be maintained on constantly as long as you have enough mana.


 * During the early game, Spirits can be used to harass and keep enemies away from the creep wave.
 * Spirits take practice and focus to control, but should not come before performing Io's other duties.
 * Spirits will hit invisible enemies, and can be used to finish off fleeing targets.
 * It can also be used to detect invisible enemies nearby, although there is no guarantee Spirit will impact an unseen foe.


 * Io's Spirits can be used to stack and farm multiple jungle camps at a time, to boost either your or your carry's farm.
 * When recast, the spirits instantly detonate, providing the full nuke damage.
 * You can use this in combination with relocate to surprise and kill an enemy. Simply pull your spirits close to yourself, and as the skill goes off cooldown with some spirit duration left, relocate on top of an enemy and re-cast 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.


 * Overcharge is extremely powerful on carries and should be used during teamfights and ganks.
 * Enemies may target Io because of this. Combined with its health costs, using Overcharge can leave Io very vulnerable.
 * The damage reduction of this skill is also notable and can considerably increase the survivability of your partner.
 * Overcharge should always be skilled early as Io is not able to heal his allies with tether with full health. Overcharge grants an easy means to lower your HP and mana.


 * Use Relocate to bring an ally into a ganking position.
 * Use Relocate to save an ally from certain death. This is 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.
 * It's also possible to Relocate from a safe spot, then bring back an injured ally upon returning. This is not always viable however, as it entails the 12 second discrepancy between Relocations.

Items
Starting:
 * give Io a bit of extra health and damage. They can be used to build into an.
 * es, s, and potions can be used to sustain Io and a lane partner, thanks to Tether.

Early-game:
 * give a nice movement speed boost.
 * restores mana and health in a pinch to both Io and a Tethered ally.
 * can be used in conjunction with Tether to restore a large amount of health to Io and an ally.

Core:
 * is a cheap upgrade from . It helps Io heal allies even more.
 * heals Io's partner for 625 health, as opposed to the standard 250.
 * is useful for restoring both ally's health and mana.
 * can be used to restore a large amount of mana to Io and his allies, thanks to Tether.
 * can also be considered for healing allies.

Situational:
 * Glimmer Cape is useful to evade enemies when they are focusing on Io, or to save an ally from a gank.
 * Eul's Scepter of Divinity serves a similar purpose and can also be used offensively as a disable to stop channeling spells or prevent escape.
 * makes Io a very effective healer, thanks to its powerful health regeneration.
 * provides a useful aura that can help in ganks and the slow can allow less mobile allied heroes to get closer to their targets.
 * provides a valuable disable, and also some useful attribute bonuses.
 * gives some strength and evasion, and the ability to disarm an enemy hero that is causing trouble to your team.
 * can be used during Relocate to aid in a gank or push.
 * gives you cost efficient attribute bonuses and further boosts you and your Tethered partner's attack and movement speed.
 * provides extra burst damage that you might need to take down an enemy hero in a Relocate gank.
 * is the next logical step for an Io with Mekansm and Arcane Boots, as it combines the two items into one slot, potentially allowing another item in your inventory.