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Zeus
Strength attribute symbol
Agility attribute symbol
Intelligence attribute symbol
19 + 2.1
11 + 1.2
22 + 3.3
Level 0 1 15 25 30
Health 120 538 1176 1902 2166
+0.25 +2.15 +5.09 +8.39 +9.64
Mana 75 339 891 1431 1647
+0 +1.1 +3.41 +5.66 +6.59
Armor 2 3.83 6.63 10.63 11.97
Magic Resist 25% 27.2% 31.82% 36.32% 38.17%
Damage Block -
Damage

33
41

55
63

101
109

146
154

164
172

Attack Rate 0.59/s 0.65/s 0.75/s 0.89/s 0.94/s
Attack Range Ranged 380 (800)
Attack Speed ▶️ 100 (1.7s BAT)
Attack Animation 0.35 + 0.55
Projectile Speed 1100
Move Speed ▶️ 315 (Nighttime 345)
Turn Rate Takes 0.175s to turn 180°. 0.6
Collision Size 27
Bound Radius 24
Vision Range (G) 1800 (Nighttime 800)
Gib Type Electric
Internal npc_dota_hero_zuus
Strikes enemies near and far with lightning.
Charged with godly might emanating from his Lightning Hands. As the Lord of Heaven Jumping around, Zeus calls down Lightning Bolts to smite foes and reveal the surroundings, sends Arc of Lightning through his nearest enemies, and calls forth a terrifying Nimbus upon his enemies that repeatedly strikes enemies with Lightning Bolts. None can hide from Zeus, pointing his arms skyward to bring divine punishment down on each and every foe. Wherever they may be, none shall stand against the Thundergod's Wrath.
Arc Lightning
Lightning Bolt
Heavenly Jump
Nimbus
Nimbus
Lightning Hands
Lightning Hands
Thundergod's Wrath
Roles: Nuker Nuker Carry Carry
Complexity: Hero Complexity
Adjectives: Bearded, Blue, NicePecs, Parent, Nose
Legs ( 2 )


Bio[]

Zeus minimap iconZeus, the Lord of Heaven
▶️ "Immortality was overrated. This is much more interesting."
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.
Alias:
Lord of Heaven

Abilities[]

Arc Lightning
Arc Lightning icon
Affects
Enemies
Damage
Magical
Hurls a bolt of lightning that leaps through nearby enemy units.
Cast Animation: 0.2+0.63
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 850
Bounce Distance: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 500
Number of Bounces: 5/7/9/15
Bounce Interval: 0.25
Base Damage: 85/110/135/160
Current Health as Damage: 3%/4%/5%/6% (Talent 9%/10%/11%/12%)
Cooldown symbol
 1.6
Mana symbol
 75/80/85/90
Partially blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Blocked fully only when primary target.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_zuus_arc_lightning
Undispellable
Arc Lightning is Zeus' favorite spell to use against puny mortals.

  • The lightning bounces in 0.25-second intervals, so hitting all targets takes 1/1.5/2/3.5 seconds.
  • Can never hit the same unit twice per cast.
  • All bounces together can deal up to 425/770/1215/2400 base damage (before reductions).
  • The current health as damage is dealt together with the base damage as a single spell damage instance.
  • The hidden buff is required for the lightning to jump.
  • TALENT
    The current health as damage increasing Talent talent immediately update the current active instances.


Lightning Bolt
Lightning Bolt icon
Affects
Enemies
Damage
Magical
Calls down a bolt of lightning to strike an enemy unit, causing damage and a mini-stun. When cast, Lightning Bolt briefly provides unobstructed vision and True Sight around the target in a 750 radius. Can be cast on the ground, affecting the closest enemy hero in 325 range.
Cast Animation: 0.25+0.72
Cast Range: Affected by Cast Range bonuses. 700/750/800/850
Search Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 325
Vision/True Sight Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 750
Damage: 125/200/275/350
Stun Duration: 0.35 (Talent 0.85)
Vision Duration: 5
True Sight Duration: 5
True Sight Linger Duration: 0.5
Cooldown symbol
 6
Mana symbol
 120/125/130/135
Partially pierces debuff immunity.
True Sight pierces debuff immunity.
Partially blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Stun and damage are blocked, no matter if directly targeted or not.
Vision is only blocked when directly targeted.
Talent
Despite removing unit-targeting, the talent does not affect the Spell Block interaction.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_zuus_lightningbolt_vision_thinker
Undispellable
modifier_stunned
modifier_truesight
Undispellable
A shocking punishment for rebellious heathen.

  • Lightning Bolt first applies the damage, then the debuff.
  • When unit-targeted, the 750 range flying vision and True Sight are provided at the target's position upon cast. The vision is stationary and does not follow the target.
  • When ground-targeted, Lightning Bolt searches for any enemy unit within its area. Chooses the closest target to the center.
    • Prioritizes heroes, including illusions, clones, and creep-heroes.
    • It does not require any vision or True Sight to hit invisible or enemies in the Fog of War.
    • With the cast range and search radius, it can hit an enemy up to 1025/1075/1125/1175 range away.
    • When cast this way, the vision, and True Sight is always centered on the targeted point, regardless of hitting a unit.
  • The flying vision and True Sight last for 5 seconds. The True Sight is provided by an aura, and its debuff lingers for 5 seconds.
  • The lightning particles and sound effects during the cast time are visible and audible to everyone.
  • TALENT
    The area of effect Talent talent turns Lightning Bolt into a 325 radius area-targeted ability, so that it cannot directly target units anymore.
    • Lightning Bolt now hits every enemy unit within the search radius.
    • Does not hit invulnerable or hidden enemies, but still hits invisible enemies and enemies inside the Fog of War.
    • Does not upgrade the Lightning Bolts of Nimbus icon Nimbus.
    • The reveal aura is still created where his cursor points, not at every hit unit's location.
  • Upon cast, both the primary and the secondary target are affected by 3 Lightning Bolts with the area of effect Talent talent learned.


Heavenly Jump
Heavenly Jump icon
Ability
No Target
Affects
Self / Enemies
Damage
Magical
Zeus performs a Heavenly Jump shocking the closest visible nearby enemy (prioritizing heroes), dealing damage, reducing their movement, attack speed and increasing their cast time. If Zeus was moving forward, he will jump forwards that direction. Zeus gets 900 unobstructed vision around him for 3 seconds.
Search Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 700/800/900/1000
Leap Distance: 500
Number of Targets: 1 (Talent 2)
Damage: 25/50/75/100
Move Speed Slow: 80%
Attack Speed Slow: 100
Buff/Debuff Duration: 1.6
Leap Duration: 0.5
Talent Move Speed Bonus: 30
Cooldown symbol
 26/22/18/14 (Talent 22/18/14/10)
Mana symbol
 50/60/70/80
Cannot be cast while rooted or leashed.
Root Notes:
Getting rooted while already leaping does not cancel the leap.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_zuus_heavenly_jump
Death
modifier_zuus_lightningbolt_vision_thinker
Undispellable
modifier_zuus_heavenly_jump_boost_buff
Death
modifier_zuus_static_field_slow

  • Leaps at a speed of 1000 over 0.5 seconds.
  • Always leaps towards the direction Zeus is facing while locking his facing angle during the leap.
    • Moves Zeus 250 range upwards over other units and over impassable terrain.
  • During Leap, Zeus can attack, use items, and cast abilities.
    • However, he cannot turn, so targeted abilities and items may only be used in the direction he is facing.
    • Casting Heavenly Jump while already leaping has no effect, wasting the mana and cooldown.
  • Heavenly Jump provides 900 radius flying vision for 3 seconds at the cast location upon cast.
    • This vision is stationary and does not follow Zeus.
  • 0.13 seconds after cast, Heavenly Jump deals damage and applies the debuff to 1 (Talent 2) closest enemies within its search radius.
    • Can target any unit, but prioritizes heroes, including illusions, clones, and creep-heroes.
    • Does not target invulnerable, invisible, or hidden enemies.
    • Debuff and buff of successive casts do not stack but refresh its duration instead.
    • TALENT
      Increases Zeus' total movement speed to 345 upon cast.
      • The buff is applied instantly upon cast, not upon landing.
      • The buff of successive casts does not stack but refreshes its duration.
  • Heavenly Jump first applies the debuff, the damage, and then movement speed increasing buff.


Nimbus icon
Affects
Enemies
Damage
Magical
Creates a storm cloud anywhere on the map that automatically casts Lightning Bolt on nearby enemies.
Cast Animation: 0.2+0.64
Cast Range: Global
Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 450
Melee Hero Attacks to Destroy: 4
Ranged Hero Attacks to Destroy: 8
Creep Attacks to Destroy: 16
Lightning Bolt Interval: 2.5
Duration: 30
Cooldown symbol
 45
Mana symbol
 325
Not blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Lightning Bolts from the Nimbus are not blocked.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_zuus_cloud
Death
modifier_kill
Death
modifier_zuus_lightningbolt_vision_thinker
Undispellable
modifier_stunned
modifier_truesight
Undispellable
Ability Draft Notes
Ability Draft Notes:
Lightning Bolt icon Lightning Bolt must be drafted as well for it to get applied.
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter.
Requires drafting Thundergod's Wrath icon Thundergod's Wrath to be unlocked.
Where the thunder god's ire grows, storm clouds quickly gather.

Nimbus
Zeus Nimbus model
Summoned Ward
16
+0
This unit has no mana.
Level 0
Duration Ability Duration 30
Armor Armor 0
Magic Resistance 0%
Status Resistance 0
Collision Size 18
Bound Radius 8
Vision Range (G) 500
Bounty Gold 125
Experience 0

  • Casts a regular unit-targeted Lightning Bolt icon Lightning Bolt based on its current level on the closest valid enemy target.
    • Fully applies the stun while providing vision and True Sight around the target.
    • Lightning Bolt notes fully apply. If it is not learned, nothing happens.
  • The damage source is the Nimbus itself, meaning certain on-damage effects react on the Nimbus rather than on Zeus (e.g. Blade Mail icon Blade Mail).
    • This also means that damage manipulation sources on Zeus do not affect the Nimbus' bolt damage either.
  • Starts striking immediately upon cast if an enemy is within the radius.
    • Also strikes immediately when the last strike was longer than an interval ago and an enemy enters the area.
    • Always strikes the closest valid target. There are no priorities. Cannot target wards or buildings.
    • The Nimbus can strike invisible units and units inside the Fog of War.
    • Can strike up to 13 times over its full duration, considering the default 2.5 strike interval.
    • The strike interval is not affected by any cooldown reduction and cooldown reset sources.
  • The visual effects on the ground that mark the Nimbus' radius are visible to everyone.
  • Zeus Nimbus icon Nimbus does not disappear, but stops casting Lightning Bolts upon losing the ability. Reacquiring Lightning Bolt icon Lightning Bolt or Nimbus icon Nimbus causes Nimbus to cast Lightning Bolts again.


Lightning Hands
Lightning Hands icon
Ability
Toggle / Passive
Affects
Self / Enemies
Damage
Magical
Zeus gains bonus attack range and his attacks create Arc Lightnings that deal a percentage of its damage. Can be toggled off to stop this effect.
Passive Component
Self Attack Range Bonus: 100
Trigger Radius: Affected by Attack Range bonuses. 480
Base Damage: 42.5/55/67.5/80
Current Health as Damage: 1.5%/2%/2.5%/3% (Talent 4.5%/5%/5.5%/6%)
Illusions Illusions
Base Damage: 17/22/27/32
Current Health as Damage: 0.6%/0.8%/1%/1.2% (Talent 1.8%/2%/2.2%/2.4%)
Not blocked by Linken's Sphere.
Cannot be blocked or reflected.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_zuus_lightning_hands
Undispellable
Ability Draft Notes
Ability Draft Notes:
Upgradable by Aghanim's Shard.
This ability is not available in Ability Draft.
Leveling up this ability levels another ability at the same time.
Both Lightning Hands and Arc Lightning are linked abilities.

  • Increases Zeus' total attack range to 480.
    • Grants attack range bonus based on the caster's attack range type.
    • Toggling Off does not disable the attack range bonus.
  • Zeus' attacks now passively casts Arc Lightning icon Arc Lightning on the target based on its current level when toggled On.
    • Arc Lightning applied by Lightning Hands does not trigger the cooldown and work while on cooldown and does not cost mana.
    • It can be applied even if the ability itself is currently not castable.
    • They do not proc on-cast effects either.
    • Arc Lightning notes fully apply. If it is not learned, it is not passively applied.
    • The passive Arc Lightning trigger when the normal attack impact. For melee unit, this is upon attack point. It does not require the normal attack to actually hit to trigger.
      • In other word, the passive Arc Lightning triggers even if the normal attack misses or the target become attack immune upon attack projectile impacting.
    • Disjointing the normal attack projectile immediately triggers the passive Arc Lightning.
  • Illusions' Arc Lightning damage is independent of the illusion's Outgoing Damage Manipulation outgoing attack damage manipulation, and it can be defined as:
  • Lightning Hands first applies the passive Arc Lightning cast, then the attack damage.


Thundergod's Wrath
Thundergod's Wrath icon
Ability
No Target
Damage
Magical
Strikes all enemy heroes with a bolt of lightning, no matter where they may be. Does a flat amount of damage and additional damage based on the max health of the target.

Thundergod's Wrath also provides True Sight around each hero struck. If an enemy hero is invisible, it takes no damage, but the True Sight is still created at that hero's location.
Cast Animation: 0.4+0.43
Effect Radius: Global
Vision Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 500
True Sight Radius: Affected by AoE Radius bonuses. 500
Damage: 300/425/550 (Talent 450/575/700)
Max Health as Damage: 5%/7.5%/10%
Vision Duration: 3
True Sight Duration: 3
True Sight Aura Linger Duration: 0.5
Cooldown symbol
 120
Mana symbol
 250/375/500
Upgradable by Aghanim's Scepter.
Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:
Grants the Nimbus ability.
Partially pierces debuff immunity.
True Sight pierces debuff immunity.
Buff/Debuff
Modifiers [?]
modifier_zuus_thundergodswrath_vision_thinker
Undispellable
modifier_truesight
Death
The Lord of Heaven smites all who oppose him, near or far.

  • Thundergod's Wrath first applies its damage and max health as damage in once damage instance, then provides its vision and True Sight.
    • If an invisible enemy is not revealed beforehand, it only applies the vision and True Sight around them, but not the damage.
    • The damage affects enemy heroes on the scoreboard from top to bottom.
  • Thundergod's Wrath provides 500 radius flying vision and 500 radius True Sight around each struck hero.
    • The vision and True Sight last for 3 seconds.
    • The True Sight is provided by an aura, its debuff lingers for 3 seconds.
  • Hitting all 5 enemy heroes collectively deals 1500/2125/2750 (Talent 2250/2875/3500) damage (before reductions).
  • The visual and sound effects during the cast time are visible and audible to everyone.
    • The sound effects upon cast are Global. Enemies can hear it when they have vision over Zeus, or else they can only hear the local hit sound.
    • Shifts the lighting of the whole map for a split second, which is also visible to everyone.


Talents[]

Hero Talents
+150 Thundergod's Wrath icon Thundergod's Wrath Damage25325 AOE Lightning Bolt icon Lightning Bolt
+0.5s Lightning Bolt icon Lightning Bolt Ministun20+6% Arc Lightning icon Arc Lightning Current Health As Damage
+1 Heavenly Jump icon Heavenly Jump Target15+30 Movement Speed after Heavenly Jump icon Heavenly Jump
+250 Health10-4s Heavenly Jump icon Heavenly Jump Cooldown
Notes:
  • The health talent increases the max health capacity and keeps the current health percentage.

Recent Changes[]

Main Articles: Changelogs, Old Abilities and Hero Lore
Version
Description
  • Increased Lightning Bolt icon Lightning Bolt stun duration from 0.25 to 0.35.
  • Thundergod's Wrath icon Thundergod's Wrath
    • Reduced cooldown from 130/125/120 to 120 on each level.
    • Reduced mana cost from 300/400/500 to 250/375/500.


Recommended Items[]

Starting items:

  • Tango icon Tango regenerates HP for Zeus to stay in lane.
  • Enchanted Mango icon Enchanted Mango gives burst mana for Zeus to use abilities. Always get at least one or two.
  • Clarity icon Clarity gives constant supply of mana for Zeus to farm with Arc Lightning.
  • Iron Branch icon Iron Branch gives attributes, and Zeus can combine it with Tango for more heal.

Early game:

  • Boots of Speed icon Boots of Speed will make you faster, allowing for easier escapes and a better time catching up to enemy heroes.
  • Bottle icon Bottle allows for lane control and sustainability through runes. Getting it early helps you to maintain your mana to get last hits consistently.
  • Null Talisman icon Null Talisman gives more intelligence and maximum mana, allowing for a larger mana pool to spam his abilities.

Mid game:

  • Arcane Boots icon Arcane Boots sustain Zeus' high rate of spell casting and give him the mana pool necessary to remain relevant in longer engagements.
  • Aether Lens icon Aether Lens makes you better at your job by dealing lots of magical damage from as far back as possible.
  • Phylactery icon Phylactery is reliably triggered by both of Zeus' primary nukes, and greatly improves his damage output.
  • Kaya icon Kaya Gives you a cheap but much needed boost to mana regen and spell damage.

Late game:

  • Kaya and Sange icon Kaya and Sange Makes you tankier and deal more spell damage, since it directly upgrades from Kaya. The added Status Resistance is amazing, especially against a debuff heavy enemy lineup.
  • Octarine Core icon Octarine Core increases Zeus's damage output with its cooldown reduction and mana regeneration.
  • Refresher Orb icon Refresher Orb gives you much needed Mana Regen, doubles your damage output via Thundergod's Wrath and Nimbus and allows you to participate in larger teamfights from across the map.
  • Boots of Travel icon Boots of Travel gives great mobility and allows for more efficient teleports, allowing Zeus to shove out lanes at a rapid pace and still have the time to join fights, and can be upgraded to further enhance his global presence.

Situational items:

  • Soul Ring icon Soul Ring can help with early mana issues.
  • Glimmer Cape icon Glimmer Cape is a good pickup on support Zeus if you find that you or your teammates are dying very quickly in fights and need protection. Be mindful, however, of Dust of Appearance and Sentry Wards.
  • Force Staff icon Force Staff is a good choice for mobility and utility, very useful for evading carries and kiting spell immune targets. It can later be built into Hurricane Pike icon Hurricane Pike to synergize with Lightning Hands.
  • Ghost Scepter icon Ghost Scepter can be a great choice if you find yourself getting blown up by physical damage. It can also be upgraded into an Ethereal Blade icon Ethereal Blade, which can be used to disable the enemy carry, save yourself and allies, and deal a massive amount of burst damage in combination with your spells.
  • Bloodstone icon Bloodstone grants more health and more mana, which are very needed for Zeus, and Bloodpact grants a lot of health due to his high spell damage.
  • Scythe of Vyse icon Scythe of Vyse gives a much-needed boost to Zeus' mana and grants a hard disable to deal with troublesome enemies, particularly for shutting down Black King Bar users.
  • Black King Bar icon Black King Bar allows a carry Zeus to dish out damage without fear of being shut down.
  • Dagon icon Dagon can be considered on Zeus, especially with Ethereal Blade, to enhance his nuke damage and grant survivability through Spell Lifesteal.
  • Blink Dagger icon Blink Dagger and its upgrade Overwhelming Blink icon Overwhelming Blink can be considered if you need more mobility. It allows Zeus to stay out of the way of initiations and engage on his own terms.
  • Manta Style icon Manta Style can be purchased after Aghanim's Shard for pushing and teamfighting, as the illusions can use Lightning Hands to put out area of effect damage.
  • Moon Shard icon Moon Shard is an excellent item for a basic attack-focused build by letting Zeus trigger Lightning Hands much more frequently.


Dota Plus Progress[]

Main Article: Hero Challenges

Relics track a hero's actions and statistics, and display in-game notifications when a milestone is reached. They are only available to Dota Plus subscribers.

Relics Voice Lines
Relic Rare icon
Arc Lightning icon Arc Lightning Three Hero Hits
Relic Rare icon
Nimbus icon Nimbus Damage
Relic intelligence icon
Teleports Leading To Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Magic Damage
Relic intelligence icon
Eul's Scepter of Divinity icon Euls Leading To Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Long Range Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Veil of Discord icon Veils Veils Leading To Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Triple Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Mega-Kill Streaks
Relic intelligence icon
Enemy Observer and Sentry Wards icon Ward Kills
Relic intelligence icon
Kill Assists
Relic intelligence icon
Kills
Plus Hero Badge 1
Bronze
Plus Hero Badge 2
Silver
Plus Hero Badge 3
Gold
Plus Hero Badge 4
Platinum
Plus Hero Badge 5
Master
  • ▶️ Did you think you could hide from a god?
Plus Hero Badge 6
Grandmaster

Equipment[]

Trivia[]

  • Zeus was the first hero to be implemented in Dota 2.
  • Zeus is based on the Greek mythological god of the same name.
  • As suggested by the game's files, Zeus's name was, at one time, Zuus. The possible reason is that "Zuus" is the correct pronunciation of his name "Zeus".
  • Zeus' alternate/fun name in DotA was "Merlini", a tribute to a professional DotA player.
  • Zeus' title in DotA was "Lord of Olympus".
  • Static Field icon Static Field is most likely a reference to the Sorceress' skill of the same name in Diablo II. In Diablo II, the spell also reduced enemies' HP by a percentage within a short radius.
  • Zeus' respawn line ▶️ "To err is human. To respawn, divine." is a reference to Alexander Pope, whose quote is "To err is human; to forgive, divine."
  • Zeus' rival line towards Chen minimap icon Chen, ▶️ "Keep in mind, Chen, godliness is next to deadliness." is a reference to an old and well-known saying "Cleanliness is next to godliness.".
  • ▶️ "If I didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent me.", is a reference to a similar quote by French philosopher Voltaire: "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him."
  • When using Bottle icon Bottle, ▶️ "Nature abhors an empty bottle.", is a reference to the Plenism postulate attributed to Aristotle, which states that nature contains no vacuums because the denser surrounding material continuum would immediately fill the rarity of an incipient void – "Nature abhors a vacuum.".

Gallery[]

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