HERO / GET TO KNOW THEM

Io

Abilities, roles and builds with an explanation for every purchase.

VALVE · 7.41fChecked 06.10.2026Game data source ↗

HERO GAME PLAN

Ruslan Ukrainskyi· OOPS DOTA

What I want to do in the game

I play near a suitable ally, amplify recovery, and plan Relocate with them.

Io excels at making allies more effective. Linking to an ally speeds them up and slows enemies between the pair. Teleporting together can multiply the potential of an already deadly hero.

Abilities at hand

01 / ROLE IN THE TEAM

A pick is not a plan yet.

My recommendation is a starting point. We choose another position together with the team and for its needs.

Hard support · position 5

Initial recommendation

Help the lane, provide vision and keep the ally alive first; expensive upgrades follow the necessary team purchases.

Support · position 4

I contribute through laning, control and movement. I adapt the expensive core route to my budget.

MY VIEW OF THE HERO

Pick for a purpose. Play with a plan.

When I pick

I pick this alongside an ally who knows how to use the buff and coordinate a global join through Relocate.

What I watch out for

Two nearby heroes can be caught by one AoE disable. Both the arrival point and the place we have to return to can be dangerous.

What I do in combat

Before Relocate, I see both points and my partner's readiness. I maintain Tether for recovery and movement, without taking an ally into an unexpected solo engagement.

What I check first

Relocate has two risky moments: arrival and return. The ally needs to know about both.

02 / ITEMS FOR A PURPOSE

What I buy and why.

This is an editorial starting plan based on hero mechanics. It is not presented as a match I have already tested or a popularity ranking.

Hard support · position 5

My starting plan

Here is my initial plan: I do my role's job first, then choose the items the team needs. I adapt the order and expensive purchases to the opponent.

01 / First stepArcane Boots
Provide mana for laning and regular ability use.
02 / FoundationMekansm
Provides early team sustain when there is not yet enough gold for Greaves.
03 / FoundationHoly Locket
Strengthens the hero’s healing plan and provides another source of restoration when needed.
04 / Next choiceGuardian Greaves
Combine mana and health sustain for the team; useful in prolonged fights together.
05 / Next choiceGlimmer Cape
Adds a protective tool and hides the chosen ally; invisibility does not replace escaping detection.

What I change for the situation 3 options

Solar Crest ↗

Buffs an allied hero for close-range fighting and adds a defensive tool.

Heart of Tarrasque ↗

Adds health and regeneration for prolonged play; I check the enemy’s answers to healing.

Lotus Orb ↗

Lets me remove an eligible negative effect and complicates the opponent's targeted focus.

I see the minute on the clock. And the situation too.

I do not assign one ‘correct’ minute to every purchase. I look at my gold, the next fight and the problem: am I missing mana, target access, control or protection? If an expensive slot will arrive too late, I get a useful answer earlier.

03 / HERO ABILITIES

Abilities. As in the game.

Original Valve icons and descriptions. Cooldowns and mana are shown by level from the data snapshot; talents and upgrades can change the values.

Ability

Tether

Tethers the hero to an allied unit, increasing both units’ movement speed. When the ability’s owner restores health or mana, the tethered unit receives an amplified amount as well.

↻ 12 sec.Mana 40

Details and upgrades

Tethers Io to an allied unit, granting bonus movement speed to both. When Io restores health or mana, the tethered unit gains a portion of that amount. The tether breaks when the allied unit moves too far away, or Io cancels the tether. Tether slows enemies touching it.

Aghanim’s Shard

The tether damages enemies it touches and heals the owner for 50% of that damage.

Ability

Spirits

Summons five spirits that orbit the hero. On colliding with an enemy hero, a spirit explodes, damaging all units around the explosion. On colliding with a creep, a spirit deals a small amount of damage but does not explode.

↻ 15 sec.Mana 90 / 100 / 110 / 120

Details and upgrades

Summon five particle spirits that dance in a circle around Io. If a particle collides with an enemy hero, it explodes, damaging all enemy units in an area around it. Creeps take minor damage from touching a particle spirit, but do not cause them to explode. When its duration ends, any remaining Spirits explode.

Aghanim’s Scepter

Spirits now passively spawn around Io constantly every second up to the max. Spirits colliding with enemy Heroes slows them briefly. Can be activated to explode spirits.

Ability

Overcharge

Io gains attack speed, spell amplification, and health regeneration based on max health. If Io is Tethered to an ally, that unit also gains any bonuses granted by Overcharge.

↻ 25 / 22 / 19 / 16 sec.Mana 40 / 60 / 80 / 100

Ability

Relocate

Teleports Io and a tethered ally to any location. After the spell expires, Io and the tethered ally will return to their original location. Double-click to teleport to your team's base fountain.

↻ 90 / 80 / 70 sec.Mana 175

Innates, upgrades and other forms3 abilities +

These abilities are not necessarily available at the same time. I check the condition beside the name: innate ability, another form or an Aghanim purchase.

Additional / other form

Spirits In

Sends the spirits closer to you. Can be toggled on and off.

Full description

Sends the spirits closer to you. Can be toggled on and off.

Additional / other form

Spirits Out

Sends the spirits farther away from you. Can be toggled on and off.

Full description

Sends the spirits farther away from you. Can be toggled on and off.

Innate

Equilibrium

Io gains outgoing damage amplification the closer it is to full health, and Health Restoration and Healing Amplification the closer it is to zero health.

Full description

Io gains outgoing damage amplification the closer it is to full health, and Health Restoration and Healing Amplification the closer it is to zero health.

Valve base stats +

Health · base: 538
Mana · base: 327
Damage · Valve field: 21–27
Armour · Valve field: 3.33
Movement speed: 320
Attack range: 500
Strength · base / gain: 19 / 3
Agility · base / gain: 14 / 1.6
Intelligence · base / gain: 21 / 1.7

These are fields from the official source. The hero's final values in the client account for attributes and other active mechanics.

KEEP EXPLORING

One hero. Many decisions.

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