Zeus, the thundergod is a mighty and ruthless deity. There may be various heroes in the game, but only one is a god. The divine being dominates games and smites his enemies with his ungodly damage. There is no way you can escape his wrath alive if you have low magic resistance. Primarily played in the middle lane, Zeus can destroy heroes right from the early game. There is no way you can stop him in the late game if he manages to have a successful early game. Not all builds allow you to reach such an exceptional level of gameplay, you need to follow the right item and skill build to get the best results on spellcasting heroes like Zeus. With the wrong build, you may just throw the game away.
To assist you in picking the right item and skill builds, we have compiled this list of the best 5 Zeus Builds in the current meta. The thundergod is revitalized with the following builds. Pay attention to the skill allocation and spell usage in these builds, you may learn a new trick or two!
5. Cancel Build
Cancel is one of the most-watched Dota streamers on Twitch. His unorthodox methods and high-octane gameplay are widely lauded by his viewers all around the world. Cancel is a mid-player, and it is obvious that he will have the almighty thundergod Zeus in his rotation. Cancel prefers playing an offensive Zeus which prioritizes fighting and dealing early-game damage over playing a passive farm-oriented build. Cancel also utilizes Kaya and Sange along with Ethereal Blade to their full optimum extent in this matchup. This build amplifies the ungodly damage that Zeus is already known to deal very effortlessly.
In such a team fight-oriented and fight-fueled matchup, Cancel prioritizes the late game. Zeus has his limitations in the late game as we know, but this build allows him to stay durable and stand his ground even when his impact may seem shaky. Cancel loves the max Arc Lighting build as it allows him to deal high AoE damage and hence allows him to fight and farm creeps to further accelerate his impact. His item choices are orthodox in this matchup as he is facing high-tempo opponents. The lethal combination of Aghanim’s Scepter, Refresher’s, and Octarine Core make Cancel a devastating force in this tough matchup.
Use This Build If:
- You want an early game-focused build that allows you to participate in skirmishes as soon as you can
- You are facing low magic-resistant heroes or squishy heroes with low HP and high armor
- You want a mid-Zeus build that prioritizes teamfight and objectives over farming
- You want a build that stays relevant even in the late game as a magical Zeus
Skill Points
Level 1: Arc Lightning - Upon usage, it releases a wave of lightning that damages enemy units standing close by. It helps Zeus farm in the early game, while also helping him deal enough damage to multiple enemies at once. It is also great to max against illusion-based heroes as it will deal great AoE damage to them.
Level 2: Heavenly Jump - Causes Zeus to leap in the direction he is facing, while slowing and dealing damage to enemies around him. Zeus also gets unobstructed vision with this spell, making it easy for him to escape a sticky situation. It is not an ability you max in the early game, but one point must suffice for a major time in the game.
Level 3: Arc Lighting
Level 4: Heavenly Jump
Level 5: Arc Lighting
Level 6: Thundergod’s Wrath - Strikes all heroes on the map with lightning, regardless of their location. It also reveals their location on the map. It provides true sight if the hero is invisible, it doesn’t reveal the hero but the true sight is still created around that hero’s location. This is the most effective global spell in the game, you can just smite enemy heroes regardless of their location on the map. Zeus can also combine this spell with his Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade Nimbus, along with Refresher’s Orb to deal twice the damage and decimate heroes within no time.
Level 7: Arc Lighting
Level 8: Heavenly Jump
Level 9: Heavenly Jump
Level 10: Lightning Bolt - Upon usage, it mini-stuns the targeted unit while dealing damage to them. It also provides unobstructed vision and true sight in an area around the used lighting bolt. It helps destroy enemy wards and catch off invisible enemies. If you’re playing against invisible heroes or heroes that make invisibility items, then this is the right spell to max.
Level 11: Lightning Bolt
Level 12: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 13: Lightning Bolt
Level 14: Lightning Bolt
Level 15: +250 Health
Level 16: +1 Heavenly Jump Target
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: +0.4s Lightning Bolt Ministun
Level 25: +325 AoE Arc Lightning
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Bottle - (675 Gold) Purchased at 1 minute. The bottle is an essential item on a mid-hero. Regardless of the hero you play, Bottle keeps you sustained through the laning phase by replenishing your mana and HP. It also ensures you store power runes for later instead of immediately using them. As Zeus is played in the mid-lane, a Bottle always comes in handy.
- Arcane Boots (1300 Gold) - Purchased in 6 minutes. Arcane Boots are an essential item for Zeus as It provides him with mana regen and sustains him through teamfight along with the increase in movement speed. It can be disassembled as well, allowing you to build different items with it later on in the game.
- Kaya (2050 Gold) - Purchased at 9 minutes. It provides Zeus with increased stats along with increased spell lifesteal, damage amplification, and increased mana regen amplification. It ensures Zeus does not run out of mana whilst, in a teamfight, it can further be upgraded into Kaya and Sange if need be, which is again a great item on the thundergod.
- Aghanim’s Shard (1400 Gold) - Bought at 15 minutes. It grants Zeus the Static Field ability which deals 8% of the enemy’s current health as extra damage when he uses any spells on them. The percentage may not feel like a lot early on, but when Zeus has high mana in the late game, his spellcasting potential is off the roof.
- Kaya and Sange (4100 Gold) - Purchased at 17 minutes. Provides immense bonuses such as increased stats, status resistance, spell damage amplification, along with health and mana amplification. It is an effective item for spellcasting heroes like Zeus. Besides, it offers extreme survivability with increased stats, making him durable in a teamfight. This item ensures he never runs out of mana.
- Blink Dagger (2250 Gold) - Purchased at 20 minutes. Blink Dagger allows Zeus to initiate a teamfight, or chase enemies with it. It is an ideal item that can be used to chase enemies and initiate a teamfight. It can further be upgraded into Arcane Blink.
- Ethereal Blade (4650 Gold) - Bought at 25 minutes. Upon usage, it disarms the targeted unit, making them take 40% more magical damage while also slowing them and dealing initial damage based on the enemy’s primary attribute. It is exceptional on Zeus as it increases the damage his enemies take from his spells, while also making sure he doesn’t take any damage if he is facing physical damage enemies.
- Aether Lens (2275 Gold) - Bought at 27 minutes. Aether Lens increases the cast range of all abilities and items by 225 and increases overall mana by 300. It is exceptional if Zeus wants to further upgrade it to Octarine Core. You can just disassemble the earlier bought Arcane Boots into Aether Lens as well.
- Aghanim’s Scepter (4200 Gold) - Bought at 36 minutes. Grants the Nimbus ability, which creates a storm cloud that automatically casts the current level of Lightning Bolt. Since it is a global ability, Zeus can combine it with his ultimate to smite down low-HP enemies from anywhere on the map. It is an exceptional item if you are playing a team fighter, Zeus.
- Octarine Core (5275 Gold) - Purchased at 42 minutes. Octarine Core provides increased cast range, increased stats along with a 25% cooldown reduction for both items and spells. Spellcasting heroes like Zeus benefit from the stats above as it enhances their gameplay and makes them deal higher damage in a fight. It provides impressive stats for Zeus, helping him stay durable in the late game.
- Aeon Disk (3000 Gold) - Assembled at 48 minutes. Provides a strong dispel if Zeus’ health falls below 70%, making him take no damage for a brief duration while also making his attacks deal no damage. It also provides 75% Status Resistance for the same duration.
- Refresher’s Orb (5000 Gold) - Purchased at 51 minutes. Refreshes the cooldown of all items and spells. It is an effective item on Zeus as it allows you to use crucial spells like Thundergod’s Wrath and Nimbus twice, along with items like Black King Bar or Blink Dagger. Octraine Core is also effective in reducing the cooldown of Refresher’s thus providing increased fight potential.
4. Topson Build
Topso is a legend, and there is no denying that fact. As if winning one Ti wasn’t enough, he has made history by winning it twice! His sheer skill and game sense ensures he triumphs even with the strangest builds, with two Ti wins under his belt, he has nothing left to prove. Zeus is a specialty of Topson, as he is one of his most-played heroes. He makes the thunder god look like a beast in the mid-lane with his magic build. His exceptional farming style and aggressive demeanor ensure there is no stone left unturned when it comes to winning the lane. His brilliant skill allocation and spellcasting are something you need to pay attention to if you’re trying to emulate his build.
As a mid-Zeus, Topson prefers to gank other lanes as early as he can with this build. He ensures that no lane is lagging in terms of levels or farms. He builds an early-game Bloodstone due to the immense mana bonus it provides, helping him go head-to-head against his enemies in terms of levels and net worth. He also builds Aghanim’s Shard, Refresher’s Orb, and Ethereal Blade which provide him with that increased magic damage potential while also offering him some durability. If you’re looking to expand your hero pool or increase your MMR, then this Zeus build is essentially the blueprint for that.
Use This Build If:
- You want a magical damage-oriented mid-build that does not fade in impact in the late game
- You want to be involved in more team fights from the early game as a mid-Zeus
- You want a highly sustainable build that deals terrific damage in teamfights while also allowing you to be durable
Skill Points
Level 1: Arc Lightning - Upon usage, it releases a wave of lightning that damages enemy units standing close by. It helps Zeus farm in the early game, while also helping him deal enough damage to multiple enemies at once. It is also great to max against illusion-based heroes as it will deal great AoE damage to them.
Level 2: Heavenly Jump - Causes Zeus to leap in the direction he is facing, while slowing and dealing damage to enemies around him. Zeus also gets unobstructed vision with this spell, making it easy for him to escape a sticky situation. It is not an ability you max in the early game, but one point must suffice for a major time in the game.
Level 3: Arc Lighting
Level 4: Lightning Bolt - Upon usage, it mini-stuns the targeted unit while dealing damage to them. It also provides unobstructed vision and true sight in an area around the used lighting bolt. It helps destroy enemy wards and catch off invisible enemies. If you’re playing against invisible heroes or heroes that make invisibility items, then this is the right spell to max.
Level 5: Arc Lighting
Level 6: Thundergod’s Wrath - Strikes all heroes on the map with lightning, regardless of their location. It also reveals their location on the map. It provides true sight if the hero is invisible, it doesn’t reveal the hero but the true sight is still created around that hero’s location. This is the most effective global spell in the game, you can just smite enemy heroes regardless of their location on the map. Zeus can also combine this spell with his Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade Nimbus, along with Refresher’s Orb to deal twice the damage and decimate heroes within no time.
Level 7: Arc Lighting
Level 8: Lightning Bolt
Level 9: Lightning Bolt
Level 10: Lightning Bolt
Level 11: +250 Health
Level 12: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 13: Heavenly Jump
Level 14: Heavenly Jump
Level 15: Heavenly Jump
Level 16: +1 Heavenly Jump Target
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: +0.4s Lightning Bolt Ministun
Level 25: +100 Arc Lightning Damage
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Bottle - (675 Gold) Purchased at 1 minute. The bottle is an essential item on a mid-hero. Regardless of the hero you play, Bottle keeps you sustained through the laning phase by replenishing your mana and HP. It also ensures you store power runes for later instead of immediately using them. As Zeus is played in the mid-lane, a Bottle always comes in handy.
- Arcane Boots (1300 Gold) - Purchased in 6 minutes. Arcane Boots are an essential item for Zeus as It provides him with mana regen and sustains him through teamfight along with the increase in movement speed. It can be disassembled as well, allowing you to build different items with it later on in the game.
- Bloodstone (4400 Gold) - Purchased in 14 minutes. Upon activation, it increases spell lifesteal by 2.5x while converting the damage dealt under its duration into mana. This ensures Zeus does not run out of mana in a teamfight. As a mid-Zeus, you highly rely on spellcasting, hence it is ideal that he has enough mana to shell out in a fight.
- Aghanim’s Shard (1400 Gold) - Bought at 18 minutes. It grants Zeus the Static Field ability which deals 8% of the enemy’s current health as extra damage when he uses any spells on them. The percentage may not feel like a lot early on, but when Zeus has high mana in the late game, his spellcasting potential is off the roof.
- Kaya (2050 Gold) - Purchased at 22 minutes. It provides Zeus with increased stats along with increased spell lifesteal, damage amplification, and increased mana regen amplification. It ensures Zeus does not run out of mana whilst, in a teamfight, it can further be upgraded into Kaya and Sange if need be, which is again a great item on the thundergod.
- Ethereal Blade (4650 Gold) - Bought at 26 minutes. Upon usage, it disarms the targeted unit, making them take 40% more magical damage while also slowing them and dealing initial damage based on the enemy’s primary attribute. It is exceptional on Zeus as it increases the damage his enemies take from his spells, while also making sure he doesn’t take any damage if he is facing physical damage enemies.
- Refresher’s Orb (5000 Gold) - Purchased at 32 minutes. Refreshes the cooldown of all items and spells. It is an effective item on Zeus as it allows you to use crucial spells like Thundergod’s Wrath and Nimbus twice, along with items like Black King Bar or Blink Dagger.
3. Nine Build
Nine was a crucial part of Tundra’s recent International win. The mechanical genius Nine is an all-rounder, his flexibility on multiple heroes and excellent decision-making skills is the reason why he is one of the best mid laners in the current meta. Zeus is a flexible hero. His potential to be played in any core position makes him a hot pick in the current meta. Nine excels well in the mid-lane due to his magical build on this hero. Zeus is also known to fare well in pretty much all mid-matchups due to his survivability. He can also farm quickly and rotate to the other lanes when he gets his ultimate. It is difficult to stop an early game-farmed Nine, he just snowballs and runs over his enemies effortlessly as this build is highly effective in the early game.
Nine adores farming as a Zeus in the early game, his abilities deal AoE damage which further helps him farm faster. He often builds items that ensure he has enough mobility and lockdown to win a teamfight early on. Hence, items such as Blink Dagger, Aghanim’s Shard, and Octarine Core are built by him as they are highly effective in the mid to late stages of the game. As the game progresses, Nine prefers to opt for items like Ethereal Blade to further amplify the magical damage dealt and help him stay durable against the heroes he is facing.
Use This Build If:
- You want to deal high magical damage as a Zeus
- You are looking for a fight-focused build that allows you to have early game impact
- You’re facing low magic-resistant heroes or heroes with high armor or HP
- You’re facing illusion or AoE-based heroes like Meepo or Phantom Lancer
- You want a reliable mid-build that stays relevant into the late game
Skill Points
Level 1: Arc Lightning - Upon usage, it releases a wave of lightning that damages enemy units standing close by. It helps Zeus farm in the early game, while also helping him deal enough damage to multiple enemies at once. It is also great to max against illusion-based heroes as it will deal great AoE damage to them.
Level 2: Heavenly Jump - Causes Zeus to leap in the direction he is facing, while slowing and dealing damage to enemies around him. Zeus also gets unobstructed vision with this spell, making it easy for him to escape a sticky situation. It is not an ability you max in the early game, but one point must suffice for a major time in the game.
Level 3: Arc Lighting
Level 4: Lightning Bolt - Upon usage, it mini-stuns the targeted unit while dealing damage to them. It also provides unobstructed vision and true sight in an area around the used lighting bolt. It helps destroy enemy wards and catch off invisible enemies. If you’re playing against invisible heroes or heroes that make invisibility items, then this is the right spell to max.
Level 5: Arc Lighting
Level 6: Thundergod’s Wrath - Strikes all heroes on the map with lightning, regardless of their location. It also reveals their location on the map. It provides true sight if the hero is invisible, it doesn’t reveal the hero but the true sight is still created around that hero’s location. This is the most effective global spell in the game, you can just smite enemy heroes regardless of their location on the map. Zeus can also combine this spell with his Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade Nimbus, along with Refresher’s Orb to deal twice the damage and decimate heroes within no time.
Level 7: Arc Lighting
Level 8: Lightning Bolt
Level 9: Lightning Bolt
Level 10: Lightning Bolt
Level 11: +250 Health
Level 12: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 13: Heavenly Jump
Level 14: Heavenly Jump
Level 15: Heavenly Jump
Level 16: +1 Heavenly Jump Target
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: +0.4s Lightning Bolt Ministun
Level 25: +100 Arc Lightning Damage
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Bottle - (675 Gold) Purchased at 1 minute. The bottle is an essential item on a mid-hero. Regardless of the hero you play, Bottle keeps you sustained through the laning phase by replenishing your mana and HP. It also ensures you store power runes for later instead of immediately using them. As Zeus is played in the mid-lane, a Bottle always comes in handy.
- Arcane Boots (1300 Gold) - Purchased in 5 minutes. Arcane Boots are an essential item for Zeus as It provides him with mana regen and sustains him through teamfight along with the increase in movement speed. It can be disassembled as well, allowing you to build different items with it later on in the game.
- Aether Lens (2275 Gold) - Bought at 9 minutes. Aether Lens increases the cast range of all abilities by 225 and increases overall mana by 300. It is exceptional if Zeus wants to further upgrade it to Octarine Core. You can just disassemble the earlier bought Arcane Boots into Aether Lens as well.
- Boots of Travel (2500 Gold) - Purchased at 11 minutes. Allows you to teleport on allied creeps anywhere on the map. Purchasing this item grants Zeus extreme mobility, making him highly active and providing him with increased global potential. He can push lanes and join his allies in a teamfight anytime he wants.
- Aghanim’s Shard (1400 Gold) - Bought at 15 minutes. It grants Zeus the Static Field ability which deals 8% of the enemy’s current health as extra damage when he uses any spells on them. The percentage may not feel like a lot early on, but when Zeus has high mana in the late game, his spellcasting potential is off the roof.
- Kaya (2050 Gold) - Purchased at 17 minutes. It provides Zeus with increased stats along with increased spell lifesteal, damage amplification, and increased mana regen amplification. It ensures Zeus does not run out of mana whilst, in a teamfight, it can further be upgraded into Kaya and Sange if need be, which is again a great item on the thundergod.
- Ethereal Blade (4650 Gold) - Bought at 21 minutes. Upon usage, it disarms the targeted unit, making them take 40% more magical damage while also slowing them and dealing initial damage based on the enemy’s primary attribute. It is exceptional on Zeus as it increases the damage his enemies take from his spells, while also making sure he doesn’t take any damage if he is facing physical damage enemies.
- Aghanim’s Scepter (4200 Gold) - Bought at 27 minutes. Grants the Nimbus ability, which creates a storm cloud that automatically casts the current level of Lightning Bolt. Since it is a global ability, Zeus can combine it with his ultimate to smite down low-HP enemies from anywhere on the map. It is an exceptional item if you are playing a team fighter, Zeus.
- Octarine Core (5275 Gold) - Purchased at 30 minutes. Octarine Core provides increased cast range, increased stats along with a 25% cooldown reduction for both items and spells. Spellcasting heroes like Zeus benefit from the stats above as it enhances their gameplay and makes them deal higher damage in a fight. It provides impressive stats for Zeus, helping him stay durable in the late game.
- Blink Dagger (2250 Gold) - Purchased at 32 minutes. Blink Dagger allows Zeus to initiate a teamfight, or chase enemies with it. It is an ideal item that can be used to chase enemies and initiate a teamfight. It can further be upgraded into Arcane Blink.
- Refresher’s Orb (5000 Gold) - Purchased at 35 minutes. Refreshes the cooldown of all items and spells. It is an effective item on Zeus as it allows you to use crucial spells like Thundergod’s Wrath and Nimbus twice, along with items like Black King Bar or Blink Dagger. Octraine Core is also effective in reducing the cooldown of Refresher’s thus providing increased fight potential.
- Arcane Blink (6800 Gold) - Purchased at 38 minutes. Blink Dagger can further be upgraded into Arcane Blink which provides 25% Mana Cost Reduction, 20% Debuff Application, and 50% Cast Point reduction on all of Zeus’ spells and items upon usage. It is an ideal item in the late game which helps you deal that extra damage in a teamfight.
2. Larl Build
Larl is quite a new name in the Dota scene. He made his major debut with the new Team Spirit, filling the heavy shoes of TORONTOTOKYO, which he manages to do quite well so far. The young superstar is a highly flashy player, often making questionable and high-stakes plays that usually work in his favor. Larl has a wide array of heroes he loves to play, Zeus is also a part of the rotation. Larl has a very offensive playstyle on Zeus, often using his ultimate aggressively to help his team neutralize their foes. Larl is also a staunch propagator of the Ethereal Blade build which allows him to stay sustained in a fight and also decimate his foes if he opts to use it aggressively.
It is impossible to contain this beast if lets loose. Larl can easily dominate various matchups with Zeus with the help of this build, he has the potential to single-handedly wipe the entire team out with his impeccable skill build and item choices. Larl opts for the Octarine Core, Aghanim’s Sceptre and Shard comb which reduces his spell and item cooldowns while amplifying his ability to deal high damage in a teamfight. Larl’s exhilarating gameplay on Zeus is a treat and also a masterclass on how to utilize this hero properly. His impressive gameplay explains why he is ranked so high in the MMR leaderboards.
Use This Build If:
- If you want a durable build that helps you deal damage while also making you self-sustained at the same time
- If you want a build that allows you to rotate early on and get involved in more fights as a mid-Zeus
- You are facing squishy enemies who have poor magic resistance in the early game
- You are facing heroes who generally struggle in the early game
Skill Points
Level 1: Arc Lightning - Upon usage, it releases a wave of lightning that damages enemy units standing close by. It helps Zeus farm in the early game, while also helping him deal enough damage to multiple enemies at once. It is also great to max against illusion-based heroes as it will deal great AoE damage to them.
Level 2: Heavenly Jump - Causes Zeus to leap in the direction he is facing, while slowing and dealing damage to enemies around him. Zeus also gets unobstructed vision with this spell, making it easy for him to escape a sticky situation. It is not an ability you max in the early game, but one point must suffice for a major time in the game.
Level 3: Arc Lighting
Level 4: Lightning Bolt - Upon usage, it mini-stuns the targeted unit while dealing damage to them. It also provides unobstructed vision and true sight in an area around the used lighting bolt. It helps destroy enemy wards and catch off invisible enemies. If you’re playing against invisible heroes or heroes that make invisibility items, then this is the right spell to max.
Level 5: Arc Lighting
Level 6: Thundergod’s Wrath - Strikes all heroes on the map with lightning, regardless of their location. It also reveals their location on the map. It provides true sight if the hero is invisible, it doesn’t reveal the hero but the true sight is still created around that hero’s location. This is the most effective global spell in the game, you can just smite enemy heroes regardless of their location on the map. Zeus can also combine this spell with his Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade Nimbus, along with Refresher’s Orb to deal twice the damage and decimate heroes within no time.
Level 7: Arc Lighting
Level 8: Lightning Bolt
Level 9: Lightning Bolt
Level 10: +250 Health
Level 11: Lightning Bolt
Level 12: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 13: Heavenly Jump
Level 14: Heavenly Jump
Level 15: Heavenly Jump
Level 16: +30 Movement Speed after Heavenly Jump
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Thundergod’s Wrath
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Bottle - (675 Gold) Purchased at 1 minute. The bottle is an essential item on a mid-hero. Regardless of the hero you play, Bottle keeps you sustained through the laning phase by replenishing your mana and HP. It also ensures you store power runes for later instead of immediately using them. As Zeus is played in the mid-lane, a Bottle always comes in handy.
- Arcane Boots (1300 Gold) - Purchased in 6 minutes. Arcane Boots are an essential item for Zeus as It provides him with mana regen and sustains him through teamfight along with the increase in movement speed. It can be disassembled as well, allowing you to build different items with it later on in the game.
- Kaya (2050 Gold) - Purchased at 11 minutes. It provides Zeus with increased stats along with increased spell lifesteal, damage amplification, and increased mana regen amplification. It ensures Zeus does not run out of mana whilst, in a teamfight, it can further be upgraded into Kaya and Sange if need be, which is again a great item on the thundergod.
- Ethereal Blade (4650 Gold) - Bought at 17 minutes. Upon usage, it disarms the targeted unit, making them take 40% more magical damage while also slowing them and dealing initial damage based on the enemy’s primary attribute. It is exceptional on Zeus as it increases the damage his enemies take from his spells, while also making sure he doesn’t take any damage if he is facing physical damage enemies.
- Aghanim’s Shard (1400 Gold) - Bought at 18 minutes. It grants Zeus the Static Field ability which deals 8% of the enemy’s current health as extra damage when he uses any spells on them. The percentage may not feel like a lot early on, but when Zeus has high mana in the late game, his spellcasting potential is off the roof.
- Aether Lens (2275 Gold) - Bought at 22 minutes. Aether Lens increases the cast range of all abilities by 225 and increases overall mana by 300. It is exceptional if Zeus wants to further upgrade it to Octarine Core. You can just disassemble the earlier bought Arcane Boots into Aether Lens as well.
- Aghanim’s Scepter (4200 Gold) - Bought at 27 minutes. Grants the Nimbus ability, which creates a storm cloud that automatically casts the current level of Lightning Bolt. Since it is a global ability, Zeus can combine it with his ultimate to smite down low-HP enemies from anywhere on the map. It is an exceptional item if you are playing a team fighter, Zeus.
- Octarine Core (5275 Gold) - Purchased at 30 minutes. Octarine Core provides increased cast range, increased stats along with a 25% cooldown reduction for both items and spells. Spellcasting heroes like Zeus benefit from the stats above as it enhances their gameplay and makes them deal higher damage in a fight. It provides impressive stats for Zeus, helping him stay durable in the late game.
1. NothingToSay Build
NothingToSay is one of the most talented prospects to emerge from the SEA region. His excellent run at PSG.LGD proved doubters and haters wrong. He can play a plethora of heroes in the mid-lane. His ruthless performance has landed him a spot on this list. Zeus isn’t a specialty of NTS, but he makes him look like one. His dominant playstyle on this hero has won him games and earned him recognition. NothingToSay has a very balanced Zeus playstyle as he gives equal importance to both fighting and farming.
While he knows what's best, NTS is known to often juggle around between skill builds, sometimes he prefers the max Arc Lightning build, which is great if you’re going for a quick farm and fight to build, or sometimes he may opt for the max Lightning Bolt build, which helps him deal high magical damage. Regardless of the build, NTS is a menace on Zeus and it is quite evident in the highlight video. His item build is situational, but considering the heroes he is facing, it is highly viable and strong. His item build consists of rather unusual items like Linken’s Sphere, but it helps him sustain in fights against the heroes he is facing. There are many things that you can learn from NothingToSay, but the primary thing that you can learn from NTS is to have a healthy balance of teamfight and farming.
Use This Build If:
- You want a balanced Zeus build that stands its ground even in the late stages of the game
- If you want a build that allows you to rotate early on and get involved in more fights
- You are facing low magic-resistant squishy heroes who can potentially get obliterated with Zeus’ threatening magic damage
Skill Points
Level 1: Arc Lightning - Upon usage, it releases a wave of lightning that damages enemy units standing close by. It helps Zeus farm in the early game, while also helping him deal enough damage to multiple enemies at once. It is also great to max against illusion-based heroes as it will deal great AoE damage to them.
Level 2: Heavenly Jump - Causes Zeus to leap in the direction he is facing, while slowing and dealing damage to enemies around him. Zeus also gets unobstructed vision with this spell, making it easy for him to escape a sticky situation. It is not an ability you max in the early game, but one point must suffice for a major time in the game.
Level 3: Arc Lighting
Level 4: Lightning Bolt - Upon usage, it mini-stuns the targeted unit while dealing damage to them. It also provides unobstructed vision and true sight in an area around the used lighting bolt. It helps destroy enemy wards and catch off invisible enemies. If you’re playing against invisible heroes or heroes that make invisibility items, then this is the right spell to max.
Level 5: Arc Lighting
Level 6: Thundergod’s Wrath - Strikes all heroes on the map with lightning, regardless of their location. It also reveals their location on the map. It provides true sight if the hero is invisible, it doesn’t reveal the hero but the true sight is still created around that hero’s location. This is the most effective global spell in the game, you can just smite enemy heroes regardless of their location on the map. Zeus can also combine this spell with his Aghanim’s Scepter upgrade Nimbus, along with Refresher’s Orb to deal twice the damage and decimate heroes within no time.
Level 7: Arc Lighting
Level 8: Lightning Bolt
Level 9: Lightning Bolt
Level 10: Lightning Bolt
Level 11: +250 Health
Level 12: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 13: Heavenly Jump
Level 14: Heavenly Jump
Level 15: +30 Movement Speed after Heavenly Jump
Level 16: Heavenly Jump
Level 17: Stats
Level 18: Thundergod’s Wrath
Level 19: Stats
Level 20: +100 Thundergod’s Wrath damage
Items to buy for this build (Early to Late Game)
- Bottle - (675 Gold) Purchased at 1 minute. The bottle is an essential item on a mid-hero. Regardless of the hero you play, Bottle keeps you sustained through the laning phase by replenishing your mana and HP. It also ensures you store power runes for later instead of immediately using them. As Zeus is played in the mid-lane, a Bottle always comes in handy.
- Arcane Boots (1300 Gold) - Purchased in 5 minutes. Arcane Boots are an essential item for Zeus as It provides him with mana regen and sustains him through teamfight along with the increase in movement speed. It can be disassembled as well, allowing you to build different items with it later on in the game.
- Kaya (2050 Gold) - Purchased at 9 minutes. It provides Zeus with increased stats along with increased spell lifesteal, damage amplification, and increased mana regen amplification. It ensures Zeus does not run out of mana whilst, in a teamfight, it can further be upgraded into Kaya and Sange if need be, which is again a great item on the thundergod.
- Aether Lens - (2275 Gold) - Bought at 15 minutes. Aether Lens increases the cast range of all abilities by 225 and increases overall mana by 300. It is exceptional if Zeus wants to further upgrade it to Octarine Core. You can just disassemble the earlier bought Arcane Boots into Aether Lens as well.
- Aghanim’s Shard (1400 Gold) - Bought at 16 minutes. It grants Zeus the Static Field ability which deals 8% of the enemy’s current health as extra damage when he uses any spells on them. The percentage may not feel like a lot early on, but when Zeus has high mana in the late game, his spellcasting potential is off the roof.
- Linken’s Sphere (4600 Gold) - Purchased at 22 minutes. Blocks one single targeted spell every 14 seconds, and also provides increased stats and mana regen for Zeus. This build has enough offensive items, and having a balance of offensive and defensive items can be extremely useful in the late game, helping Zeus stay alive in the high-pressure teamfights.
- Octarine Core (5275 Gold) - Purchased at 24 minutes. Octarine Core provides increased cast range, increased stats along with a 25% cooldown reduction for both items and spells. Spellcasting heroes like Zeus benefit from the stats above as it enhances their gameplay and makes them deal higher damage in a fight. It provides impressive stats for Zeus, helping him stay durable in the late game.
- Ethereal Blade (4650 Gold) - Bought at 30 minutes. Upon usage, it disarms the targeted unit, making them take 40% more magical damage while also slowing them and dealing initial damage based on the enemy’s primary attribute. It is exceptional on Zeus as it increases the damage his enemies take from his spells, while also making sure he doesn’t take any damage if he is facing physical damage enemies.
- Blink Dagger (2250 Gold) - Purchased at 32 minutes. Blink Dagger allows Zeus to initiate a teamfight, or chase enemies with it. It is an ideal item that can be used to chase enemies and initiate a teamfight. It can further be upgraded into Arcane Blink.
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