Io

Io 17 + 3 14 + 1.6 23 + 1.7
	Grants the following bonuses per point of attribute:
	+22HP and +0.1HP regeneration; +1 main attack damage
	+0.17 armor and 1 attack speed
	+12MP and +0.05MP regeneration; +0.1% base magic resistance ;
L0	Base Hero Values
L1	⤷ + Base Attributes
L15	⤷ + Attribute Gain
L25	⤷ + 6 levels of Attribute Bonus
L30	⤷ + 7 levels of Attribute Bonus
	All values shown are without talent bonuses.
Attack Animation	0.15 + 0.4
Gib Type	Ethereal
Internal	Not Provided

Hero

Strategy

Equipment

Io the Wisp is a ranged strength hero who works best as part of a communicative team. With its support-oriented skill set, Io can share its healing and buffs through Tether and Overcharge, harass enemy heroes out of the lane with Spirits, and materialize itself and an ally anywhere on the map with Relocate.

Gank enemy heroes, push undefended lanes, save teammates from deep within enemy territory—the possibilities are endless, and Io features one of the highest skill ceilings in the game.

Io does not need to be facing towards a unit in order to attack, use abilities, or use items. It still has a front, marked by an arc-like effect, and a back.

Bio

Io, the Wisp

▶️ "…"

Lore:

Io is everywhere, and in all things. Denounced by enemies as the great unmaker, worshiped by scholars as the twinkling of a divine eye, this strange Wisp of life-force occupies all planes at once, the merest fraction of its being crossing into physical existence at any one moment. Like the great twin riders Dark and Light, and yet another ancient traveler whose true history is lost to the ages, Io the Wisp is a Fundamental of the universe, a force older than time, a wanderer from realms far beyond mortal understanding. Io is nothing less than the sum of all attractive and repulsive forces within the material field, a sentient manifestation of the charge that bind existence together. It is only in the controlled warping of these electrical waylines that Io's presence can be experienced on the physical plane. A benevolent, cooperative force, Io bonds its strange magnetism to others so that the power of allies might be enhanced. Its motives inscrutable, its strength unimaginable, Io moves through the physical plane, the perfect expression of the mysteries of the universe.

Voice:

Itself (Responses)

Abilities

Tether

▶️QT

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
Allies

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

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 1800

Tether Break Distance: 900

Tether Pull Distance: 700

Tether Break Distance During Pull: 2150

Heal/Restore Transfer: 90%/110%/130%/150%

Target Move Speed Bonus: 5%/8%/11%/14%

12

40

Modifiers []

Tether

Tether Haste

Tether Scepter

The benevolent touch of Io brings strength from between the planes.

Has a Break Tether sub-ability that lets Io break the tether while connected with an ally.

Tethering a unit that is 700 units or further away causes Io to latch on and pull itself to the target.
- Pulls Io at a speed of 1000, until coming within 300 range of the target.
- Can pull Io over impassable terrain.
- Destroys trees within 350 radius around Io right after the pull.
- If Io breaks the tether while getting pulled to the tethered target, the pull immediately stops.
- The pull gets interrupted when Io gets stunned, hexed, hidden, feared, hypnotize, or rooted during the pull.
- Forced movement cancels the pull as well, but only after the movement ends, and not upon getting applied.
- Taunts, leashes, and silences do not interrupt the pulling.
- If the distance between Io and the target gets greater than 900 (or 2150 during the pull), the Tether breaks.

When the distance between Io and the tethered target gets greater than 700, the link's visual appearance changes.

Tether has no set duration. It breaks only when exceeding the break distances, when Io or the target die, when Io gets assimilated or when using the sub-spell.

The movement speed bonus is only applied to the tethered ally, while Io copies the target's speed.
- Io only copies the base speed of the target and any speed bonuses it has, flat and percentage.
- If the target gets slowed, Io's speed does not copy the movement speed loss caused by the slow.
- However, Io can be slowed directly by slowing effects, but cannot have its movement speed increased by other sources.

The tethered unit benefits from Overcharge, Relocate, and from Io regenerating or replenishing health and mana.
- Tethered units still benefit from all those effects even when turning invulnerable or when hidden.
- The heal and mana restore transfer happen regardless of how much Io actually healed/restored.

If Io is tethered to an invisible unit, enemies can only see a fake link leading to the invisible unit's last known location.

When the level 20 talent is chosen, the tethered ally's spells receive their Aghanim's Scepter upgrades until the Tether breaks.
- Io does not require an Aghanim's Scepter for the talent to work.
- Does not work for heroes who cannot drop their scepters.

When the level 25 talent is chosen, Io performs instant attacks on every enemy the tethered ally attacks.
- The attacks are performed as soon as the ally launches their attack (including instant attacks). It does not matter whether the attack actually hits or not.
- Does not perform attacks when the tethered target also has this talent (i.e. an illusion of Io).
- The instant attacks of Io can proc every attack modifier normally. The attacks have no True Strike, but completely ignore disarms.

Break Tether

▶️QT

Ability
No Target

Break the link to the tethered unit.

Cast Animation: +

1

Replaces Tether until the Tether is broken.

Interrupts Io's channeling spells upon cast.

Goes on a 0.25-second cooldown when Tether is cast, so that it cannot be immediately broken.

Spirits

WW

Ability
No Target
(

Passive)

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Magical

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.

Cast Animation: +

Collision Radius: 110

Explosion Radius: 360

Collision Damage: 10/18/26/34

Explosion Damage: 20/40/60/80 (

26/46/66/86)

Explosion Movement Speed Slow: 0% (

15%)

Slow Duration: 0

Spirits Duration: 19

26/24/22/20

120/130/140/150

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:

Spirits now passively spawn around you constantly every second. Max of 5.

Modifiers []

Spirits

Spirits Slow

Any

Io twists the particles of the universe with his unimaginable capabilities.

Interrupts Io's channeling spells upon cast.

Upon use, this spell gets replaced by a sub-spell which allows moving the spirits in or out.

5 spirits are summoned over the course of four seconds (in 0.8 second intervals) so that the distance between each spirit is equal.
- The first spirit is always spawned to the north of Io, with the following spirits spawning in one second interval behind the previous spirit.
- The spirits expand automatically to their maximum distance upon cast.
- The spirits always rotate clockwise and are locked to Io's location, following it wherever it goes.
- Moving the spirits in or out does not break their formatting. They always rotate in a circle and keep equal distance from each other.

The spirits complete a revolution every 2.7 seconds regardless of distance from Io.
- Their angular velocity is constant, meaning their speed increases the further away they are from the caster.
- This means the first created spirit can rotate at least 7 times around Io.

When a non-hero unit comes within the 110 collision radius of the spirits, it takes the collision damage.

When a hero comes within collision radius, the spirit explodes, dealing the explosion damage ( and slowing enemies) within a 360 radius.

Spirits do not collide with and explode on invulnerable or hidden heroes.

Remaining spirits detonate simultaneously at the end of the duration or if recast, dealing the explosion damage ( and applying the slow) around them.

Spirits provide 150 radius flying vision for 3 seconds at the location where they collided with a hero.
- They do not provide vision when exploding caused by expiring or recasting.

The spirits are invisible to the enemy if Io is invisible.

Can deal up to 100/200/300/400 ( 130/230/330/430) damage to a single unit when all 5 spirits explode on a target (before reductions).

Treats creep-heroes as heroes and illusions as creeps.

Acquiring Aghanim's Scepter removes the need to cast Spirits, and makes them spawn constantly around Io, like with a regular cast.
- When acquiring Aghanim's Scepter while a spirits cast is already active, the spirits from that cast disappear without exploding.
- When losing Aghanim's Scepter, the spirits from it do not disappear, and last until colliding with an enemy or until Io dies.
- Despite the tooltip, the spirits still spawn in 0.8-second intervals, not in 1-second intevals.
- The sub-spell is still available and can be used normally. The Spirits ability itself is hidden.

Spirits Movement

WW

Ability
No Target

Calls the spirits in and out.

Cast Animation: +

Minimum Distance: 200

Maximum Distance: 700

0

This ability replaces Spirits until all spirits are gone.

Does not interrupts Io's channeling spells upon cast.

Moves the spirits in or out at a speed of 250. It takes 2 seconds to move the spirits from max to min distance and vice versa.

Overcharge

▶️EV

Ability
No Target

Affects
Self / Allies

Io gains bonus attack speed and damage reduction. If Io is tethered to an ally, that unit also gains the bonuses.

Cast Animation: +

Attack Speed Bonus: 50/80/110/140

Damage Reduction: 5%/10%/15%/20%

Duration: 8

18

40/60/80/100

Modifiers []

Overcharge

Drawing on the energy of matter from all worlds, Io begins the unravelling of time.

Interrupts Io's channeling spells upon cast.

Io does not need to be already tethered to transfer the Overcharge. Tethering afterwards transfers it as well.
- The Overcharge on allies does not show a duration, and always appears like a permanent buff.

Io and the tethered ally's effective health are increased by 5%/11%/18%/25%.

Relocate

▶️RR

Ability
Target Point

Affects
Self / Allied Heroes

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

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: Global

Effect Delay: 3.5/3.25/3

Duration: 12

90/75/60 (

-310/-325/-340)

175

Modifiers []

Teleporting

Relocate Return

Io is the embodiment of the mystery of the universe.

Double-clicking the ability automatically targets the team's fountain area.

If Io is stunned, slept, cycloned, or hexed during the effect delay, Relocate gets cancelled.
- Can be cast while Io is rooted, but the teleport does not happen when still rooted after the delay.
- If Io is silenced as the delay finishes, the teleport does not happen either.
- Disabling the tethered ally of Io does not prevent the ally from getting teleported if Io successfully does so.
- The returning teleportation cannot be prevented.

Enemies get a notification on their minimap during the teleport delay, showing them where Relocate was targeted.
- Creates a visual effect at the targeted point during the teleport delay, which is visible to everyone.
- Creates a visual effect at Io's position before the teleport happens, which also is visible to everyone.

Relocate interrupts channeling spells and every current order of Io and the tethered ally both on initial teleport, and when going back.

Disjoints projectiles for Io upon teleporting to the targeted point, but does not disjoint upon teleporting back.
- Does not disjoint projectiles for the teleported ally, neither upon teleporting to the target point, nor upon teleporting back.

Io may break its tether at any time to prevent bringing an ally back.

Can only teleport heroes, illusions and creep-heroes.

Teleports invulnerable and hidden targets.

Destroys trees within 300 radius around Io upon both teleports.

The Disablehelp option prevents Io from relocating the respective ally.

Talents

Hero Talents
Attack Tethered Ally's Target	25	+400 Health to Tethered Units
-25s Relocate Cooldown	20	+0.2% Overcharge Max HP Regen Bonus
+55 Spirits Hero Damage	15	+6% Tether Movement Speed
+15 Attack Damage to Tethered Units	10	+15% Tether Enemy Move/Attack Slow

Recommended items

Gameplay



The phenomenon that is Io manifests on the physical plane as a wisp of light, its purpose beyond mortal understanding. It flits to and fro the battlefield, searching for an ally to Tether to. Those blessed with Io's bond feel their feet lighten as the Wisp channels its own regenerative powers into their body. Should its host falter, Io begins to Overcharge, augmenting that ally's speed while strengthening his resolve. As a force unbound by the laws of corporeal space, Io is able to temporarily Relocate itself and an ally to any point in the world, often saving a companion from certain death.

Roles:	Support Escape Nuker
Complexity:
Adjectives:	Legs `( 2 )`

Strategy & Tips

Counters &
Matchups

Audio

Responses

Sounds

History

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Equipment

Trivia

Io is the name of a priestess of Hera in Greek Mythology. She was seduced by Zeus and subsequently incurred Hera's wrath.
- Io is also the name of one of four Galilean moons of Jupiter, which was named after the same character in Greek Mythology.
Io's fun names in DotA were Weird Ball and Santelmo. Santelmo may refer to St. Elmo's Fire, a weather phenomenon that creates sparks of bright energy similar to that of lightning, mostly occurring from sharply pointed structures.
Enigma, Chaos Knight, Keeper of the Light, and Io together represent the four fundamental forces of the universe with Io representing the strong nuclear force, as alluded to in its lore as the force that binds all matter together, as well as its abilities which mostly rely on being bound to a partner to achieve maximum effect.
Io connects to a unit with its tentacle when getting closer, despite of allied or enemy.