Io, the Guardian Wisp

Change Log

Hey guys, since the release of the guide I have been making changes in order to give you the best Io guide you can get! Here is a list of the major changes (new sections added and stuff!)

List of updates completed:

-Added Friends and Foes Section
-Reformatted the Ability Breakdown Section for easier reading
-Stupid Text Added Here Because DFire Update Ruins Guides That Don't Require Frequent Changes


List of updates to come in future:

-New information for the Gameplay from Start to Finish
-Alternative builds
-Much prettier layout for Items and more in depth discussion
-More Tips and Tricks(Will be a complete revamp

Introduction

Hey guys, welcome to another one of my guides. I believe this would be my second published one?

This guide is going to be about my favorite support hero and that would be Io, the Guardian Wisp. I would like to make a point here that there may be some items and skill points taken that you may not necessarily agree with and that's fine. I appreciate constructive feedback, this guide is how I play him and I believe that it is a build that works well enough to share!

So without further digression lets get into it! :)

Io or Wisp as I will refer to him from now on is a very interesting and fun hero to play, his abilities take a bit to get used to but you will find in time that he/she/it grows on you. If any of you have played HoN before you can liken him to Nymphora except his ultimate is singular and you need to have an ally Tethered. He requires some skill to play correctly and not only that, you need a team that is a) willing to cooperate b) good at communicating and c) on the ball in teamfights

Your role is to support not just your carry but your entire team, and no one can do that better while getting your carry fed at the same time than Wisp! :)

Bio

Wisp is everywhere, and in all things. Denounced by enemies as the great unmaker, worshiped by scholars as the twinkling of a divine eye, Wisp 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. Wisp is nothing less than the sum of all attractive and repulsive forces within matter, a sentient manifestation of the laws that bind particles together. It is only in the controlled warping of these forces that Wisps presence can be experienced on the physical plane. A benevolent, cooperative force, Wisp bonds its strength to others so that the power of allies might be enhanced. Its motives inscrutable, its strength unimaginable, Wisp moves through the physical plane, the perfect expression of the mysteries of the universe.

Pros & Cons

Pros Incredibly versatile support Great gank potential Global presence with Relocate Overcharge is great damage reduction tool for your carry. Non-Item reliant Looks cool and good sound set!

Cons Very Squishy Hard to learn unless you put the time into it Without a good team it's not much fun at all

Ability Breakdown

Tether

Type: Targets:

Target Ally Units

Tether yourself to an allied hero granting both of you bonus movement. When you heal health or mana your target gains the same amount. Stuns any enemy unit that crosses the tether. Breaks when they distance is too great or you cancel the tether.

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Notes:

• Tether is your bread and butter spell in regards to support. Using it correctly with your other spells can turn the tide in clashes and win the heart of your carry.
• Tether acts as a Pseudo blink, using it within a distance similar to Blink Dagger you will be pulled to your target ally. Take advantage of this in ganks or to save an ally from a gank!

Break Tether

Type: Targets:

No Target

Breaks the link to the unit you are Tethered to.

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Notes:

• Break Tether is very easy to activate by accident forcing you to cease support to the unit youre Tethering. Be wary of this!
• Break Tether allows you to switch Tethered targets making it easier to swap allies from different locations of the map! Or to change support focus in the midst of a teamfight.

Spirits

Type: Targets:

No Target

Summon five spirits that dance in a circle damaging all that they hit around you. If the wisp hits an enemy hero they will explode damaging all in an area around them.

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Notes:

• Spirits is your only damaging offensive spell, keep in mind that this spell does AoE damage! Try to use it in situations where it is going to be most beneficial to your team.
• Spirits does take some getting used to before you can use it effectively. Make sure you practice hitting enemies with it in bot matches. It does get easier to track enemies movement with it, trust me!

Overcharge

Type: Targets:

Toggle No Target

You and any unit that you have tethered gain increased attack speed and damage resistance at the cost of draining 2.5% of your health and mana per second.

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Notes:

• Overcharge is how you bring the most out of Ios supportive ability. Used correctly this allows you to both buff and heal your ally and reduce the pain that they(or you) are taking. It is important to remember that you cannot restore hp or mana when you are at full (Cant heal if at full hp, cant give mana when at full mana). Use Overcharge to drain constantly until your restoration effects are over.
• Overcharge is very easy to leave on, make sure you keep an eye on it and turn it off when you are being focused. The damage reduction isnt enough to drain 2.5% health per second when you are already so squishy.

Relocate

Type: Targets:

Target Point

CHANNELED - Teleport yourself and any tethered ally to any location on the map. After the spell expires you and any tethered ally will return to where you teleported from

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Notes:

• Relocate is where Io gets his huge gank potential from. Using Relocate to bring you and your lane partner behind unsuspecting enemies in either your own or another lane globally is a huge deal. This can be used to get your carry fed very quickly if your team is competent and you communicate your intentions.
• Relocate allows you to have infinite sustain, when all is quiet and you need to shop and regenerate, pop back for a quickie and bring your lane partner too if needed!

Spirits In

Type: Targets:

Self

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

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Spirits Out

Type: Targets:

Self

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

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Items

Animal Courier: Only get this if no one else on your team has, you are a support therefore you should but there is no rule saying that you can't have more than one supportive hero per team! :)

Healing Salve: Pretty standard regen item, added bonus is that when used with Tether you share the healing with your lane partner (Must get for laning phase!)

Iron Branch x5: Cheap bonus stats, builds into Magic Wand and Mekansm later on

Bottle: Fantastic sustain for you and your lane partner, keep in mind they only regen with Tether from it if you do!

Boots of Speed: Standard boots for all heroes, as a support you may not need to upgrade them until around midgame however do not skimp out on them early!

Power Treads: My upgrade of choice for Wisp, reasoning is that they give you bonus strength and more movement speed which gives you the mobility and tiny bit more health you need to stay in fights with your team. I do not recommend an other boot upgrade bar Boots of Travel but as a support it is hard to rack up that coin without sacrificing your core.

Mekansm: Every team needs one and you happen to be an amazing carrier for one, this doubles the regen to a Tethered unit and can turn the tide in a losing teamfight!

Urn of Shadows: Often overlooked on Wisp Urn allows you to stack healing when used with Tether and you can also heal an ally while they are fighting in a teamfight. Tether your Ally > Urn yourself > Profit?!

Drum of Endurance: More strength for you (Stay in the fight longer!) and great movement/dmg buff to either retreat from a fight or chase down a straggler.

Pipe of Insight: Situational but necessary for high caster teams. Try to get another support to get one if possible as carrying both Mekansm and Pipe of Insight makes you more of a high priority target than you already are!

Vanguard: Situational but necessary if you find yourself being nuked and need some extra hp, don't forget this gives hp regen so that benefits your partner with Tether as well!

Gem of True Sight: Answer to all your invisible problems, you're a fantastic candidate to carry this because you're very slimy and can get away easily with the right amount of skill involved.

Friends and Foes

Good/Bad Laning Partners

These are heroes that lane particularly well with Io dont worry if you dont have one of these, make do with what you have on your team.

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Notes:

• Be aware that I have not listed all the heroes here and this is not a complete list of all heroes that are/not well suited for Wisp.
• The reasons for the heroes that are listed here in there is that they either benefit or are hindered by Wisps abilities, the good list benefit from Wisps mobility and support ability whilst the not so good list find that it is detrimental to their success in a lane (not impossible but a hinderance).

Gameplay from Start to Finish

Start of the game

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You are going to want to pick up your starting items as per the guide above and then decide who would benefit more from having you in there lane. This SHOULD be your carry, however there may be another support better suited for that particular hero this choice is all on you.

After deciding where you are going and who you are with we go into the...

Early Game

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It is now your job to deny as much as possible and keep your opponents off your lane partner. Grab CS where you can without stealing from your Carry and work towards getting your first item Magic Wand. This shouldn't take long at all and should have it before the 5min mark. Start saving for your Bottle and keep on harassing hard, the time for getting your Carry fed is soon approaching as you get closer and closer to getting your ultimate. When you have your Bottle let your Carry know they can start going for kills. The Bottle is what will allow both you and your Carry to stay in lane almost forever!

Post level 6: You now have another job! Keep an eye on the minimap and look out for opponents that are extending more than they should, communicate this to your Carry and team when this happens and Relocate you and your Carry there for some food.

Mid Game

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You should be working hard at completing your core having had your early game items for a while now. At this point you want to follow your Roaming Carry around now like a shadow and keep an eye out on the map for potential food. Remember teamfights are going to get frequent so keep this in mind and ward up.

Late Game

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Late game you are all about being your teams *****. You follow them around and regen as they need. Buff them, heal them, keep them out of harms way! With a good team you can effectively maintain a never ending push with Relocates and smart team mates!

Video Replay

Hey guys, dragged up a replay here for you, I deviated a little from my guide, that happens :) guide isn't appropriate for every situation it's there to give you as base to work with! Also - no wards because I wasn't playing traditional support was more Ursa's buff buddy :P

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Tips and Tricks

Blink/Leaping

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Using Tether from a distance will pull you closer to your target! Use this to your advantage and line-up so you can either stun an enemy for a kill or save your ally!

Spirit Control

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Make sure when controlling your spirits you don't leave the toggle on! If you are chasing an enemy with them be sure to switch between In/Out to keep them in line with your enemy!

Overcharging your heals

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As you know, your allies cannot benefit from your heals other than regen if you are not regenerating from them yourself. Pop Overcharge on so you take enough damage to effectively heal your allies!

Location, Location, Location!

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You and your lane partner need help pushing a lane? Relocate to an ally in another lane/base/jungle, Tether them and make the push happen! Same goes for ganks!

Outroduction

Thanks for reading my guide, I hope that you both found it easy to follow and helpful while playing Guardian Wisp. He is definitely my favorite support and if played right can be extremely fun and rewarding for both you and your team.

I would like to reiterate a point made in the introduction and that is that there may be some items and skill points taken that you may not necessarily agree with and that's fine. I appreciate constructive feedback, this guide is how I play him and by no means the only way to play!

If you would like to play with me in the beta feel free to add me! Steamid: Sarcyn_

Please leave feedback and let me know what you think of the guide, don't forget to +1!