LoL players often say that Zoe is a hard champion to play. And while that’s certainly true to some extent, it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to master her.
Once you understand how she works as a champion, the practice itself becomes as easy as Zoe’s nonchalant appearance. And there are tips and tricks for Zoe that can speed up your learning curve.
So in this post, I’ll go over the 10 key tips you need to know if you want to start climbing as Zoe. I’m a Master Zoe main myself, and I’ve reached Diamond numerous times in the past by only playing this champion.
I’ve also excluded some of the very fundamental tips from this list.
For example, you should already know her basic combos, such as E > Q > Q > R. And you should also know to never use Zoe’s R when you’re trying to escape.
These things should be familiar to you after the first few games on this champion.
That said, I still want to get over Zoe’s main strengths, just so we’re on the same page here.
Zoe is a long-range mage that deals crazy amounts of burst damage. All of her abilities are skill shots and need to be aimed for the champion to actually work.
Zoe is incredibly useful for setting up kills around the map, but she isn’t that great for dueling. So she should stay around her team rather than fight alone.
Even though I oversimplified a few key concepts here, it’s still helpful to know the playstyle you need to follow with this champion.
So, let’s check out the top 10 tips for Zoe and how they can impact your games!
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Top 10 Diamond Tips for Playing Zoe
10. Don’t Pick Zoe Into All-Tank Teams
It’s funny how one of the best tips for climbing as Zoe is to actually not play her against a tanky composition.
But trust me, you’ll save yourself many headaches by simply choosing another champion when you see that the enemy team has Cho’Gath, Galio, Rammus, and Leona all in one team.
Why so?
Well, Zoe’s damage is only scary to squishy champions. She often ends up useless against tanks with a bunch of Magic Resist and Health. So they simply block her spells.
And even if Zoe hits a tank with a full combo, his HP won’t go below 60% most of the time.
9. Prioritize the Minions That Carry Your Balloons
I see it way too often – Zoe players in the low elo simply neglect their balloons! And it’s pretty difficult to understand why since Zoe’s W is one of the most broken abilities in the game.
You should always collect your spells and items from the minions that carry balloons. It’s a free RNG bonus that you can make use of.
For example, there’s a good chance that you’ll collect either an Ignite or an item such as Everfrost on level 3 from a balloon. This allows you to win almost any 1v1 fight in the mid lane. And you might even score a First Blood.
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8. Swap the W Spells That You Can’t Use
Another too important tip for Zoe is to always change the spells that you can’t use immediately.
You can actually swap the spell you currently have by clicking on another spell that’s on the ground. Simply right-click its icon, and you’ll get it.
Why is this important?
Let’s say that you have just picked up an Exhaust, but there is no enemy around. Instead of keeping it, you can swap it for that Everfrost on the ground and clear the wave faster.
There are definitely cases where you’ll want to save an Exhaust or Ignite. And usually, the waiting is worth it.
However, quickly swapping between spells is another skill you’ll need to work on as Zoe!
7. Weave Auto-Attacks In Between Your Paddle Star’s Casts
Zoe’s passive is kind of like a Lich Bane. When she uses an ability, she also empowers her basic attacks.
But many players don’t realize that you can actually empower your auto-attacks twice within the same Q usage.
What do I mean by this?
Well, once you activate Zoe’s Q, your auto-attack gets empowered. Here you have enough time to use this empowered auto-attack before you cast your Q again.
And with the second Q cast, you’ll get another empowered auto-attack.
This is very useful for trading in the lane or quickly destroying turrets.
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6. Quickly Collect and Use All Spells with Your W
Zoe is the only champion in the game that can use multiple Summoner Spells in the same fight.
But her W – Spell Thief also grants her a burst of Movement Speed each time she uses a spell.
Now, this Movement Speed can be advantageous, especially if you’re picking up and using spells back to back.
In team fights, you quickly collect every used item or spell to increase your MS and keep chasing your enemies. It’s also helpful for kiting and running away.
Additionally, more Movement Speed means that you can cover more ground.
And the more distance you go, the bigger the damage of your Q is. So it’s something to take advantage of too.
5. Jump Behind Walls to Surprise Enemies with Your E
Zoe has a couple of really funky combos you can do. But one of the best tips for Zoe that I can give you is to simply use your Portal Jump to hide behind terrain and then shoot your Sleepy Trouble Bubble.
What does this do?
First, it confuses your enemies. And second, it allows you to extend the range of your E.
For example, if you’re sieging the tier 2 turret in the mid lane, you can jump left (behind the wall) and cast your E.
This way, the ability will travel much further than it usually would. Plus, the angle from which it travels will catch enemies off guard.
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4. Take Advantage of Zoe’s Range
Zoe is one of the safest champions in League of Legends. Period. And it doesn’t matter that she’s squishy. Because if they can’t catch her, they can’t damage her either.
Zoe’s abilities all have an incredibly long range. You can combine her Q with her R, Flash, or an active item such as Galeforce. This will allow you to extend its range much more than the basic cast.
And Zoe’s E is kind of similar, but you use the terrain around you to double or triple the initial range of the ability.
So, the advice here is to never go too deep into the fight unless you absolutely need to.
You’re much better staying behind and only fishing for Sleepy Trouble Bubbles. Your team can also benefit from this, so it’s the recommended playstyle on this champion.
3. Make Roaming Your Top Priority
Zoe is also one of the best gankers in the entire game. She’s just fantastic at setting up kills for her teammates, no matter the lane. And that’s why jungle Zoe has great success too.
When it comes to ganking, Zoe’s bread and butter spell is Sleepy Trouble Bubble. This ability can absolutely destroy lanes if you can aim it.
Just imagine what a sleep effect can do in the bot lane! Your duo can immediately engage the target that’s asleep and quickly get a kill.
And you know what the best part is? You can leave immediately! When your Sleepy Trouble Bubble breaks, it also does bonus true damage.
So you don’t even need to stick around to secure the kill.
Obviously, you can help the jungler and the top laner this way too. So, roaming is one of the best tips for Zoe!
2. Use Flash to Extend the Range of Your Q and Surprise Your Enemies
This isn’t a basic Zoe combo, and I think it deserves your full attention.
You see, most players only expect Zoe to use Q in combination with R. And they often don’t react when Zoe adds a Flash to the Q + R combo.
As a result, you can almost always hit them, assuming you’ve aimed the Paddle Star right.
Why is this important?
Well, it’s important because it gives you way more kill opportunities. It often happens that your enemies run away with 1% HP or use Flash right before you put them to sleep.
Extending the range of your Q with Flash on top of your R will not only increase the damage but also let you finish off those enemies.
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1. Put the Quick Cast Indicator on Your E
This is one of the best tips for almost all skill shot champions in League of Legends, especially for Zoe. And I can’t stress enough how essential it is for succeeding on Zoe.
The implications are seriously massive!
Sleepy Trouble Bubble is your only crowd control ability and the main way to set up kills for yourself. You really rely on it for almost everything, so it’s key to always find ways to apply it.
Since Sleepy Trouble Bubble can travel through terrains, it has different ranges and trajectories across the Summoner’s Rift.
And if you put this ability on Quick Cast with Indicator, you can see how the ability will travel and where it will land.
This is extremely helpful while you’re actually playing, especially in situations when you’ll need to quickly shoot your E across the map. So I totally recommend it!
Read Also: 7 Reasons Why Zoe Is Such A Good Champion
Conclusion on the Top 10 Zoe Tips
Everybody learns to play a champion differently. And that’s totally fine. Zoe, in particular, takes a lot of time to master, so you shouldn’t stress too much if you don’t do any of these tips.
My honest advice would be for you to take one tip at a time and try integrating it into your own gameplay. That way, you’ll get better at individual concepts rather than everything at once.
But getting familiar with these Zoe tips will 100% improve your gameplay and even get you to Diamond. They work for me, so I know they’ll work for you too!
