Runes

Main

For the runes that come with cosmetic items, see Inscribed Gem.

Runes are special boosters that spawn on the game map. They come in two categories. Bounty Runes can be picked up for extra gold, while Power Runes grant heroes a variety of buffs and effects for a short period of time.

General Information[]

**Rune spawn locations**
**Yellow circles:** Bounty Runes
**Red circles:** Power Runes

Spawning[]

Bounty Rune
- Initially at the 0:00 minute mark, all rune spots spawn Bounty Runes, including the rune spots in the river.
- After this, Bounty Runes spawn every 3rd minute mark (3:00, 6:00, 9:00, etc.) at the dedicated rune spots within the jungles of each team.
- Bounty Runes never despawn. If they are not picked up before the next ones spawn, the new runes spawn next to the old ones.
- Trusty Shovel may dig up a Bounty Rune as one of its rewards.
- Pirate Hat spawns a Bounty Rune after its channel time.
Water Rune
- Water runes spawn at the 2:00 and the 4:00 minute mark at both rune spots in the river. They do not spawn after this anymore.
- If Water Runes are not picked up before the next runes spawn, they disappear.
Power Runes
- Power runes start spawning at the 6:00 minute mark, and then every 2 minutes (8:00, 10:00, 12:00, etc.)
- They spawn at one of the rune spots within the river, which is randomly chosen.
- If a Power Rune is not picked up before the next one spawns, it disappears.
- The same Power Rune cannot spawn twice in a row.

Bottling[]

Runes can be stored inside a Bottle.
Heroes with a Bottle in their inventory automatically store the rune inside the Bottle when they pick it up.
A stored rune can be used later by activating the Bottle.
Using a stored rune refills the Bottle to 2 charges if it was a Bounty Rune or Water Rune, or to 3 charges (to full) if it was another rune.
Runes can be stored in the Bottle for up to 1.5 minutes, after which they are automatically activated.
- Stored runes persist through death, but the automatic activation timer does not pause.
- If the owner is dead when the timer runs out, the rune is destroyed and grants no bonuses.
When the Bottle is filled with a rune, picking up a second rune consumes/activates the new rune right away. It does not replace the existing rune in the Bottle.
Bottles containing runes cannot be dropped or shared.

Other[]

Power Runes are only visible when they are in vision. All runes are visible in spectator mode.
- When runes spawn in the fog of war, their icons appear on the minimap. These icons will remain until the rune spot is confirmed to be empty.
Runes can be destroyed by normal attacks, using a forced attack command.
- Since runes do not count as units, destroying one does not count as a last hit (or deny).
Runes do not interact with abilities, with the exception Meat Hook, which can pull runes, and Toss, which can toss units towards targeted runes.
Runes have selection boxes with higher priority over units, meaning that if a unit is standing over a rune, the mouse cursor highlights and selects the rune first.
- This only applies to actions that can target runes, such as moving or attacking. Actions that cannot target runes still target the unit first.
To collect a rune, the hero must be within 150 range of it, but they do not need to be facing the rune to activate it.

List[]

Click on a rune's name to view more detailed information.

Bounty Rune[]

Bounty	Grants bonus Gold.
Icon / Emoticon	Initial Spawn Team Gold: 40 Following Spawn Base Team Gold: 36	Notes: The initial runes spawning at the 0:00 minute mark give a fixed amount of 40 gold to each player. Following Bounty Runes grant a base amount of 36 , plus 9 extra gold for every 5 minutes past. When bottling a Bounty Rune, it grants gold based on the time at which it is activated, not bottled. Using a stored Bounty Rune with Bottle only grant 2 charges. Grants reliable gold to each player of the team that picks it up. An over-head text shows how much gold was given exactly. This number is not visible to enemies. When gaining gold from a Bounty Rune, a small golden particle effect briefly bursts from the player, visible to everyone. In Turbo Mode, the gold given by Bounty Runes is doubled, despite the notification message showing standard values.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Water Rune[]

Water	Instantly restores 40 Health and 80 Mana.
Icon / Emoticon	Health Restored: 40 Mana Restored: 80	Notes: When bottling a Water Rune, only 2 charges are granted.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Power Runes[]

Arcane[]

Arcane	Reduces cooldowns and mana costs by 30%.
Icon / Emoticon	Cooldown Reduction: 30% Mana Loss Reduction: 30% Duration: 50	Notes: Stacks multiplicatively with other sources of percentage-based cooldown reductions. Stacks multiplicatively with other sources of mana loss reduction. The buff is applied to invulnerable and hidden units. The buff of multiple Arcane Runes does not stack, but refreshes the duration instead.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Double Damage[]

Double Damage	Increases base damage by 100%.
Icon / Emoticon	Attack Damage Bonus: 100% Duration: 45	Notes: Grants flat bonus attack damage based on the affected unit's main attack damage. Does not further increase bonus attack damage. The hero's current main attack damage is checked periodically, and the bonuses are adapted instantly. The buff is applied to invulnerable and hidden units. The buff of multiple Double Damage Runes does not stack, but refreshes the duration instead.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Haste[]

Haste	Increases movement speed to maximum.
Icon / Emoticon	Haste Speed: 550 Duration: 22	Notes: Applies a haste on the target, meaning it cannot be slowed below the set value. The buff is applied to invulnerable and hidden units. The buff of multiple Haste Runes does not stack, but refreshes the duration instead.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Illusion[]

Illusion	Conjures 2 illusions of your hero which deal 35% damage. Melee illusions take 200% damage. Ranged illusions take 300% damage. Illusions last 75 seconds.
Icon / Emoticon	Split Time: 0.1 Number of Illusions: 2 Illusion Damage Dealt: 35% Illusion Damage Taken (Melee): 200% Illusion Damage Taken (Ranged): 300% Illusion Duration: 75	Notes: The user is invulnerable, hidden and spell immune during the split time. Applies a basic dispel on the owner upon cast. Resets all current attack and spell targeting orders from other units on the owner. After the split time, the caster reappears with their illusions. The reappear locations are based on the caster's position upon cast, with one appearing at the cast location, and the others north, east, south or west from that point. The distance in between each is 108 range if the hero has a collision size of 24, and 72 if the collision size is 8. Though the formation is always the same, the caster and their illusions take a random position in the formation and have all the same facing angle. Orders the user to stop after the split time, canceling all queued orders, and orders given during the split time. Activating a new Illusion Rune while already having illusions from a previous Illusion Rune does not replace them.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Invisibility[]

Invisibility	Becomes invisible for 45 seconds. This invisibility is broken by attacking or by using an ability or item.
Icon / Emoticon	Fade Time: 2 Duration: 45	Notes: During the fade time, the hero can cast spells, use items and perform attacks without breaking the invisibility. Invisibility is broken upon reaching the cast point of spells or items, or upon successfully landing an attack. The invisible hero can pick up or drop items without breaking the invisibility. However, attacking them breaks it. Invisibility from the Invisibility Rune does not turn the hero phased, so it still can block unit pathing. The buff is applied to invulnerable and hidden units. The buff of multiple Invisibility Runes does not stack, but refreshes the duration instead.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound

Regeneration[]

Regeneration	Regenerates health and mana to maximum.
Icon / Emoticon	Max Health as Health Regen per Second: 6% Max Mana as Mana Regen per Second: 6% Duration: 30	Notes: Can regenerate up to 180% of a unit's max health and max mana over its full duration. Can fully regenerate a unit's health and mana within 16.67 seconds. The buff disappears once the hero is at full health and mana. Damage greater than 0 from any player (including allies and self) or Roshan dispels the effect. Does not get dispelled by damage flagged as HP Removal. The buff is applied to invulnerable and hidden units. The buff of multiple Regeneration Runes does not stack, but refreshes the duration instead.
Model
Bottle
▶️ Activation Sound