Post by The 13i$cU1+ Mon$+3r on Sept 5, 2007 13:18:17 GMT 8
Rune Guide
Background
The inspiration for this guide came in one game when I was playing against an Axe who kept killing my allies all the time in the very beginning of the game. I saved the replay to watch his play style and strategy and realized that he kept getting all the runes and without any wards. My curiosity was piqued when I noticed that he was checking the rune spots exactly when the runes would spawn.
My first reaction was "OMG, HE HAX," but then I figured that maybe he had figured out a pattern to when they spawned and where, so I started up a single player custom game with furion and boots of travel to see what I could figure out.
While I did figure out how to tell when they could spawn, I did not figure out how to tell where. Also, I expanded my inquiry to include how to spot runes easily without wards.
General Information
If you want, you can skip this section, but it provides some helpful information to serve as a basis for the subsequent sections. The tree part isn't at all important, but I found it out as I was experimenting and thought I'd throw it in for good measure:
Creep waves spawn every 30 seconds, starting one minute after the game begins, except in League Mode (-lm).
Neutral creeps spawn (replacing destroyed creep camps) every minute, starting two minutes after the game begins.
Trees spawn (replacing destroyed trees) every 5 minutes, starting five minutes after the game begins.
Also, if you are unfamiliar with the exact locations of where the runes spawn:
Any red lines in pictures indicate the approximate edges of unit cells. For those who parse pixels while moving, as long as the exact middle of your hero is within the boundaries indicated by the red line, you should be able to view the rune. Also give a fraction of a second for the fog of war to update when checking for runes.
When Runes Spawn
As you might have guessed, there is a pattern to when runes spawn:
Runes spawn every 2 minutes (replacing collected runes), starting 2 minutes after the game begins.
An important thing to keep in mind is that rune spawning time is completely independent of when previous runes are collected, so you can collect an existing rune right before the next rune is scheduled to spawn and then get that one, too:
Note that you must pick up a rune more than 5 seconds (??:54 and earlier) before the next rune is scheduled to spawn or the next rune will not appear.
There are several ways to keep track of when the runes spawn. If you have some clicking downtime, the easiest way by far is to check the game clock in the upper right menu when you expand it:
One micro-free method (particularly useful in the beginning) is to remember is that you can use the spawning of creep waves or neutral creeps to keep track of when runes spawn. For example, if you read the previous section and did the math, you'll know that the first rune spawns at the same time as the second creep wave (except in League Mode). Additionally, subsequent runes will spawn every 4 creep waves.
Even if you don't want to keep exact track of creep waves or check the clock, you can still get a general feel for when four creep waves or two minutes have passed and knowing it will have spawned by then (although it doesn't guarantee that somebody won't take it before you).
The same applies for neutral creeps. If you are creeping neutrals and keeping track of the creep camp respawns using the minimap ('Alt-R' to turn back on the minimap's creep camp indicators that DotA turns off), every two times the creep camps respawn, a rune should appear.
Spotting Runes
Since I couldn't figure out a way to tell which of the two locations the rune would spawn in (seems to be random), I came across several different options:
1. Ward one of the two spots. If you know that the rune has spawned, but don't know where, you only need to check one spot to know where it is. This method gives your wards twice the mileage.
2. Find easy spots to check for the presence of runes.
This section covers the latter method. As it turns out, every lane (except the scourge side of middle) has an easy way to check one of the two rune spots. And, as along as you know when there should be a rune, you only need to see one spot to know where it is. At night time, it's much harder, with only a few ways to spot the runes without going into the river.
Keep in mind that the rules for day and night are reversed for Balanar, who sees far during the night and short during the day.
Day-Time
The most important thing to keep in mind during the day is that, for the same reason that it's easier to spot the runes in river, it's also easier to spot people in river. River is a dangerous place during the day because it is at the bottom of the sight well and people in it can't see out of it, whereas people around it can view broad tracts of it. Therfore, it's very important to scout runes from vantage points outside the river and only go in to pick up runes from the nearest ramp leading in.
The first, and easiest spot out of all them to check is for the middle lane, sentinel side. It's so easy, that it seems almost completely unfair. The spot is located just to the upper-left of the sentinel ramp leading down into the river:
Anywhere past that red line and you can see the left rune.
The scourge in middle can check that rune, too, but it's harder. If they go to the upper left of their ramp leading into the river, there will be a ramp they can ascend. At the top of that ramp, the rune is visible:
The next easiest spot is for the bottom lane. If you head into the forests on the sentinel side and hug the cliffs bordering river, you'll pass a small group of trees. At any point after the trees (past the red line) you will be able to see the rune:
The top lane has a spot that either side can check but it's way out of their way. However, it's still easier than going into the river, so you take what you can get. If you head into the forest on the scourge side, near the river you'll find two ramps that converge into one path that leads into the river. If you stand right next to the tree at the top of the left ramp, you'll be able to see the left rune:
Night-Time
At night, none of the previously described locations work, and it's difficult to conveniently check the runes without skipping a beat in your lane. At the same time, though, it's much safer to go into the river to check. The following scouting locations work best when travelling between lanes.
If you are on the sentinel side, travelling between the middle and top lane there is an extremely easy way to check the left rune to the east of the secret merchant. You have to tell your hero to move to the viewing spot, as it is JUST off (1 cell away) the shortest path between middle and top.
There is no other way to check that rune from outside the river without destroying trees or placing wards. If you are scourge, you pretty much have to enter the river anyway to travel between top and middle if you don't want to take the long way around. If you want to check from river, just go inside the red lines:
The right rune can be spotted from both sides of the river. If you are travelling between middle and bottom on the scourge side, there is an easy way to check the right rune. Your hero won't naturally pass through this spot, so make sure to manually stop there along the way:
Additionally, as a lot of people will know, you can see the right rune from the neutral creep camp just to the south of it. You can view it with or without the creeps present, as they will never cover the rightmost viewing cell:
When I travel between middle and bottom on the sentinel side at night, I find it is easier to go down the ramp into river briefly to check than to view from the creep camp. If you ever feel like checking in the east river at night:
Background
The inspiration for this guide came in one game when I was playing against an Axe who kept killing my allies all the time in the very beginning of the game. I saved the replay to watch his play style and strategy and realized that he kept getting all the runes and without any wards. My curiosity was piqued when I noticed that he was checking the rune spots exactly when the runes would spawn.
My first reaction was "OMG, HE HAX," but then I figured that maybe he had figured out a pattern to when they spawned and where, so I started up a single player custom game with furion and boots of travel to see what I could figure out.
While I did figure out how to tell when they could spawn, I did not figure out how to tell where. Also, I expanded my inquiry to include how to spot runes easily without wards.
General Information
If you want, you can skip this section, but it provides some helpful information to serve as a basis for the subsequent sections. The tree part isn't at all important, but I found it out as I was experimenting and thought I'd throw it in for good measure:
Creep waves spawn every 30 seconds, starting one minute after the game begins, except in League Mode (-lm).
Neutral creeps spawn (replacing destroyed creep camps) every minute, starting two minutes after the game begins.
Trees spawn (replacing destroyed trees) every 5 minutes, starting five minutes after the game begins.
Also, if you are unfamiliar with the exact locations of where the runes spawn:
Any red lines in pictures indicate the approximate edges of unit cells. For those who parse pixels while moving, as long as the exact middle of your hero is within the boundaries indicated by the red line, you should be able to view the rune. Also give a fraction of a second for the fog of war to update when checking for runes.
When Runes Spawn
As you might have guessed, there is a pattern to when runes spawn:
Runes spawn every 2 minutes (replacing collected runes), starting 2 minutes after the game begins.
An important thing to keep in mind is that rune spawning time is completely independent of when previous runes are collected, so you can collect an existing rune right before the next rune is scheduled to spawn and then get that one, too:
Note that you must pick up a rune more than 5 seconds (??:54 and earlier) before the next rune is scheduled to spawn or the next rune will not appear.
There are several ways to keep track of when the runes spawn. If you have some clicking downtime, the easiest way by far is to check the game clock in the upper right menu when you expand it:
One micro-free method (particularly useful in the beginning) is to remember is that you can use the spawning of creep waves or neutral creeps to keep track of when runes spawn. For example, if you read the previous section and did the math, you'll know that the first rune spawns at the same time as the second creep wave (except in League Mode). Additionally, subsequent runes will spawn every 4 creep waves.
Even if you don't want to keep exact track of creep waves or check the clock, you can still get a general feel for when four creep waves or two minutes have passed and knowing it will have spawned by then (although it doesn't guarantee that somebody won't take it before you).
The same applies for neutral creeps. If you are creeping neutrals and keeping track of the creep camp respawns using the minimap ('Alt-R' to turn back on the minimap's creep camp indicators that DotA turns off), every two times the creep camps respawn, a rune should appear.
Spotting Runes
Since I couldn't figure out a way to tell which of the two locations the rune would spawn in (seems to be random), I came across several different options:
1. Ward one of the two spots. If you know that the rune has spawned, but don't know where, you only need to check one spot to know where it is. This method gives your wards twice the mileage.
2. Find easy spots to check for the presence of runes.
This section covers the latter method. As it turns out, every lane (except the scourge side of middle) has an easy way to check one of the two rune spots. And, as along as you know when there should be a rune, you only need to see one spot to know where it is. At night time, it's much harder, with only a few ways to spot the runes without going into the river.
Keep in mind that the rules for day and night are reversed for Balanar, who sees far during the night and short during the day.
Day-Time
The most important thing to keep in mind during the day is that, for the same reason that it's easier to spot the runes in river, it's also easier to spot people in river. River is a dangerous place during the day because it is at the bottom of the sight well and people in it can't see out of it, whereas people around it can view broad tracts of it. Therfore, it's very important to scout runes from vantage points outside the river and only go in to pick up runes from the nearest ramp leading in.
The first, and easiest spot out of all them to check is for the middle lane, sentinel side. It's so easy, that it seems almost completely unfair. The spot is located just to the upper-left of the sentinel ramp leading down into the river:
Anywhere past that red line and you can see the left rune.
The scourge in middle can check that rune, too, but it's harder. If they go to the upper left of their ramp leading into the river, there will be a ramp they can ascend. At the top of that ramp, the rune is visible:
The next easiest spot is for the bottom lane. If you head into the forests on the sentinel side and hug the cliffs bordering river, you'll pass a small group of trees. At any point after the trees (past the red line) you will be able to see the rune:
The top lane has a spot that either side can check but it's way out of their way. However, it's still easier than going into the river, so you take what you can get. If you head into the forest on the scourge side, near the river you'll find two ramps that converge into one path that leads into the river. If you stand right next to the tree at the top of the left ramp, you'll be able to see the left rune:
Night-Time
At night, none of the previously described locations work, and it's difficult to conveniently check the runes without skipping a beat in your lane. At the same time, though, it's much safer to go into the river to check. The following scouting locations work best when travelling between lanes.
If you are on the sentinel side, travelling between the middle and top lane there is an extremely easy way to check the left rune to the east of the secret merchant. You have to tell your hero to move to the viewing spot, as it is JUST off (1 cell away) the shortest path between middle and top.
There is no other way to check that rune from outside the river without destroying trees or placing wards. If you are scourge, you pretty much have to enter the river anyway to travel between top and middle if you don't want to take the long way around. If you want to check from river, just go inside the red lines:
The right rune can be spotted from both sides of the river. If you are travelling between middle and bottom on the scourge side, there is an easy way to check the right rune. Your hero won't naturally pass through this spot, so make sure to manually stop there along the way:
Additionally, as a lot of people will know, you can see the right rune from the neutral creep camp just to the south of it. You can view it with or without the creeps present, as they will never cover the rightmost viewing cell:
When I travel between middle and bottom on the sentinel side at night, I find it is easier to go down the ramp into river briefly to check than to view from the creep camp. If you ever feel like checking in the east river at night: