Dota 2’s temporary power-up items that spawn at set map positions are called runes.
Runes appear at designated locations and grant short-term advantages to the hero who collects one. Depending on the rune, the effect can include increased movement speed, invisibility, amplified damage, restoration, or another powerful combat or mobility benefit. Their predictable locations make them important timing points for lane control, ganking, river fights, and resource management.
Runes are distinct from ordinary purchasable items. A hero does not buy them from a shop; players must move to the relevant location and secure the pickup. Dota 2 also includes different rune categories, including power runes and bounty runes, whose roles and spawn behavior differ. Runes are not wards, which provide vision, and they are not gems or tomes. The word comes from the game’s Warcraft III-era Dota lineage, where map objects likewise supplied temporary advantages.