Timings: play by the clock

What a timing is

A timing is the skill of being at the right spot on the map at the right second. Gold and experience in Dota 2 do not appear at random: runes, jungle camps, day and night, Roshan and hero spikes all run on a timer. A team that keeps the schedule in its head forces fights and objectives on its own power spike and stays out of the enemy's.

Runes and their clock

Runes are the first timer that should become a habit. There are three families:

• Bounty runes. They appear at 0:00 (four at once) and then every 4 minutes. They grant gold to the whole team — grab them and do not hand them to the enemy.
• Water runes. They spawn in the river at 2:00 and 4:00. They restore health and mana — early sustain for a hard lane.
• Power runes. The first at 6:00, then every 2 minutes at the river spots. Double Damage, Haste, Invisibility, Illusion — a power rune can win a gank or a trade, which is why teams fight over it.

Rune control is initiative control. Whoever sees the river and takes the rune decides where the next fight happens (see warding and map control).

Day, night and Roshan

On top of runes runs the global rhythm of the map:

• Day and night. The cycle flips every 5 minutes. At night most heroes have shorter vision and the map gets more dangerous; some heroes (Night Stalker, Luna) spike hard in their phase — that, too, is a timing to fight on.
• Roshan. After dying he respawns in 8–11 minutes (the exact time is hidden). The Aegis removes the fear of death from a carry, so you take Roshan on your spike and with vision up.
• Objectives on a spike. Towers, the Tormentor and Roshan are taken not "when everyone gathered" but when the team's power timing is ready — more in the tempo control guide.

Hero power spikes

A hero's personal timing is the moment they jump in strength. Count them for yourself and for the enemy:

• Levels. Level 2 gives two abilities, level 6 the ultimate, and talents at 10, 15, 20 and 25 raise a hero's power in steps. Many ganks happen right at level 6.
• Items. A finished BKB, Blink or key artifact is a window where the hero is stronger than usual. Trades are planned around such items.
• The enemy's window. Timing cuts both ways: avoid fights when the enemy spikes, and force them when their ultimates and items are not ready yet.

Common mistakes

Timing mistakes cost tempo and games:

• Ganking with no rune and no vision. Going for a gank without knowing where the power rune and enemy wards are is a gift to the enemy.
• Fighting on your weak timing. Diving in without ultimates and items is a loss before it begins.
• Ignoring day and night. Pushing aggression at night into a night hero — or the reverse — loses a lot.
• Forgetting buyback and respawns. An objective after a kill only works if the enemy cannot buy back and cannot respawn in time.

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