How many lotuses are on the map and how often do they appear?

There are two lotus pools on the edges of the river. Each pool spawns one Healing Lotus every 3 minutes — up to six can be on the map at a time. Heroes gather them automatically within 350 of the pool center, and a lotus goes to a random ally in range. If heroes from both teams stand there the countdown runs backwards and nobody collects anything.

How much does a Healing Lotus heal?

A basic Healing Lotus restores 125 health and 125 mana. Three basic lotuses combine into a Great Healing Lotus for 400, and two Great ones into a Greater Lotus that heals 900 health and mana. It is free regen that saves a lot of gold on consumables.

Do outposts grant experience?

No: outpost XP was removed in patch 7.33. Vision around it and True Sight went the same patch, so capturing one for vision makes no sense either. One value is left — the teleport point: a captured outpost carries the team half a map to an objective.

When should you capture outposts?

Teams usually get to them closer to mid game, once the fight over objectives starts. The capture is a channel and the time is split between the heroes channeling at once: two heroes take half as long, five almost none at all. Take an outpost before an objective for the fast TP to the fight, not for vision — an outpost gives no vision.

Where are the Lotus Pools?

At the ends of the river, by the offlane tier 1 towers: the top pool by the Radiant tower, the bottom one by the Dire tower. Since patch 7.41 each pool also has the Tormentor pit next to it, in the corner of the map.

Lotuses and Outposts in Dota 2 — regen, TP, control

Why it matters

Lotuses and outposts are "free" map resources. Lotuses give regen with no gold, outposts give a teleport point across half the map. A team that grabs these objects on time saves gold on consumables and arrives at the objective before the enemy. This is support work above all: while the carry farms, the supports collect regen and hold the points — the same pickups pair naturally with support roaming.

The one-line version

There are two lotus pools (on the river edges) that spawn one lotus every 3 minutes — up to six on the map — and two outposts, one in each triangle. An outpost grants neither XP nor vision, only a teleport point: the corner outposts were removed in patch 7.38, and vision and True Sight went back in 7.33.

Healing Lotuses

Healing Lotuses grow in two pools on the river edges and give regen without a single gold coin:

Spawn. Each pool spawns one lotus every 3 minutes — up to six can sit on the map.
Healing. A basic lotus restores 125 health and 125 mana. Three basic combine into a Great Lotus (400), and two Great into a Greater one (900). You do not always have to wait for that: since patch 7.38 the pools spawn Great Lotuses outright once tier 4 neutral items unlock, and Greater ones from tier 5.
Who gets it. Lotuses are gathered automatically: a hero only has to be within 350 of the pool center with a free inventory slot. The first lotus takes 1.5 seconds and each one after it in a row takes 30% less, and it goes to a random ally in range. If heroes from both teams are there the countdown does not pause, it runs backwards: since patch 7.41 an enemy nearby rewinds your progress.
Where. The pools sit at the ends of the river, by the offlane tier 1 tower: the top pool by the Radiant tower, the bottom one by the Dire tower. Patch 7.41 moved them even closer to those towers and moved the Tormentor pit closer to the pools, so a lotus fight and a Tormentor take often happen in the same corner of the map.

For a support a lotus is a sustain window with no spend on consumables: the regen goes to the carry, and the team's gold goes to wards and items. For that to work the carry needs to farm freely — how to speed up the income is covered in the jungle and farming guide.

Outposts

There are two outposts on the map, one in each side triangle. The corner ones were removed in patch 7.38, so a guide promising four points is older than that. The key facts about outposts now:

No more XP. Capturing once granted the team experience — that bonus was removed. You no longer chase an outpost "for levels."
They give no vision. That is the second myth in a row: an outpost has not lit the area around it or granted True Sight since patch 7.33. A captured outpost is a teleport point and nothing else — but one that crosses half the map without a scroll.
Capture. An outpost is taken by channeling, and the time is split between the heroes channeling at once: two take half as long, five almost none at all. Teleporting to your own outpost channels exactly as long as a scroll does — that was evened out in patch 7.36.

An outpost next to Roshan or the Tormentor is a fast entry to the objective, but not eyes on it: the vision still has to come from wards. How to place them — in the warding guide.

Dota 2 map schematic: two Lotus Pools at the ends of the river and two Outposts in the triangles — Schematic, not to scale. The Lotus Pools sit at the ends of the river by the offlane tier 1 towers, the Outposts in the triangles — each side's offlane jungle. In grey is the Tormentor: since patch 7.41 it stands in the corner next to a pool.

How to control them

To make map resources an advantage instead of a gift to the enemy, keep a simple order:

Track the lotus timer. Every 3 minutes regen appears at the pools — send a support or a hero passing by to grab it.
Contest the enemy lotus. Arriving at the enemy pool as one team takes the lotus; arriving together with the enemy rewinds their countdown and denies it to both sides.
Take the outpost before the objective. Capture the point near Roshan and the whole team has a fast TP to the fight.
Place vision around them. Both a lotus and an outpost are safe only with vision up — otherwise it is a trap for a lone hero.

When to grab these objects is a question of map timings: runes, day and night, and Roshan's respawn are all in the timings in Dota 2 guide.

Common mistakes

The most common free losses — small things that quietly stall your rank (how to push it up is in the how to raise MMR guide):

Ignoring lotuses. Free regen of 125+ just sits on the map — while you spend gold on consumables.
Contesting the pool together with the enemy. If both teams are at the pool the countdown runs backwards and no one takes the lotus — sometimes that is the goal, but more often it is wasted time.
Taking an outpost for XP or vision. It gives neither: the XP was removed in patch 7.33 along with the vision. An outpost is captured for the teleport.
Walking onto the object with no vision. A lone hero at a pool or outpost is an easy gank target.

2 poolslotuses on river edges

Every 3 min+1 lotus, up to 6

125 HP/manabasic lotus heals

2 outpostsa TP point only, no vision

Lotuses and Outposts: map resources