Lifesteal allows the attacking unit to gain health when damaging an enemy, which includes any attack modifier with attack damage. The lifesteal ability can be gained via items, passive abilities or the auras of other units.
The amount of health a unit gains from lifesteal is calculated by a percentage of the actual damage done to the attacked unit. This means it does not heal for overkill damage dealt to a unit, so if an attack's damage exceeded the target's current health and killed it, the heal is based on the target's remaining health.
Sources of Lifesteal
Unique Attack Modifiers
Lifesteal as a Unique Attack Modifier is the most common form of lifesteal and can be used by both melee and ranged units. With the exception of Satanic's Unholy Rage ability, they are all passive abilities. Items that give this type of lifesteal are:
Lifesteal: 15%-
Lifesteal: 15%
-
Lifesteal: 25%
-
Lifesteal Bonus: 175%
Duration: 4.5
These items do not stack with each other. The one in the highest priority slot overrides the others.
Stacking sources
These lifesteal effects fully stack with every other source of lifesteal and every other attack modifier, except with themselves.
- Lifesteal: 30%
-
- Lifesteal: 30%
- Lifesteal: 30%
-
-
- Lifesteal: 15%
-
Lifesteal: 55%/65%/75%/85%
Duration: 1
The buff lasts either 1 second, or until successfully landing an attack, whichever is shorter. - Lifesteal: 25%
- Lifesteal: 15%
-
Lifesteal: 15%/30%/45%/60%
Charges: 4
Buff is gained after 4 successful attacks against the same enemy hero. Also lifesteals upon attacking wards. - Lifesteal: 10%
- Lifesteal: 15%
- Lifesteal: 10%
-
Lifesteal (Melee): 15%
Lifesteal (Ranged): 10%
Radius: 900
The aura provides lifesteal to all allied units but the amount depends whether they are ranged or melee. - Wraith King - [[Wraith King#|]]
Interactions with other abilities
- Lifesteal is calculated after critical strikes, which means that it increases the amount of life you steal.
- Illusions do not benefit from lifesteal or lifesteal auras. However, the particle effects of lifesteal do show. This is to make lifesteal not instantly give away that they are illusions.
- Secondary targets of instant attacks can be lifestealed off as long as the instant attack is able to carry attack modifiers. Therefore, Flak Cannon and Split Shot are excluded.
- If an attack modifier directly adds the damage it deals to the attack damage (like bashes), its damage can lifesteal:
- Abyssal Blade – Bash
- Anti-Mage – Mana Break1
- Diffusal Blade – Manabreak
- Drow Ranger – Marksmanship Splinters (Aghanim's Upgrade)
- Faceless Void – Time Lock
- Javelin – Pierce
- Lifestealer – Feast
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Monkey King Bar - Mini-Bash".
- Necronomicon Warrior – Mana Break
- Riki – Cloak and Dagger (Backstab damage)
- Shadow Blade – Shadow Walk
- Silver Edge – Shadow Walk
- Skull Basher – Bash
- Slardar – Bash of the Deep
- Sniper – Headshot
- Lua error: Found no Cargo data for "Ursa - Fury Swipes".
- Viper – Nethertoxin
- Weaver – Geminate Attack
1 Cannot lifesteal when originated from Unique Attack Modifiers.
Spell Lifesteal
Spell lifesteal allows the hero to heal from spell damage they deal. Just like attack damage lifesteal, spell lifesteal is calculated by a percentage of the actual damage done to units. This means it does not heal for overkill damage dealt to a unit, so if a spell's damage exceeded the target's current health and killed it, the heal is based on the target's remaining health.
Pseudo-Lifesteal
Certain lifesteal effects work quite a bit different from regular lifesteal. Their mechanics are unique to the spell they are provided by.
-
Lifesteal: 4.5%/5.5%/6.5%/7.5%
Deals damage to the attack target and heals Lifestealer on each attack based on a percentage of the target's current health. The heal is fully independent from the actual damage dealt, so even when the attack deals no damage, Feast still heals for exactly the named percentage values. -
Lifesteal: 50%
Duration: 8
Allows all allies to lifesteal off the targeted unit. All damage dealt steals life, including damage from spells.
Gallery
Lifestealing on an attack
Spell Lifesteal from Octarine Core
Patch history
- Fixed interaction between lifesteal and negative attack damage, where lifesteal would cause the attacker to lose health.
See also
{{#set:|Title=Lifesteal}}{{#subobject:Lifesteal
| title = Lifesteal
| image = File:Unknown icon.png
| description = Gain health by a percentage of attack damage done.
| type = npc
| target = Passive
| affects = Self
| trait1 = Lifesteal
| notes = * Does not account for physical spell damage.
}}
