Lifesteal
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.
Contents
Sources of Lifesteal[edit]
Unique Attack Modifiers[edit]
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[edit]
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.
Interactions with other abilities[edit]
- 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
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
Ursa – Fury Swipes
Viper – Nethertoxin
Weaver – Geminate Attack
1 Cannot lifesteal when originated from Unique Attack Modifiers.
Spell Lifesteal[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Lifestealing on an attack
Spell Lifesteal from Octarine Core
Patch history[edit]
- Fixed interaction between lifesteal and negative attack damage, where lifesteal would cause the attacker to lose health.
See also[edit]
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