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Lifestealer

Lifesteal heals the attacking unit while damaging an enemy. Certain attack modifiers that deal damage in a single instance as the attack damage may conditionally Lifesteal. A unit can gain Lifesteal from abilities, items or Talent talents granting percentage-based values (e.g. Morbid Mask icon Morbid Mask).

Definition[]

Mechanics Aspect / Definition Examples
Lifesteal Morbid Mask icon Lifesteal
Pseudo-Lifesteal
  • Heals the unit conditionally using lifesteal following all properties of the mechanics.
Sidekick icon Sidekick
Lifesteal Manipulation
  • Manipulates the healing values of lifesteal sources.
Sange icon Sange
Spell Lifesteal Voodoo Mask icon Voodoo Mask

Total Lifesteal[]

Percentage-based lifesteal sources from items, abilities, and Talent talents stack independently and additively of each other after the sources' respectively creep lifesteal multiplier. All lifesteal sources are summed up, then lifesteal amplification is applied to the unit's lifesteal value as a multiplier. All lifesteal manipulation sources stack multiplicatively of each other.

The heal value from lifesteal is based on a percentage of the total physical attack damage dealt to the attacked unit from the attacking unit. Therefore, if an attack damage instance exceeds the target's current health and kills it, the heal value is based on the attack damage value the dying target would have received if it had not died. Lifesteal heals more on critical strike procs and works conditionally on certain attack modifiers.

Neither heals from magical attack damage sources (e.g. Monkey King Bar icon Monkey King Bar procs) nor spell damage sources of all damage types. Lifesteal only heals from physical and pure attack damage.

Instant attacks hitting secondary targets can heal from lifesteal as long as attack modifiers work with the instant attack source.

However, the heal value from lifesteal is not affected by most damage manipulation effects on the attacked target (e.g. Flesh Golem icon Flesh Golem or Aeon Disk icon Aeon Disk). For example, for illusions, their heal value from lifesteal is based on their Outgoing Damage Manipulation outgoing damage manipulation values (i.e. total attack damage of the illusion), but the heal value from attacking illusions is not affected by the Incoming Damage Manipulation incoming damage manipulation values (i.e. attacking illusions).

There are currently no limits to how much a unit can heal from lifesteal.

Percentage-based lifesteal sources from items heals for 60% of their usual value when attacking creeps. Treats attack against clones, illusions and creep-heroes as heroes, attacks against Roshan icon Roshan as creeps.

Calculating the total lifesteal value of a unit involves using a few values and a multiplier and can be defined as:

  • Total Lifesteal
    • ± Lifesteal Sources
      • × Creep Lifesteal Multiplier
    • + Shared Lifesteal Sources
      • × Creep Lifesteal Multiplier
      • × Source Lifesteal Amplification
    • × Wielder Lifesteal Amplification

Lifesteal Manipulation[]

Lifesteal manipulation affects every source of Lifesteal. All sources of lifesteal manipulation - whether incoming or outgoing - stack diminishingly, and have a higher and lower limit of 100% and -100% respectively.

Lifesteal Manipulation neither affects Spell Lifesteal nor Spell Lifesteal Manipulation sources.

1 Requires Talent talent.
2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter icon Aghanim's Scepter.
2b Requires Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard.

Equations[]

The amount of healing granted from lifesteal to the attacking unit is calculated by a percentage of the

Total Heal = Total Attack Damage Dealt × Total Lifesteal-%based

Total Lifesteal = Self Lifesteal Amplification × (Lifesteal-%based × Creep Multiplier)i + (Source Lifesteal Amplification × Shared Lifesteal-%based × Creep Multiplier)i

Conditional Attack Damage Bonus[]

These abilities give direct attack damage bonuses under certain circumstances, these bonuses are not displayed in the HUD and its damage type is not limited to physical damage; nonetheless, they are considered as attack damage since it is dealt in one instance together with a unit's attack damage. Only physical conditional attack damage bonuses increases the healing value from lifesteal.

Sources[]

1 Requires Talent talent.
2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter icon Aghanim's Scepter.
2b Requires Aghanim's Shard icon Aghanim's Shard.
Lifesteal Ability Sources (Does not Heal from Overkill Damage)

Items[]

Lifesteal Item Sources

Talents[]

Lifesteal
Cannot be used by illusions.
Talent icon
Ability
Passive
Affects
Self
There is no description for this ability.
Lifesteal: Varies
Cannot be used by illusions.
Illusion Notes:
Lifesteal is not functional despite particles being visible.

  • Grants the hero's attack lifesteal, healing them based on the attack damage they deal.
  • Stacks additively with other lifesteal sources.
  • The following lifesteal values exist:
    • 8%/10%/12%/15%/18%/20%/25%/30%/35%/40%/100%


The following heroes have a Talent talent that grants them lifesteal.

Bonus Level 10 Level 15 Level 20 Level 25
Left Right Left Right Left Right Left Right
Lifesteal
  • Huskar minimap icon 15%
  • Drow Ranger minimap icon 20%

Pseudo-Lifesteal[]

Some lifesteal sources work differently and conditionally, their mechanics are unique to the sources themselves. More information can be found in their ability's respective notes.

  • Open Wounds icon
    Heals everyone for all the damage they deal to the debuffed target, including spell damage.
  • Spirit Link icon
    Heals Lone Druid based on the attack damage dealt by his Lone Druid Spirit Bear icon Spirit Bear.
    When cast on an ally hero, the Aghanim's Scepter icon Ability Upgrade heals the affected target based on the attack damage dealt by Lone Druid minimap icon Lone Druid instead.
  • Wolf Bite icon
    The lifesteal is granted to the ally immediately upon cast. Grants regular lifesteal and shared lifesteal to both, the caster and the target.
    The shared lifesteal heals both the caster and target as long as they do not exceed the penalty distance.
  • Sidekick icon
    The lifesteal is granted to the ally immediately upon cast. Grants regular lifesteal and shared lifesteal to both, the caster and the target. Applies penalty multiplier to both the lifesteal and shared lifesteal values when the distance between Marci minimap icon Marci and the affected target exceeds the penalty distance.

Spell Lifesteal[]

Main Article: 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. However, unlike attack damage lifesteal, 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.

Gallery[]

Recent Changes[]

Main Article: Lifesteal/Changelogs
Version
Description
  • Increased item lifesteal against creeps from 50% to 60%.
  • Reduced item lifesteal against creeps from 100% to 50%.
  • Lifesteal no longer considers magical attack damage (e.g. Javelin icon Pierce procs).



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