Introduction to Life Steal

So here is the dillema. There are currently 4 different ways to steal life from an enemy via an item that you can buy. It is hard to know which one to choose. Which one will be the most beneficial to me as a tank/carry/ganker/support? Which one will keep me alive the longest? Well with this you should be able to answer all these questions and more.

Hungry Spirit: +10% Life Steal - 900 gold
Hungry spirit is the cheapest of all life steal items, however it has no other stat or damage benefit. It is great early game because it can allow you to farm or just regain some lost life while lane-ing. However late game it will just take up the space of an item that can provide lifesteal and stat or damage bonus.

Whispering Helm: +5 Armor, +20 Damage, +15% Life steal, and ability to convert creeps. Cooldown: 300 seconds.

• Components:
  • Hungry Spirit - 900 gold
    
  • Helm of the Victim - 950 gold
    
  • Total Price - 1850 gold
    
    

The Whispering Helm can be great for a couple of things. If you are playing as Ophelia it gives you another creep to your horde of minions. It is also great if you are looking for a damage and armor boost to your hero. It is a slightly cheaper alternative to Abyssal Skull and it can allow you to grab a minotaur or catman which can give you an AOE stun or slow. Both of which will be very helpful in late game team fights. It is also great if you are looking to go for a Symbol of Rage in the late game. Whispering Helm is probably best for your initiator because of its armor bonus.

Elder Parasite: +17% Life Steal. When activated, adds 100 attack speed, 20% movement speed, and 20% increased damage taken (self). Cooldown: 25 seconds.

• Components:
  • Hungry Spirit - 900 gold
  • Elder Parasite Recipe - 1050 gold
  • Total price - 1950 gold
    
    

Elder Parasite is another great item for 3 different reasons. First is the 17% lifesteal. It has a higher lifesteal percentage than nearly every other lifesteal item, except for Symbol of Rage. The second reason it is a great item is the increased attack speed. You can greatly increase your damage output by attacking with 100 more attack speed. And the final reason that makes Elder Parasite just awesome is the 20% increased movement speed. This has two benefits. Running away from the enemy and chasing down the enemy. That 20% run speed increase will change your 370 run speed to 444 run speed. That makes chasing that near-dead enemy or running so you don't get killed very easy. The only downside to this item is the 20% increased damage taken. This increases all damage done to you by 20%. It is not recommended for heroes that are taking a brunt of the damage because that could mean the end of that hero. This item is mostly recommended for your carry hero that is already doing high amounts of damage and the +100 attack speed just makes him even more deadly.

Abyssal Skull: +15% Lifesteal Aura, +.80 Mana Regeneration Aura, +5 Armor Aura, and +15% Damage Aura.

• Components:
  • Ring of the Teacher - 500 gold
  • Hungry Spirit - 900 gold
  • Trinket of Restoration - 350 gold
  • Abyssal Skull Recipe - 300 gold
  • Total Price - 2075

Abyssal Skull is probably the ultimate support life steal item. It doesn't just have a lifesteal aura, it has mana regeneration aura. It has an armor bonus aura. AND it has a damage increase aura! This turns your support hero into the ultimate support. It helps your team stay alive and kill the enemy with the armor and damage auras. This item is definitely best for the hero that is going to be alive in the back of the fight. Losing the hero with these buffs could mean the end of a fight.

Symbol of Rage: +25% Life steal, +25 Strength. +20 damage, +5 Armor. When activated, grants you +150 life steal. Lasts 3.5 seconds. Cooldown: 50 seconds.

• Components:
  • Whispering Helm - 1850 gold
  • Axe of the Malphai - 3200
  • Symbol of Rage Recipe - 1100 gold
  • Total Price - 6150 gold

Symbol of Rage is the grand-daddy of all lifesteal items. It has the most life steal at a whopping 25%. It also has an armor, strength and damage bonus. And the best part about it is the activation ability. Granting 150% life steal means that you will stay alive while hitting an enemy. If you hit for 200 damage a hit, that means you are regaining 300 health a hit. That can be the difference in a team fight if your tank can steal 600-900 life right in the middle/end of a fight. This item is best suited for the initiator/tank of the group. It allows for him/her to gain a lot of life in a short amount of time. It can mean the difference in any team fight.

Now that you know all this, go forth and steal life from thine enemies. Steal life to stay alive. Enjoy and Happy Hunting

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