StrengthSince you last played
Heavily adjusted168 lines of changes across 42 patches, condensed below to the ones that still matter.
31 buffs and 46 nerfs in total: roughly even.
Biggest ability changes
- ▲Feast Max HP per Hero Kill decreased from 10/15/20/25 to 10adjusted 23 times across 16 patches, net buff
- ▼Infest When consuming a creep, enemies also take damage over time equal to 30% of the creep's remaining health. Damage duration: 3s. Has no effect when bursting out of enemy heroesadjusted 12 times across 7 patches, net nerf
- ▲Ghoul Frenzy Bonus Attack Speed decreased from 5 per level to 4 per leveladjusted 9 times across 6 patches, net buff
- ▼Open Wounds Max Slow increased from 35/40/45/50% to 50%adjusted 14 times across 7 patches, net nerf
- ▼Rage Cooldown increased from 20/19/18/17s to 21/20/19/18sadjusted 12 times across 11 patches, net nerf
Innate
- ◆Feast Max Health Lifesteal increased from 1/1.3/1.6/1.9% to 1.25/1.75/2.25/2.75%adjusted 4 times across 1 patch, roughly even
Aghanim’s upgrades
- ▲Scepter Aghanim's Scepter Enemy Duration decreased from 5s to 4schanged 9 times, latest shown
- ◆Shard Aghanim's Shard upgrade reworkedchanged 5 times, latest shown
Base stats
- ▼Base damage reduced by 2adjusted 5 times across 5 patches, net nerf
- ▼Strength gain reduced from 3.2 to 2.9adjusted 3 times across 3 patches, net nerf
- ◆Agility gain decreased from 2.6 to 1.9adjusted 2 times across 2 patches, roughly even
- ▼Base Damage decreased by 3adjusted 3 times across 3 patches, net nerf
- ◆Damage at level 1 increased from 39–45 to 49–55adjusted 2 times across 2 patches, roughly even
- ◆Base Attack Speed increased from 100 to 120adjusted 2 times across 2 patches, roughly even
- ◆Base Movement Speed increased from 315 to 320adjusted 2 times across 2 patches, roughly even
- ▲Agility increased from 18 + 2.4 to 19 + 2.6
- ▼Base Strength decreased from 25 to 23
- ▼Base attack speed reduced from 140 to 130
- ▼Damage on level 1 decreased from 49–55 to 46–52
- ▼Movement Speed reduced from 325 to 320
- ▲Base movement speed increased by 15
- ▲Base armor increased by 2
- ▼Base Agility decreased by 4
Talents changed
- ◆Lv10 talent Movement Speed decreased from +20 to +15
- ◆Lv15 talent +50 Ghoul Frenzy Attack Speed replaced with +175 Infest Damage
- ◆Lv20 talent Infest Target Movespeed/Health decreased from +15% to +12%
- ◆Lv25 talent Feast Lifesteal and Damage decreased from +1.2% to +1.0%
Facets were part of the game from 7.36 and were removed in 7.41. Lifestealer had 19 facet changes in between.
Most recent change patch 7.41f, Sep 2026
- ▼Infest Aghanim's Scepter Enemy Duration decreased from 5s to 4s
- ▼Rage Cooldown increased from 20/19/18/17s to 21/20/19/18s
- ▼Lv10 talent Level 10 Talent Movement Speed decreased from +20 to +15
Current abilities
RageLaunch into a maddened rage, becoming Debuff Immune, increasing magic resistance and gaining movement speed. DISPEL TYPE: Basic Dispel
Open WoundsLifestealer rends an enemy unit, slowing the victim's movement speed and allowing all allies to regain health for a percentage of the damage they deal to that unit. The victim recovers movement speed over the duration.
FeastLifestealer's attacks deal damage and provide heal for a percentage of his target's max health. He gains permanent max HP whenever he kills a unit.
Ghoul Frenzy innatePassively grants Lifestealer Attack Speed.
InfestLifestealer infests the body of a target unit, becoming undetectable, and healing for a portion of his max hitpoints every second while inside. He can then explode from the host body, dealing damage to nearby enemies. If the infested unit is an enemy creep or a neutral creep, he can take control of the unit's ability to move and attack, and the creep loses a portion of their max hitpoints over time. Does not work on enemy heroes. DISPEL TYPE: Basic Dispel
ConsumeLifestealer eats the host body from the inside out, exploding from within.
What players buy on Lifestealer
Starting items
- Quelling Blade 100g
- Magic Stick 200g
Early game
- Phase Boots 1450g
Attack damage and a speed burst to close in on targets
Mid game
- Radiance 4700g
- Armlet of Mordiggian 2500g
- Manta Style 4650g
Illusions for damage, plus a dispel to escape slows and silences
- Sange and Yasha 4200g
Late game
- Aghanim's Scepter 4200g
- Abyssal Blade 6250g
A reliable stun so a melee carry can lock down one target
- Assault Cuirass 5125g
An armor aura for your side and an armor cut on enemies
- Nullifier 4350g
Dispels buffs and stops enemies escaping
- Monkey King Bar 5000g
Cuts through evasion so every hit lands
Most bought first, from item purchases in recent professional matches (OpenDota, Nov 2026). Public games can differ.