DotA2 Lifestealer Skill Build Guide

DotA2 Lifestealer (N’aix): In the dungeons of Devarque, a vengeful wizard lay in shackles, plotting his escape. He shared his cell with a gibbering creature known as N’aix, a thief cursed by the Vile Council with longevity, so that its life-sentence for theft and cozening might be as punishing as possible. Over the years, its chains had corroded, along with its sanity; N’aix retained no memory of its former life and no longer dreamt of escape. Seeing a perfect vessel for his plans, the wizard wove a spell of Infestation and cast his life-force into N’aix’s body, intending to compel N’aix to sacrifice itself in a frenzy of violence while the mage returned to his body and crept away unnoticed. Instead, the wizard found his mind caught in a vortex of madness so powerful that it swept away his plans and shattered his will. Jarred to consciousness by the sudden infusion of fresh life, N’aix woke from its nightmare of madness and obeyed the disembodied voice that filled its skull, which had only the one thought: To escape. In that moment Lifestealer was born. The creature cast its mind into dungeon guards and soldiers, compelling them to open locks and cut down their companions, opening an unobstructed path to freedom while feeding on their lives. Lifestealer still wears the broken shackles as a warning that none may hold him, but on the inside remains a prisoner. Two minds inhabit the single form–a nameless creature of malevolent cunning, and the Master whose voice he pretends to obey.

Lifestealer Overview

Faction: The Dire
Primary Attribute: Strength
Attack Type: Melee
Role(s): Carry, Durable, Jungler, Escape

Lifestealer Stats

STR: 85 at 25 (25 + 2.4/level)
AGI: 65.5 at 25 (18 + 1.9/level)
INT: 58.75 at 25 (15 + 1.75/level)
Health: 2088 at 25
Mana: 1001 at 25
Damage: 57 – 67
Range: 128
Armor: 1.52
Movement: 315

Lifestealer Skills

	Rage (Active) Targetting Method: Unit \| Allowed Targets: Enemy Units Launch into a maddened rage, becoming Spell Immune, 100% resistant to magic damage and gaining increased attack speed.
Cast Time: 0 + 0 Attack Speed Bonus: 30 / 45 / 60 / 80 Duration: 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 Mana Cost: 75 Cooldown Time: 19 Notes Rage interrupts Lifestealer’s channeling spells upon cast. Just like any other abilities which grant Spell immunity, upon casting, many buffs and debuffs will be removed. List of removed buffs and debuffs can be found here.
	Feast (Passive) Targetting Method: None \| Allowed Targets: Self Regenerates a portion of the attacked enemy’s current HP and deals the same portion of damage per attack.
Life Leech: 4% / 5% / 6% / 7% Notes The lifesteal is not a Unique Attack Modifier, so it stacks fully with all other Unique Attack Modifiers. Cannot lifesteal off of siege creeps, wards, buildings, Roshan and allied units. Ontop of the skill’s own Lifesteal, Lifestealer additionally can lifeleech the damage dealt by this ability with other sources of Lifesteal. However, it cannot crit or cleave. The damage can be reduced by e.g. Enfeeble or Static Link. However it cannot be amplified by e.g. Empower or the Rune of Double Damage. The heal is fully independent from the damage, so even when 0 damage is dealt or the damage is amplified, it still will heal for the fixed % of the target’s current health. Ability is disabled by an Aghanim’s Scepter upgraded Doom.
	Open Wounds (Active) Targetting Method: Unit \| Allowed Targets: Enemy Unit Lifestealer rends an enemy unit, slowing the victim’s movespeed and allowing all allies to lifesteal on that unit. All damage dealt will steal life, including damage from spells. The victim recovers movement speed over the duration.
Cast Time: 0.2 + 0.4 Casting Range: 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 Movement Speed Slow: 70% Lifesteal: 50% Max Move Speed Slow: 70% Duration: 8 Mana Cost: 110 Cooldown Time: 24 / 20 / 16 / 12 Notes Slows for 70% / 70% / 60% / 50% / 30% / 10% / 10% / 10%, decreasing one step per second. Any damage dealt to the target will lifesteal, including spell damage. Casting Death Pact, Devour, Demonic Conversion or Hand of Midas on a unit with Open Wounds debuff on heals the caster for the remaining health of the unit. Stacks additively with other sources of Lifesteal.
	Infest (Active) Targetting Method: Unit \| Allowed Targets: Enemy non-hero units, allied units Lifestealer will infest the body of the target unit, lying dormant and undetectable inside. When he reveals himself, he deals damage to all nearby enemy units. The Lifestealer can gain experience from units that die while he is Infesting a unit. If the unit is an enemy creep, he will devour it first, gaining health equal to the unit’s current HP. Does not work on enemy Heroes.
Cast Time: 0.2 + 0 Cast Range: 150 Damage Radius: 700 Damage: 150 / 275 / 400 Mana Cost: 50 Cooldown Time: 100 Notes Applies a Strong Dispel on Lifestealer upon cast. Lifestealer is invulnerable and still gains experience and gold during Infest. During Infest, all 3 spells of Lifestealer are turned inactive, Infest is replaced by Consume and Control is added. During Infest, Lifestealer is periodically moved to the host’s current position. This affects multiple things such as: When Infest ends (be it via Consume, or the host dies), Lifestealer will appear at the host’s location. Every aura Lifestealer has (including Gem of True Sight and Radiance) affect units around the host. Effects which react on heroes’ presence, such as Smoke of Deceit, Marksmanship or Blur will react on the host’s presence. Relocate causes the periodic moving of Lifestealer to get canceled, so that the 3 notes above don’t apply anymore. Recall will cause Lifestealer to pop out of the host, dealing the area damage and then being teleported. Infest does not stop any regeneration. So Lifestealer will return with the health and mana he had before Infest + the Infest heal + what he could regenerate during it. Can be cast on allied Lone Druid Spirit Bear and Visage Familiars, but not on enemy Spirit Bears or Familiars. Cannot be cast on ancient creeps, Roshan, couriers, Warlock’s Golem and the Primal Split spirits. The infested unit is marked with a visual effect above it, visible to allies only.