Lifestealer is currently dominating Dota 2 with the highest win rate among carry heroes. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to excel with this powerful hero.

Core Strengths:

• Exceptional lane sustain with built-in lifesteal
• Strong late-game scaling potential
• Effective against high-HP heroes
• Excellent escape and initiation abilities

Abilities Overview:

Rage

• Grants spell immunity and attack speed bonus
• Duration: 3/4/5/6 seconds
• Critical for fight initiation and escape

Feast

• Passive lifesteal based on enemy's current HP
• Makes Lifestealer particularly effective against tanky heroes
• Provides excellent lane sustain

Open Wounds

• Slows target and increases lifesteal from them
• Duration: 8 seconds
• Essential for early game kills and team fights

Infest

• Allows Lifestealer to hide inside allies or neutral creeps
• Perfect for surprise initiations
• Can be used as an escape mechanism

Item Build:

Early Game:

• Phase Boots
• Magic Wand
• Armlet of Mordiggian

Mid Game:

• Desolator
• Basher/Abyssal Blade
• Black King Bar (situational)

Late Game:

• Assault Cuirass
• Nullifier
• Swift Blink

Gameplay Tips:

1. Use Rage before engaging in fights
2. Coordinate Infest ganks with teammates
3. Toggle Armlet during farming to maximize efficiency
4. Target high-HP heroes to maximize Feast damage
5. Time Open Wounds with team's burst damage

Counter Picks:

• Ursa (high armor and burst damage)
• Phantom Lancer (illusion-based kiting)
• Ancient Apparition (healing prevention)
• Venomancer (DoT damage through Rage)

Playstyle:

• Farm efficiently in early game
• Join fights when key items are acquired
• Split push when needed using Infest
• Focus on high-priority targets in teamfights

Advanced Techniques:

• Armlet toggling during fights
• Infest bomb combos with initiators
• Rage-TP escapes
• Creep Infest to dodge spells

With proper item timing and mechanical skill, Lifestealer can dominate games from early to late stages, making him one of the most reliable carry picks in the current meta.

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