Dota 2 - Lifestealer Build Guide

BIO
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.

INTRODUCTION
Naix is the best jungler in DotA, he can jungle conveniently since he’s Level 1. He use lifesteal to survive in jungle. Like his name, Lifestealer is the best lifesteal-er in DotA, all his skill are designed to maximize his lifesteal ability. That makes him one of the best one-by-one hero in DotA, he never lack of HP because he always receive new HP from stealing others.

PROS	CONS
A decent jungler, can start jungling on level 1, and jungling easily	Only attack a single target if you don't buy a BattleFury or get any cleave skill.
Free Bkb / Magic Immunity
A very good 1 on 1 hero
A decent damage bs a high HP-ed enemy
Can go inside your friend and surprise the enemy
Can kill creeps instantly

ROLE

Melee - Carry - Durable - Jungler - Escape

STATS

LEVEL	1	15	25
HIT POINTS	625	1,263	2,099	SIGHT RANGE	1800 / 800
MANA	195	514	1,001	ATTACK RANGE	128
DAMAGE	57-67	91-101	135-145	MISSILE SPEED	N/A
ARMOR	2	5	11

ABILITIES
1. Rage

Launch into a maddened rage, becoming immune to magic spells and gaining increased attack speed.

MANA COST: 75/75/75/75	COOLDOWN: 15
ABILITY: NO TARGET	ATTACK SPEED BONUS: 30 / 45 / 60 / 80
DURATION: 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

The madness and brutality of N'aix makes him a vicious and unrelenting foe in combat.
Rage is a skill you use to carry your team into victory. With this skill, you gain an additional attack speed that will make you to deal lots of damage to enemy. The most important is: You gain magic immunity during the duration of this skill. With the magic immunity, you will be inuvlnerable to magic and become an outstanding hero in a teamfight.

2. Feast

Regenerates a portion of the attacked enemy's current HP and deals the same portion of damage per attack.

ABILITY: PASSIVE

LIFE LEECH: 4% / 5% / 6% / 7%

After escaping from his cell in Devarque, N'aix subsisted on flesh and bones of those unfortunate to cross his path.
This skill is your main lifeteal skill. You need this to do jungle on early-mid game. With this skill, you can survive in jungle and get enough farm to get nice items for becoming a carry for your team.
This skill depends on enemy's HP, the more his HP the more your attack. so if you fight a thousands HP enemy on late game, this skill will really helps you.

3. Open Wounds

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.

MANA COST: 110/110/110/110	COOLDOWN: 24/20/16/12
ABILITY: UNIT TARGET	AFFECTS: ENEMY UNITS
LIFE LEECH: 15% / 20% / 25% / 30%	MAX SLOW: 70%
DURATION: 8

Fresh wounds and the scent of blood often draw out the scavengers to finish the job.
Slowing sown your enemy, this skill makes you can easily catch your opponent. He (your target) will be slowed and cannot run from you. Also, the attacker of your target will gain an additional lifesteal whether it is a magic attack or normal attack. With this, skill, and combined with Feast, your lifesteal will be so high and can absorb so many HP from your opponent.

4. Infest

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 a creep, he will devour it first, gaining health equal to the unit's current HP. Does not work on enemy Heroes.

MANA COST: 50/50/50	COOLDOWN: 100
ABILITY: UNIT TARGET	DAMAGE: MAGICAL
DAMAGE RADIUS: 700 / 700 / 700	DAMAGE: 150 / 275 / 400

With this infestation, N'aix consumes the life blood of the host, restoring him back to full unholy power.
Going inside a unit, creeps (ally or foe, or jungle) and hero (ally). With this skill you can do fast farming in jungle because it will make your target instantly explode and you get the gold and experience, very good to use infeest on big creeps like Centaur, Wildkin, Troll, etc.
This skill is also deal damage near the explosion after you consume your target. So it is also a decent damage dealer to initaite a temfight and fight enemy.
For initiating with this skill, go inside your friend and if he already arrives and attack your opponent, come out, it will deal damage to all nearby enemy. Don't afraid, your friend will not exploding like a creep.
This skill is also useful for escaping. If you are on a difficult situation and must run, you can go inside the creep and stay there. usually enemy will follow the creep where there are you inside it. You may call your friends to help you and save you from the enemy.

5. Consume

Lifestealer eats the host body from the inside out.

ABILITY: NO TARGET

SKILLBUILD

Level 1: Feast
Level 2: Open Wounds (Use this if you are on low HP and almost killed by the creeps, and keep attacking the creep, because you gain an additiona lifesteal from this skill)
Level 3: Feast
Level 4: Rage
Level 5: Feast
Level 6: Infest
Level 7: Feast
Level 8: Rage
Level 9 : Rage
Level 10: Rage
Level 11: Infest
Level 12: Open Wounds
Level 13: Open Wounds
Level 14: Open Wounds
Level 15: Stats
Level 16: Infest

Level 17-25: Stats

If you want to steal firstblood, take Open Wound on level 1, it will sow down enemy so your team can kill him.

Why maxed Feast first?  You need this mainly for jungling. With this skill, you will be able to survive in the jungle. With the lifesteal, you can survive and not killed by the creeps.

On late game, this skill will helps you to survive in the teamfights vs. heroes.

Why maxed Crystal Nova before Arcane Aura? Rage before Open Wound? You will need the extra magic imuunity duration for rage for your defense in teamfights. And Open Wound Level 1 is enough for early-mid game.

STRATEGY

Early Game

Once the game start, I recommend you to straight go into the easy camp in the jungle. (Don’t make yourself visible in the easy camps right in sec 30 into the game, or you will waste your time waiting there). Quelling Blade + Stout Shield + Feast is enough to kill the easy camp in level 1. Keep fighting the easy camps after you are ready to fight aother creeps. Maybe at level 3-4 you already have enough ower to fight vs Stone Golem or Ogre. And in level 5-6 you can fight Centaur, Troll, etc.
Hand of midas is considered a good item for you. With mudas, you can get exp and gold faster than without midas. Very recommended to buy this as your 1st item.

Mid Game
Keep jungling is the best option. Why not? You are the best jungler in Dota, you can jungle easily and become the highest level + the richest in the game. After you have your boots (Pt is recommended) and maybe you already level 10+, you now can farm the ancients. Ancients give the most gold than other camps (except Roshan). Very recommended for you to focus Farming in just 2 main location > 1. Ancients, 2. Large canps the nearest to the ancient camp. With just focus farming in these location, and keep calm, you will reach enough gold to carry the team. Also remember to use Midas to big creeps like Centaur, Wildkin etc. And also if you want to be faster in farming, use Infest to creeps, it will instantly kill the creeps and don’t  waste your time attacking the creeps.

Late Game
On late game it is your time to shine. You are the carry. You are the one who will save your team from loss. Carry the team into victory. You should already have some nice items that will deal lots of damage to enemies. There is many possibility for Naix. You can buy Desolator+Mordiggian  or you can buy Tarrasque + Mkb or Basher?
There are lots of  possibilities for you. Just choose one you are into it and carry your team with it. The key of successful carry is: be focus on one target, focus, and focus. Right click the right target, not the creeps. And after you succeeded kill your target, you can change to another target.
Oh I almost forgot, you can initiate a teamfight by using Infest into your friend, and come out if your friend already near the enemies.
Infest also useful to run from enemies.

ITEMBUILD
Starting
(Quelling Blade, Stout Shield, and Tango)

 This is your full equipment for Level 1 Jungling. Quelling Blade to deal damage, Stout Shield to Block damage, and tango for HP regeneration.

1.  Hand of Midas
Total cost: 1400
Recipe: Gloves of Haste + Recipe

Active: Transmute - Kills a non-hero target for 190 gold and 2.5x experience. Cannot be used on Ancients. + 30 Attack Speed Cooldown   100

Why Hand of Midas? It will boost your golds and exp so you can be the richest in the maps.

2.  Power Thread
Total cost: 1900
Recipe: Gloves of Haste, Boots of Speed, Belt og Giant Strength/ Robe of Magi/ Band of Elvenskin

Active: Switch Attribute - Changes selected attribute between Strength, Agility and Intelligence. Flat movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack. + 55 Movement Speed + 8 Selected Attribute   + 30 Attack Speed

Why Power Threads?  Power threads is a flexible shoes, you can change it to STR, AGI, or INT for what you need.
STR for damage and Survivability, this can save your life by using the STR Thread if you are on low HP and run from enemy. Add +152 HP instantly.
AGI for attack speed, or
INT for mana, this can give you instant 104 Mana if: You are need to last hit enemy hero and if you don;t use your skill, he will escape.
For Naix, for stable use, choose the STR, then if you need to cast a skill and on a low mana, change to INT.

Usually people choose this as a Naix core early-mid item.
3. Armlet of Mordiggian
Total cost: 2600
Recipe: Gloves of Haste + Blades of Attack + Helm of the Dominator + Recipe

INNACTIVE	ACTIVE: Unholy Strength
+ 9 Damage +15 Attack Speed + 5 Armor + 8 HP Regeneration Cooldown: 2	Total Damage = +65 (9 Normal Mode + 31 Active Mode + 25 from Strength) Total Attack Speed= +25 (15 Normal Mode + 10 Active Mode) Total HP: + 475 Additional: +25 Strength +31 Damage + 10 Attack Speed Drains 40 HP per second. You cannot die from the health loss when the bonus strength is gone, or the health drain per second.

Why Armlet of Mordiggian  It will gives you damage,  attack speed, and HP instantly. A very good skill for a carry-tank like you. Deactivate Armlet if not in a teamfight.
Can Save your live if you are below 500 HP and enemy want to nuke-kill you. Use this to instantly adds 475 HP.

For all melee carry and don't hava a natural cleaving ability, this item is a must have.
4. Battlefury
Total Cost: 225
Recipe: Broadsword, Claymore, Preserverance

Passive: Cleave - Deals a percent of attack damage in a 225 AoE around the target. Does not work on ranged heroes. Cleave damage on non-primary targets is not reduced by armor values. + 65 Damage + 6 HP Regeneration     + 150% Mana Regeneration      CLEAVE DAMAGE: 35%

Why Battlefury? Cleaving attack is a must for late game teamfight. You need a fast attack speed, cleaving high damage. This is what you need to knock-down all enemies. Also if you misclick your target and you attack the creep, or if you are back-out and can't think in a teamfight. Cleave attack will save your face.

And for Survivability in a Late Game, you can buy these items:
5. Heart or Tarrasque - Assault Cuirass

Total cost: 5500 Recipe: Reaver + Vitality Booster	Total cost:: 5300 Recipe: Platemail, Hyperstone, Chainmail, Recipe
Passive: Health Regeneration - Restores a percentage of max health per second. This ability is disabled if damage is taken from an enemy Hero or Roshan within the last 4 seconds if your hero is melee or 6 seconds if your hero is ranged. + 40 Strength   + 300 Health     HEALTH RESTORED: 2%    Cooldown: 6	Passive: Assault Aura - Grants attack speed and armor to nearby allied units, and decreases armor for nearby enemies. Multiple instances of Assault Aura do not stack. + 35 Attack Speed     + 10 Armor       AURA ATTACK SPEED: 20 AURA BONUS ARMOR: 5                ARMOR REDUCTION: 5

Why you need Survivability on a late game? Late game rule is: Who can survive in a teamfight, is the winner. So Survivability to winning a dotA game.

For a carry, DPS is always not enough.

8. You can increase your DPS more. Choose your own DPS items.As a carry, damage is your priority.

	DAEDLUS	MKB	ABYSSAL	DIVINE RAPIER
DAMAGE	81	88	100	300
ABILITY	CRITICAL 2.4	100% HITS	STUN	NONE
CHANCE	25%	MINIBASH 35% DAMAGE: 100	MELEE: 25 % RANGE: 10%	NONE
OTHER	NONE	+15 ATK SPEED	+10 STRENGTH 2 SEC STUN	NONE

DAEDLUS: Daedlus will provide you with the a powerful Critical Strike.

MKB: 100% HITRATE will helps you to fight some evasion heroes like Mortred or Rikimaru.

ABYSSAL: A decent +100 damage and makes you become a Stunner

RAPIER: Be careful if you choose to hold this. 1 hit kill is a sure. 2-3 hits is the worst. Need protection from your support. Must come if the situation is clear safe for you to come inside the teamfight. Need disabler friends.

And this is a must for late game item:
10. Boots of Travel
Total cost: 2450
Recipe: Boots of Speed + Recipe

Active: Teleport - Teleports you to an allied non-hero unit or structure. Flat movement speed bonuses from multiple pairs of boots do not stack. + 100 Movement Speed Manacost: 75   Cooldown60

Why Boots of Travel? With the creeps becoming more powerful in pushing your base, you need fast teleport to save your Ancient.
Also, this item will give you 1 free slot that is saved for Teleport Scroll if you don't have this Boots

GOOD ALLIES
1. Supportive Heroes
(Example: Shadow Shaman, Crystal Maiden, Vengeful Spirit)

Supportive heroes have disables and nice skill to helps carries and makes a teamfight easier for the team.

Shadow shaman: Have hex, shackles, and wards to helps you disables enemy

Crystal Maiden: Have 1 lockdown, 1 slower, and have +mana regeneration

Vengeful Spirit: Have stun, swap, and +damage aura

WHAT HERO TO INFEST?
A. An Initiator
(Example: Enigma, Magnus, Earthshaker)

Enigma: Scenario: You infest him. Then, he jumping into enemy's crowd using Dagger and then he use his Blackhole. While enemies is being sucked, you come out and dealing AoE damage, and then kill all the enemies
Magnus: 1. Have + damage and cleave to increase your damage.
                2. Scenario: You infest him. Then, he jumping into enemy's crowd using Skewer or Dagger and then he use his Reverse Polarity. While enemies is being stunned, you come out and dealing AoE damage, and then kill all the enemies
Earthshaker: Scenario: You infest him. Then, he jumping into enemy's crowd using Dagger and then he use his Echo Slam. While enemies is being still surprised, you come out and dealing AoE damage, and then kill all the enemies

B. Good Initiator Hero to Ride on
(Example: Spirit Breaker, Storm Spirit)

Spirit Breaker: This hero will take you ride by you going inside him. Then he can chase an unlucky target and together with
him, kill the chased target.
Storm Spirit:
He can move fast as lightning with his ultimate, ride him!

C. Global Teleport:
(Example: Furion, Spectre, Tinker)

 They have global teleport and you can ride on them and teleport freely.
(For tinker, he don't have a natural ability to always teleport, but with his ultimate + Boots of Travel he can always teleport anytime

D. Invisible Hero
(Example: Rikimaru, , Gondar, Clinkz)

 Become invisible and surprise gank your foe by riding on an Invisibility hero.

E. A Flying Naix

Infest his Hawk and you can fly like a bird

BAD ENEMIES
1. Huskar

Your lifesteal depends on enemy's HP, the more his HP the more your attack.
But Huskar is different, he get more outstanding the less HP he have, the stronger he become, the weaker you become, how's that!

VIDEO SECTION
1. Lifestealer Guide

Also watch this guide of Lifestealer

2. Dota Lifestealer Deutch

Watch this too!

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