Life stealing

Life stealing (or Life siphoning) is the act of draining an amount of health from an enemy (thereby damaging them) and healing yourself with it. The effect is provided by various skills, traits and items and is available to all professions. It should not be confused with life force, a game mechanic that is specific to necromancers. Life stealing from Blood Magic is one of the few ways a necromancer can heal in Death Shroud.

Related skills

Weapon skills that steal life

•   Vampiric Slash — Spear
•   Hungering Maelstrom — Sword
•   Soul Grasp — Focus
•   Locust Swarm — Warhorn
•   Addle — Spear
•   Deadly Feast — Spear
•   Deadly Slice — Spear
•   Distress — Spear
•   Extirpate — Spear
•   Sinister Stab — Spear

Transform skills that steal life

•   Grim Specter — Lich Form

Healing skills that steal life

•   Enchanted Daggers — Legendary Assassin Stance
•   Signet of Vampirism — Signet

Utility skills that steal life

•   Signet of the Locust — Signet

Elite skills that steal life

•   Soulcleave's Summit — Legendary Renegade Stance

Profession mechanic skills that steal life

•   Facet of Nature — Legendary Dragon Stance, Facet

Pet skills that steal life

•   Vampiric Bite — Wallow

Combos that cause life stealing

•  Combo Field: Dark ×  Combo Finisher: Physical Projectile
•  Combo Field: Dark ×  Combo Finisher: Whirl

Racial skills that steal life

•   Blood Frenzy — Become the Wolf

Related traits

Traits that steal life

• Battle Scarred (Devastation) — Siphon health after using your healing skill.
• Predator's Cunning (Soulbeast) — When you apply poison to a foe, steal some health from them.
• Natural Fortitude (Untamed) — Gain vitality. Unleashed Ambush skills siphon health if they hit. Siphon healing is reduced for each target struck beyond the first. Cannot siphon the same target more than once per skill.
• Leeching Venoms (Shadow Arts) — Venom utility skills siphon life from struck foes. Gain stacks of Spider Venom when you enter or exit stealth. Siphoning can only occur once per strike.
• Cloaked in Shadow (Shadow Arts) — Gaining stealth blinds nearby foes. Blinding a foe siphons health from them.
• Shadow Siphoning (Shadow Arts) — Stealth attacks siphon health if they hit. Cannot siphon the same target more than once per interval.
• Larcenous Torment (Specter) — Steal health and gain shadow force when you torment a foe. Does not grant shadow force while in shroud.
• Signets of Suffering (Spite) — Signets steal health and remove boons from affected foes. Siphon healing is reduced for each target struck beyond the first.
• Vampiric (Blood Magic) — Siphon health whenever you hit a foe. Minions siphon health and transfer it to you.
• Vampiric Presence (Blood Magic) — You and your nearby allies siphon health with attacks. This effect increases while in Shroud.
• Augury of Death (Reaper) — Shouts now siphon health. This effect is increased on foes in melee range.

Trait skills that steal life

•   Carnivore (Carnivore) — Steal health from a disabled foe.
•   Lesser Signet of Vampirism (Blood Bond) — Signet Active: Mark a foe. Allied players will siphon life from that enemy.

Traits that increase outgoing lifesteal damage

• Vicious Reprisal (Retribution) — Damage Increase: 10%
• Ferocious Aggression (Invocation) — Damage Increase: 10% (in PvE); Damage Increase: 7% (in WvW, PvP)
• Destructive Impulses (Devastation) — Damage Increase: 5%; Bonus Damage from Off Hand: 20.5½% (in PvE); Bonus Damage from Off Hand: 5% (in WvW, PvP)
• Ambush Commander (Renegade) — Kalla's Fervor (8s): +2% Damage, +2% Condition Damage, +2% Life-Steal Damage
• Lasting Legacy (Renegade) — Improved Kalla's Fervor (12s): +3% Damage, +3% Condition Damage, +3% Life-Steal Damage
• Lead Attacks (Trickery) — Lead Attacks (10s): +1% Damage, +1% Condition Damage, +1% Life-Steal Damage; Maximum Damage Increase: 15%
• Soul Barbs (Soul Reaping) — Damage Increase: 10%

Related equipment

Relics that improve life stealing

• Relic of Atrocity — Your lifesteal damage and healing is increased.

Upgrade components that cause life stealing

Sigils

• Superior Sigil of Blood — (On critical hit; Cooldown of 5 seconds)
  • Major Sigil of Blood — (On critical hit; Cooldown of 7 seconds)
  • Minor Sigil of Blood — (On critical hit; Cooldown of 9 seconds)
• Superior Sigil of Leeching — (next attack after Weapon swap)
  • Major Sigil of Leeching — (next attack after Weapon swap)
• Superior Sigil of Draining — (When interrupting an enemy)

Related consumables

Consumables that cause life stealing

Req. Level	Name	Chance to life steal	Duration (Minutes)	Other Effect(s)
5	Slice of Rainbow Cake	20% on crit	10	+10% experience from kills
8	Blueberry Pie	20% on crit	30	+10% experience from kills
13	Cupcake	28% on crit	10	+10% experience from kills
25	Strawberry Pie	28% on crit	30	+10% experience from kills
40	Cherry Pie	36% on crit	30	+40 Precision, +10% experience from kills
55	Blackberry Pie	40% on crit	30	+50 Precision, +10% experience from kills
75	Mixed Berry Pie	50% on crit	30	+60 Precision, +10% experience from kills
80	Bowl of Cactus Fruit Salad	33% on crit	60	+100 Expertise, +10% Experience from Kills
80	Omnomberry Ghost	66% on crit	30	+70 Precision, +15% experience from kills
80	Omnomberry Pie	66% on crit	30	+70 Precision, +10% experience from kills
80	Prickly Pear Pie	33% on crit	30	+100 Expertise, +10% Experience from Kills
80	Scoop of Mintberry Swirl Ice Cream	66% on crit	30	+70 Precision, +10% Karma, +10% experience from kills
80	Slice of Candied Dragon Roll	66% on crit	20	+70 Precision, +10% experience from kills
80	Winterberry Pie	66% on crit	45	+70 Precision, +30% Magic Find, +10% experience from kills
80	Slice of Allspice Cake	66% on crit	45	+70 Power, +10% experience from kills
80	Bowl of Fruit Salad with Cilantro Garnish	66% on crit	60	+100 Healing Power, +70 Concentration, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Cilantro Lime Sous-Vide Steak	66% on crit	60	+100 Power, +70 Ferocity, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Cilantro and Cured Meat Flatbread	66% on crit	60	+100 Condition Damage, +70 Expertise, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Mango Cilantro Creme Brulee	66% on crit	60	+100 Concentration, +70 Healing Power, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Plate of Clear Truffle and Cilantro Ravioli	66% on crit	60	+100 Vitality, +70 Toughness, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Plate of Coq Au Vin with Salsa	66% on crit	60	+100 Power, +70 Precision, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Plate of Poultry Aspic with Salsa Garnish	66% on crit	60	+100 Concentration, +70 Toughness, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Salsa Eggs Benedict	66% on crit	60	+100 Concentration, +70 Expertise, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Salsa-Topped Veggie Flatbread	66% on crit	60	+100 Expertise, +70 Condition Damage, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Spherified Cilantro Oyster Soup	66% on crit	60	+45 to All Attributes, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained
80	Strawberry Cilantro Cheesecake	66% on crit	60	+100 Concentration, +33% Chance to Gain Might on Critical hit, +10% Karma, +5% All Experience Gained, +20% Magic Find, +20% Gold Find, +10% WXP Gained

Notes

• Damage dealt is not affected by the target's armor as well as most damage increases and reductions on the source and target.
• Damage cannot critically hit.
• Life steal damage is called Life Siphon Damage and the heal is called Life Siphon Healing. The amount of damage dealt and healing received are independent.
• All amounts shown are based on a level 80 character; the numbers will scale down according to your level.
• Damage inflicted will be shown as a smaller floating number above the attack's damage number, but it won't always show up in combat logs; when it does, it's marked as [Leech].
• Life Stealing from necromancer traits are some of the few methods for healing while in a Necromancer's Shroud, the exceptions being Unholy Sanctuary, Soul Eater and Blighter's Boon.
• The ICD of life steal food is 2 sec.

Damage

Each life steal deals a specific amount of damage ignoring armor. The damage they deal is also unaffected by % damage increases, such as the Sigil of Force or the Close to Death trait. Some scale off of power while others don't.

Non-skill effects

Triggered by	Damage	Power	Notes
Superior Sigil of Blood	451	7.5%	On critical hit, 5 second cooldown.
Superior Sigil of Draining	1042.25	7.5%	On interrupting an enemy.
Superior Sigil of Leeching	974		Next attack after swapping, 9 second cooldown
Combos, via projectile finisher	202	3%	Each projectile.
Combos, via whirl finisher	170	3%	Each bolt.

Skills

Skill	Damage	Power	Notes
Enchanted Daggers	1028	6%	On attack, up to 6 times.
Deadly Feast	147	40%	Hits 7 times.
Signet of the Locust	266	100%	On activation.
Signet of Vampirism	151	2%	Passively siphons life from the closest enemy while in combat.
Soul Grasp	660	200%	On hit.
Soulcleave's Summit	325	10%	5 player allies within the radius siphon health on outgoing strikes.

Traits

Trait	Damage	Power	Notes
Leeching Venoms	320	3.3%	When hitting with venoms.
Augury of Death	138	1%	When hitting with shouts. Doubled against targets in melee range.
Blood Bond	247	8%	After applying 4 stacks of Bleeding, any ally hitting target siphons health.
Vampiric	38	0.3%	On any hit.
Vampiric Presence	65 (129)	3.333% (6.666%)	Grants to self and nearby allies. Values increased while the Necromancer is in a shroud.

Food

Triggered by	Damage	Power	Notes
All life steal food	325		On critical hit, 2 second cooldown.

Healing

Each life steal heals for a specific amount. Some life steals scale off of healing power while others don't.

Non-skill effects

These effects are from equipment and do not scale off anything.

Triggered by	Healing	Healing Power	Notes
Superior Sigil of Blood	452	10%	On critical hit, 5 second cooldown.
Superior Sigil of Leeching	975		Next attack after swapping, 9 second cooldown
Superior Sigil of Draining	965	20%	On interrupting an enemy.
Combos, via projectile finisher	202 health	10%	Each projectile.
Combos, via whirl finisher	170 health	5%	Each bolt

Skills

Skill	Healing	Healing Power	Notes
Enchanted Daggers	808	2%	On attack, up to 6 times.
Deadly Feast	69	10%	Hits 7 times.
Signet of the Locust	970	50%	On activation.
Signet of Vampirism	470	24%	Any ally hitting target siphons health.
Soulcleave's Summit	386	20%	5 player allies within the radius siphon health on outgoing strikes.

Traits

Trait	Healing	Healing Power	Notes
Leeching Venoms	325	20%	When hitting with venoms.
Augury of Death	125	2%	When hitting with shouts. Doubled against targets in melee range.
Blood Bond	470	24%	After applying 4 stacks of Bleeding, any ally hitting target siphons health.
Vampiric	31	0.4%	On any hit.
Vampiric Presence	32 (62)	3.333% (6.666%)	Grants to self and nearby allies. Values increased while the Necromancer is in a shroud.

Food

Triggered by	Damage	Power	Notes
All life steal food	325		On critical hit, 2 second cooldown.

See also

• Healing