Life steal or regen — which sustain fits your build
Updated 2026-11-03 · for v1.1 + Paws & Claws
Brotato gives you two ways to heal during a wave, and they suit opposite builds. Picking the wrong one leaves you with sustain that never triggers.
Life Steal: heal per hit
Life Steal is a percent chance on each hit to heal 1 HP. The number of hits is what matters, not damage, so it belongs on fast weapons with many projectiles: SMGs, Knives, Claws, anything that attacks several times a second. On a slow Hammer build, 20% Life Steal heals almost nothing.
Best on: Sick (needs it to live), Vampire (scales it), Blade sets (the class bonus adds it for free).
HP Regeneration: heal per second
Regen heals 1 HP at an interval that shortens as the stat grows. It does not care what weapons you hold and it works between waves too, which is why it suits slow, tanky builds and characters who stand still: Soldier, Bull, Masochist.
Best on: Doctor and Lich, who multiply it, and any character with a big Max HP pool.
The characters that forbid one
- Golem cannot heal at all — buy Armor instead.
- Chunky has -100% Life Steal; use regen and consumables.
- Sick has no regen; life steal only.
- Lich turns every heal into an attack, so both are damage there.
Which one in co-op
In teams, regen is the safer default because it keeps working while you reposition. Life steal shines when one player is the designated hitter with a fast rack.
A quick rule
Count your attacks per second across all weapons. Above about five, Life Steal pays. Below, HP Regeneration. The build planner shows attacks per second for the rack you build.