Here's how to get hearts in Lifesteal: you kill another player and take one of their hearts, and you lose one every time you die. Beyond that, many servers also let you craft a heart item, trade hearts you've withdrawn, or get them from crates. Run out completely and you're eliminated, usually banned until someone revives you.
The catch is that there's no single Lifesteal rulebook. The format started with a YouTube series and has since been copied by plugins, mods and big public networks, and they all tweak the numbers. So below I'll give you the common version, and flag where a specific plugin or server does its own thing. Always check your server's recipe and rules command before you trust any guide, mine included.
How hearts work in 30 seconds
- You start with a set number of hearts. Ten is a common start, and common caps run from 20 to 30 (LifeStealZ's default is 20).
- Kill a player, gain a heart. One heart per kill is the classic setup, and it's the default on the LifeStealZ plugin.
- Die, lose a heart. Dying to a player costs one. Dying to a mob, lava or a fall depends on the server: LifeStealZ's defaults charge you a heart for those too, while the SpigotMC "LifeSteal SMP Plugin" doesn't by default.
- Hit zero and you're out. More on that below.
How to get hearts in Lifesteal SMP
1. Kill players
The obvious one, and the one the whole format is built around. Every kill moves a heart from them to you. Fine on paper, but each fight is a coin flip with your own health bar as the stake, so pick them.
2. Withdraw and trade hearts
Lots of plugins let you turn your own hearts into an item. The command is usually /withdraw, though some plugins prefix it (/lswithdraw, /LSwithdraw) and MineMalia's server uses /withdrawheart to put hearts in a bottle. Another player right-clicks the item to gain the heart. That's how people gift or trade hearts, and it's also how you can lose them, because the item can be killed off you or dropped like anything else. One more thing: on LifeStealZ's defaults, withdrawing your last heart can kill you, so don't.
3. Craft a heart item
Lots of servers let you craft a heart, right-click it, and get +1 heart up to your max. The recipes are deliberately expensive, and they're different everywhere. Here are the documented versions as of November 2026:
| Where | Recipe |
|---|---|
| LifeStealZ (default) | 3x3 grid: top row of three gold blocks, middle row obsidian, nether star, obsidian, bottom row three diamond blocks. Gives +1 heart, and admins can change it. |
| SpigotMC "LifeSteal SMP Plugin" | Two steps. A Heart Fragment is 1 totem of undying plus 8 redstone blocks. A full heart is 4 Heart Fragments, 4 diamond blocks and 1 netherite ingot. /LSrecipe shows it in game. |
| Lifesteal.net | Made from rare materials like nether stars, diamond blocks and totems. Use /recipes in game for the exact layout. |
| Lifesteal mod on Modrinth | No recipe by default. The server admin has to set one. |
So if you're on a server and "the recipe doesn't work", that's why. Ask in chat or find the recipe command before you spend a stack of diamond blocks.
4. Crates and admin gifts
Some servers hand out hearts through other routes. MineMalia's wiki, for example, lists heart items from crates. Plugins like LifeStealZ also let admins add hearts directly with a command, so any giveaways are down to your server's staff.
What happens if you run out of hearts in Lifesteal?
At zero, you're eliminated. What that looks like depends on the setup:
- Banned. The default on LifeStealZ, until someone revives you. MineMalia describes a death ban that lasts 24 hours by default.
- Spectator mode. Some plugins and mods can be set to move you to spectator instead of banning you. Space-Node's server guide mentions both options.
Check which one your server uses before you get low. Getting kicked out for a day is annoying. Getting stuck in spectator while your friends keep playing is worse.
Reviving someone
Revives are built to hurt, and they differ per server:
- LifeStealZ's Revive Beacon: diamond, beacon, diamond on the top and bottom rows, with obsidian, a heart item, obsidian across the middle. You place it, wait 30 seconds, and the player comes back with 1 heart. By default, other players can break the beacon while it's reviving, so guard it.
- The SpigotMC plugin: a beacon plus netherite, and a right-click opens a list of eliminated players.
- MineMalia: beacons come from crates, with timed revives, and there's a command that revives someone at the cost of 10 of your own hearts.
Don't expect a full health bar after a revive, either. On LifeStealZ's defaults you come back with one heart.
Lifesteal SMP rules most servers share
Rules change from server to server (MineMalia's, for example, allow scamming and griefing), but a few show up often:
- No combat logging. Logging off mid-fight to dodge a death is a common ban. MineMalia's rules call it strictly forbidden, and combat-log plugins are a common fix.
- No alt farming. Killing your own alt accounts for free hearts is the obvious exploit. LifeStealZ ships with anti-alt detection on by default, and another plugin on Modrinth advertises anti-farming protection.
- Grace periods. Some servers turn on an optional grace period so new players can't lose hearts straight away. LifeStealZ has one, though it's off by default, so don't assume yours has it.
- Check keep-inventory. Space-Node's setup guide for server owners suggests running with it off, and if your server does, a death costs you your gear as well as the heart.
Beginner tips for keeping your hearts
This part's just my opinion, so take it as you like:
- Learn the death rules first. If mobs and lava cost hearts on your server, a creeper is as dangerous as another player.
- Gear up before you go hunting. Hearts are the whole game. Fighting in a leather chestplate for a single heart is a bad trade.
- Fight near your base. A short run to your stash beats a long walk after a close call.
- Don't sit on one heart. That's one mistake from elimination. Back off, heal up and craft or trade for a buffer.
- Don't carry spare heart items into fights. A withdrawn heart is loot for whoever beats you.
- Look up the recipe early. Heart recipes are expensive on purpose, so once you know your server's, start stockpiling the materials long before you need them.
Where to go from here
Need a server to try this on? My list of Lifesteal SMP servers is the place to start. If you like the high-stakes PvP side of it, Minecraft PvP servers and servers like Donut SMP are worth a look, and if you want something more relaxed, there's a roundup of the best Minecraft SMP servers. And if you'd rather set your own rules, here's how to make a Lifesteal server with your own recipes and revive costs.