Sterak’s Gage

Sterak’s Gage is a 3,200 gold fighter item in League of Legends for melee champions who brawl in the middle of fights: 400 Health and 20% Tenacity in patch 26.22, plus two passives. The Claws that Catch gives bonus Attack Damage, and Lifeline grants a decaying shield for 4.5 seconds when damage would drop you below 30% Health.

What do The Claws that Catch and Lifeline do?

The Claws that Catch is a flat damage boost: you gain bonus Attack Damage while holding the item. Riot’s data text leaves out the amount, so the in-game tooltip is the place to see how much it adds for your champion.

Lifeline is the survival half. When a hit would take you under 30% of your Health, you get a shield that decays over 4.5 seconds. It’s built to absorb the burst that would otherwise finish you, which is exactly the moment a fighter needs a few more seconds to land their combo.

Plus the Tenacity. Crowd control on you ends sooner by 20%, which helps a melee champion who has to walk through the enemy team to reach anyone (and who usually gets stunned on the way in).

Is Sterak’s Gage gold efficient?

The formula gives it only 33%, which looks awful on paper. Put simply, that’s misleading. Only Health gets priced: 400 Health at 2.67 gold per point is 1,067 gold, against a 3,200 gold cost.

Tenacity has no basic-item price, so it’s skipped. The Attack Damage from The Claws that Catch isn’t in the stat line at all, and the Lifeline shield isn’t counted either. Honestly, this is the clearest case where the efficiency table misses most of the item: nearly all of its value sits in the passives.

What does it build from?

Three parts: Pickaxe (875 gold), Tunneler (1,150 gold) and Ruby Crystal (400 gold), finished with 775 gold. Tunneler gives both Health and damage, so it’s a solid first step for a fighter who’s trading in lane (the Health keeps you there longer). Pickaxe is pure damage if you’re winning (no point buying Health you don’t need yet). Nothing builds out of Sterak’s.

How has the item changed?

Riot’s data first lists it in patch 5.16, and the numbers have shifted only slightly in recent seasons:

• Patch 13.14: cost 3,100 → 3,000 gold, Health 400 → 450.
• Patch 14.1: Health 450 → 400.
• Patch 14.9: cost 3,000 → 3,200 gold.

To be fair, the passive text was rewritten in 14.2 and 14.21 as well. Real talk, a cost increase plus a Health cut in one season adds up to a clear nerf, so the version you buy now is a bit weaker than the 13.14 one. Our LoL items database keeps the patch-by-patch record for other fighter items too.

Who should buy Sterak’s Gage?

Melee fighters and juggernauts who charge into the enemy team and get focused. It’s usually a second or third item, when the enemy starts landing crowd control and burst on you.

Who should skip it? Ranged carries and mages, who get no use from the bonus Attack Damage and shouldn’t be sitting under 30% Health anyway. Want a different take on a low-Health trigger? Protoplasm Harness also has a passive called Lifeline, but it heals and adds bonus Health instead of shielding, and it suits tanks who build Ability Haste. Not sure which fits your champion? The LoL champion guides list builds per pick, and for a fighter who keeps dying just as their combo lands, Sterak’s Gage buys the seconds they need.

FAQ

How much does Sterak’s Gage cost?

3,200 gold in patch 26.22. Putting the three parts together costs 775 gold, and a sale returns 2,240 gold.

When does the Lifeline shield trigger?

When damage would reduce your Health below 30%. The shield decays over 4.5 seconds.

Does it give Attack Damage?

Yes, through The Claws that Catch passive. The stat line itself shows only Health and Tenacity.

What stats does it give?

400 Health and 20% Tenacity, plus bonus Attack Damage from its passive.

What does it build from?

Pickaxe, Tunneler and Ruby Crystal.