Common Misconceptions About Items - Infinity Edge vs. The Bloodthirster

Another article today from Jebus McAzn on item theory. Today, I'll be talking about the war between two items that many DPS carries want to have, but only need or can afford to get one at a given moment. These items are Infinity Edge and The Bloodthirster, respectively. While you all should certainly know the stats for these items, if you don't, here they are:


Infinity Edge
+75 Attack Damage, +20% Critical Strike Chance
Passive: UNIQUE - Critical hits now deal 250% damage instead of 200%
Cost: 4080 gold
Recipe: B. F. Sword+Pickaxe+Cloak of Agility


The Bloodthirster
+60 Attack Damage, +15% Life Steal
Passive: Gain an additional 1 Physical Damage and 0.25% Life Steal per kill. Maximum of +40 Damage and +10% Lifesteal. Bonuses are lost upon death.
Cost: 3200 gold
Recipe: B.F. Sword+Vampiric Scepter


So we can see that when you farm a Bloodthirster up to its full stacks, its stats actually become:
+100 Attack Damage, +25% Life Steal