Life Orb in Pokemon Survivor
Held Item · last checked 2026-10-14
Life Orb in Pokemon Survivor is a held item that raises all of your damage by 30%. Every cast of a move costs you 1% of your max HP, at least 1 HP, and the cost never takes you below 1 HP.
Life Orb at a glance
| Effect | +30% damage, but every cast costs you 1% of your max HP. |
| Downside | 1% of max HP per cast |
| Group | Offense |
| Slot | One held item at a time |
| Found in | Bosses, rift legendaries, chests |
| Chance per drop | 1 in 11 (9.1%) |
How Life Orb works
The cost is taken each time a move casts, and it never knocks you out: your HP stops at 1.
Orbit and trail moves do not trigger the cost, which makes them a natural partner.
The table shows the HP one move costs you per second at four cooldowns and three max HP values.
| Move cooldown | HP lost per second at 100 max HP | at 200 max HP | at 300 max HP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 s | 0.5 | 1 | 1.5 |
| 1 s | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 0.5 s | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 0.25 s | 4 | 8 | 12 |
Life Orb compared with cards and upgrades
+30% is about 2.8 Power cards, so the item buys roughly three card picks of damage for the price of some HP.
Cards come from level-ups during a run and upgrades are bought with coins between runs, while a held item takes the single item slot. The table puts them side by side. The upgrades guide covers the whole shop.
| Source | Bonus | Cost or limit |
|---|---|---|
| Life Orb | +30% damage; every cast costs 1% max HP | Free; uses the item slot |
| Choice Band | +40% damage; locks the active move slot | Free; uses the item slot |
| Power card | +10% damage each, multiplies | A level-up card; up to 40 |
Trade-off and when to take Life Orb
Fast-casting moves drain HP quickly, and every move in a bonded group pays separately. Pair it with regeneration or a large HP pool.
Life Orb works best with moves that cast slowly or hit very hard, because the cost depends on how often you cast, not on how much damage you deal.
Fast moves are the danger. A move on a short cooldown can drain HP faster than regeneration refills it, and a Quick Claw makes that worse.
How to find Life Orb
Held items come from three places. Every boss drops one, and a full run has five bosses, at minutes 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15. A locked chest holds one half the time, and an ordinary chest 8% of the time. Rift legendaries drop one as well. The bosses guide lists every boss and the rifts guide covers the legendaries.
Each drop picks one of the 11 items at random with no memory of what you carry, so a given drop is Life Orb one time in 11 (9.1%). Over the 5 boss drops of a full run that is a 38% chance of meeting Life Orb at least once, before counting chests.
You carry one item at a time. If you find a second, the game pauses and asks which to keep, and in a group it pauses for everyone. Finding the item you already carry changes nothing: you are told you already carry it and play on. The full list is on the held items page.
Life Orb in Pokemon Survivor FAQ
What does Life Orb do in Pokemon Survivor?
Life Orb in Pokemon Survivor is a held item that raises all of your damage by 30%. Fast-casting moves drain HP quickly, and every move in a bonded group pays separately. Pair it with regeneration or a large HP pool.
How do I get Life Orb in Pokemon Survivor?
It drops from bosses, rift legendaries, locked chests and ordinary chests, and each drop is one of 11 items at random. A single drop is Life Orb one time in 11 (9.1%).
Can Life Orb knock me out?
No. A cast never takes you below 1 HP. You can sit at 1 HP, though, where the next enemy touch knocks you out, so watch your bar when you cast quickly.
Browse all 11 held items in the Pokemon Survivor held items list, or read the Pokemon Survivor guides.