Axe/Guide

General

 * The synergy between Berserker's Call and Counter Helix means that Axe is capable of dealing great amounts of pure damage during initiations, but must build for survivability to ensure he is not killed by enemy attacks during his initiations.
 * Axe's spells give him powerful harassment potential and survivability, allowing him to punish enemy lanes and gain an early advantage for his team. In order to transition well into the late game he requires farm, however his initiation and disabling abilities allow him to set up ganks and early teamfights to get the gold he needs to remain relevant.
 * As a melee initiator with strong survivability spells, Axe can be a very strong off-laner, or a powerful jungler.
 * A combination of Berserker's Call and Counter Helix make Axe a good off-laner, as he can deal large amounts of damage with Counter Helix if the enemy dares to attack him at melee range. As well, he has the ability to force the enemy to attack him via Berserker's Call if he can get close enough, also using his enemy's lane creeps against them to increase the proc chance of Counter Helix.
 * Counter Helix allows Axe to be a strong jungler, as he can whittle down neutral camps without expending mana. Additionally, Axe's position in the jungle allows him to rotate mid to help set up ganks, or help to harass and gank the enemy's off-laner.


 * is a taunt that forces all enemies near Axe to attack him, while simultaneously boosting his armor to allow him to weather the enemy attacks.
 * Berserker's Call is Axe's prime initiating and disabling ability, as it cannot be blocked by spell immunity or . In order to utilize it to its utmost, Axe must possess strong mobility, namely Blink Dagger in order to instantly jump into the midst of the enemy to make the most of it.
 * Because of its short duration, Berserker's Call benefits greatly from assistance from allied area-of-effect disables. By taunting the enemy and forcing them to bunch up, Axe can open the enemy team up for follow-up disables such as, , , and so on. Conversely, Berserker's Call can also be assisted by allied setup, such as and.
 * When chasing enemies that are trying to escape, Berserker's Call can be useful for holding them in place for Axe's teammates to catch up. Additionally, it can be useful for interrupting Town Portal Scrolls, as taunting the enemy will cause them to break the channeling and attack Axe, preventing them from escaping.
 * Beware that unlike Axe's other spells, Berserker's Call has a 0.4 cast animation. If possible, try to get as close to enemies as possible before taunting, or try to lead your blink so that they will run into the call's area as it is cast.
 * If a Blade Mail has been purchased, it is sometimes most optimal to activate it after Berserker's Call has ended, depending on targets. Activating it at the end of the duration will give Axe an extra 4.5 seconds of survivability, as enemy players will be further punished for targeting Axe with nukes and additional attacks once they are able to control their heroes. Additionally, it will buy time for Berserker's Call to come off cooldown to be cast again, as at max level it has a cooldown of only 10 seconds, meaning that Axe only has to survive for two more seconds after Blade Mail. Use it during Berserker's Call for additional burst damage, for instance if catching a hero in Berserker's Call that has high damage output but low health it can be used to completely eliminate the target during the duration of Berserker's Call.
 * Berserker's Call is capable of taunting invisible enemies. One useful way to bring enemies out of invisibility is to try to cast it if they are near Axe; this will force the enemy to attack him, bringing them out of invisibility. This can be useful for interrupting abilities like, or interrupting an enemy that is channeling while under the effects of.
 * Axe does not need to stand in place once he has successfully taunted the enemy. If he catches enemy melee heroes, it is possible for Axe to kite them away from an escape path, as they will follow him during the taunt to try to attack him. Forcibly displacing the enemy during Berserker's Call can make a huge difference depending on the terrain and allied and enemy positioning.
 * Remember that Axe gets the bonus armor no matter if he manages to successfully taunt any enemies. If he is low on health and is trying to escape, Berserker's Call can be used simply to increase Axe's armor so that the enemy's physical attacks cannot kill him before he reaches safety.
 * When initiating for your team, it is usually a good idea to try to target the enemy's support heroes. Not only can this prevent them from casting powerful teamfight spells, but they also tend to have low HP and armor, causing them to take much more damage from Counter Helix, and possibly putting them within Culling Blade range to remove them from the field before they can contribute at all.
 * At maximum level, Berserker's Call is capable of disabling enemies for 3.2 seconds. If escape is necessary, Axe can attempt to taunt enemies and then immediately channel Town Portal Scroll, as he can escape during the taunt when the enemy is unable to cast stuns on him.


 * inflicts the target enemy with a damage and slow debuff that lasts until they kill a unit.
 * Battle Hunger can be a powerful harassing spell in the laning stage due to its long cast range and removal requirements.
 * By casting the debuff on the enemy and then going aggressive on the lane, the enemy can be forced to retreat away from the creep wave, preventing them from killing a unit to remove the debuff. Repeated over time, this can wear down the enemy's HP and force them out of the lane altogether.
 * Inflicting the enemy with Battle Hunger can also set up for kills if the enemy attempts to continue to lane to remove the debuff. Because the debuff slows the enemy's movement speed, casting Battle Hunger on them prior to allied initiation can slow their movement, greatly reducing their chances of escaping.
 * In order to make the most of this spell in-lane, try to time its casting with the enemy's attempts to last-hit. Inflicting the enemy with Battle Hunger while all creeps in the lane are near full health can force them to take more damage as no opportunities to kill a unit to remove the debuff will present itself soon. As well, casting Battle Hunger on them right after they last-hit the last friendly creep in the wave will give them no targets to kill (provided their own creeps are outside of deny range), making the spell run its full course. Axe can further debilitate the enemy by last-hitting and denying as much as possible to prevent the enemy from killing any units.
 * Casting Battle Hunger on the enemy when they have no creeps can be a great way to harass them. As they must retreat back to their tower to avoid tanking creep attacks, they will be too busy backing away to remove the debuff, and become vulnerable to tower-diving once your creeps reach the enemy tower.
 * Remember that Battle Hunger also increases Axe's movement speed while the enemy is affected by it, on top of slowing them down. This allows Axe to quickly close the distance to fleeing enemies and catch them with Berserker's Call.
 * Battle Hunger's long cast range allows Axe to use it as a finishing spell on a fleeing enemy who is at low health. In most situations there will be no opportunities for the enemy to remove the debuff from themselves, which can allow the spell to burn them down and kill them after the fact.
 * There is no requirement that Battle Hunger must be cast on an enemy hero. If mobility is a priority and a fleeing enemy hero is out of range, Battle Hunger can be cast on enemy creeps in order to boost Axe's movement speed, allowing him to then get within range to cast Battle Hunger a second time on the enemy hero.


 * allows Axe to deal pure damage in an arc around himself every time the enemy lands an attack on him, even if he is disabled.
 * syngerizes extremely well with Berserker's Call, as Axe can deal spin damage to enemies that he successfully taunts. If he catches multiple enemy heroes and creeps, Axe can deal a surprising amount of damage during the taunt, wearing them down for his team.
 * will only proc if an enemy lands a successful attack on Axe. This means that evasion and ethereal on Axe, or blind and disarm on the enemy, can prevent Counter Helix from proccing.
 * Because pure damage is completely unaffected by armor and magic resistance, Counter Helix makes Axe still deal a decent amount of damage in the late game, as most enemies can do nothing against its damage besides avoid getting hit. It also pierces spell immunity, making Axe a decent counter to.
 * The pure damage is also very strong against some naturally tanky heroes like and  (have very high armor), or  and  (have higher magic resistance).
 * Counter Helix allows Axe to quickly farm creeps, whether they are lane creeps or neutral camps, since their attacks will greatly increase its proc chance. This can also be used to harass lane opponents, particularly if they are melee, since Axe can threaten them with great amounts of damage if he manages to get close.
 * In-lane, Axe can draw lane creep aggro by ordering an attack on an enemy hero while standing within 500 range of enemy creeps. This will draw the creeps to attack Axe, causing them to proc Counter Helix and allowing him to make quick work of the wave, pushing it towards the enemy.
 * In order to punish weak lanes, Axe can cut creep waves with : get behind the enemy tower, intercept the enemy's creep wave, and destroy it with Counter Helix, forcing the enemy to tank your creeps under his tower, which will also make last-hitting harder while also exposing them to tower dives. However, enemy rotations can punish such tactics since Axe will be in an exposed location while creep-cutting, far from assistance and easy to kill.
 * If you have successfully purchased and are jungling with, one tactic to conserve HP is to drop the Tranquil Boots on the ground before farming the neutral camp. This will prevent the Tranquil Boots from breaking, allowing Axe to pick them up to immediately start replenishing his HP. However, be very wary of enemy heroes encountering Axe while he is jungling, as they can pick up or destroy his Tranquil Bootswhile they are on the ground.


 * allows Axe to immediately kill an enemy if they are at low health, going through spell immunity and any other survivability buffs (including and ), while simultaneously boosting the attack and movement speed of all nearby allies.
 * Effectively, Culling Blade allows Axe to reduce the maximum HP of enemy heroes by the threshold amount, as crossing below that threshold allows Axe to instantly kill them; as a lethal Culling Blade deals its damage as HP Removal, there is no way to increase or decrease this amount. It is important to know where these thresholds are in order to make the most efficient use of Culling Blade, however it is also important not to cast it too early, as failing a cull will put the ability on cooldown, preventing it from being used for the rest of the fight.
 * Culling Blade will always credit Axe with the kill, giving him the most gold for the kill. This can allow Axe to quickly get the gold for the items he needs, however it can also deny gold to your team's carries and stunt their item progression. If possible, try to use Culling Blade only as a last resort to secure a kill, or to prevent an enemy from participating further in a teamfight.
 * Keep in mind, Culling Blade can be blocked by Linken's Sphere even if the enemy is below the kill threshold. Casting Battle Hunger on the target first can break the Linken's Sphere, allowing Axe to finish the target off.
 * Culling Blade will reset its cooldown if Axe successfully kills an enemy hero with the spell. This means that if removing enemies from the battlefield is a priority, Culling Blade is capable of eliminating multiple enemies in a span of seconds if he can get them low enough. However, keep in mind that Culling Blade is Axe's most mana-costly ability, so try to conserve enough mana during initiations to meet the demand if needed.
 * The speed boost gained from a successful Culling Blade can give Axe's team a powerful mobility advantage. Try to get a successful cull as early as possible in a teamfight, as the boost can make a great difference.
 * An Aghanim's Scepter-boosted Culling Blade not only increases in threshold and buff duration, but also drastically reduces the cooldown. One way to exploit this mechanic is to cast Culling Blade on an expendable enemy unit at the start of a fight; this will provide the speed boost at the start of an engagement, and the spell will come off cooldown by the time a cull opportunity on an enemy hero arises.
 * Using the console or config files, binding "toggle" and "dota_health_per_vertical_marker" to an unused key can be useful for providing a visual indicator by shifting the vertical markers for HP bars depending on the level of Culling Blade. These visual indicators can show exactly where the thresholds for Culling Blade are, ensuring that the spell can be used at the first possible opportunity. For instance, bind "P" "toggle dota_health_per_vertical_marker 250 325 400 550" will cause the 'P' key to cycle through the listed values.

Items
Starting items:
 * gives Axe health regeneration in the laning stage, allowing him to survive against most forms of enemy harass.
 * is crucial on a melee hero like Axe, as the damage block drastically increases his survivability against attacks, whether they be from enemy heroes or neutral creeps.
 * gives Axe additional armor, further increasing his survivability against physical damage. It also allows Axe to build from the Side Lane Shop, boosting his efficiency.
 * is a cheap item that allows Axe to shore up his attributes with his remaining gold. It can be sold for inventory space as needed, or built into a Magic Wand.

Early game:
 * provide Axe with movement speed, armor, and passive HP regen outside of combat. It is crucial to get on Axe early for increasing his mobility for early initiations, giving him more armor for even more physical survivabliity, and providing a source of HP regen to allow him to remain on the field instead of returning to base.
 * gives Axe burst HP and mana regen, and his status as an initiator allows him to easily accrue charges from enemy spells. The burst regen can allow Axe to survive longer in fights and cast one or two more crucial spells, important given his low intelligence growth.

Core items:
 * is the most important purchase Axe must make if he is to become an effective initiator. Jumping on top of the enemy in order to disable them with allows Axe to paralyze multiple enemies at once for his team to follow up on.
 * gives Axe even more survivability against physical damage by giving him increased damage block, more HP and HP regen. The damage block is particularly strong for mitigating the damage Axe takes during, allowing him to proc more instances of.
 * is a powerful upgrade to Magic Stick, giving Axe additional attributes while also providing burst HP and mana regen, further increasing his ability to initiate and disable enemies with his spells.
 * is necessary for allowing Axe to be present at teamfights and ganks. His powers as an initiator can set up fights decisively in his team's favor.

Situational items:
 * provides many strong benefits for Axe. The additional armor increases his durability, the intelligence boosts his mana pool to allow him to cast spells more often, and the attack damage lets him farm more easily and deal more damage to the enemy with his attacks. The active, used during or after, further punishes the enemy for attacking him, allowing him to use his HP offensively to deal damage to the enemy during initiations.
 * greatly increases Axe's health and provides base damage, giving him much more power as an initiator, since he can continue disabling the enemy during fights so long as he is alive. As well, if he manages to survive fights and escape, he can quickly regenerate his HP and jump straight back into battle.
 * gives Axe tremendous magic resistance, allowing him to shrug off magic nukes that the enemy may use to try to bring him down. The active gives him additional teamfight utility, as he can protect his team from magic nukes for a short time as well.
 * drastically boosts Axe's intelligence and armor, giving him yet more survivability against physical damage while also eliminating his mana problems. The attack speed slow aura can greatly hinder the enemy from making physical attacks during fights, while the active can be used as a damage nuke and a slow to hinder their mobility.
 * gives Axe stats across the board, providing tankiness and more mana. Its upgrade improves 's kill threshold, allowing Axe to remove enemies from the battlefield much earlier, and reduces its cooldown to allow the spell to be used tactically.
 * gives Axe additional battlefield and global mobility. The global teleport allows Axe to show up to fights to initiate for his team more easily, while the increased movement speed allows him to be more mobile on the battlefield, chasing enemies down and inflicting them with to slow them.
 * is a strong teamfight item that greatly increases Axe's armor and attack speed. The armor provides yet more resistance against physical damage, and the attack speed allows Axe to become much more threatening with his right-clicks. The allied armor and attack speed aura is a strong edge in teamfights, while the enemy armor reduction aura can increase the amount of damage that deals to them.
 * is a strong survivability and utility item that can help Axe if the enemy's physical damage output is more than he can handle. The additional strength and evasion give him more health and survivability against physical attacks, respectively, and the active disarm allows Axe to completely stop an enemy from attacking.
 * , upgraded from Vanguard, is a strong utility item that provides Axe with even more survivability against physical damage. The extra armor and attributes on top of the existing damage block and bonus HP can make him extremely tanky, and he can augment it even more and protect his allies with the active.
 * is a strong initiator item that allows Axe to punish enemies for targeting him with disables. The item provides armor and more regen, making him more tanky and allowing him to replenish his mana over time. The active, used during an initiation, can punish enemies who target Axe with single-target disables and nukes, disabling and nuking them in turn to cause more chaos for Axe's team to capitalize on.
 * can be a useful purchase on Axe as an off-laner. It gives Axe the ability to replenish his HP and mana to survive harass, and can be replenished by taking runes. Once Axe has his Blink Dagger and begins roaming for kills, he can further keep his HP and mana up by picking up runes as they spawn, and use the runes themselves to further give him advantages during ganks and fights.
 * can be a useful early-game item to build on high HP heroes with heavy mana costs like Axe. Having on-demand burst mana can allow him to cast his spells when needed, and he can easily recoup the HP cost with Tranquil Boots. The item itself also provides some passive mana regen and some HP regen as well to increase Axe's self-sustain.
 * is a good ganking item that gives Axe many benefits. The extra strength increases Axe's HP and base damage, and the passive mana regen helps with his mana problems. Urn charges can be used to add extra Pure damage to fights and ganks, or to heal Axe back up from any damage he incurs during Berserker's Call.
 * gives Axe many strong benefits and is a powerful utility item to carry. The increased intelligence gives Axe a larger mana pool, while the passive HP regen helps to keep Axe's health topped up. The active can give Axe additional mobility, or can be used on teammates to help them initiate or escape. As well, using the active on himself after a successful Blink-Call can allow Axe to quickly kite enemies away, forcing them to follow him during the taunt.
 * is a good survivability and self-sustain item. The armor aura helps increase Axe's survivability against physical damage, while the lifesteal, HP regen and flat mana regen aura can keep his mana up and allow him to sustain his HP while farming. All these benefits confer to nearby allies as well, making it a strong teamfight item as well.
 * is an unorthodox item to build on Axe, but can be quite powerful under the right circumstances. The intelligence and powerful scaling mana regen can virtually eliminate Axe's casting problems, while the bonus movement speed make Axe more mobile, allowing him to position and initiate more easily. The cyclone can be used to pin an enemy down and then get within range for an easy Berserker's Call, or can be cast on Axe himself to provide temporary invulnerability while also removing debuffs from him, buying him time and survivability.
 * can be a necessary purchase if he is facing a very disable-heavy lineup. Because he jumps right into the middle of the enemy to initiate, he is a prime target for focusing down with magic nukes and stuns, so having spell immunity can allow him to do more in fights.
 * is a strong purchase on Axe given his role as a close-range initiator. The item gives him greatly increased attack speed, making his physical attacks much more dangerous, and allows him to bounce Chain Lightning procs during fights to deal magical damage all around to the enemy. The Static Charge active can also be placed on Axe himself right before initiation, further punishing the enemy for attacking him during Berserker's Call.