Axe

Axe 25 + 3.4 20 + 2.2 18 + 1.6
	+20HP and +0.1HP regeneration/point.; +1 main attack damage/point.
	+0.17 armor and 1 attack speed/point.
	+12MP and +0.05MP regeneration/point.
L0	Base Hero Values
L1	⤷ + Base Attributes
L15	⤷ + Attribute Gain
L25	⤷ + 6 levels of Attribute Bonus
L30	⤷ + 7 levels of Attribute Bonus
	All values shown are without talent bonuses.

Hero

Strategy

Counters


Taunts and forces enemies to attack him.
One by one the soldiers of the Red Mist fell, some in battle, others to Mogul Khan's ambitions, until the self-declared general found himself a commander without troops. "No matter", Axe thought, "For a one-man army is the best army of all." — Leaping into battle, Mogul Khan compels nearby foes to attack him with a taunting Berserker's Call. Absorbing blows from every direction, the indomitable Axe reacts by swinging his axe full circle in a Counter Helix, easily dispatching the swarm he had gathered. But alas, not all stay long enough to meet their end. The few limping away from Mogul Khan feel an inexplicable Battle Hunger, a hunger never sated before Axe slams his Culling Blade through a weakened enemy, sending them to an early grave. Axe, Axe is always charging onward.

Roles:	Initiator Durable Disabler Jungler Carry
Complexity:	★☆☆

Bio[]

Mogul Khan, the Axe

▶️ "Axe is all the reinforcement this army needs!"

Lore:

As a grunt in the Army of Red Mist, Mogul Khan set his sights on the rank of Red Mist General. In battle after battle he proved his worth through gory deed. His rise through the ranks was helped by the fact that he never hesitated to decapitate a superior. Through the seven year Campaign of the Thousand Tarns, he distinguished himself in glorious carnage, his star of fame shining ever brighter, while the number of comrades in arms steadily dwindled. On the night of ultimate victory, Axe declared himself the new Red Mist General, and took on the ultimate title of 'Axe.' But his troops now numbered zero. Of course, many had died in battle, but a significant number had also fallen to Axe's blade. Needless to say, most soldiers now shun his leadership. But this matters not a whit to Axe, who knows that a one-man army is by far the best.

Voice:

Jon St. John (Responses)

Abilities[]

Berserker's Call

▶️QE

Ability
No Target

Affects
Enemies / Self

Axe taunts nearby enemy units, forcing them to attack him, while he gains bonus armor during the duration.

Cast Animation: +

Radius: 300 (

400)

Armor Bonus: 25

Duration: 2/2.4/2.8/3.2

17/15/13/11 (

14/12/10/8)

80/90/100/110

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:

Berserker's Call applies Battle Hunger to affected units and reduces Berserker's Call cooldown.

Modifiers []

Ability Draft Notes:

Battle Hunger must be drafted as well for it to get applied.

Mogul Khan's warcry taunts opponents into engaging in an unconquerable battle with the Axe.

Notes:

Taunts affected enemies, forcing them to attack Axe.
- Does not silence, so active attack modifiers with Autocast on are still applied.
- Affects invisible units and units in the Fog of War. Does not affect towers, wards, invulnerable or hidden units.
- Does not affect lane creeps from the very first creep wave that spawns, until they meet the opposing creeps in the lane.

When cast on a unit under the taunt effect of Berserker's Call refreshes the duration.

When Axe dies, the taunt ends immediately.

Berserker's Call effectively increases Battle Hunger's damage per second by 25 ( 50) for its duration.
- Can increase Battle Hunger's total damage by up to 50/50/50/75 ‒ 50/75/75/100 ( 100/100/100/150 ‒ 100/150/150/200), depending on the tick timings.

With Aghanim's Scepter, Battle Hunger of its current level is applied to all enemies within 300 ( 400) radius.
- Both the taunt and Battle Hunger debuff are applied at the same time.
- Battle Hunger notes fully apply. If it is not leveled, Battle Hunger is not applied.

Battle Hunger

▶️WR

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
Enemies
(

Self)

Damage
Physical

Enrages an enemy unit, causing it to take damage over time until it kills another unit or the duration ends. The damage is increased by a factor of Axe's armor. The enemy is also slowed as long as he's facing away from Axe.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 700/775/850/925

Base Damage per Second: 10/15/20/25

Armor as Damage per Second: 100% (

200%)

Move Speed Slow: 8%/17%/26%/35% (

18%/27%/36%/45%)

Non-Hero Speed/Armor Multiplier: 0.5

Facing Angle: 90°

Duration: 12

Enemy Armor Reduction: 7

Self Armor Bonus per Affected Enemy: 7

20/15/10/5

50/60/70/80

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:

Battle Hunger also reduces enemy armor and grants Axe armor per affected target.

Spell Immunity Notes:

The slow persists, and attempts to damage if debuff was placed before spell immunity and when not dispelled.

Modifiers []

Any

Ordinary heroes cannot withstand Mogul Khan's rage for battle, such that it injures them until it is satisfied.

Notes:

The debuff can be removed by killing any unit that is not an illusion, in any way. This includes buildings, wards, and denying allied units.
- The affected unit itself has to make the kill to remove the debuff. Summons or illusions owned by the same player do not remove it when they make a kill.

Enemies are not slowed when they have Axe within 90° in front of them, regardless of distance or Fog of War.
- Reduces non-hero units' movement speed by 4%/8.5%/13%/17.5% and armor by 3.5. Treats creep-heroes as creeps.

Deals damage in 1-second intervals, starting 1 second after the debuff is placed, resulting in 12 instances.
- Can deal up to 120/180/240/300 + 12x ( 24x) armor as damage (before reductions) when lasting its full duration.
- Leveling up Battle Hunger does not update the base damage of already placed debuffs.
- However, Axe's armor is checked periodically and the armor-based damage updated immediately.
- The armor multiplier increasing talent immediately updates already placed debuffs as well.
- The armor-based damage is not capped at 0 armor, meaning if Axe has 10/15/20/25 ( 5/7.5/10/12.5) negative armor, it deals 0 damage per second.

Leveling up Battle Hunger or the slow increasing talent do not update the slow value of already placed debuffs.

Re-casting Battle Hunger on the same target refreshes and updates the debuff.

Battle Hunger has a passive modifier that is present on Axe at all times, but hidden when no enemies are debuffed. By default, this modifier serves no purpose.
- With Aghanim's Scepter, this modifier grants Axe the armor for each debuffed enemy.
- Effectively increases Battle Hunger's damage per second by 7 ( 14) and total damage by 84 ( 168) per affected hero.

Counter Helix

▶️EX

Ability
Passive

Affects
Enemies

Damage
Pure

When attacked, Axe has a chance to perform a helix counter attack, dealing pure damage to all nearby enemies.

Radius: 275

Proc Chance: 17%/18%/19%/20% (

27%/28%/29%/30%)

Damage: 60/100/140/180 (

90/130/170/210)

Max Stacks: 5

Incoming Attack Damage Reduction per Stack: 20%

Stacks Duration: 6

0.3

Aghanim's Shard Upgrade:

Counter Helix now applies a stacking debuff to enemies hit by it that causes them to deal less total attack damage to Axe. Increases Counter Helix chance.

Break Notes:

If Break is applied by an attack, Counter Helix may first trigger on that attack before getting disabled.

Illusion Notes:

Counter Helix is fully functional.

Modifiers []

Any

Axe is the only reinforcement this army needs.

Notes:

Can only proc when an enemy unit lands an attack on Axe, regardless of distance. This means it cannot proc on missed attacks.

Can proc on the secondary attacks from other instant attacks.
- Secondary attacks from Moon Glaives, Death Ward, Split Shot and Flak Cannon cannot trigger Counter Helix.
- Cannot proc on attacks from buildings, wards and allies.

Despite the visual effects, the damage is applied instantly within the radius.

Counter Helix uses pseudo-random distribution.

Counter Helix does not use a regular cooldown. It is neither displayed on the ability icon when proccing, nor is it affected by cooldown manipulating effects.

With Aghanim's Shard, Counter Helix places a debuff on enemies within its radius. This debuff gets stronger when it gets refreshed with successive procs.
- The debuff can stack up to 5 times. A number on the icon shows the current number of stacks.
- Applies unique incoming damage reduction on attack damage targeting Axe. Stacks multiplicatively with all other sources of incoming damage manipulation.
- Can reduce an enemy's attack damage by 20%/40%/60%/80%/100% with each amount of stacks.
- Successive procs refresh the entire stack's duration.

Culling Blade

▶️

▶️RC

Ability
Target Unit

Affects
Enemies / Allies

Damage
Pure / Instant Kill

Axe spots a weakness and strikes, dealing pure damage. When an enemy hero is killed with Culling Blade, its cooldown is reset, Axe gains bonus armor permanently and all nearby allied units gain bonus movement speed.

Cast Animation: +

Cast Range: 150

Kill Move Speed Bonus Radius: 900

Damage/Kill Threshold: 250/350/450 (

400/500/600)

Armor Bonus per Kill: 1/1.5/2 (

2/2.5/3)

Kill Move Speed Bonus: 20%/25%/30%

Kill Attack Speed Bonus: 20/30/40

Kill Bonus Buff Duration: 6

100/85/70

100/125/150

Modifiers []

Any

Mogul Khan is the embodiment of battle and fury, launching into a gruesome fatality against those who dare engage the Axe in combat.

Notes:

Checks the target's health upon cast. If the current health is lower than the final outgoing damage of Culling Blade, its damage gets flagged as HP Removal.
- This ensures that incoming damage reductions on the target do not prevent Culling Blade from killing the target.
- Since it uses the final outgoing damage, outgoing damage amplifications and reductions on Axe affect the kill threshold as well.
- incoming damage amplification affect the threshold as well, since HP Removal does not cause damage to bypass amplifications.

When the target dies to Culling Blade's damage, the following effects are applied:
- Removes all modifiers that death would remove as well, including modifiers like Borrowed Time, Shallow Grave, False Promise and Battle Trance.
- However, Wraith Delay is not removed, since it is provided by an aura, which are not removed on death, meaning the target still enters Wraith form.
- It applies the movement and attack speed bonus to all nearby allies.
- If the target was a hero, clone or an illusion, its cooldown gets reset.
- If the target was a hero, Culling Blade grants Axe a permanent armor bonus stack.

Upon culling an enemy for the first time, Axe gains a permanent buff that grants armor. Following successful kills update this buff.
- The number of stacks is visible on the ability icon, while the armor bonus is visible in the buff's description.
- Does not gain a stack if the culled enemy is an illusion or the Tempest Double, or is affected by Wraith Delay.
- Gains a stack even when the culled enemy has Reincarnation.
- The armor bonus is retroactive, leveling up the ability and the armor per kill increasing talent update the value.
- The armor bonus effectively increases Battle Hunger's damage per second by 1/1.5/2 ( 2/3/4) permanently.
  - With the armor per kill increasing talent, this further increases to 2/2.5/3 ( 4/5/6).

The jungle weapon gesture modifier is responsible for the sound and animation used by Fists of Axe Unleashed.

Battle Hunger Calculations[]

The values below are to be considered as the minimum damage per second values lasting for its full duration, they do not include armor bonuses or reductions from items or other abilities.

Ability Level	Battle Hunger Total Damage Calculations Base Damage + Main Armor
Ability Level	Level 10	Level 15	Level 20	Level 25	Level 30
Level 1 Σ Dmg	120 + 72 ( 144)	120 + 94 ( 188)	120 + 116 ( 232)	120 + 138 ( 276)	120 + 160 ( 320)
Level 2 Σ Dmg	180 + 72 ( 144)	180 + 94 ( 188)	180 + 116 ( 232)	180 + 138 ( 276)	180 + 160 ( 320)
Level 3 Σ Dmg	240 + 72 ( 144)	240 + 94 ( 188)	240 + 116 ( 232)	240 + 138 ( 276)	240 + 160 ( 320)
Level 4 Σ Dmg	300 + 72 ( 144)	300 + 94 ( 188)	300 + 116 ( 232)	300 + 138 ( 276)	300 + 160 ( 320)
With Aghanim's Scepter	+ 84 damage per Hero affected.

Talents[]

Hero Talents
2x Battle Hunger Armor Multiplier	25	+100 Berserker's Call AoE
+1 Bonus Armor per Culling Blade Stack	20	+150 Culling Blade Damage
+30 Counter Helix Damage	15	+10% Battle Hunger Slow
+20 Movement Speed	10	+1.5 Mana Regen

Recent Changes[]

Main Article: Axe/Changelogs

Version

Description

7.31c

Reduced base health regeneration from 2.75 to 2.5.
Reduced Berserker's Call armor bonus from 30 to 25.

7.31

Battle Hunger
- No longer grants Axe 12%/13%/14%/15% movement speed per debuffed enemy.
- Now only slows enemies when they are not facing Axe.
- Rescaled movement speed slow from 12%/13%/14%/15% to 8%/17%/26%/35%.
- Changed damage type from Magical to Physical.
- Rescaled damage per second from 16/24/32/40 to 10/15/20/25 + 1x Axe's armor.
Culling Blade
- Now grants 1/1.5/2 permanent armor to Axe for successfully killing an enemy.
- The damage now pierces spell immunity.
- Changed damage type from magical to pure.
- [U] The ability damage and the kill threshold now use the same value, instead of being separate.
- [U] Now also counts as a successful kill if the target dies even if their current health was higher than the threshold. [?]
- Increased damage from 150/250/300 to 250/350/450. [?]
- Reduced movement speed bonus from 30% on each level to 20%/25%/30%.
- Rescaled attack speed bonus from 30 on each level to 20/30/40.
- Rescaled mana cost from 60/120/180 to 100/125/150.
- Increased cooldown from 75/65/55 to 100/85/70.
Aghanim's Shard upgrade:
- Counter Helix now grants Axe incoming damage reduction against the attacks of enemies debuffed by Counter Helix, instead of reducing the debuffed enemies' outgoing attack damage. [?]
Talents:

Level 10 left talent changed: +12% magic resistance ➜ +20 movement speed.

Level 15 right talent changed: +25 movement speed ➜ +10%

Battle Hunger movement speed slow.

Level 20 left talent changed: +20 health regen ➜ +1 permanent

Culling Blade armor bonus per stack. []

Level 20 right talent changed: +150

Culling Blade kill threshold ➜ +150

Culling Blade damage and kill threshold.

Level 25 left talent changed: +100

Battle Hunger damage per second ➜ 2x

Battle Hunger armor multiplier.

7.30e

Battle Hunger
- Increased enemy movement speed slow from 12% on each level to 12%/13%/14%/15%.
- Increased self movement speed bonus per affected enemy from 12% on each level to 12%/13%/14%/15%.

Recommended Items[]

Starting items:

Tango is needed for every hero to slowly regenerate lost health in lane.
Healing Salve regenerates most of the health lost to enemy harassment, giving you a very big edge on heroes who don't buy one.
Iron Branch builds into a Magic Wand which you will want at some point in the early stages of the game, as Axe likes to be in the thick of things.
Ring of Protection boosts survivability against physical damage, also goes into Buckler, a very common starting item.
Wind Lace gives movement speed boost for a cheap price, and builds into Tranquil Boots.
Ring of Regen gives some regen for a cheap price, and also builds into Tranquil Boots.

Early game:

Bracer should be considered as a small item as it allows Axe to gain some magic resistance and additional health. It's especially useful when you are ahead and doing well, as it buffs your strength.
Phase Boots is an excellent alternative with 4 bonus armor since Axe does not have much agility gain throughout the game while also maintaining the speed boost.
Tranquil Boots provide Axe with movement speed and passive health regeneration outside of combat. It is one of two options for Axe early for increasing his mobility for early initiations, and providing a source of HP regen to allow him to remain on the field instead of returning to base.
Magic Wand allows Axe to gain burst health and mana while in the middle of fights, where he excels at most.

Mid game:

Blink Dagger is the most important item for Axe as it allows him to initiate and counter-initiate for his team.
Aghanim's Shard is a strong mid game pick up that will greatly increase Axe's damage output throughout the game, and a nice counter to any physical DPS heroes as the damage reduction stacks the more Axe get hit. It improves counter helix proc chance, allow for even more damage reduction.
Blade Mail it provides Axe some damage and armor. The active gives a real punishment for any hard hitting hero caught within your Berserkers Call.
Town Portal Scroll is necessary for allowing Axe to be present at teamfights and ganks. His powers as an initiator can set up fights decisively for his team.
Vanguard gives Axe even more survivability against physical damage by giving him increased damage block, more HP and HP regen. This item excels against physical damage dealers and allows unlimited jungling, but Axe should not be played primarily as a jungler.

Late game:

Black King Bar 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 and get more uses of Berserker's Call of.
Crimson Guard, 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.
Pipe of Insight allows Axe to initiate without fear of hard magical damage and allows him to march on the front lines and support his team against said magical damage.

Situational items:

Urn of Shadows is a good ganking item early game 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. This should usually be gotten by a teammate however.
Lotus Orb is a strong initiator item that allows Axe to punish enemies for targeting him with disables. The item provides armor and more regeneration, 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.
Heart of Tarrasque 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.
Shiva's Guard 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.
Boots of Travel 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 Battle Hunger to slow them.
Assault Cuirass 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.
Heaven's Halberd 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.
Mjollnir is a strong late-game 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 enhancing the effectiveness of his Attacking Procs Counter Helix talent. Chain Lightning provides AoE magical damage in teamfights, while 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.
Bloodstone is a strong purchase on Axe. The item gives him great survivability during teamfights: the damage of Counter Helix, Culling Blade, Blade Mail, Battle Hunger (and also the Chain Lightning and Static Charge of Mjollnir) all benefit from spell lifesteal and amplification. The item grants Axe bonus health and mana.

Gameplay[]

Strategy & Tips

Counters &
Matchups

Audio[]

Responses

Sounds

History[]

Lore

Old Abilities

Changelogs

Equipment[]

Trivia[]

Axe's alternate/fun name was "Mogul Kahnt Touch This", a reference to MC Hammer's famous song U Can't Touch This.
Axe, Disruptor, and Warlock are all related as they come from the Oglodi race.
Axe's phrase ▶️ "Better red than dead!" is a reversed reference to an American Cold War slogan stating "Better dead than Red".
Several of Axe's deny and Culling Blade killing blow responses (such as ▶️ "You get nothing. Good day, sir!") are references to Willy Wonka's infamous rage scene in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.^[1]
Axe's name, lore and "one-man army" image may have been inspired by Khan Noonien Singh in the Star Trek series, who was also described as a "one-man army" and killed uncooperative subordinates (along with used-to wearing a red shirt).
Axe was once the mascot of Dota 2, featuring only himself in several Dota 2 pages and game arts. This was removed in November 2013 for unknown reasons.
- Such was his popularity that Valve once considered creating a Dota 2 spinoff RPG, before coming up with a single player RPG featuring him as the main character, dating way back in 2013 when Valve was preparing new games for the Source 2 engine. This never left the conceptual stage, however.^[2]
In The Lab, a VR game by Valve, there are some Bendies who wield Axe's war axe, along with other Dota 2 weapons like a Stout Shield, Huskar's spear and Legion Commander's sword.