Axe
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Hero
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20 + 2.2
18 + 1.6
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Mogul Khan, the Axe, is a melee strength hero, infamous for creating chaos in battle and thriving off of it.
Axe is commonly played as an initiator, as his potent disables can disrupt the enemy's formation and give his team openings in fights. Axe's fighting style demands that he gets up close and very personal, as he can taunt enemies into attacking him with Berserker's Call, preventing them from engaging his teammates. Once he has the enemy's attention, he can counter those who strike him with a sweeping Counter Helix that slashes all enemies at melee range with pure damage. He also has a slow and damage-over-time nuke in Battle Hunger, which can harass the enemy or force them to join in battle, while also slowing their movement speed and boosting his own. Finally, he has the ability to unconditionally remove weakened enemies from the battlefield if they are under a certain threshold with Culling Blade, while simultaneously boosting his allies' speed. A bloodthirsty and indomitable warrior, Axe's presence on the battlefield is felt by friend and foe alike, dominating the attention of the enemy wherever he goes.
Contents
Bio[edit]
Mogul Khan, the AxePlay "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:
Abilities[edit]
Berserker's Call
Ability
No Target
No Target
Affects
Enemies / Self
Enemies / Self
Axe taunts nearby enemy units, forcing them to attack him, while he gains bonus armor during the duration.
Cast Animation: 0.4+0.5
Radius: 300 (
400)
400)Armor Bonus: 40
Duration: 2/2.4/2.8/3.2
16/
80/Modifiers
Berserkers Call Armor: Undispellable.
Berserkers Call: Undispellable.Mogul Khan's warcry taunts opponents into engaging in an unconquerable battle with the Axe.
Notes:
- Affected units cannot use any spells or items and are forced to attack Axe for its duration.
- Units attempt to follow and attack Axe regardless of distance, vision, obstacles, or status.
- Affected units are still subject to disables and do not gain free pathing.
- If Axe turns invisible during the taunt, affected enemies start attacking the next closest enemy to them.
- If no enemies are nearby, affected units stand still. While standing still, they can be given one order which they then execute. This order cannot be manually canceled.
- This can be any order, including casting of an ability or item, or a move or attack order.
- After that order, the unit cannot do anything and stands still until the taunt expires. However, if Axe turns visible again, affected units start attacking him again.
- The taunt has the same priority as
Winter's Curse, but lower priority than 
Duel.
- Same priority means that affected units attack the first taunt source, and switch to the other source once the first one expires.
- Taunts generally have a higher priority than Fear, however, Fear prevents the unit from attacking while taunted.
- Affects invisible units and units in the Fog of War. Does not affect towers, wards, invulnerable or hidden units.
- Re-casting on a unit under the taunt effect of Berserker's Call refreshes the duration.
- When Axe dies, the taunt ends immediately.
Battle Hunger
Enrages an enemy unit, causing it to be slowed and take damage over time until it kills another unit or the duration ends. Axe gains movement speed for each unit affected with Battle Hunger.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.5
Cast Range: 750
Damage per Second: 16/24/32/40 ( 136/144/152/160)
136/144/152/160)Move Speed Slow: 12%
Self Move Speed Bonus: 12%
Enemy Damage Reduction: 0% (
30%)
30%)Duration: 12
20/ 75
Battle Hunger provides -30% damage output reduction.
Slow persists, and attempts to damage if debuff was placed before spell immunity and when not dispelled.
Blocked when primary target. Not blocked when applied by 
Culling Blade.Modifiers
Battle Hunger Self: Undispellable. Battle Hunger: Dispellable with any dispel.Ordinary heroes cannot withstand Mogul Khan's rage for battle, such that it injures them until it is satisfied.
Notes:
- Axe is granted 12% movement speed for every affected enemy. This effect stacks.
- Casting Battle Hunger multiple times on the same target does not stack, but refreshes the duration instead.
- Using
Death Pact, 
Devour, 
Demonic Conversion, or 
Hand of Midas also removes the debuff.
- However, Lich's
Sacrifice does not.
- However, Lich's
- Killing illusions does not remove the debuff.
- 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.
- Deals damage based on the level upon cast of the ability. Leveling up Battle Hunger does not update the damage of already placed debuffs.
- However, choosing the damage upgrading talent immediately upgrades all of Axe's currently active Battle Hunger debuffs.
- Deals damage in 1 second intervals, starting 1 second after the debuff is placed, resulting in 12 instances.
- Can deal up to 192/288/384/480 ( 1632/1728/1824/1920) damage (before reductions) when lasting its full duration.
- When upgraded, directly reduces any damage the debuffed target deals. This includes damage from spells.
- Choosing the damage upgrading talent immediately upgrades all of Axe's currently active Battle Hunger debuffs.
Counter Helix
Radius: 275
Proc Chance: 20%
Damage: 75/110/145/180
0.45/
Axe illusions have a fully functional Counter Helix.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.
- Secondary attacks from
Moon Glaives, 
Death Ward, 
Split Shot and 
Flak Cannon cannot trigger Counter Helix.
- Can proc on the secondary attacks from other instant attacks.
- 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.
- When the talent is chosen, the proc chance and cooldown are shared between the procs upon getting attacked and upon attacking.
Axe spots a weakness and strikes, instantly killing an enemy unit with low health, or dealing moderate damage otherwise. When an enemy hero is killed with Culling Blade, its cooldown is reset, and Axe and nearby allied units gain bonus movement speed.
Cast Animation: 0.3+0.5
Cast Range: 150
Kill Speed Bonus Radius: 900
Battle Hunger Apply Radius: 0 ( 700)
700)Damage: 150/250/300
Kill Health Threshold: 250/325/400
Kill Move Speed Bonus: 30%
Kill Attack Speed Bonus: 30
Kill Bonus Duration: 6
75/ 60/ Applies Battle Hunger on nearby enemies after a successful Culling Blade.Modifiers
Culling Blade Boost: Dispellable with any dispel.Mogul Khan is the embodiment of battle and fury, launching into a gruesome fatality against those who dare engage the Axe in combat.
Notes:
- When the target's health is above the threshold, it only applies its regular damage (magical) and plays a different sound.
- Even when the target dies to the regular damage (possible with damage amplifications), the other effects of Culling Blade are not applied.
- When the target's health is below the threshold, it does the following:
- It deals damage to the target equal to the health threshold value, in the form of pure damage (flagged as HP Removal).
- It applies the speed bonus to Axe and nearby allies.
- If the target was a hero, clone or illusion, its cooldown gets reset.
- When having
Aghanim's Scepter, 
Battle Hunger is applied to all enemy heroes (including illusions and clones) and creep-heroes within range.
- The target's health is checked upon reaching the cast point, so if it gained health during that time so it exceeds the health threshold, the cull fails.
- Culling Blade is able to kill targets affected by
Shallow Grave or 
False Promise, but not 
Wraith Delay, if their HP is low enough.
Talents[edit]
| Hero Talents | ||
|---|---|---|
| +120 Battle Hunger DPS | 25 | +100  Berserker's Call AoE |
Attacking Procs  Counter Helix | 20 | +20 Health Regen |
| +40 Movement Speed | 15 | +3 Mana Regen |
| +40 Attack Speed | 10 | +8  Strength |
Notes:
- The strength talent effectively grants Axe 180 health, 5.5% health regen amplification, 0.8% magic resistance and 8 attack damage.
Recommended items[edit]
Starting items:
-
Tango gives Axe health regeneration in the laning stage, allowing him to survive against most forms of enemy harass. -
Stout Shield 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. -
Ring of Protection gives Axe additional armor, further increasing his survivability against physical damage. -
Iron Branch 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:
-
Tranquil Boots provide Axe with movement speed and passive health regeneration outside of combat. It is crucial to get on 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 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. -
Soul Ring 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. -
Urn of Shadows 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.
Mid game:
-
Blink Dagger 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 Berserker's Call allows Axe to paralyze multiple enemies at once for his team to follow up on. -
Vanguard 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 Berserker's Call, allowing him to proc more instances of Counter Helix. -
Blade Mail 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 Berserker's Call, further punishes the enemy for attacking him, allowing him to use his HP offensively to deal damage to the enemy during initiations. -
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 in his team's favor.
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.
Situational items:
-
Force Staff 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 health regeneration 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. -
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. -
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. -
Aghanim's Scepter gives Axe stats across the board, providing tankiness and more mana. Its upgrade improves Battle Hunger's by adding a -30% dmg output reduction on the target, allowing Axe to significantly weaken enemies that don't rely on dispels or spell immunity. -
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 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. -
Vladmir's Offering 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 health while farming. All these benefits confer to nearby allies as well, making it a strong teamfight item as well.
Gameplay[edit]
| Roles: |  Initiator  Durable  Disabler  Jungler
|
|---|---|
| Complexity: |
★☆☆ |
| Playstyle: | One by one the soldiers of the Red Mist fell, some in battle, others to Moghul 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, Moghul Khan compels nearby foes to attack him with a taunting Berserker's Call. Absorbing blows from every direction, 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 Moghul Khan feel an inexplicable Battle Hunger, a hunger that is never sated before Axe sends them to an early grave with Culling Blade. |
Audio[edit]
History[edit]
Equipment[edit]
Sets
Weapon
Armor
Belt
Taunt
Trivia[edit]
- 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 tribe. - Axe's phrase Play "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 Play "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 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.
- 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.
Gallery[edit]
Crystal Maiden and Axe cartoon art
Model and icons before November 21, 2013 Patch
Ability icon progress
Hero icon progress
Axe illustration
Axe T-shirt design
References[edit]
Promotional Content
