Axe

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Axe

#2

25 + 2.8

20 + 1.7

18 + 1.6

Grants the following bonuses per level:
	+61.6HP and +0.28HP regeneration +2.8 Main Attack Damage
	+0.28 armor and 1.7 attack speed
	+19.2MP and +0.08MP regeneration +0.1% base magic resistance

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670 +5

291 +0.9

2.33 Armor (763.67 EHP)

26.8% Magic Resist (915.3 EHP)

56 ‒ 60 ▶️ Damage (58 Avg)

Instant Projectile Speed Melee units have their projectile speed set to 900, if they should ever need it.

150 Attack Range (600)

100 (120) Attack Speed (1.7 BAT) Attacks per Second is defined as ΣAS / BAT / 100

0.4 + 0.5 Animation

315 ▶️ Move Speed

0.6 Turn Rate This unit takes 0.175s to turn 180°.

27 Collision Size

24 Bound Radius

1800 / 800 Vision Range

Default Gib Type

npc_dota_hero_axe

2010-11-01 Released

2005-03-01 (6.00)

Competitive Span 2010-11-01 — Present

Version Control This article has not been updated to the last version the hero was changed in yet (version 7.39c). Please help by updating it.

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This article is about the hero. For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation)

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 Carry
Adjectives	Bearded, NicePecs, Red, Nose Legs ( 2 )

Facets

One Man Army

Grants Axe temporary strength based on Axe's current armor.

Allied heroes venturing too close to Axe passively disables this effect linearly.

Call Out

Berserker's Call grants affected enemy units bonus attack speed, while granting Axe additional bonus armor for the duration.

+45 Enemy Attack Speed
+6 Self Armor

Upgrades

Aghanim's

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade:

After a set number of attacks, Axe performs a helix counter attack.

The required attacks and incoming attacks per Counter Helix proc works simutaneously.

Aghanim's Shard Upgrade:

All ability components are dispelled upon the caster's death. Berserker's Call now applies Battle Hunger to affected units within the radius.

Reapplying the debuff now creates an independent and stackable debuff instance.

Talents

2x Battle Hunger Armor Factor	25	+85 Berserker's Call Radius
+30 Counter Helix Damage	20	+100 Culling Blade Damage
+10 Berserker's Call Armor	15	+10% Battle Hunger Move Speed Slow
+8% Self Move Speed per Battle Hunger Debuff	10	+3s Culling Blade Speed Duration
▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ ▃ +2 All / / Attributes

Bio

Axe is all the reinforcement this army needs!

▶️  Mogul Khan, the Axe

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)

Innate

Coat of Blood

Coat of Blood

Ability

Passive

Affects

Self

Grants bonus armor retroactively per hero kill credited to Axe.

Armor Bonus per Kill: 0.2/0.3/0.4/0.5

Culling Blade grants additional bonus armor per hero kill credited to Axe.

Armor Bonus per Kill: 0.6/0.9/1.2/1.5

This ability levels up with Culling Blade.

• Details
• Status Effects
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• axe_coat_of_blood
  • Grants a permanent bonus armor buff on the HUD upon culling an enemy hero for the first time.
  • Subsequent kills update the buff.
  • Forced kill sources grants a stack.
  • Considers the following kill credits of Axe's units as Axe's:
    • Dominated units and summons.
    • Illusions

• Does not grant permanent stacks from the following sources:
  • Wraith Delay.
  • Reincarnation sources.
  • Considers the following kills as enemy creep kills:
    • Couriers
    • Creep-heroes
    • Illusions
    • The Tempest Double.

modifier_axe_coat_of_blood

Hidden Modifier

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_PHYSICAL_ARMOR_BONUS
MODIFIER_EVENT_ON_HERO_KILLED

One Man Army

  One Man Army

Ability

Passive

Affects

Self

Grants Axe temporary strength based on Axe's current armor.

Allied heroes venturing too close to Axe passively disables this effect linearly.

Ally Search Radius: 700

Str Bonus per Armor: 0.4

Bonus Linger Duration: 3

• Details
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• Status Effects
• Misc.
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• Selecting the   facet unlocks this ability.

• 
  • Checks for nearby allied heroes in 0.1-second intervals.
  • The temporary bonus strength adapts immediately and is lost over its linger duration.
  • Considers allied clones, illusions, and creep-heroes as creeps.
  • 
    • The following allied heroes disable the aura:
      • Hidden heroes.
      • Invulnerable heroes.
  • 
    • The ability values reduce per server tick linearly to 0% throughout the aura linger duration.

Interactions: Self-Illusions

Bestows this ability.

However, the ability does not grant the created illusions strength bonus because they cannot utilize bonus armor by design.

modifier_axe_one_man_Army

One Man Army: Axe is gaining x Strength as a percentage of his current armor as long as he is alone.

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_STATS_STRENGTH_BONUS

• 
  • Does not consider the following units as allied heroes:
    • Axe-based clones.
    • Illusions owned by Axe.

Hero Model

Hero Model

Ability

Passive / Channeling

Affects

Self

Axe's hero model has the following hidden innate abilities.

Axe may only perform or utilize the ability's functions upon a successful channeling, excluding passive innate abilities.

Details

Hidden Innate Abilities

Tap on the innate abilities for more details.

Abilities

Berserker's Call

Q

E

Berserker's Call

▶️

Ability

No

Affects

Enemy Units / Self

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

Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.5

Radius: 315 ( 400)

Armor Bonus: 12/13/14/15 ( 22/23/24/25)

Duration: 1.8/2.2/2.6/3

All ability components are dispelled upon the caster's death.

Aghanim's Shard Upgrade
Berserker's Call now applies Battle Hunger to affected units within the radius.

17/15/13/11

80/90/100/110

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

• Details
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Call Out

Grants affected enemy units bonus attack speed for the duration.

Enemy Attack Speed Bonus: 45

Grants Axe a greater bonus armor with the selected facet.

Armor Bonus: 18/19/20/21 ( 28/29/30/31)

---

Taunt Sources Priority

Has the following priorities among taunt sources.

• 
  • Affected units within the radius cannot act and are forced to attack Axe.
    • Does not apply silence.
    • Active attack modifiers with autocast on are still applied.
  • Reapplying the debuff refreshes the duration.
  • SHARD NOTES
    Additionally applies the Battle Hunger debuff corresponding to its level on affected units within the radius at the same time.
    • Works independently of Battle Hunger's cooldown, and does not cost mana.
    • Does not proc on-cast effects.

• Affects the following units:
  • Fogged units.
  • Invisible units.

• Does not affect the following units:
  • Buildings
  • Couriers
  • Lane creeps of the first wave spawn, until they meet the opposing faction's creeps in their respective lanes.
  • Hidden units.
  • Invulnerable units.
  • Uncontrollable player-controlled units, despite the debuff application on these units.
  • Ward-type units.

Interactions: Ability Draft

Requires Battle Hunger drafted to be passively applied.

modifier_axe_berserkers_call_armor

Berserker's Call Armor: x bonus armor

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_PHYSICAL_ARMOR_BONUS
MODIFIER_EVENT_ON_TAKEDAMAGE

modifier_axe_berserkers_call

Berserker's Call: You are forced to attack Axe

MODIFIER_STATE_TAUNTED
MODIFIER_PROPERTY_ATTACKSPEED_BONUS_CONSTANT
MODIFIER_EVENT_ON_TAKEDAMAGE

• Berserker's Call calc with Battle Hunger.

• 
  • The ability effects are applied as follows:
    1. The taunt debuff.
    2. The bonus attack speed buff.
    3. The Battle Hunger debuff.

Battle Hunger

W

R

Battle Hunger

▶️

Ability

Unit

Affects

Enemy Units / 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 it is facing away from Axe.

Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.5

Cast Range:  700/775/850/925

Damage per Second: 12/18/24/30

Armor as Damage Bonus Factor: 1 ( 2)

Facing Angle: 90°

Move Speed Slow: 18%/22%/26%/30% ( 28%/32%/36%/40%)

Duration: 12

Self Move Speed Bonus per Enemy: ( 8%)

Battle Hunger is less effective on creeps.

Move Speed Slow Factor: 0.5

Aghanim's Shard Upgrade
Reapplying the debuff now creates an independent and stackable debuff instance.

20/15/10/5

50/60/70/80

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

• Details
• Interactions
• Status Effects
• Misc.
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• All ability components consider clones as heroes, and creep-heroes and illusions as creeps.

• 
  • Disables the movement speed slow component in the following conditions:
    • 
    • As long as the affected enemy is not within 90° in front of Axe's current facing angle as visualized above.
    • Affects the following units:
      • Fogged units.
  • Has the following debuff dispel properties:
    • Can be dispelled by killing any unit, including denies, except illusions.
    • The affected enemy has to be credited for the last hit, excluding the enemy's player-controlled units, including illusions.
  • Reapplying the debuff has the following interactions:
    • Adapts the ability values correspondingly.
    • Refreshes the duration.
      • SHARD NOTES
        The ability upgrade now applies an independent, and stackable debuff instance per application.

• The armor-based damage has the following properties:
  • Both of Axe's main armor and bonus armor are checked periodically and update correspondingly.
  • The damage is not capped at 0-armor.
    • Deals 0 damage per instance when Axe has 12/18/24/30 ( 6/9/12/15) negative armor.

• TALENT NOTES
  The armor damage factor increasing talent immediately updates all current debuff instances.
  • However, the other two Battle Hunger talents do not update the current debuff values.

Interactions: Spell Block

The passive axe_battle_hunger application via Berserker's Call does not proc Spell Block sources.

Interactions: Spell Reflection

The passive axe_battle_hunger application via Berserker's Call does not proc Spell Reflection sources.

modifier_axe_battle_hunger_self_movespeed

Battle Hunger: Gaining x% bonus movement speed.

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_MOVESPEED_BONUS_PERCENTAGE

modifier_axe_battle_hunger

Battle Hunger: Dealing x damage per second, reducing movement speed by x%.

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_MOVESPEED_BONUS_PERCENTAGE
MODIFIER_PROPERTY_PHYSICAL_ARMOR_BONUS
MODIFIER_EVENT_ON_DEATH
MODIFIER_PROPERTY_TOOLTIP

• Deals the following amount of physical spell damage (before reductions) in 0.5-second intervals, over 24 instances.
  • EXPR
    EnemyHero = 6/9/12/15 + (AxeArmor × 1 OR 2)
  • EXPR
    Creeps = 6/9/12/15 + 0.5 × (AxeArmor × 1 OR 2)

• Table

• SHARD NOTES
  
  • The ability has a modifier that keeps track of affected enemy units at all times; it is hidden when no debuffs are applied.
  • Previously, this was used to track the amount of enemy units affected.

Counter Helix

E

X

Counter Helix

▶️

Ability

Passive

Affects

Enemy Units

Damage

Spell / Pure

After a set number of incoming attacks, Axe performs a helix counter attack, dealing pure damage to all nearby enemies.

Radius: 275

Required Incoming Attacks: 7/6/5/4

Damage: 100/120/140/160 ( 130/150/170/190)

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
After a set number of attacks, Axe performs a helix counter attack.

The required attacks and incoming attacks per Counter Helix proc works simutaneously.

Required Attacks: 7/6/5/4

Aghanim's Scepter Upgrade
Applies a stacking debuff on affected enemies within the radius that causes them to deal less total attack damage to Axe.

Removes cooldown.

Max Stacks: ( 5)

Damage Reduction per Stack: ( 12%)

Duration: ( 6)

0.3 ( 0)

Axe is the only reinforcement this army needs.

• Details
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• 
  • The required attacks tally reduces by 1 per successful attack applied to Axe.
    • This includes both instant attack and secondary attack sources.
  • Attacking the following units do not reduce the tally counter:
    • Allied units.
    • Buildings
    • Ward-type units.
    • Instant attack sources that cannot proc attack modifiers:
      • Split Shot (without the talent).
      • Flak Cannon
  • 
    • Once the tally counter reaches TallyValue - 1, the next successful incoming attack procs all ability effects centered around Axe, and the tally buff is removed.
      • SCEPTER NOTES
        Both incoming attacks and Axe's outgoing attacks now reduce the counting buff by 1 simultaneously.
    • The tally counter last indefinitely and persists through death, except for the following conditions:
      • Upon Axe respawns.
      • Upon reincarnation source procs.
      • Upon leveling up Counter Helix.

---

• SCEPTER NOTES
  axe_counter_helix_damage_reduction
  • Applies a debuff instance on enemy units that only affects its total outgoing attack damage against Axe within the radius.
    • Explicitly affects the enemy unit's main and bonus attack damage against Axe.
    • Neither reduces any other damage types nor outgoing attack damage against other targets.
  • Reapplying the unique enemy outgoing damage debuff refreshes the entire stack duration.

Interactions: Self-Illusions

The required attacks component is non-functional for the created illusions.

Interactions: Break Sources

The incoming attack fully procs all ability effects before the passive is disabled.

modifier_axe_counter_helix

Counter Helix: Attacks remaining to perform a counter attack.

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_ATTACKSPEED_BONUS_CONSTANT
MODIFIER_PROPERTY_INCOMING_
MODIFIER_EVENT_ON_ATTACK_LANDED

modifier_axe_counter_helix_damage_reduction

Counter Helix Damage Reduction: Reducing Attack Damage by x%

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_TOOLTIP

• 
  • axe_counter_helix is always displayed on the HUD upon learning the ability.

---

• SCEPTER NOTES
  axe_counter_helix_damage_reduction
  • Can reduce up to 12%/24%/36%/48%/60% total outgoing attack damage per stack.

Culling Blade

R

C

Culling Blade

▶️ ▶️

Ability

Unit

Affects

Units

Damage

Pure / Instant Kill

Axe spots a weakness and strikes, dealing pure damage.

Cast Animation: 0.3 + 0.5

Cast Range:  175

Damage: 275/375/475 ( 375/475/575)

Grants nearby allied units bonus movement speed and armor when an enemy hero is killed with Culling Blade.

Damage to Kill Threshold Factor: 1

Buff Radius: 900

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

Armor Bonus: 20/25/30

Duration: 6 ( 9)

Resets the cooldown when an enemy hero is killed with Culling Blade.

Cooldown on Kill: 0

80/75/70

100/125/150

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

• Details
• Interactions
• Status Effects
• Misc.
• Show All

• 
  • Dispels the following sources, except Wraith Delay, prior to applying the spell damage instance:
    • Borrowed Time
    • Shallow Grave
    • False Promise
    • Battle Trance
  • Has the following conditions while determining the ability outcome:
    • EXPR
      UnitCurrentHP ≤ SpellDmg:
      • Procs the instant kill component.
    • EXPR
      UnitCurrentHP ≥ SpellDmg:
      • Applies the pure spell damage instance.
    • Does not instant kill the Tormentor.

• The damage to kill threshold factor has the following properties:
  • The value can only be increased upon leveling up the ability, and learning the damage increasing talent.
  • Not affected by outgoing spell damage sources on Axe.

• 
  • Grants allied units within the radius the following ability effects upon an instant kill proc:
    • Flat bonus armor.
    • Bonus movement speed.
  • The speed buff component considers clones and illusions kill as hero kills, creep-heroes kill as creep kills.
  • Does not affect the following allied units:
    • Invulnerable units.
    • Hidden units.

• 
  • Resets Culling Blade's cooldown if the kill is credited to Axe. This includes the following sources:
    • Allied hero kills.
    • Reincarnation sources.
    • Self-denying with lethal self-damage sources.

Interactions: Spell Reflection

Procs Spell Reflection sources if the spell damage does not instant kill the unit-targeted enemy.

Interactions: Spell Redirection

The ability cooldown resets if the spell damage instant kills the primary unit-targeted enemy.

Applies the culling_blade_boost within the radius, with the ability going on cooldown if only the secondary target dies.

modifier_axe_culling_blade_boost

Culling Blade: Axe releases a war cry, giving all nearby allies x% bonus movement and x bonus attack speed

MODIFIER_PROPERTY_MOVESPEED_BONUS_PERCENTAGE
MODIFIER_PROPERTY_PHYSICAL_ARMOR_BONUS

modifier_axe_culling_blade_jungle_weapon_gesture

Hidden modifier

• 
  • COSMETIC
    The culling_blade_jungle_weapon_gesture grants Axe a 0.26-second buff that plays the custom ability effects used by Axe Unleashed.

Recent Matches

Main Article: Axe/Matches

Date	Tier		Tournament	Picks		Score		vs. Picks
Jun 24, 2025 - 20:00 CEST	Tier 3		EPL Season 27			1 : 0
Jun 24, 2025 - 20:00 CEST	Tier 3		EPL Season 27			1 : 0
Jun 24, 2025 - 20:00 CEST	Qualifier		IESF S.Africa 2025			1 : 0
Jun 24, 2025 - 17:25 CEST	Qualifier		IESF N.Africa 2025			1 : 0
Jun 24, 2025 - 17:00 CEST	Qualifier		IESF N.Africa 2025			1 : 0

The International

• Axe has won the following final matches in The International of the following years:
  • 2016

Recent Changes

Main Articles: Changelogs, Old Abilities and Hero Lore

Version

Description

7.39c
(2025-06-24)

• Talents:  

  LVL 10  +10% movement speed bonus per active Battle Hunger debuff increased to +8%.  

  LVL 25  +100 Berserker's Call radius reduced to +85.

7.39b
(2025-05-29)

• Aghanim's Scepter upgrade:
  • Reduced Counter Helix enemy total outgoing attack damage reduction per stack from 15% to 12%.

7.39
(2025-05-21)

• Increased Berserker's Call Call Out self armor bonus increase from 5 to 6.
• Reduced Battle Hunger movement speed slow from 15%/20%/25%/30% to 18%/22%/26%/30%.

• Talents:  

  LVL 20  +25 Counter Helix damage increased to +30.

Dota Plus Progress

Main Article: Hero Challenges

Relics track a hero's actions and statistics, and display in-game notifications when a milestone is reached. They are only available to Dota Plus subscribers.

Axe's Relics	Voice Lines
Berserker's Call Damage Done Battle Hunger Kills Near Death Kills Enemies Culled Blink Berserker's Calls Berserker's Call Damage Taken Teleports Leading To Kills Pure Damage Blade Mail Damage Blink Leading To Kills Triple Kills Mega Kill Streaks Kill Assists Kills	Bronze	▶️ Ha ha ha ha ha ha! ▶️ Axe likes this very much.
	Silver	▶️ You deserve nothing! ▶️ You fought badly—died worse.
	Gold	▶️ I said good day, sir! ▶️ Axe misjudged?
	Platinum	▶️ Axe has no time for all this jibber jabber.
	Master	▶️ What happened? Axe happened!
	Grandmaster	▶️ Axe-actly!

Trivia

• 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.

• Several of Axe's deny and Culling Blade killing blow responses (e.g. ▶️ "You get nothing. Good day, sir!") are references to Willy Wonka's infamous rage scene in the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

• 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.

• 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.

• Warcraft 3 similarities:
  • In DotA, Axe uses the model of Grommash Hellscream in his possessed state, a campaign-only variant of the Orc Blademaster hero.
  • Berserker's Call is inspired by the Mountain Giants' Taunt.
  • Axe has a 1/7 chance to spawn in with the name "Mogul Kahnt Touch This", referencing the song U Can't Touch This from MC Hammer.

Gallery

• 

  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

• 

  Axe on the Replay Takeover splash art in the New Bloom 2014 update.

• 

  Axe on Ringmaster's teaser trailer.

• 

  Bone Harvest sprite - alive

• 

  Bone Harvest sprite - dead