Axe
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.
Hero 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.
Stats and abilities checked against patch 7.41f. Talents and full details are in the official patch notes.
Axe abilities
Axe taunts nearby enemy units, forcing them to attack him while he gains bonus armor during the duration.
Enrages an enemy unit, causing it to take damage over time until it kills another unit or the duration ends. The enemy is slowed as long as they are facing away from Axe.
After a set number of attacks, Axe will perform a helix counter attack, dealing pure damage to all nearby enemies.
Axe spots a weakness and strikes, dealing pure damage. When an enemy hero is killed with Culling Blade, its cooldown is reset, and all nearby allied units gain bonus movement speed and armor. Axe permanently drenches his blade every time he kills an enemy Her…
Axe gains Strength based on 50% of his Armor as long as there are no allied heroes within 700 distance from Axe. The effect fades over 3s after approaching an ally.
Passive, HiddenPopular items by game phase
Most popular items in professional matches, from OpenDota data as of Jul 21, 2026, 9:50 PM UTC. Each phase is counted separately.
Starting
6 items- 1
Iron Branch161 selections · 29.5% - 2
Gauntlets of Strength134 selections · 24.6% - 3
Ring of Protection68 selections · 12.5% - 4
Tango64 selections · 11.7% - 5
Magic Stick27 selections · 5% - 6
Faerie Fire26 selections · 4.8%
Early
6 items- 1
Boots of Speed100 selections · 22.4% - 2
Chainmail90 selections · 20.2% - 3
Phase Boots83 selections · 18.6% - 4
Splintmail53 selections · 11.9% - 5
Bracer42 selections · 9.4% - 6
Broadsword22 selections · 4.9%
Mid
6 items- 1
Blink Dagger97 selections · 20.1% - 2
Ogre Axe71 selections · 14.7% - 3
Blade Mail69 selections · 14.3% - 4Broadsword56 selections · 11.6%
- 5
Mithril Hammer48 selections · 10% - 6
Aghanim's Shard38 selections · 7.9%
Late
6 items- 1
Black King Bar42 selections · 19.4% - 2
Shiva's Guard17 selections · 7.8% - 3
Soul Booster13 selections · 6% - 4
Lotus Orb13 selections · 6% - 5
Reaver12 selections · 5.5% - 6
Octarine Core10 selections · 4.6%
More heroes to explore
All heroes →
Axe — frequently asked
What are Axe's abilities in Dota 2?
Axe's abilities are Berserker's Call, Battle Hunger, Counter Helix, Culling Blade, One Man Army. It is a Strength melee hero played as Initiator, Durable, Disabler.
What is Axe's primary attribute?
Axe is a Strength hero, starting with 25 strength (+2.7/lvl), 18 agility (+1.7/lvl) and 18 intelligence (+1.6/lvl), and a base move speed of 315.