Axe

1. Introduction
2. Skills: Berseker's Call
3. Skills: Battle Hunger
4. Skills: Counter Helix
5. Skills: Culling Blade
6. Items
7. PLaying as Axe with this build

Introduction

This is my first guide here on dotafire, so I decided to make a guide from one of my favorite heroes, Axe, I'll do a build that I started using after a while, I hope you all enjoy the guide, sorry for any grammatical errors, my english is a little rusty.

Skills: Berseker's Call

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

Radius: 275
Bonus Armor: 30
Duration: 1.5 / 2 / 2.5 / 3
Cooldown: 10
Mana Cost: 80 / 90 / 100 / 110

This is Axe initiator's, skill, he will lock up all enemies at 275 radius of area, is a great skill to make enemy stop conjuring skills, like stop Witch Doctor's Death Ward, or Nevermore's Requiem of Souls, escape, attack your allies, etc.
I recomendo getting one score in level 3 or 4, when you have all primary skills complete at 10, finish leveling Berseker's Call in 12-14 level's.
This skill is also a great way to use Counter Helix a lot of times, damagind all surrounded enemies.

Skills: 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 moviment speed for each unit affected for battle Hunger.

Duration: 10 / 13 / 16 / 19
Movement Slow: 10%
Bonus Movement Speed: 4%
Damage Per Second: 15 / 21 / 27 / 33
Total Duration Damage: 150 / 273 / 432 / 627
Cooldown: 20 / 15 / 10 / 5
Mana Cost: 75 / 85 / 95 / 105

This will be the skill which the build will focus on, combining this skill with Urn of Shadows will deal a lot of damage. First use Battle Hunger then use Urn of Shadows in the same enemy hero you used Battle Hunger, the damage over time incresses by the total of 150, isn't a lot of damage by itself, but combining those two, you will deal a total of 777 damage on a single enemy hero. Great way to kill a enemy hero after a team fight, or a great way to nuke, and to get a kill!

This skill requires a lot of mana, has a very low cooldown of 5seconds on 4th level, thats why you need to get arcane boots, will give you mana, and when you activate arcane boots, you will restore 135 of mana to you and all allies within 600AoE.

Skills: Counter Helix

When attacked, Axe performs a helix counter attack, dealing damage to all nearby enemies.

Radius: 275
Chance to Helix: 17%
Damage: 100 / 130 / 160 / 190
Cooldown: 0.65 / 0.6 / 0.55 / 0.5

It's important to say: Counter Helix triggers from the beginning of an attack targeting Axe, not when the attack hits.

This is the primary damage skill of Axe, can do a lot of damage in matter of seconds, killing a lot of creeps, and enemy heroes, but can also be barely activated sometimes, this is why use Berseker's Call is so important to this skill, you can get a lot of creeps and heroes to turn themselves to attack you, will significantly increases your chance to use this skill, so basically, more enemies attacking you, more chances of this skill activate.

Skills: Culling Blade

Axe spots weakness and strikes, dealing moderate damage but instantly killing an enemy unit with low health. WHen a enemy is killed in this way, Axe and nearby allied units gain bonus moviment speed.

Damage: 150 / 250 / 300
Kill Threshold: 300 / 450 / 625
Range: 150
Bonus Movement Speed: 25%
Movement Speed Radius: 600
Movement Speed Duration: 6
Cooldown: 75 / 65 / 55 (6*)
Mana Cost: 120 / 160 / 200

Well, what can i say? this skill is totaly awesome, thats why you will make Aghanins Scepter for you Axe, you will kill hero after hero with this.

Items

Starting Itens

I start with Urn of Shadows recipe and 2x Gauntlets of Strenght and a Iron Branch
and i finish ASAP the Urn of Shadows, Why? Mana Regeneration, and that awersome activation witch will help us get a lot of kills combining with Battle Hunger will deal a lot of damage, but remember, always stay close to dying enemy heroes to collect charges for Urn of Shadows, and remember, you dont always need to use a charge of Urn of Shadows to do damage, you can also heal youself or a allied hero in case of need.
Important to say that at a certain point you can sell Urn of Shadows to start or finish you Extension or Luxury Items.

Core Itens

After you finished Urn of Shadows you will start immediately with Arcane Boots, the Replenish Mana will help you and your teammates a lot, you may ask, why not Soul Ring and Tranquil Boots? Axe is a very Fighter Hero, and when you use Tranquil Boots, it's healing stop, so you will use Soul Ring to trade 150 of Health to 150 of Mana, then you will spend 25 of mana to start to heal that 150 of health, it's a great strategy, but axe need to be in the middle of the battle, controling them and killing everyone, so no to Soul Ring and Tranquil Boots.
And of course, Vanguard you probably wanna to get hitted every time, by creeps and enemy hereos to activate Counter Helix, so it's a perfect combination Vanguard will provide you Health, Health Regeneration, and damage block! Perfect for Axe. You can sell it to make a second Heart of Tarrasque or have a slot for another Situational Item.

Extension

Aghanim's Scepter is a great choice to make, will make you Culling Blade get a extremely cooldown reduction, plus Health, Mana, plus +10 in all attributes.
After making Aghanim's Scepter you can start to build you Heart of Tarrasque buying Vitality Booster.
With Blink Dagger you can iniciate a team fight to secure your team a great advantage, use Berserker's Call to lock up the heroes and start to damaging all fo them with Counter Helix, kill low health enemy heroes with Culling Blade and get the others with Battle Hunger and Urn of Shadows. And if you dont want to make Dagger you can buy a Reaver to accelerate you Heart of Tarrasque

Luxury

Heart of Tarrasque will incresses Axe's Health in a extremely scale, and will give him a badadd health regeneration after a fight, provide him a great durabilty.
Radiance will give more AoE damage, 45 of magical damage/second will both combine with Battle Hunger and Counter Helix.

Situational

Blade Mail Good against carriers, if that Phantom Assassin or Drow Ranger is giving you trouble, give trouble to them as well.
Black King Bar will give you damage and strenght, and will protect you agains disablers.
Pipe of Insight, Health Regeneration, magical damage reduction and when active gives you and closed allies a magical barrier than shield you guys up to 400 magical damage.
Shiva's Guard will give you armor and int, but the best think in it is the passive aura you have, reducing nearby enemy units attack speed can be helpfull, and when activated Shiva's Guard will release a wave that deals 200 of damage and slow their moviment speed by 40% 4s duration.

Playing as Axe with this build

Early Game:

Be super hiper agressive, this is only way axe can be effective, when a wave comes and you eneme heroes are melee, be the first to get to this wave and kill all creeps with Counter Helix, you can use Berseker's Call to lock up the heroes too, damaging then, and you can secure kills with Battle Hunger + Urn of Shadows, it's very effective.

Mid game:

You will start to make your Vanguard, it will help you with health and health regeneration and damage block, witch will make you kill hundred's of creeps withouth even taking damage. And to tank heroes and creeps with Berseker's Call.
Aghanim's Scepter you make you more killer them ever, a 6seconds cooldown in you ultimate, and you can kill hero after hero in a matter of seconds, securing gold to make more expensive and better itens.
Blink Dagger will help you to iniciate all team fight's and chase enemy heroes.

End Game:

If you succeed you can finish the game with 2xHeart of Tarrask you can change your Arcane Boots to Boots of Travel, Aghanim's Scepter, Blink Dagger and 2 Situational Items depending on the enemy heroes, remember that if your enemy team is winning, get one situational item to help you and your team to counter them and get the game back to your hands.

Hope you all Enjoy the guide, any doubt's please reply, but with education, thank you all who read the guide!