Looking for the best axe in Albion Online?
Axes are some of the most potent weapons in Albion Online. They are meant for players who prefer the melee DPS playstyle of running into your enemies’ faces and going all out.
What axes lack in versatility they make up for with sheer power and strength. Axes are also considered reliable weapons thanks to their ability to deal consistent damage and put consistent pressure on the enemies.
Are you interested in trying out the Axe weapon tree? Here are the top 5 Albion Online best axes to destroy your enemies with.
5. Battleaxe
INSANE PVP Solo Battleaxe | Albion Online - YouTube
First, we have the Battleaxe. Battleaxe is the only weapon in the Axe tree that has a built-in self-sustain via Blood Bandit, which grants you more flexibility with your builds. It’s also a one-handed weapon, so you’ll have several options for your off-hand depending on the kind of content you want to do.
It is one of the best weapons for beginners because of its simple mechanics and straightforward gameplay. All you have to do is spam your Qs and use your Blood Bandit (E) at the right time.
On the first cast, Blood Bandit only deals damage. But on the second, it deals damage and heals you at the same time.
Of course, the “right time” to use your E depends entirely on the current situation.
Most of the time, it just means when your HP is low. But sometimes, you’ll have to be patient and wait for a better opportunity.
For example, if you’re enemy has a Cleric Robe or Cleric Cowl ready, you should be careful of using your Blood Bandit at the same time as their defensive skills.
Similarly, if your enemy used a defensive item like Guardian Helm, you should wait for its duration to expire first before casting your E.
You also shouldn’t just use your Blood Bandit carelessly. Its total damage and lifesteal depend on the number of Rending Bleed charges on your enemies, so hitting your enemies won’t do much if they don’t have enough Bleed charges.
To maximize your damage and heal, you have to hit them while they have the maximum of three Bleed charges. However, there will be times when you won’t have a choice but to use it earlier.
The Battleaxe is good for both solo and small-scale PvP. Conversely, it doesn’t have much use in medium-scale PvP to ZvZ. It’s also relatively cheap, which makes it great for beginners.
The usual off-hand pair for Battleaxe is either Torch or Eye of Secrets. The Torch improves your cooldowns and attack speed. But Eye of Secrets allows you to cast more skills and last longer in fights with the energy and energy regeneration bonuses.
What makes Battleaxe great:
- Good for beginners: It’s very cheap to craft or buy.
- Good self-sustain: You have a potential lifesteal with your Blood Bandit.
- Relatively flexible: You can choose different off-hands depending on your needs, playstyle, or the type of content.
Battleaxe details: Elder's Battleaxe - Albion Online Wiki
4. Greataxe
Albion Online Greataxe PVP Tips and Tricks - YouTube
Out of all the axes, Greataxe is the most beginner-friendly. Its Whirlwind (E) has fairly simple mechanics: press E and stay right next to your enemies.
Whirlwind is a channeled spell that deals more damage the more you hit an enemy. So as long as you stay on top of your targets, you’ll have higher chances of killing them.
The good thing about this skill is that it’s uninterruptible and you can move while channeling. You don’t have to worry about CCs when you case Whirlwind.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can just use it whenever. This skill still has a relatively long cooldown, so wasting it in a fight could result in your death.
To maximize the damage output from your Whirlwind, always keep in mind the defensive cooldowns of your enemies. As much as possible, try not to use it too early when your enemies still have their defensive skills.
If you use your Whirlwind and then your enemies use their Cleric Robe or Cleric Cowl, you won’t deal any damage and you’d just waste your cooldown. You will then be more vulnerable for the next 25 seconds until your cooldown resets.
So, the best strategy here is to try to bait your enemies’ defensive skills. Just keep stacking Bleed charges on them with your Qs, and utilize your Ws for consistent damage.
Your Adrenaline Boost (W2) works well with Whirlwind as it gives you bonus movement speed to ensure that you stay right next to your enemies. It also significantly boosts your damage output, which allows you to finish off your enemies.
The more you hit with your skills, the higher your damage output. This makes Greataxe excellent for small- to medium-scale fights.
What makes Greataxe great:
- Beginner-friendly: It has fairly simple mechanics. It’s also relatively cheap.
- Excellent for small- to medium-scale PvP: Whirlwind is built for small group PvPs. It deals damage to all enemies around you, and it deals more damage the longer you hit them.
- High damage potential: You can deal massive damage if you manage to hit an enemy during its whole duration.
Greataxe details: The Hand of Khor - Albion Online Wiki
3. Halberd
BRAWLING IN THE BLACK ZONE! | Albion Online PVP Highlights | Halberd POV - YouTube
Next on this list is probably the least popular of all the axes on this list. This doesn’t mean that it’s bad (it’s the top three on this list after all). It just doesn’t excel in a single area.
However, I still ranked it higher than Battleaxe and Greataxe simply because it does better in more types of PvP content.
While Battleaxe is better for solo PvP, Halberd is the better choice when it comes to small- to medium-scale fights.
Similarly, while Greataxe is good in small- to medium-scale PvP, Halberd performs better with a team or a good healer partner.
Halberd’s Tear Apart (E) deals decent damage in an area around you and only has a 15-second cooldown. But the best part about this skill is that it spreads the Rending Bleed charges among your enemies.
Tear Apart inflicts a number of Bleed charges to all enemies hit based on the highest number of Bleed Charges on your enemies. This allows you to constantly spread Bleed Charges and chip away your enemies’ HP.
Halberd’s strength lies in its ability to deal slow but consistent damage to multiple enemies at the same time.
This weapon works well in 2vX fights when paired with a proactive healer, such as a Great Nature Staff or a Blight Staff. It’s also amazing in large-scale fights and does well in ZvZs.
What makes Halberd great:
- Amazing in large-scale fights and good in ZvZs: Halberd lets you deal high damage over time to multiple enemies
- Good synergy with its skills: Your Rending Bleed charges plus Tear Apart combo can tear multiple enemies apart (pun intended).
- Does well in 2vX fights: Its Tear Apart allows you to slowly kill multiple enemies if you have enough HP sustain (i.e., you have a reliable healer).
Halberd details: Elder's Halberd - Albion Online Wiki
2. Realmbreaker
Albion Online [Outnumbered] Lands Awakened / World Boss PvP / Portal Waves Bonus / Realmbreaker POV - YouTube
If you’re looking for the best axe to use in small- to medium-scale team fights, Realmbreaker is a top contender. It’s a great weapon in team setups due to its Aftershock (E), which has a mini CC, HP reduction, and massive damage.
This weapon lets you deal an insane amount of burst damage in an area while also retaining the consistent damage of the axe weapon tree through Rending Bleed charges.
Coupled with a Hellion Jacket and competent healer, you can dive in the middle of the enemy team and hit as many targets as possible with your E—and still come out alive.
Keep in mind that you should combo Aftershock with burst damage AOE skills, such as Permafrost Prism’s Ice Crystal or Bloodletter’s Lunging Stabs, for maximum damage output. Hitting multiple targets with these combos most likely means that you already won the fight.
The key to being a great Realmbreaker player is knowing when to save your Aftershock and when to use it. Most of the time, it’s a good opener in a fight as you deal more damage given that the HP reduction is percentage-based.
However, you shouldn’t also be impatient and spam E whenever you can. It might not have a very long cooldown, but not having it available during a crucial moment can mean the difference between winning and losing the fight.
Also, avoid waiting too long in fights to use it. It might be tempting to wait for a huge clump of 10 enemies before using your E. But these situations are often rare, especially when facing a competent enemy team.
It’s always better to use it and hit only two or three players than not use it at all. Knowing the right timing all comes down to your experience with the weapon.
The downside of Realmbreaker is that it isn’t great in solo PvP. Although it’s still decent with the help of its Q and W skills, other axes are better for this role.
What makes Realmbreaker great:
- Has amazing burst: Realmbreaker deals massive AOE damage and potent HP reduction.
- Good for team setups (small- to large-scale PvP): You can maximize Aftershock utility and damage by combo-ing it with your team.
- Fight-winning potential: Your Aftershock can make or break a fight.
Realmbreaker details: Elder's Realmbreaker - Albion Online Wiki
1. Bear Paws
Why You Should Play Bear Paws - Albion Online - YouTube
Deciding which one to put as the best Axe between Bear Paws and Realmbreaker was very difficult. But ultimately, the Bear Paws’ better versatility edges Realmbreaker out just by a little bit.
Bear Paws also follows the same playstyle as all the axes on this list. You play as a melee DPS whose main job is to get as close as possible to your enemies and chop them down.
One of the main disadvantages of the axe weapon tree is its lack of mobility. Although Rending Rage and Adrenaline Boost give you some decent mobility, they are limited in terms of their chasing power.
And this is where the Bear Paws shine.
Aside from the decent burst damage and bleed from your Razor Cut (E), Bear Paws also provides great mobility that other axes don’t offer or cannot match.
Razor Cut has a good range of 12 meters and a decent cooldown of 30 seconds.
Only Realmbreaker’s Aftershock comes close with a 10-meter distance and 25-second cooldown.
But Razor Cut is a way better mobility skill because it also reduces its cooldown by 40% if you hit at least one enemy, which makes it an excellent skill for chasing and in team fights.
If you hit an enemy with Razor Cut, its cooldown instantly goes down to only 18 seconds. Less cooldown means more frequent usage, and more frequent usage means more damage and mobility.
What makes Bear Paws great:
- Great for solo ganking and small- to medium-scale PvP: Bear Paws possess the power of the axe weapon tree plus the extra damage and mobility from Razor Cut.
- Excellent for ganking/chasing: Razor Cut’s good range and excellent cooldown (when you hit an enemy) provide you with good mobility.
- Good overall DPS: The bleed from your Q and your low-cooldown E help boost your overall damage output.
Bear Paws details: Elder's Bear Paws - Albion Online Wiki
