I've seen some posts on here about the axes and how to get your bounties filled by standing near someone with an axe. However no one seems to have posted basic mechanics on how they work. Most know by now that the axe spawns with a limited amount of charge. The counter as far as I can tell begins depleting whether our not you've picked it up so, don't wait to grab it. You'll see further down why you want to pick it up as soon as possible. The R2 attack uses a significant amount of energy, has moderate range, and works well for clearing groups of enemies. Essentially it sends out a gout of flame that travels a short distance along the ground, explodes, and creates a burning zone that damages nearby enemies. The biggest pointer is properly using the basic attack to your advantage. The R1 attack uses one charge point per swing, however if you make contact with the enemy (you don't have to kill them, just hit them) it restores a few points of charge to the axe. This allows you to recover some charge without having any of the flame pits available. So use the R1 attack to clear weak enemies and extend the axe's charge especially during patrols. Bump if you found this helpful. Good hunting guardians.