sikle explained how “Bad Feeling” works for Axe

Team Spirit analyst Mark “sikle” Lerman explained on Telegram how Axe’s “Bad Feeling” mechanic works.
The quote is reproduced with the source’s spelling and punctuation intact
“Bad Feeling” is a buff that can be obtained in a live match:
- Axe must be on one team.
- Ringmaster must be on the other team.
- All 10 hero slots must be filled (i.e., a standard 5x5 lobby).
- The game rolls a die and has a 30% chance of granting this buff to Axe.
- The chance is determined at the start of the game, before the picks, so if it doesn’t appear then, it won’t appear later in the game.
- The buff has a second stage; in this localization, the stage is named “Hmm-mm-mm,” and the description is “Everything seems fine.” The conditions for obtaining it are unknown or have been left for a later update.
- The buff disappears when Axe dies.
The buff itself doesn’t do anything. All of this is a hidden Easter egg leading up to an event that—judging by the value of 1 in “bad feeling” rather than 0.5, as it was in the patch—is coming soon. The last time something like this happened was a couple of days before Largo’s release. Two years ago, when Ringmaster was released, the developers already showed exactly how Axe is pulled into the box, so the event could be a direct continuation or simply a reference (Axe has PTSD).
What a wonderful day for a carnival [“A wonderful day for a carnival.” — Ed.]
To Valve: we’ll keep reading the variables and digging deeper. <...>
- See also: References to a new hero and an upcoming event—Dota Stepan—have been discovered in Dota 2 files
A reference to “Bad Feeling” appeared in the patch notes for 7.41d, when it was increased from 0 to 0.5. This mechanic did not exist in the game previously. Today, the developers added it and left a message for players in the code.
Photo — Valve.


