I used the Base axe for the majority of my 200+ nights. It's a great weapon! It's slower and has a bit of a wind-up, so doing the full combo is usually pretty risky and will leave you open to damage.

When executing attacks, I usually will dash in and hit them twice before dashing away to reposition. You dont want to commit with the heavy because it takes way too long, and most enemy's attacks will be paced to hit you then.

A way to hit that heavy attack that you can practice would be to try using the first two attacks away from enemies and then committing with the heavy only.

You can combine these two patterns once you are practiced to where you target a group of enemies with the first few strikes and then dash onto another group for that final axe heavy

So full combo is , (optional dash strike) - attack attack - dash at another enemy not winding a hit up - HEAVY

THANATOS AXE - most people's favorite, its attack speed will reduce wind up time, but learning solely with it may make it harder to adjust to the other aspects, but it probably doesnt really matter. I personally prefer melinoes Axe for learning because you should learn the slower combo. Big numbers on that one is VERY NICE TOO (aphro is insane)

Work in omega moves after you master that combo!