So I did more testing, and found an inconsistency in the stack reset when not attacking.
On a tactical axe, where the trait stacks up to 10, the stacks can be lost in a fraction of a second of not swinging, which is less time than it takes for the animation of the first strike of a combo to even begin to reset. On a combat axe, which has a 5 stack version of the trait, I can wait around a full second, almost until the animation is fully complete, before stacks are lost. In practice this means that a quick miss can reset the trait without the player knowing on one weapon, but it will still be active on another, creating unnecessary inconsistency in play. Just make it last 2s or something so push-attacks and reaction blocks don’t cancel it, and fits within the attack timings of either axe variant.
It’s also too functionally similar to other traits, especially when they don’t share the awkward 2-hit buffer to start stacking and don’t lose stacks when using push-attacks as part of a chain (decimator instantly loses all stacks because you need to block to shove, and blocking resets the stack). There really ought to be a different identity attached to this trait that makes it stand out over the others. Maybe higher critical damage that stacks for every crit you make within x seconds. There isn’t anything that synergizes with crits really yet.